Mathcounts
Community Middle School mathletes took top honors at the regional Mathcounts competition against 16 other area middle schools. Community has been invited to compete in the state round on Saturday, March 19.
Grover Middle School placed second and is in contention for one of two “wildcard” slots that are awarded to the top two scoring teams that did not win their regional competitions. “In all likelihood, Grover will be competing at states as well,” says Alyce Doehner, advisor for both teams.
Community Middle School team members include Shire Aahron, Nick Kosar, Jason Steinberg, and Daesun Yim. Grover Team members include Jeff Fan, Kevin Gu, Ming-Ming Tran, and Daniel Xia.
Community individual competitors include Chris Berman, Lisa Lin, Chirag Modi, and Josh Sung. Grover individuals include Michael Cao, Kunal Desai, Michael Wu, and Ling Zhou.
Taylor Lee is the alternate for Community. Kevin Chu is the alternate for Grover.
The competition allows each school to bring one team of four to compete for both individual and team awards, and up to four additional students who compete for individual awards, but are not considered for the team awards.
In addition to the team honors, numerous CMS and GMS students received individual honors. At the end of sprint, target, and countdown, Jason Steinberg was in first place, Daesun Yim, second place; Nick Kosar, third place; Josh Sung, fourth place; Ling Zhou, fifth place; Jeffrey Fan, sixth place; Chirag Modi, seventh place; and Daniel Xia, ninth place. Also, Chris Bergman, 12th place; Shir Aharaon, 16th place; and Ming-Ming Tran, 19th place.
The head-to-head competition with the winner of each round involved moving up the ladder until they are bested. “The question is flashed onto a screen and competitors have up to 45 seconds to buzz in with a correct answer,” says Doehner. “Many times, the answer is calculated and given before the moderator has completed his reading of the question!!”
“We practiced once a week after school until the teams and individuals were chosen in December,” says Doehner. “At the beginning of January, we met collectively on Sunday afternoons for two hours and had our own in-house competitions. Parents volunteered to serve as time keepers, snack servers, and general helping hands throughout these practices.”
In the Schools
Benefit for Reading
Millstone River students recently raised over $15,”000 for tsunami relief. The school’s fourth and fifth grade students held a read-a-thon for 120 minutes and received pledges anywhere from one cent to $3 per minute. The money has been donated to Save the Children to benefit children and their families affected by the disaster.
Lori Valyo, a fourth grade teacher suggested the benefit and it was organized by the school’s Student Human Relations Committee. Both students and staff dedicated the two hours to read books. In March, the school will sell red plastic bracelets inscribed with WW-P Cares for $2. The profits will go to the same organization.
Musical Notes
Nine students from Community Middle School were chosen to perform in the Region II Intermediate Orchestra. The concert will be in March. The students include Moya Chin, clarinet; Brandon Lee, violin; Grace Lee, violin; Caroline Chang, violin; Dan Lee, trombone; Julia Kim, violin; Kristie Liao, oboe; Taylor Lee, violin; and Lucy Xu, cello.
Gregory Steiner, a sophomore at High School South, was selected to play the double bass in the High School Regional band. His name was not included in the January 7 issue about the regional bands and orchestras.
Black History
Gail Mitchell, ESL educator at Millstone River School, found a dynamic way to celebrate the February 1 birthday of Langston Huges. After spending time at Millstone River, she visited Wicoff, Maurice Hawk, and Dutch Neck schools to share Hughes’ poetry with the students.
Hughes is known for his stories of black life in America from the 1920s through the ‘60s. A writer of novels, short stories, plays, and poetry, he was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri and died on May 22, 1967, in New York.
Millstone River classes listened to Langston Hughes on cassette as an adult sharing his grammar school experience in Illinois of how he became the class poet. They listened to “The Kids in School with Me,” “We’re all in the Telephone Book,” “Merry-Go-Round,” “City,” “There’s Always Weather,” “Dear Mr. President,” “The Heart of Harlem,” “Words Like Freedom,” and “One-Way Ticket.” The younger students heard his “Sweet and Sour Animal Book” of poetry.
“The NAACP pilot suggestion of reading the poetry of Langston Hughes on his birthday was an excellent idea and a resounding success,” Mitchell says. “The students, librarians, principals, and grade level teachers in each of the buildings were welcoming, attentive, and very responsive to the poetry reading.”
Nancy Hoch, High School South social studies teacher, coordinated an exhibit in honor of Black History Month. Students from the multicultural class and the African American Club at High School South served as docents. They worked with the African American Heritage Museum of South New Jersey and presented detailed information to kindergarten to eighth grade students on over 70 paintings, graphics, drawings, and artifacts depicting the rich heritage of African-American culture.
Joseph Graves of Fairleigh Dickinson University was a guest speaker. A professor of evolutionary biology, he is the author of “The Race Myth and the Emperor’s New Clothes: Biological Theories on Race at the Millennium.”
Art Exhibit
Antonio Rodriguez, a member of the security team at High School South, will be exhibiting his artwork featuring a variety of media at the school’s Media Center Art Gallery. The opening reception is Wednesday, February 23, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The show will be on view through March 21 and is open to the public.
Dean’s List:
University of Delaware: From Plainsboro are Erin Lisa Gallins and Amie Deborah Luther. From West Windsor are Melissa Lauren Baum, Katie Jean Baur, Samantha Lauren Gans, Kathleen Tanya Harrell, Michael James Hicks, Megan Lynn Hoffman, Margaret Julia Myers, and Pinar Senyilmaz.
Lafayette College: Elliot Goodzeit, Plainsboro, freshman, biology major. High School North, Class 2004.
Wake Forest University: John Joseph Engel, West Windsor, senior, history major.
College Graduate
Towson University in Maryland: Joshua Verb of West Windsor graduated cum laude with a major in secondary education. A graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, Class of 2000, he is currently teaching and coaching in the Baltimore area.
Student Ambassadors
Val Chan and Katie McKiernan, both of West Windsor, were selected by the People to People Student Ambassador Program to visit France, Italy, and Greece this summer. They will spend close to three weeks learning about the government, economy, and culture of the three countries. As part of their experience, the youth will live with host families.
