Poll: Who should be the next Delaware Student of the Week?

The academic year is winding down. And many standout students deserve recognition, filling the halls of Delaware schools.

Like our long-running athlete-of-the-week feature that honors athletic achievement alongside reader voting, Delaware Online/The News Journal is honoring a "Delaware Student of the Week" across high schools. The award looks to highlight academic excellence, extracurricular activities, volunteerism, perseverance and more attributes that make up the lives of young scholars.

School principals and other educators send in nominations — while you, dear reader, keep handling the rest.

Here are the next four nominations for the next Delaware Student of the Week:

Kennedi Hutchinson, Middletown High: Not only is this senior a leader in the Teacher Academy Pathway — she also leads several student groups, like the Black Student Union and the Best Buddies program. Her nominator also said she's a peer tutor, cheerleader and Special Olympics volunteer. The daughter of an educator hopes to be a future educator herself, and Hutchinson has completed observations at Brick Mill Early Childhood Center as part of her capstone project.

Mariah Maddox, Woodbridge High: This senior always strives for excellence. That's how her nominator put it. Maddox had all As throughout the year, including in DelTech dual-enrollment courses. She has the kind of work ethic "that should be recognized," her nominator said. Outside of the classroom, she has represented Woodbridge by playing varsity field hockey — named Offensive Player of the Year — as well as softball. She has maintained a healthy extra-curricular balance, all with a strong GPA to show it.

Erika Ayala-Rivera, William Penn High: This sophomore's nominator applauded her resilience in overcoming challenges outside of school and always bringing her best to the halls of William Penn. Ayala-Rivera was touted as a "role model and hard worker," while also a strong self advocate.

Abigail Ehemann, St. Mark's High: This honors student is in theater, color guard, concert choir and many other posts both in and outside of school. The junior was accepted into All-State Choir this year, while also a semi-finalist in the Poetry Out Loud Competitions for three years running. Her nominator also described her as "kindhearted, energetic and intelligent."

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Delaware Student of the Week poll

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[Editor's note: This is a budding initiative. Did we miss your institution on our email list? Have a comment? Let us know: studentoftheweek@delawareonline.com]