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.