At the May 27 Bridgeport High School senior assembly, college scholarships will be awarded and seniors will receive a sendoff that will include special music and words from 2015 BHS Senior Representatives Mitchell Winkie and Mallory Rinker.

 

“This is a great honor and I thank the faculty so much for bestowing me with it,” Winkie said. “I also think it’s amazing how I, along with three other students, get to address our class as a whole one more time before we go our separate ways.”

 

Winkie, who has been involved in a long list of academic, student government, musical and athletic activities (see below), was this year’s student body president. An honor student and AP scholar, he believes BHS has provided a quality foundation for his post-high school education.

 

“I feel like Bridgeport High School is one of the top-ranked schools in the state. Curriculum wise, our school offers the most AP classes in the county and our test scores are always up there,” he said. “It’s also the way the school goes about pushing academics. When AP classes open up, the principals and counselors push students to take those classes so they can reach their full potential.”

 

In addition to the administration and school counselors, Winkie commends the entire BHS staff and says he has gained something at high school that he will carry with him beyond high school graduation.

 

“That’s the support that I think BHS offers as a whole,” he said. “The faculty – all of the teachers – the secretaries and the janitors; if you ever have something to talk about – a problem in class or need help studying, they are always there for you. There’s not even a question. They will help you in whatever you need and give as much assistance as they can.”

 

After graduation, Winkie plans to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. He is among 36 West Virginia students who in December of 2014 were nominated by Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to attend U.S. service academies.

 

“I decided to go to the naval academy because I wanted to give back to my country,” he said. “I feel like today, people take for granted the safety and security we have. Everyone who grows up here, in my opinion, has a duty to protect everyone here and what we have here.”

 

As for the words he plans to share with his peers on May 27, Winkie said he plans to talk about the importance of perseverance.

 

Rinker is likewise very pleased to have been named senior representative of the BHS Class of 2015.

 

“I’m just grateful for the recognition and that the administration and teachers believe I am a suitable representative,” she said. “I’m just really happy and can’t wait to graduate and go on to even bigger and better things.”

 

Rinker has also been involved in a plethora of academic, student government and extracurricular activities throughout her high school career.

 

Some of the most memorable are activities associated with Key Club, HOBY Leadership Camp and Rhododendron Girls State, she said.

 

“They were just really unique, emphasizing leadership at HOBY and patriotism at Girls State,” she said. “They are two experiences I’ll carry with me the rest of my life.”

 

This summer, Rinker will attend boot camp and technical training with the West Virginia Air National Guard. She thereafter plans to attend Fairmont State University where she will study business administration.

 

“I think the on-the-job training will benefit me more than anything really and I think it’s a good decision,” she said. “Going along with my Key Club involvement, it’s a way to give back, but on a greater scale – giving back to my country.”

 

Rinker said her May 27 speech will feature some similar points to one she once delivered on behalf of the BHS Key Club.

 

“I’ll talk about how we feel about the last four years and how we’ve grown,” she said.

 

BHS Senior Representatives Winkie and Rinker, as well as Miss BHS Hannah Fetty and Mr. BHS John Marshall, received their honors based on faculty vote. The top vote getters were named Mr. and Miss BHS and those in second place received the senior representative titles. Fetty and Marshall will provide commencement addresses at the May 30 graduation ceremony at Wayne Jamison Field.

 

DeFazio commented that he believes the faculty made wise decisions in selecting the four extraordinary BHS students.

 

Read more about Winkie and Rinker below:

 

Winkie is student body president and was vice president of his freshman, sophomore and junior class while holding a position on the executive board. He is an honor student and AP scholar. He earned his Academic Letter his freshman year and Academic Lamps his sophomore, junior and senior years.  He is a member of the National Honor Society and is treasurer for the Bridgeport chapter. He is a four-year member of the Bridgeport High School football team, for which he played H back on offense and linebacker on defense. He has been named first-team Big 10, All-County and All-State.  He has played the cello for the Bridgeport Strings Orchestra all four years. He holds letters in both football and orchestra.

 

He was nominated and attended several educational and leadership programs. Included is the West Virginia Governor’s School for Math and Science at the Green Bank Radio Observatory, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Foundation People to People program as a student Ambassador traveling to France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. As a member of the French Club and French Honorary program for exemplar studies, Winkie traveled to England and France with the BHS French Club. He also attended Boys State where he was elected Attorney General and was nominated as an alternate for American Legion Boys Nation.

 

He has a talent for math and was the recipient of a John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Scholarship and subsequently earned three college credits at Fairmont Sate for College Algebra, attaining a 4.0 GPA in his freshman year; he also obtained AP scored of 5’s in AP Calculus AB and BC his sophomore year. Winkie was the winner of the County Math Field Day Competition for numerous years and was a member of the West Virginia State Math Team for 2014 and attended the American Region Mathematic League competition at Penn State University.

 

Winkie established a Bridgeport Youth Mentor Program which is available to Youth Football members and their siblings. His goal is to encourage younger children to stay academically strong as well as being physically active in sports. Winkie provides free math tutoring to assist these students.

 

He is an active member of DeMolay and is and is a previous Master Councilor of the Clarksburg Chapter and a current State Advisor; he was also a past Stat Chaplin of West Virginia. In this organization, he and his fellow members have organized and participated in numerous community projects. Winkie also attends Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Stonewood and has assisted in homebound services for members and participates in their string quartet.

 

He has represented Bridgeport several times at the Math Field Day Competition and competed at Penn State University as a member of the West Virginia State Math Team.

 

Rinker has been an active member of Raze, DECA and Nutrition Club during her four years in high school. She has been a member of French Club since her freshman year, serving as the communications chair her junior year and treasurer her senior year.

 

She has been very involved in Key Club, earning over 150 hours of community service the duration of her high school career. She was the club’s vice president sophomore year,, Lieutenant Governor of Division 3B on the West Virginia Key Club District Board junior year and in March was voted in as the first female Governor in the West Virginia Key Club District history. Throughout her Key Club experience

 

Rinker has acquired various awards, such as, Distinguished Vice President and the Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lieutenant Governor Award.

 

She attended the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership seminar her sophomore year and Rhododendron Girls State her Junior Year, where she served as her county’s prosecuting attorney. This will be Rinker’s third year being a member of Dance Ensemble, and has performed at the West Virginia Dance Festival.

 

Rinker has been a member of French Honorary since her freshman year. She is also in National Honor Society, where she serves on the executive committee.