Laurel College Standouts: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and More

Below, find a roundup of the latest honors, degrees, and extracurricular accomplishments from Laurel-area college students. Descriptions are courtesy of the institutions named and/or students' family members.

Lebanon Valley College: Scott A. Sutton of Laurel made the men's lacrosse team at Lebanon Valley College. Sutton, a graduate of Reservoir High School, is a senior digital communications major. LVC opened its season Saturday, Feb. 23, at Randolph-Macon College.

Phi Beta Kappa: On April 2, 2013, the Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at St. Mary's College of Maryland was proud to hold its 16th annual induction ceremony. Twenty-one St. Mary's College of Maryland students were initiated into the society, including Rachel K. King of Laurel, who is majoring in French and biology at St. Mary's. Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1776 by students at the College of William and Mary. Today, there are 280 chapters of the society at different universities across the United States. Fewer than ten percent of each St. Mary's senior class is inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, signifying the student's academic achievement, intellectual interests, and good moral character that has been displayed throughout their undergraduate career at the college.

Phi Kappa Phi: Megan Dreyer of Laurel and Kira Cassels of Laurel were recently inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts annually approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni. The Society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors.

Stevenson University: Meghan Clark, a Laurel resident and Nursing major at Stevenson University, spent spring break volunteering in New Orleans as a member of the Mission: I'm Home student organization. For the past five years, Mission: I'm Home has organized the Alternative Spring Break Trip to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina. During the week of spring break, Stevenson students, faculty, and staff donated 3,640 hours of service to the St. Bernard Project and Habitat for Humanity of New Orleans. These hardworking Mustangs were involved with every aspect of the rebuilding effort, from demolition and debris removal to dry wall installation, painting and landscaping. In addition to rebuilding homes, participants were introduced to the culture of New Orleans and met with several families affected by Hurricane Katrina.