Since 1939, the Wilmington Friends School has used the Josh Marshall Mendinhall II Memorial Award (otherwise known as the Mendinhall Award), to honor a member of each graduating class who is considered to have done the most for the school. This year, the winner of the Mendinhall Award is Margaret Sullivan ’17, a devoted student and a well deserving recipient of the award. Congratulations Margaret!

At Wilmington Friends School, contribution to the community is inherently important and viewed with great value. The award was first given to John Marshall Mendinhall by his own class – the class of 1939. He was given this honor in recognition of his high ideals and his service to Friends School. Since then, the graduating class of Wilmington Friends, along with the members of the faculty have continued to honor a student in their grade who they collectively believe did most for the school in their time there.

Throughout Sullivan’s time at Friends, her accomplishments have been significant and above expectation. Sullivan served as a crucial and enthusiastic member of the Robotics team, Clerk of the Student Disciplinary Committee, as well as a valuable member of LINK Crew. She also took the position as the Clerk of business meeting, and was an integral member of the Science Olympiad team. Along with this, Sullivan consistently worked hard in her academics, and served as the captain of the cross country and basketball team. Mrs. Zugg, Head of Upper School, commented that “Margaret was very invested in making the school a stronger place. She was very involved in Robotics and would even come to admissions open houses at Friends and discuss her passion for Robotics. She was always very comfortable with herself, and very giving to the school.” Sullivan has long been known for enthusiasm and leadership throughout all of the activities she participates in.

Along with her academic and extracurricular accomplishments, Sullivan has been a vital member of the community. From her enthusiasm on the Robotics team, to her hard work on both the Student Disciplinary Committee and the LINK Crew, Sullivan has never failed to impress. Zugg continued that “She led Senior week in terms of negotiating different themes. She really took it upon herself to organize and have consistent and positive tones of senior week. She was a crucial member of SDC, which is a very important role in terms of the core values of the school and helping students who come to SDC reflect on their actions.” Sullivan is a dedicated and positive student whether she is in the classroom, in a club, or simply in the community.

Overtime, Sullivan has made herself an integral part of the robotics team and helped the team to a succesful appearence at the state competition- an outstanding accomplishment. Matt Cauchy, the co-faculty sponsor of the Robotics team, commented, “Margaret has done robotics for four years. What sticks out about Margaret is her energy, enthusiasm and leadership.” Many members of the faculty have applauded Sullivan for her leadership. Cauchy continued by stating, “Margaret makes what she does a fun experience for everyone. From a leadership standpoint, she always made sure things got done.” It is clear to see why Sullivan has been awarded the Mendinhall award as she’s positively impacted the school in almost every department she participated in and impacting several sports teams.

Looking forward, Sullivan’s future is looking very positive. She will be entering the Massachusetts Institute of Technology next fall. She will inherently continue to be an enthusiastic leader and role model at MIT, as well as in her future career. This has been reassured by many previous examples. Zugg also noted that “Margaret was contributing in every arena of the school in terms of both students and faculty.” Sullivan’s accomplishments and leadership have greatly impacted the school, and everyone in the Wilmington Friends community! Once again, Congratulations, Margaret! You will be missed.