Contact: Lisa Deffendall • First Posted: Thursday, May 8, 2008

Two seniors at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School were awarded $500 scholarships at the state Student Technology Leadership Program competition.

The Kentucky Society for Technology in Education surprised Katie Harrington and Tushar Patel on Wednesday during the awards ceremony at Rupp Arena.

“It’s quite an accomplishment for any student to receive such a prestigious award. But it’s almost unheard of for two students from the same district to have this honor bestowed on them in the same year!” said Greg Drake, coordinator of instructional technology for Fayette County Public Schools.

Harrington plans to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Patel will be at the University of Kentucky.

The STLP awards are named for Mary Grace Jaeger, an outstanding educator in Jefferson County Public Schools. After her death, an STLP scholarship fund was established to promote lifelong learning with technology. Three awards were given this year.

More than 300 schools from nearly 100 districts were represented at this week’s state STLP competition. Students brought digital music, video, writing and art products to the event and competed in many areas of technology during live demonstrations, presentations and panels.