CONWAY, Ark. (Nov. 25, 2009) – Student delegates from Hendrix College won the top delegation award at the recent Arkansas Student Congress competition at the Arkansas State Capitol, an event sponsored annually by the Arkansas Communication and Theatre Arts Association. The Hendrix students were congratulated by Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe during an event in the Governor’s Reception Room.
Hendrix junior Derek Cash of Vilonia won the coveted Marguerite Metcalf Award for Parliamentary Procedure, the top individual award, which is named for a former speech teacher at Hendrix. Other award winners from Hendrix include:
- Caelan O’Sullivan, the president of Hendrix’s delegation, was selected as the “Best Delegate” from Hendrix College.
- O’Sullivan and Takayla Ames received second place in the Best Bill category.
- Alex Schroller, elected Republican Party Leader.
- Ryan Dickerson, elected Democratic Party Secretary.
- Kyle Bradbury, elected Republican Party nominee for Senate Clerk.
- O’Sullivan and Alex Sego completed four years of dedicated service to the Hendrix College Rhetoric Society Student Congress Delegation.
- All delegates won awards of “Excellent” an/or “Superior” in Committee, Caucus, Floor Debate, and Parliamentary Procedure categories.
As a group, all four of Hendrix’s bills were passed out of committee, a notable accomplishment. Hendrix College has fielded 31 delegations at the event dating back to 1979.
Other students who contributed to the delegation’s top ranking include: Takayla Ames, Kyle Bradbury, Andrew Craig, Paul Depre, Ryan Dickerson, McKenzie Keller, Armeen Neshat, and Christopher Weaver. Hendrix Speech Communication instructor Mary Melekian Richardson is the group’s coach.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.