#b#Lights on Broadway#/b#
Andrew Carlson of West Windsor will appear in Lights on Broadway on Saturday, September 24, as part of the National Down Syndrome Society video presentation, which promotes the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
Carlson’s photo was selected from more than 1,200 entries in the worldwide call for photos. More than 200 photographs will appear in the video. Carlson’s photo was taken at the Cub Scout, Pack 40 Pinewood Derby.
The Times Square video presentation kicks off Down Syndrome Awareness Month and will be followed by the 17th annual New York City Buddy Walk in Central Park. Visit www.buddywalk.org or call 800-221-4602 for information.
#b#Water Project Cited#/b#
Rujul Zaparde, 16, of Plainsboro, received another award for his Drinking Water for India project. Zaparde and his friend, Kevin Petrovic, started the project to build tube-wells in remote Indian villages and to inspire and motivate students to recognize and join the mission. Each tube costs $1,000 and helps 1,800 villagers for at least 10 years — or 55 cents per person. So far Drinking Water for India has built 31 wells, which have helped more than 55,000 villagers, with three more wells currently under construction. More than 20 schools and close to 450 students are now involved. Zaparde also visits India twice a year to help build the wells.
Farm Rich presented awards through Kids Who Give (www.kidswhogive.com), a national program focused on young people who put their time, energy, and hearts into helping people and making the world a better place. Grand prize winners including Zaparde received $2,500 for their cause, along with a $500 gift card, and a Farm Rich prize pack. He will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City in October for the 2011 Kids Who Give Awards Dinner.
#b#Model UN Cited As ‘Subway Heroes’#/b#
High School South’s Model UN club was filmed by Crossborders for the Subway High School Heroes series after being named one of the top 10 Most Inspirational Teams in the nation by Subway.
“There was no script — they just filmed us doing what we do,” says Ayush Gupta, a junior and secretary of the club. The film will be shown on the Subway High School Heroes YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/crowdsourcedhero, in mid-September. Vote online as the winning team receives $10,000.
Key participants include Nikhl Gavai, a senior, and president of the club; Pranav Rao, a senior, vice president; Mike Liu, a senior, vice president; Adeline Lee, a senior, vice president; and Prashant Sharma, a junior, secretary.
#b#College News#/b#
Vijay Narayan, a June graduate of High School South, is one of 25 students in the Philadelphia area to receive a scholarship from Dunkin’ Donuts. Narayan will major in materials science and engineering at Yale University.
Sarah Libfraind of West Windsor is attending Brown University.
#b#Science Camp#/b#
Vinitha Simhadri, 16, a senior at High School South, attended a program sponsored by the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and UMDNJ School of Public Health to give high school students a chance to learn about the development of cancer.
She later became a laboratory volunteer at the Cancer Institute.
#b#Girl Scouts Lead Learning Week#/b#
Three West Windsor and Plainsboro Girl Scouts from Troop 70216 planned a week of international learning at Rock Brook School, a school in Skillman for students with special needs. Shivani Patel, Anna Henkel, and Ritu Vyas taught the students about the culture of their assigned country by using PowerPoint presentations and informational tri-fold boards. The students’ learning was enhanced through the presentation of games, crafts, and food typical of their country.
The girls wanted the students to experience and enjoy a day similar to Girl Scout Thinking Day, an event dedicated to learning about countries around the world. Each of Rock Brook’s six classrooms was assigned a country which became ‘their’ country for the ceremonial activities during the end of week-long celebration.
Henkel and Vyas are eighth grade students at Community Middle School; Patel is a student at Rock Brook. The troop leaders are Kate Henkel and Minal Patel.
The girls chose this project because Shivani attends the school and Anna’s brother, Joe, who has Down Syndrome, also attends the school. The troop did a planting project at Rock Brook School a year and a half ago so everyone feels connected to the school.
One of the girls’ favorite Girl Scout events is Thinking Day, an international event. “The girls wanted to bring that joy to the Rock Brook students,” says Kate Henkel. “The girls knew that the staff at Rock Brook couldn’t put resources toward managing a thinking day type of event, so the girls decided to take it on.” In order to raise the money needed to fund this project, the girls held a series of garage sales.
For information about joining Girl Scouts , contact Louisa Ho at 609-371-2119 or E-mail girlscoutswwp@verizon.net.
