#b#Science Olympiad#/b#
The Grover Middle School team earned second place in the regional Science Olympiad competition and will participate in the State Science Olympiad Competition in March. Individual student honors follow.
First place: Sruthi Katakam and Varnita Prakash for “Anatomy” and “Write It Do It;” Aditya Rao and Alan Wang for “Biology Blitz;” Isaac Park and Jacob Park for “Rotor Egg Drop;” and Isaac Park and Tim Jin for “Wheeled Vehicle.”
Second place: Joey Hsia and Isaac Park for “Boomilever;” and Mike Zhao and Atirath Dhara for “Rocks and Minerals.”
Third place: Neal Ingal and Ajun Wit for “Road Scholar” and “Metric Mastery.”
Fifth place: Atirath Dhara and Rishab Bhatt for “Solar System.”
Seventh place: Arshia Singal, Himija Vendidandi, and Siddarth Parakatar for “Experimental Design.”
Rae McKenna, a teacher at Grover, is the Science Olympiad coach.
#b#ESL Graduation at Plainsboro Library#/b#
Plainsboro Public Library celebrated the completion of its first 14-week ESL class on December 19. Each student presented a dish representative of his or her country’s cuisine. The menu included Indian samosas; a Pakistani dish of chick peas, potatoes, and mint; Chinese black mushroom salad with carrots, celery, and soy; Nepalese vegetable and chicken dumplings; Colombian arroz con leche; pastries; and more.
Carol Quick, the library’s director, taught the course and was recognized by the students as a “very hard worker” and someone with “many plans.” The classes, which focused on grammar and pronunciation, were designed to help participants adapt to life in the U.S. They were funded with a grant from the American Library Association, supported by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, which supports programs that help people improve their lives through literacy and education.
The students from Plainsboro include Qian Liu, who calls herself Anne, because most Americans cannot pronounce her name. She moved from China 10 years ago to attend college and remained. Jeunghee Moon and her husband, a physicist, moved from Korea seven years ago.
Belqice (Biko) Begum, originally from Pakistan, has been in the U.S. since 2007 and lives with her son and daughter-in-law in Plainsboro. She returns home frequently because other adult children still live in Pakistan.
Qian Ren, one of two men in the class, was also celebrating his first U.S. driver’s license. He had come from China’s Hunan Province only six months before and credits the ESL course with his license.
Conversation — mostly in English — was spirited as classmates shared information about their recipes and themselves. Many said they were sad that the class was over and they would no longer be meeting together to speak and write English. A number of them, however, have made plans to meet at the library once a week to continue conversing with one another in English.
“I’m proud of you all,” said Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu, before handing out certificates of achievement. “We are going to make sure that these classes continue. They are very important to Plainsboro.” An accent reduction/pronunciation class will be offered in February. There are also plans for a combined film showing/ESL class.
#b#Record Breaking#/b#
Christopher Shao, a junior at High School North, recently received a top score of “5” on the AP Physics C Mechanics Exam. He is the first student at North to receive a perfect score on an AP exam.
#b#At the White House#/b#
The Cantus Choir, a select middle school choir from Westminster Conservatory, traveled to Washington, D.C., to sing at the White House as a part of its holiday events. Singers from West Windsor include Ann John, Reva Sangal, and Nicole Tong. Sophia Zhuang of Plainsboro are choir members.
This was the ensemble’s fourth White House holiday performance. The group performed during the Clinton administration, twice during the Bush administration, and now during the Obama administration. The singers performed in the grand foyer, the large hall directly behind the front portico. They performed with soprano Judith Bettina, cellist Tomasz Ryzeczycki, and Mary Elizabeth LaTorre as accompanist.
Patricia Thel, the founder and director of the Children’s Choir program at Westminster Conservatory of Westminster Choir College, directs the group.
The choir is composed of 28 auditioned students from the area. Auditions for the ensemble’s 2014 season will be held on Saturday, January 18. Call 609-921-7104.
#b#In College#/b#
University of Delaware’s study abroad program creates a learning opportunity to experience different cultures while pursuing academic credits during five weeks of study. Jennifer Curatolo of West Windsor will study in Australia and New Zealand. Lindsay Kelly of West Windsor will study in Granada, Spain. Sarah Peck of Plainsboro will study in London.
Marietta College: John Gleim of West Windsor has been named to the fall dean’s high honors list. A graduate of High School South, he is majoring in petroleum engineering in the Class of 2017.
Widener University: Dean’s list students include Nicole Crossey of Plainsboro, a junior history major; Brae McQuade of West Windsor, a sophomore education major; and Danielle Pusillo of West Windsor, a freshman nursing major.
#b#Interim Pastor#/b#
Reverend Cornell A. Edmonds of West Windsor is serving as the new interim pastor at Church of the Covenant in New York City. A graduate of Cornell University, he received a juris doctorate from New York Law School and a master’s in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Edmonds has had a diverse career in public and private service, including service as chief of staff for a New York State legislator, a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society, private legal practice, and adjunct teaching at Nassau Community College and New York Theological Seminary. Immediately after September 11, 2001, Edmonds began serving as an interim associate executive of Presbytery for Social Justice, and later served as the interim coordinator for the Office of Disaster Relief. In 2004 Edmonds was elected to serve as the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of New York City, where he remained until 2012.
He and his wife, Barbara Ingram-Edmonds, have three adult children, Cortne’, William, and Isaiah.
The church evolved out of a plan in 1865 to organize a mission sabbath school to serve the needs of the very poor immigrants living in the shantytown area around East 42nd Street.
The church sustained severe damage as a result of Super Storm Sandy when debris from an adjoining building crashed through its roof. On December 24, exactly 142 years after its original dedication, the church reopened its sanctuary to public worship for a Christmas Eve service. The restoration included the 126 year old pipe organ and the original stained glass windows.
“The Church of the Covenant, once the tallest structure in the neighborhood, now exists in a valley of development and prosperity, yet its mission still remains as clear as it was in 1865, to proclaim the gospel and serve those in need,” says Edmonds, who was raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and attended New York City public schools.
#b#Musical Notes#/b#
Youth Chapter of the India Foundation of Metropolitan Princeton recently performed a music and dance show at Merwick Care and Rehabilitation Center in Plainsboro.
“The original goal of giving back to Indian senior citizens living in nursing homes has expanded to give back to the local community that we all are part of,” says Sanjay Phanse. Recent performances were arranged with the help of Smita Shah, who has been volunteering at area facilities.
