NH-S SWIMMER MAKES DISTRICTS

New Hope-Solebury High School freshman, Ondrej Maxian, has qualified for the PIAA Class AA District swimming competition which will be held on March 4th and 5th at LaSalle University. Maxian swam independently for New Hope-Solebury at a dual meet against Abington and Council Rock North on December 22nd at Council Rock North High School. He swam the 500 yard freestyle in 4:55.54 minutes, beating all the competitors, and swam the 200 yard freestyle in 1:52.33.

FBLA STUDENTS CREATE HOLIDAY FUN

Mary Clare Cosner, Mackenzie Koval, David Cosner, Shirley Liu, Jonathan Otto, Hannah Wheeler, Sean McGarry, Jake Merana, Kristen Taylor, Mitchell McCollum, Mike Merana and advisor, Betty Ohanian.

On December 19th, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Club of New Hope-Solebury High School held their annual “Breakfast with Santa” community event at the Eagle Fire Hall in New Hope. The students helped young children make ornaments and sold personalized Santa and elf hats.

While the students were there, they had an opportunity to see and touch a steel beam from the Twin Towers. The Eagle Fire Hall had received the beam the day prior in recognition of the firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
“It was a very special event,” commented FBLA advisor, Betty Ohanian. “The Eagle Fire Company officers and staff complimented the students on all their efforts working with the community and children”.

FBLA STUDENTS ADVANCE TO STATES

David Hahn, Sara Howell, Neil Baldasari, Genna Post, Steven Taylor, Noah Gross, Laura Reinert, Tommy Sutton, Sean McGarry, Jonah Warshawsky, Shirley Liu, Nicole Kelner, Hannah Wheeler, Mackenzie Koval, Kristen Taylor and advisor, Betty Ohanian.

Eighteen New Hope-Solebury High School students competed in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Regional Leadership Conference on December 17th at the Bucks County Community College. Of those students, four students qualified to participate in the FBLA State Leadership Conference in April.

o Laura Reinhert – 10th Grade – 1st Place – Introduction to Business Communications
o Shirley Liu – 12th Grade – 2nd Place Winner - Business Communication
o Steven Taylor – 12th Grade – 1st Place - Sports Management
o Sean McGarry – 12th Grade - 4th Place Sports Management

“The students did a great job representing New Hope-Solebury,” remarked FBLA advisor, Betty Ohanian. “I’m very proud of them.”

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR ADOPT-A-CHILD

Key Club members Emma Singer & Kristina Degiovanni

This year’s Adopt-a-Child Program was a huge success with 274 children “adopted” for the holidays. The program, which is sponsored by New Hope-Solebury High School’s Key Club and Fisherman’s Mark of Lambertville, NJ, asks students and community members to donate money and gifts for children in need during the holiday season. With the Key Clubs’ promotion and encouragement, high school homerooms raised enough money to adopt seventeen children. Many Key Club members assisted the program’s leaders, Terri Randol, Susan Brussock, and Kathy Mlynarski, by helping to organize the gifts on drop-off day and then delivering them to Fisherman’s Mark.

Since 1996, the Adopt-a-Child program receives lists of children in need from Fisherman’s Mark, school counselors, nurses, teachers, social workers, and the Woods Services in Langhorne.

NH-S COUNSELOR EARNS NATIONAL CERTIFICATION

Stephen Young, principal at New Hope-Solebury High School, announced that guidance counselor, Veronica Wierzbowski, has earned her National Certification in Counseling (NCC). Wierzbowski had previously achieved NCSC (Nationally Certified School Counselor) certification. Both the NCC and NCSC certification are overseen by the National Board for Certified Counselors.

This is Wierzbowski’s fourth year in the counseling office at New Hope-Solebury. Prior to that, she was a biology teacher at NH-S for seven years. Wierzbowski received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Lycoming College and a Masters in Science degree in Counseling and Human Relations from Villanova University.

“Veronica is a terrific counselor and this is a well-deserved achievement,” remarked Dr. Young.

WIZARD OF OZ

David Dwight, Katie Boyce, Stephanie Hunter and Katie Simon

Join the New Hope-Solebury High School theater club as they present The Wizard of Oz, on Friday, December 3 at 7:30pm and Saturday, December 4 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm at the Stephen J. Buck auditorium. This production is student directed by senior, Libby Lucy, and junior, Hannah Wheeler, and was directed on a “black box” budget. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $7. The matinee is catered towards children and those who attend are encouraged to dress up as their favorite character. Matinee attendees will even be able to participate in the performance! Also, all opening night proceeds will be donated to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in honor of students in the district fighting against cancer. “Follow the yellow brick road and enjoy the show,” exclaims Libby!

FOUR NH-S TEACHERS ACHIEVE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION

John O'Hara, Staci Shade, Lori Soriano and Margaret Thompson

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS®) announced that four New Hope-Solebury teachers have achieved National Board Certification in 2010. A voluntary assessment program designed to develop, recognize and retain accomplished teachers, National Board Certification is achieved through a performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, NBCTs have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices.

The four NH-S teachers who achieved National Board Certification this year are:
John O’Hara: John obtained a degree in Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Masters for Teachers of Mathematics from the University of New Hampshire. After teaching math in California for nine years, John has been teaching math at New Hope-Solebury High School for almost seven years.
Staci Shade: Staci received a Bachelor’s degree from West Chester University and a Masters degree in Education from Holy Family University. This is her eighth year teaching math at New Hope-Solebury High School.
Lori Soriano: This is Lori’s sixth year teaching Language Arts at New Hope-Solebury High School. Prior to NH-S, she spent a half year at Pennsbury High School. She has a Bachelor’s in English from West Virginia University and Masters in Education from Holy Family University.
Margaret Thompson: Meg earned her Bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross with a double major in Physics and History. She earned a Masters in Secondary Mathematics Education from Temple University. She has been teaching for 15 years, seven of those years were at Germantown Friend’s School and this is her sixth year teaching math at New Hope-Solebury Middle School.

National Board Certification is recognized as a model of pay-for-performance and is supported by teachers and administrators nationwide. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and hundreds of local school districts recognize National Board Certification as a mark of distinction. Many states and local school districts provide salary incentives and cover the cost for teachers who pursue and achieve this advanced teaching credential.

JOURNALISM STUDENT RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

The online site, My High School Journalism , has selected the work of a New Hope-Solebury High School journalism student to be included on their National Edition. Sophomore, Kieran Tebben, is an editor for the school’s newspaper, The Lion’s Tale. Her review, “Locnville fails at their attempt to mix techno, rap, and hip-hop”, has been selected to appear on the Entertainment section of the National Edition. “Kieran is the first Lion’s Tale writer to have received this recognition,” said journalism teacher, Drew Giorgi. “This is a wonderful honor for our school.”

My.hsj.org is an organization created by the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) and is funded by the Knight Foundation and the Reynold’s Foundation. ASNE is devoted to leadership development and journalism related issues. My.hsj.org has been created for high school journalists and they currently provide a platform where 3,461 student publications are published on the web.

NHS-S TAKES A VIRTUAL TOUR OF LATIN AMERICA

The New Hope-Solebury community ended their Read the World program with two different virtual events which explored various Latin American cultures. On October 25, photographer Bob Krist took the community on a multimedia tour of various Latin American countries. Krist, who has photographed for National Geographic Traveler and Smithsonian magazines, wowed the crowd with breath-taking photographs of Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, and other Latin American countries. For each of the countries of which he presented, he had interesting and often humorous stories about his experiences there.

On October 28, many high school Spanish students as well as some community members danced to traditional Mexican fiesta music in the high school cafeteria. The program was presented via a live video stream which allowed the professional Mexican dancer and the audience to see and hear each other. The students and community not only learned various dances of traditional Mexican culture, but were taught the customs and meanings that inspired the dances.

Both events were held in the evening and attracted 50-60 students and community members. While the Mexican Fiesta Dancing was provided through a grant from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, Bob Krist was very kind to give his fabulous presentation at no cost.

The Read the World program is a collaboration of the New Hope-Solebury High School, the Free Library of New Hope and Solebury and the New Hope-Solebury Education Fund. The group, whose mission is “one community exploring cultural diversity one book at a time,” recommended a selection of books to read about Latin American. Previously in the month, author Margarita Engle visited the school and community to speak about her books on Cuban history. Engle’s visit was paid in full by a New Hope-Solebury Education Fund grant which was awarded to Mary Schwander, the high school librarian. “The Read the World presentations helped bring awareness about Latin American cultures and brought students and our community together by reading the same books,” commented Schwander.

NH-S STUDENTS WEAR IT PINK

Senior, Nicole Kelner, shows off the "Wear it Pink" shirt which she designed.

The New Hope-Solebury High School Key Club raised money and awareness to the fight against breast cancer by selling “Wear it Pink” shirts and white and pink “Silly Bandz” to students and staff. For the second year in a row, Key Club senior, Nicole Kelner, designed the “pink ribbon” shirts. She and other Key Club members helped high school graphics teacher, Glen Preiss, with the printing of the shirts, while all Key Club members were involved in selling the shirts. On October 29th, students and staff were encouraged to wear the shirts (or other pink shirts), to show their support for the fight against breast cancer. Key Club members counted the number of people wearing pink and matched that number with a donation to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. That amount of $150, in addition to the proceeds from the shirt and bracelet sales, amounted to a donation of over $600.

NH-S GOLF TEAM MEMBER HEADS TO STATES

Back row (from left )– Michael Manoff, John Cimbalista, Jake Merana, Seamus Foster, Tommy Sutton,

Leo Massimino, and Jeffrey Cimbalista.
Front (from left) – Corey Curran, Raleigh Chapin, and Mike Merana.
Golf team members not present: Cameron Cathcart and Sean Rowland

New Hope-Solebury High School golfer, Raleigh Chapin, will be competing in the Pennsylvania State Golf tournament at Heritage Hills Golf Club in York, PA on October 25 and 26. Chapin, a junior, shot a two over par 74 to tie for ninth place in the Pennsylvania Southeast Regional High School golf tournament in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania on October 19. This is only the second time that New Hope-Solebury High School has had a golf team member advance to the state level.
In addition to Chapin, senior brothers Jake and Mike Merana also competed in the regional championships. They missed advancing to the states by just 3 strokes and Mike was one of ten golfers in a playoff for the final spot. The team, overall, took second place in districts, ahead of BAL Champion Holy Ghost and the remainder of the Suburban One League.

NH-S Celebrates National Day on Writing

Junior, Tessa Leith, helps Ms. Hartman’s second-graders brainstorm for their Halloween stories.

On October 20th, a group of New Hope-Solebury High School students visited 2nd graders at the Lower Elementary school to celebrate the National Day on Writing.
The reading specialist at the high school, Emi Lengyel, and the reading specialist at the elementary school, Nancy Rachlin, arranged for approximately seventeen high school students to work with four 2nd grade classrooms. The older students volunteered to work in groups with the younger students to help them write creative Halloween stories.
“Intergenerational activities such as The National Day on Writing affords both high school and elementary school students the opportunity to connect and interact,” remarked Lengyel. “The continuum of intergenerational activities is endless and for that reason we look forward to meeting with the younger students later in the year.”
The National Day on Writing was established by the National Council of Teachers of English to draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing in which we engage.

NH-S STUDENTS CAPTIVATED BY TWO NEW AUTHORS

Authors Matt Quick and Alicia Bessette with NH-S English teacher, Drew Giorgi

On October 14, New Hope-Solebury High School students were intrigued by two new, popular authors who happen to be husband and wife. Matt Quick and Alicia Bessette visited with the English students of Drew Giorgi and with the Creative Writing students of Melanie Pittner. In tag-team style, the two took turns in telling the students the story of how they met, their dreams of becoming writers, and how they went about making those dreams come true. They stressed to the students that they wouldn’t have seen their books published if they hadn’t taken huge risks in their life and if they weren’t persistent in sending manuscripts to publishers. Newly married and in their twenties, Quick and Bessette had both quit their jobs, traveled to Africa and upon their return to the states, moved in with Bessette’s parents so that they could begin to pursue their dreams of becoming authors. “My father said I was an idiot and a lot of our friends thought we were making a big mistake,” said Quick. He went on to say that hundreds of his manuscripts were originally turned down by publishers.

Today, both Quick and Bessette are realizing that their dreams are becoming reality. Quick’s novel, Silver Linings Playbook has earned numerous positive reviews and has been signed to be made into a movie. His young adult novel, Sorta Like a Rock Star, was equally embraced and has been nominated by the American Library Association for Best Fiction for Young Adults. Bessette’s new novel, Simply from Scratch is also receiving rave reviews and was read by Drew Giorgi’s English students.

This is the third visit by Quick to New Hope-Solebury and Bessette’s first.
“The students are thrilled with Matt’s and Alicia’s visit to our school,” remarked Giorgi who arranged for the visit. “Not only do they enjoy their books but they are genuinely inspired by their stories of becoming writers.”

COSTUMEPALOOZA HELPS GET COMMUNITY DECKED OUT FOR HALLOWEEN

Spanish teacher, Halyna Reh, chooses a Senorita costume with the help of Mask & Zany members,

LeighAnn DePamphilis and Stephanie Hunter

On October 16, the New Hope-Solebury High School theater group, Mask & Zany, was busy outfitting the community with a variety of costumes for both rental and sale. Whether it was a child getting ready for a night of trick-or-treating or an adult preparing for a Halloween party, Mask & Zany had plenty of outfits to offer. From 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, the community was invited to the Stephen J. Buck theater where they could browse the costumes while being entertained with the singing and dancing of the students.

CUBAN AMERICAN AUTHOR VISITS STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY

Tim Vaughan-Ogunlusi, Marisa Lewis, Margarita Engle, Patrick Carvalho, Ariel Ozbeki

On October 13, Cuban American poet and novelist, Margarita Engle, honored New Hope-Solebury with two presentations; one for students during the school day, and another in the evening for the community. The author’s visit was part of the NH-S Read the World program and was provided through a grant from the NH-S Education Fund. This year’s Read the World program focuses on Latin American countries, featuring two of Engle’s works, The Poet Slave: Juan Francisco Manzano and The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom.

Ms. Engle spoke to NH-S high school Spanish and English classes about her Cuban background and about her inspiration for her young adult books. The Spanish students have been reading The Poet Slave and have been learning about Cuba in their classes and the English students have been reading The Surrender Tree. Both books explore Cuba’s history through a collection of poetic verses, and both have won numerous literary awards. Ms. Engle spoke again in the evening, allowing the community an opportunity to learn about Cuban culture and history and to hear about Ms. Engle’s writing process.

The Read the World program is a collaboration of the New Hope-Solebury High School, the Free Library of New Hope and Solebury and the New Hope-Solebury Education Fund. The goup’s mission is “one community exploring cultural diversity one book at a time.” Two additional presentations have been scheduled which celebrate the cultural diversity of other Latin American countries. On October 25th at 7:00 pm, photographer, Bob Krist, will present his professional photographs of various Latin American countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Buenos Aires and Easter Island.
The presentation will be held in the Stephen J Buck Auditorium at New Hope-Solebury High School. On October 28th at 7:00 pm, there will be a Mexican Fiesta Dancing demonstration via a live video feed. A professional dancer will be demonstrating Day of the Dead dances in the New Hope-Solebury High School Cafeteria.

Further information can be found at http://www.nhs-read-the-world.com/ or by contacting Mary Schwander, NH-S High School librarian, at mschwander@nhsd.org or 215-862-2028.
Donation information for the NH-S Education Fund can be found at http://www.nhsedfund.org/.

NH-S SOPHOMORE CHOSEN FOR H.O.B.Y.

New Hope-Solebury High School sophomore, McKenzie Cloutier, has been selected by the high school faculty to attend the 2011 Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership seminar at Temple University in May. The Leadership Seminar is designed for high school sophomores to recognize their leadership talents and apply them in becoming effective, ethical leaders in their home, schools, workplace and community. Sophomore, John, Dick, has been selected as an alternate.

NH-S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM AT MUSIC CONFERENCE

The New Hope-Solebury High School Chamber Orchestra was selected out of over 160 high school orchestras to perform a concert at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Conference on April 15th, 2011 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Nicholas Wehr, is comprised of 34 students in grades 9 through 12. The orchestra will be performing a concert featuring the works of Barber, Tchaikovsky, and Elgar.

The New Hope-Solebury Chamber Orchestra has performed extensively throughout the United States and Canada under Wehr’s direction. Performance highlights include: Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, and Toronto, and other destinations. The orchestra has earned Superior ratings at Heritage, North American, and Peak Music Festivals. Members of the orchestra have also earned soloist awards at various festivals and adjudications. The orchestra performs five to six concerts per year and other community events in the New Hope area.

COMMENDED STUDENTS IN THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Maura Schlussel, Stephanie Hunter, Stephen Young, Caitlin Kerr and Scott Bouloutian

Principal, Stephen Young, of New Hope-Solebury High School announced this week that Scott Bouloutian, Stephanie Hunter, Caitlin Kerr, and Maura Schlussel have been named Commended Students in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program. Letters of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, were presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2011 competition for Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2011 competition.

NH-S KICKS LEUK FOR CARLY

NH-S students and faculty spell "We 'Heart' You Carly" as a Special Get-Well Message

At the NHS Boys Soccer game on October 7, the New Hope-Solebury community will be sponsoring “KICK LEUK FOR CARLY NIGHT” in support of high school sophomore, Carly Stephens, who was diagnosed with leukemia this past summer. Students and community members are encouraged to wear orange (Carly’s favorite color) to the soccer game, as well as to bring a donation for the Ronald McDonald House, Leukemia Society, and the Stephen’s Medical Fund.

Carly has expressed concern over the lack of supplies at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, which prompted her fellow volleyball teammate, Katie D’Andrea, to start a fund drive. Katie received a “Wish List” from the Ronald McDonald House which can be viewed online at http://www.nhsd.org/hs/pdf/Kick%20Leuk.pdf.

The KICK LEUK event is a joint collaboration of the Boys Soccer team, the Girls Soccer team, Field Hockey, Fall Cheerleading, Golf, Girls Volleyball (Carly’s team), and the Parent Teacher Forum. In addition, the NH-S Football team has approached the organizers to offer a monetary donation to the Ronald McDonald House.

“This night is in honor of our Carly,” said Maria Gregory whose son is on the Boy’s Soccer team. “It is a night we celebrate her strength and courage as she fights her battle along with all those who fight leukemia”.

The Junior Varsity Soccer game begins at 5:15pm and the Varsity game begins at 7:00pm at the New Hope-Solebury High School stadium. Carly’s brother, Robert, is a captain on the Varsity team.

The school community has quickly and fiercely come together to help Carly and her family upon hearing about her diagnosis. “To see a group of teenagers come together to sign a banner, draw pictures to decorate her room, make Carly videos and visit daily, especially warmed all of our hearts,” remarked Gregory. “The NHS Girls’ soccer team (of which Carly is a member) began selling orange bracelets to raise money for leukemia research. The bracelets read KICK LEUK with soccer balls on one side and We Love Carly on the other”.

The donation proceeds will go towards the Leukemia Society, the Ronald McDonald House and the Stephen’s Medical Fund. Visitors attending the KICK LEUK event will also have an opportunity to sign up for a Blood Drive for Carly which is being held at the Upper Elementary School on October 28.

New Hope-Solebury Prepares to “Read the World” of Latin America

During the month of October, the New Hope-Solebury community has an opportunity to explore the culture of Latin America through the community’s second annual Read the World program. New Hope-Solebury High School, the Free Library of New Hope and Solebury and the New Hope-Solebury Education Fund are joining forces to sponsor community events which revolve around books about various Latin American countries. The program is focusing on Cuba since Cuban American poet and novelist, Margarita Engle, will be visiting New Hope-Solebury High School on October 13. Her visit is being funded by the NH-S Education Fund.

The following books are featured:

The Poet Slave: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle
A portrait in poems of Juan Francisco Manzano, the poet who was born a slave in Cuba in 1797.

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
A collection of poems in which Rosa, a healer, describes her experiences trying to help Cuban peasants who have been forced to leave their farms and villages in 1896 and given eight days to find their way to "reconcentration camps" or be killed.

Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy by Carlos Eire
The author describes his privileged life in Havana before he was sent at the age of eleven to the U.S. in 1962, in the wake of the Cuban Revolution.

Havana Fever by Leonardo Padura
Mario Conde, who became an antique book trader after he retired as a police officer, is drawn into an investigation when a murder takes place shortly after he finds an article in a rich Cuban's book collection about a beautiful bolero singer who disappeared in the 1950’s.

My Havana by Rosemary Wells
For younger readers; A picture book which relates events in the childhood of architect Secundino Fernandez, who left his beloved Havana, Cuba, with his parents, first to spend a year in Spain, and later to move to New York City.

Other recommended books on various Latin America countries can be found on the “Read the World” website.

The community is invited to participate in the following presentations which explore the cultural diversity of Latin America. The events are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, October 13
7:00pm in the Stephen J. Buck Auditorium at New Hope-Solebury High School
Cuban American poet and novelist, Margarita Engle, speaks about Cuba and its culture.

Monday, October 25
7:00pm in the Stephen J Buck Auditorium at New Hope-Solebury High School
Bob Krist of National Geographic takes us on tour of Latin America through his wonderful photographs

Thursday, October 28
7:00pm in the New Hope-Solebury High School Cafeteria
Mexican Fiesta Dancing: Day of the Dead demonstration. Via video conference, a professional dancer will be demonstrating various dances and inviting participants to learn some dance steps.

Further information can be found at http://www.nhs-read-the-world.com/ or by emailing or calling Mary Schwander, NH-S High School librarian, 215-862-2028. Donation information for the NH-S Education Fund can be found at http://www.nhsedfund.org/.

NHS Students Earn AP Schloar Awards

Forty-eight students at New Hope-Solebury High School have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.8 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams.

At New Hope-Solebury High School:

Three students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average score of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. These students are Phillip Azanov, Richard Lee and Gregory Stelmach.

Ten students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Ian Antolik, Phillip Azanov, David Kilgariff, Richard Lee, Meghan McCrorey, Ari Oppenheim, Maura Schlussel, Collin Smith, Megan Snyder and Gregory Stelmach.

Eleven students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Caitlyn Benonis, Nicholas Brussock, Maria Degiovanni, David Dwight, Thomas Hische, Caitlin Kerr, Shirley Liu, Michael Magaziner, Tyler Mertens, Dylan Platt and Kristen Taylor.

Twenty-seven students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Bryant Andrews-Nino, Vishwa Angampalli, Prateek Balasundaram, Calvin Baldasari, Donovan Breth, Cheznye Clark, Meghan Compeau, Ian Crawley, Gabriella Crimi, Timothy Elliot, Ashley Flor, Alexendra Heffern, Michael Heffernan, William Hicks, Rachel Jensen, Nicole Kelner, Richard Kovac, Nora Lee, Sean McGarry, Weston Michael, Wade Millward, Jacqueline Pauley, Eliot Reshetar-Jost, Andrew Reszka, Thomas Sutton, Matthew Thomas and Oluwarotimi Vaughan-Ogunlus.

Of this year’s award recipients at New Hope-Solebury High School, twenty-two are sophomores and juniors. These students have at least one more year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn a higher-level AP Scholar Award.

Through more than 30 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement and stand out in the college admission process. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that AP exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the nation’s leading liberal arts and research institutions. More than 3,800 colleges and universities annually receive AP scores. Most four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying exam scores. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams (based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest) typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher college graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP.

Students Named Semifinalists in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program

David Dwight; Tom Hische; Stephen Young, principal; and Shirley Liu

New Hope-Solebury High School seniors, Shirley Liu, David Dwight and Tom Hische are all Semifinalists in the 55th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. More than 1.5 million juniors in about 22,000 U.S. high schools entered the 2011 National Merit Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinialists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

These students now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements and advance to the Finalist level of the competition.

NHS SENIORS AWARDED SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS

On behalf of the S.Y.S.T.E.M.S. Program (Stimulating Your Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Students) and the New Hope-Solebury High School Parent Teacher Forum, program coordinator, Michael Daly, announced that New Hope-Solebury seniors David Dwight and Caitlin Kerr have each been awarded $1000 scholarships.
David received a S.Y.S.T.E.M.S. Star scholarship award to support his summer traineeship at Amicus Therapeutics in Cranbury, NJ and Caitlin received her award to support her summer traineeship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
The S.Y.S.T.E.M.S. program was initiated last year in collaboration with the NHSHS Parent Teacher Forum. The program introduces students to the diversity of career options available in the sciences. Each program features 5 adults (Ambassadors) that give a very personal overview of how they got interested in science, what training they received, what they do now and what they love about science. “These programs are highly interactive and not didactic,” said program coordinator, Michael Daley. “In addition, each of our Ambassadors have volunteered to serve as Mentors for the Senior Culminating Project for those interested in a science related topic”.
Last year’s presentations at the high school were very well received, with 130 students and 12 parents in attendance. This school year Daly is planning on continuing and even expanding this program with possible field trips to the PA Biotechnology Center in Doylestown, as well as attending the PA Bio Annual Conference in October, held in Philadelphia. “We are asking for additional volunteers to assist with logistics, organization and to serve as Ambassadors if they work in a science related field,” remarked Daly. “In addition, you may also know of neighbors, friends or other community members that work in a science related field and you think would make great role models for students. The time commitment is minimal and only involves 2-3 hrs over the entire school year as an Ambassador”.
Interested volunteers can contact Dr. Michael Daley at michaeljdaley@comcast.net.