Radio Excellence Award for Katz
Rachel Katz of Plainsboro, pictured at right, received the first and second place “Excellence in Journalism” awards from the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in the Radio Enterprise category. Both shows were part of Katz’s ongoing “Views and Voices” public affairs series at WWFM, the classical network at Mercer County College that examines the effects of the economy on different aspects of the region. Katz produces and hosts the shows.
The first place award was for a January 24, 2009, “Arts and the Economy” roundtable discussion about how arts organizations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are dealing with the weak economy and how some are finding innovative ways to grow and thrive. The second place award was for a July 11, 2009, program about how nonprofit organizations are coping with today’s economy, and redefining their strategies to adapt.
Katz spent more than a decade in print journalism, including positions at the Connecticut Post and Bloomberg News, where she frequently appeared as a guest on Bloomberg television and radio to discuss breaking news about major U.S. retailers. She also spent three years as a freelance reporter in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has worked at WWFM for more than three years.
“Views and Voices,” which first aired in December, 2007, can be heard on WWFM Saturdays at 7 p.m. The show, which also earned awards at the 2009 Garden State Journalists Memorial Awards, is archived at wwfm.org.
Math League
Grover Middle School students rose to the top of the Continental Math League and the New Jersey Math League. The advisors are Kathy Kempf and Lisa Pacifico.
Continental League: The sixth grade team placed first regionally in the Pythagorean Division. Students receiving high scores were Amun Sahrawat, Dhruva Byrapatna, Yuqing Chai, Angela Yu, Kevin Gu, William Jiao, Catherine Lee, Jeffrey Dong, and Michael Mu.
The seventh grade team placed first nationally in the Pythagorean Division. Students receiving high scores were Andrew Chen, HaoHua Gu, Angela Mao, Nishad Maskara, Aleck Zhao, Bill Huang, Shrivathsan Seshan, Jason Shi, and Yinen Zhang.
The eighth grade team placed first nationally in the Pythagorean Division. Students receiving high scores were Arnav Sood, Chaitanya Asawa, Jeffrey Kuan, Sally Jiao, Rohan Patolla, Jyotsna Suresh, Pranay Nadella, Steven Tang, and Isabelle Tseng.
New Jersey League: The sixth grade team took first place out of 193 schools. Students receiving high scores were Dhruva Byrapatna, Bharath Jaladi, Angela Yu, Catherine Lee, and William Jiao.
The seventh grade team took first place out of 185 schools. Students receiving high scores were Jason Shi, Yinan Zheng, Andrew Chen, David Geng, and Aleck Zhao.
The eighth grade team tied for first place out of 177 schools. High-scoring students were Chaitanya Asawa, Sally Jiao, Jeffrey Kuan, Saaketh Krosuri, and Pranay Nadella.
Girl Scouts
WWP Girl Scouts earning Gold Awards include Emily Straley and Amanda Bautista, both of Plainsboro, and Kimberly Clifton of West Windsor. They were honored at a ceremony on Sunday, June 6, at the College of New Jersey.
To earn the award, the girl must complete components that help her build skills in leadership, communication, time management, teamwork, dedication, responsibility, goal setting, and commitment. She then creates and implements a 65-hour project that makes a difference in her community. Visit www.gscsnj.org or call 800-582-7692 for information.
Trout Released
Millstone River School recently released young brook trout into Walnut Brook. Funded by a grant from the WW-P Education Foundation, fourth and fifth grade students had raised the fish from eggs as part of New Jersey Fish and Wildlife’s “Trout in the Classroom” program. Following the release of the trout, students spent the day learning more about the coldwater ecosystem.
“This is one example — and a successful example — of how our funds augment the educational programming in our schools,” says Marcia Smith Fleres, executive director the foundation. “The WW-P Education Foundation works to promote excellence in the sciences, mathematics, and humanities, and foster creativity in the classroom.”
Chemistry Honor
Felix Xiao, above, a grade 10 student at High School North, recently competed in the Merck chemistry test, which is given annually across the state of New Jersey to numerous high school students. He scored second in the state in chemistry. Xiao and his nominating teacher, Julie Norato, will attend the awards ceremony at Merck.
Fed Challenge
High School North won the New York Federal Reserve Bank economic competition and then took second place at the national finals in Washington, D.C., on May 18.
Team members include Parvez Ahmed Garcia, Joanne Im, Ramen Quinn Maingi, and Robin Li. The advisor is Morty Levin.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York invites high school teams to enter the competition, which begins with regional and district rounds. Teams gather and analyze data and research in preparation for a 15-minute presentation that includes an analysis of current economic and financial conditions in the United States, a forecast of economic and financial conditions of critical importance in the development of monetary policy, identification of risks to the U.S. economy that should be of special concern for monetary policymakers, and monetary policy recommendations with supporting reasons. A 10-minute Q&A by a panel of judges, comprising staff members, professional economists, and educators, follows.
Faculty
Kristina Susca, a teacher at High School North, is the recipient of the teacher-leader program scholarship provided through the sponsorship of Novo Nordisk.
Governor’s Teacher/Educational Professionals Recognition Award honorees include Virginia Baner, Community Middle School; Lisa Bremer, Village School; Marilyn Cloer, Town Center School; Linda D’Orlando, Grover Middle School; Melissa Fisher, Dutch Neck School; Lauren Gallagher, Millstone River School; Regina Lertch, Wicoff School; Cheryl Lowenbraun, Maurice Hawk School; Barbara Prezlock, High School North; and Carla Royster, High School South.
Graduates
Pennington School: Sarah E. Oppenheim of Plainsboro and Erin A. Simon of West Windsor graduated on June 5.
Awards
Katherine Amigo, a junior at High School North, received a Kristin Appelget Civil Engagement Student award for encouraging students to volunteer for organizations such as Special Olympics and Medical Mission of Mercy, USA. She received $250 from the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Catherine Lee, a sixth grade student at Grover Middle School, received a first place award in the New Jersey Center for the Book’s Letters about Literature Contest, grades four to six level. Other area winners include Ernest Chiu, grade eight, Community Middle School, second place in level two. Honorable mention were received by Victoria Chan of West Windsor and Sruthi Meka of Plainsboro and Community Middle School students Alice Li, Sowmya Gadiraju, Nikhil Raman, Eric He, and Rohan Agrawal. A reception was held on May 12.
Shounak Ghosh, an eighth grade student at Community Middle School, will attend the People to People Leadership Summit in Harvard University from June 27 to July 3. The academically rigorous program is focused on leadership development and global awareness.
Kory Beach of West Windsor will travel to Japan to live with a host family and participate in a cultural immersion experience on a Youth For Understanding program. A student at High School South, Beach is a recipient of the Mitsui USA scholarship.
Jaime Mishkin, a junior at High School South, received the Prix d’Excellence awarded by the Department of French and Italian and funded by the Center for Excellence in French Studies at Princeton University. Mishkin was nominated by her French honors teacher, Madame Ly.
Emily Schuit, a senior at High School North, received a proclamation from West Windsor Township in honor of receiving the Comcast Leaders and Achievers scholarship. The ceremony was held on May 19 in the municipal building.
Aparaajit Sriram of Plainsboro was awarded the Louis Bay II Future Municipal Leaders scholarship by the New Jersey League of Municipalities. The $1,000 award was for his essay entitled “What My Mayor and Governing Body Do Best,” which will appear in the October issue of the New Jersey Municipalities Magazine. Submissions were received from high school juniors and seniors throughout the state. He received the award from Mayor Peter Cantu at the May 12 meeting of the Plainsboro Township Committee.
In College
Gettysburg College: Evan Christopher Rothera of West Windsor graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in history and Spanish. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Alpha Theta. He edited the Gettysburg Historical Journal; and co-founded and co-edited the Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era. He spent the fall semester of his junior year in Mendoza, Argentina, in a study abroad program and took classes at the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, studying Argentine history and culture. In the fall Rothera will begin his doctorate coursework in history at Penn State.
Jefferson Medical College: Thenappan Chandrasekar of Plainsboro graduated magna cum laude. He graduated from High School North, Class of 2004, and received a bachelor of science from Pennsylvania State University in 2006.
He also received “The Michael Grasso, M.D. Prize in Urology” award, in recognition of his positive contributions in assisting the Jefferson College urology department’s understanding of urological disorders — accomplished during his four years of clinical and/or basic science research. Chandrasekar is also a junior member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical school honors society, and was voted as the student “Most Likely to Succeed” and “Most Likely to Cure Cancer.” He begins his residency in urology at University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Medical Center in Sacramento, California.
LaSalle University: Anna Rehwinkel received her doctorate in psychology. She is a graduate of High School South, Class of 2001, and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Johns Hopkins in 2005. She earned her master’s degree in psychology from LaSalle University in 2007 and was a chief psychology extern at the school in 2008 and 2009.
An intern at the North Dakota Health Clinic in Fargo for two years, she successfully presented and defended her dissertation, “Post-Chemotherapy Cognitive Functioning in Women with Breast Cancer.” She was awarded a two-year primary care research fellowship from UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson.
Muhlenberg College: Alicia Wezel of Cranbury graduated with a bachelors in business administration and finance. She is a graduate of High School South, 2006.
New York University School of Medicine: David A. Vecchione of West Windsor earned his medical degree. He begins his residency training in orthopedic surgery at Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami, Florida later this month.
Rowan University: Plainsboro graduates include Leonard Lattanzio with a degree in biological science, and Kristy Beth Haar with a degree in elementary education and American studies.
Wake Forest University School of Law: Justin B. Richman of Plainsboro graduated with a juris doctor degree.
Musical Notes
Hanne Hansen of Plainsboro is one of the newest members of Jersey Harmony Chorus. Women who love to sing are invited to visit the chorus during rehearsals on Mondays at 7:15 p.m. at 112 Main Street, Forrestal Village, Plainsboro.
Visit www.harmonize.com/ jerseyharmony, call Carole Auletta at 732-469-3983, or E-mail carole.auletta@verizon.net for more information.
Gabriel Yoder-Shenk, 12, received a reflections award from the New Jersey PTA for a music composition he wrote and recorded. The ceremony was held Sunday, May 16, at the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Hamilton Square. His four-minute pop piano composition, “Autumn Leaves,” was inspired by the Reflections theme “Beauty Is.”
“Gabe taught himself how to play keyboard on his Yamaha keyboard that he has had since age 5,” says his mother Cynthia Yoder. “He began experimenting with different sounds and compositions and eventually began taking piano lessons in 2007.” Visit Gabriel Yoder-Shenk on YouTube.com to listen to some of his earlier works.
