Bangor High School

BANGOR – Principal Norris E. Nickerson recently announced that Elizabeth Mooers, Caleb Canders, Monica Willey, and Lucy Gross were named Charles E. French Medalists as the top graduating seniors in the Class of 2003. Graduation exercises were held Sunday, June 8, at the Bangor Auditorium.

Elizabeth Mooers, daughter of Holly Houston of Bangor, was a member of the National Honor Society. She was active in class council, Key Club, Queen City Club, and the math team. She volunteered for Eastern Maine Medical Center, Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center, and the Maine People’s Alliance. She spent last year in Washington, D.C., as a U.S. House of Representatives congressional page for U.S. Rep. Tom Allen. Honors and awards include departmental excellence awards in speech, Spanish, and history; the superintendent’s academic excellence awards as a sophomore and a senior; the Presidential Academic Excellence Award; the Phi Beta Kappa Association of Maine Certificate of Recognition; and the Principal’s Leadership Award. She plans to attend Columbia University with an international relations concentration and an interest in women’s studies.

Caleb Canders, son of Gregory and Cathy Canders, was a National Merit Scholar finalist and a member of the National Honor Society. He was a member of student council, the math team, and the cross-country, winter track and spring track teams. He served as the president of his class and treasurer of Key Club. His honors and awards include the 2002-03 Rensselaer Medal, the University of Rochester Humanities award, the superintendent’s academic excellence award, the Fitch Co. Science award, and the President’s Award for Excellence. He plans to attend Brown University as a biology major and pre-med student.

Monica Willey, daughter of Lorna and Larry Willey of Bangor, was a member of the National Honor Society. She served as captain of the varsity field hockey team, was a member of Key Club, Students Ending Environmental Destruction, AIDS committee, math team, and yearbook; served as president of the student council; was a gubernatorial candidate at Girls State and participated in the National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. She is actively involved with her church group, and traveled to Honduras and Eastport on mission trips. Her honors and awards include the All-State chorus award, Williams Book Award, the superintendent’s academic excellence award, the spotlight ward, the President’s Award for Excellence, the student council book award, the Bangor High School Service Award, and the foreign language department award for Spanish her junior year. She plans to attend Brown University.

Lucy Gross, the daughter of Irwin and Gerry Gross, was a member of the National Honor Society and Students Ending Environmental Destruction. Her honors and awards include science, music and theater departmental awards the Mary Novack Book Award, the All-State chorus and orchestra awards, the superintendent’s award, the National Scholar-Athlete award, the National Academic All-American Swim Team and the President’s Award for Excellence. She has been involved with the jazz choir, chamber choir, musical theater, orchestra and swimming. She will attend Bowdoin College.