#b#Scholarship#/b#
Samier Merchant received the Friends of West Windsor Library’s 2013 Jan Trenholm Memorial scholarship. A senior at High School South, he will be attending Brown University in the fall. As senior coordinator of the Students 4 Students program, which matches students of all grade levels with high school volunteers competent to tutor in most academic subjects, he volunteered more than 40 hours during the school year.
The organization honors a graduating high school senior’s commitment as a volunteer to the library with a $1,000 scholarship. The scholarship program is supported by donations received in the memory of Jan Trenholm, a former co-chair of many book sales, and from Trenholm’s husband, William Warren, and his family.
#b#Field Hockey#/b#
Rath Shagun, a sixth grade student at Grover Middle School, competed in the season finale of the Central New Jersey FUNdamentals Field Hockey program held at Princeton Day School. Students from Northern Burlington Middle School, Our Lady of Sorrows, Princeton Day School, Pond Road Middle School, Reynolds Middle School, St. Gregory the Great Academy, St. Paul’s Catholic School, Sharon Elementary School, and Stuart Country Day School also participated in the six-week program.
#b#Chess Champ#/b#
Brianna Fontak, a seventh grader at Community Middle School, placed first in her division at the 69th annual US Amateur East Coast Chess Tournament held in Somerset.
Fontak, 12, was in the division for U1400-rated chess players. “She played six games and won every game, making her the only undefeated player in her division,” says her mother.
Her family moved from Manhattan to West Windsor 10 years ago. Her father, Joseph Fontak, an attorney at Leader and Berkon, practices in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Her mother, Amy Fontak, is a sales rep for Zimmzang spirit wear and apparel. Her brother, Joshua Fontak, is a fourth grader at Village school.
Fontak began to show an interest in chess when she was nine and her father taught her to play. “At 11 years old, she beat him for the first time and now he cannot beat her — ever,” says her mother.
Due to her passion for chess, she successfully rallied to start an after-school chess club at Community. She is also on the school’s Lego Robotics team.
Brianna studies with Jon Edwards, a chess coach and chess author in Pennington. Her plans include competing in more national tournaments.
