Mathias Lenz Dingman is in Moscow competing in his second recent international ballet competition. A few weeks ago, he won the bronze medal in the Helsinki International Ballet Competition in the junior men’s division. These two competitions are among the four most prestigious ballet competitions in the world; the others are the Varna Bulgaria and a competition held domestically in Jackson, MS.

Samiron Ray played his way to the winner’s concert in the third annual Southeastern Piano Festival, Catch a Rising Star. Ray, son of Sumit and Shumi Ray, is an 11th grader at Dutch Fork High School. He has been playing piano for more than 10 years and currently studies with Marina Lomazov, the USC piano professor who is artistic director of the festival.

Mathias Lenz Dingman climbs inside one of the many 19th century buildings preserved as an open–air museum on Seussauri Island outside the Helsinki city limits. Ray attended the first two Southeastern Piano Festivals on full scholarship, and received Honorable Mention both last year and this year. He played at the Brevard Music Center and recently won first prize in the 2005 Greenville Young Artists Piano Competition. A top student and school leader, Ray is involved in various clubs and organizations at his school. He co–hosts the nationally–syndicated radio show “Teen Forum.” For his part in the Winners’ Concert, Arthur Fraser Concerto Competition, he played Nocturne in F–sharp Minor, Opus 48, No. 2.

Other Columbia–area students who comprised the Class of 2005, Southeastern Piano Festival, were Russell Corwin of Chapin High School, Lucy Dinkins of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, and Elaina McKie of Irmo High School.

Two Hand Middle School students were recognized at the national level for their individual entries in last week’s National History Day competition held on the University of Maryland campus at College Park.

Ana Suarez won for her Junior Individual Documentary entitled The Cuban Missile Crisis and Its Effect on Communication Among Today’s Superpowers.

Emily Grego’s Junior Individual Exhibition, Jane Austen: A Partial, Prejudice, and Ignorant Historian Turned Novelist , was named Outstanding State Entry.

Carolyn Donchatz, who was named Teacher of Merit during this spring’s state finals National History Day event held at the SC Archives and History Center, teaches Suarez and Grego at Hand Middle School.