#b#CMS Team Heads to Lego Land#/b#
Community Middle School’s Automatons Team recently qualified to compete against 76 teams from across the country in the Lego League National Championship, run by the First Lego League, from May 16 to 18 at Lego Land in California. To qualify the team placed first in the Eastern Pennsylvania Region Lego League competition on December 7 and second in the Eastern Section of the Pennsylvania Statewide Lego League competition on January 18.
The team members, all seventh and eighth grade students, include Soumithri Karra, Sakshum Kulshrestha, Shalin Mehta, Uday Vutla and Goutham Yalla. The coaches are Morty Levine and Jeanne Weinmann. Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu visited them last month to congratulate them on their success and wish them luck in the National Competition.
“Lego League, despite its name, is much more than teenagers playing with Legos,” says Weinmann. “Each year the FLL national headquarters provides various teams throughout the United States with an assignment to provide solutions to a real life problem from an engineering and scientific standpoint. This year’s problem — particularly relevant to our area after Hurricane Sandy — was Nature’s Fury. The team was responsible to design a real-life solution to the consequences of a natural disaster and to program a robot to provide an emergency response to a Lego-sized community struck by the disaster.”
The Community Middle School Lego League initially had five teams composed of 48 students. They received the FLL assignment in September and got to work right away. The students interviewed families from New Jersey Shore areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy and from parts of Japan that were hit by the Tsunami in 2011. They also spoke with relief workers who had responded to natural disasters from hurricanes to forest fires.
The CMS black team decided that its focus would be New Jersey and its real-life solution would be to create water, mold, and mildew-proof carpeting with a system to drain a home that had been flooded. Team members interviewed 100 area families to get feedback on their idea and reached out to North Carolina State University, MIT, and commercial carpet manufacturers to produce a prototype.
At each competition the team presented its idea and used the programmed Lego robot to demonstrate the real-life solution.
#b#South Model UN Hosts Conference#/b#
High School South’s Model United Nations team recently hosted South MUNC, a one-day conference run by members of the club in grades 10 to 12. The three distinct committees debated topics including international espionage in the U.S., China, and Russia; organizational solutions to the conflict in Syria, and more. Close to 100 students from throughout New Jersey attended the inaugural event. The day included an opening ceremony, catered lunch, award presentations, and learning sessions from veteran delegates.
“Model United Nations is a diplomatic-debate style competition that tests a student’s knowledge of national and international politics and policy, diplomacy, writing, and public speaking,” says junior Austin Meo, the secretary of the organization. “As a team of 16 to 24 students, South sends the team to five different conferences across the United States each year. For three or four days students compete against students from around the world (China, India, France, and Colombia) in mock representations of various international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Security Council.”
The team from South has won top delegation awards at conferences hosted by Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, and Cornell University. South has consistently ranked as the top public school and frequently receives “best delegate” honors.
The organizers included seniors Suchira Sharma, Abhimanyu Muchhal, Arnav Sood, Michael Byrnes, Rohan Patlolla, Pareel Shah, and Meo. Committee members also included seniors Kathleen Bryant and Isabel Rose; juniors Andrew Chen, Vishnu Gandikota, Daksh Bhatia, Vignesh Gopal, Angela Gao, Pragnya Iyengar, and Namankita Rana; and sophomores Jordon Degroote, Rishi Tripathy, and Neha Nadkarni. The advisors are Brad Borsuk and Erin Schomburg.
#b#CERT Graduates#/b#
West Windsor residents Stanley DeGroote and Judy Gorberg completed training for the Community Emergency Response Team on April 12. The closing ceremonies were held at Mercer County’s Dempster Fire Training Academy in Lawrence. The intensive program is designed to teach communication skills as well as proficiency with a variety of emergency management and rescue equipment. In years past, CERT members have assisted with operations such as flood remediation and search/rescue missions. Volunteers assisted with the emergency response to the recent explosion and fire in Ewing and during Superstorm Sandy.
“Your participation in the CERT program makes all the difference for county residents in need of assistance during an emergency,” said Brian M. Hughes, Mercer County executive. “The support provided by CERT professionals allows this county to carry out highly sophisticated remediation efforts in a variety of emergency situations.”
The concept of CERT was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1985. CERT members in Mercer County receive nine classroom training sessions followed by a final day of practical training at the fire school. Tuition and supplies are provided through the state, county, and Homeland Security grant programs.
#b#In College#/b#
University of Delaware: West Windsor residents Kelly Scanlan and Stephanie Naglak are participating in spring break programs through the Institute for Global Studies.
Scanlan, a junior, participated in the Detroit, Michigan, trip with the nonprofit organization, Cass Community Social Services. While in Detroit, Scanlan and others focused on issues of hunger and homelessness in the city, serving in soup kitchens and working with community members on neighborhood restoration projects.
Naglak, a freshman, participated in a spring break trip to New Orleans. The group worked with the National Relief Network on disaster relief efforts from Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac. They focused on construction of homes and other maintenance work in affected neighborhoods.
Emerson College: Alison Puzio of West Windsor, a senior majoring in studio TV production, has been an intern at VH1 since January and will complete the internship study program at the end of April. The internship is part of the experience at Emerson’s Los Angeles Center, a new facility on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
Washington University in St. Louis: Students on the dean’s list include West Windsor residents Zachary Victor Hyams and Joshua Scott Rose, both enrolled in the university’s College of Arts & Sciences; William Donald Whipple, enrolled in the university’s School of Engineering and Applied Science; and Monika Pawar, enrolled in the university’s College of Art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
#b#Private School#/b#
Choate Rosemary Hall: Katharine Li of Plainsboro is on the winter dean’s list.
#b#Patrons of the Arts#/b#
Although the benefits of student participation in the arts are well-documented, for some area families, the cost is a major barrier. Long-time supporter and West Windsor Arts Council member Allison Singer decided to do something to help break down this barrier so that more deserving children could take advantage of the programs offered at the West Windsor Arts Center.
Singer has volunteered with students in Philadelphia for a number of years and recently decided to help closer to home. She and her husband, Barry, have established a scholarship for needy area children interested in the arts. The idea was fleshed out and honed during a conversation with Corinna Bisgaier, the director of education, so that the organization could serve the most children with the least administrative overhead.
Dick Snedeker, a longtime West Windsor resident (and the writer of the Looking Back column in the WW-P News), has donated funds in memory of his wife. “The Singers and Dick believe in the arts and arts education and value the existence of the arts center in our community,” says Bisgaier. “We do have people in our town who can’t afford these kinds of programs for their kids even though their children may be talented or might really benefit from them.”
With donations totaling $1,200 three children will receive full scholarships to this summer’s camps. “We are hopeful that we’ll be able to secure funding to provide camps for at least 10 children this year,” says Bisgaier. “I hope that once community members see how their dollars can impact children’s lives, they’ll be thrilled to donate to this cause.”
A donation of $400 can fully fund a week of camp for a needy child, including all art materials, snacks, and daily lunch. Scholarships are open to any child in need who lives in the region and can provide their own transportation to camp. Donors can also choose to fund a share of a camp or class in smaller amounts. Scholarships will be provided as donations are received.
Visit www.westwindsorarts.org, call 609-716-1931, or E-mail corinna@westwindsorarts.org for information about donations or scholarships.
#b#New Book#/b#
Sangita Patel of West Windsor recently had a book signing at Center for Relaxation and Healing in Plainsboro to promote her new book, “Embrace Your Inner Self: Awaken Your Natural Ability to Heal.”
In an announcement of the event, Patel writes:
“When we embrace our inner child, we awaken our natural ability to heal physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Many people do not realize their own power. I did not believe it for most of my lifetime either but once I had experienced it, I felt like I was reborn again.
“In my first 40 years of this circle of life, I was often a victim. I suffered pain and struggle to overcome obstacles. I had so much anger, frustration, and sadness inside of me and toward the world. But now my life has changed.” Her life was completely transformed through Qigong and using other holistic tools with the healing power of love, forgiveness, and kindness.
“We are all blessed with the natural ability to heal ourselves. We can unlock this ability once we realize how to embrace our inner child. We just need to bring that awareness and learn how to use these simple and powerful tools in our daily life to shine our light. It is my hope that this book will inspire people around the world to experience this complete guide to healing for themselves and share it with others.”
The book is illustrated by her son, Nishan Patel, author of “Sammy’s New Home” and an art teacher at High School South. Visit www.EmbraceYoureInnerSelf.com for information about book signings and other future events.
