#b#Musical Notes#/b#
Angela You, a rising senior at High School South, recently returned from Argentina where she toured with the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra includes 110 students ranging in age from 12 to 22 and performs six concerts annually for the New York City community. The program includes classes in conducting, chamber music, composition, and jazz. The tuition-free program was founded more than 50 years ago. This was the first international tour for the orchestra. It played three performances in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas and experienced cultural exchanges with students from South America.
You, 17, began playing violin via the Suzuki method when she was five years old. She played in the orchestra and chamber orchestras at Grover Middle School. Her violin teacher, Kegong Zhang, told her about the youth program. She performed in all the concerts for last year and plans to audition for next year’s season.
Her mother, Suifen Lyu, is a contractor at Johnson & Johnson. Her father, Xiaowu You, is a programmer at Goldman Sachs. Her brother, Arthur You, is a student at Village School. He plays the piano and violin. The family has lived in West Windsor for 12 years.
“What struck me most was the enthusiasm of the crowds in Argentina,” says You. “Back in New York, it’s lucky if we can get people to come who aren’t related to the orchestra members, while in Argentina, every venue we played at was packed. Our second concert got an encore. Our third concert got two.”
The students participated in a series of invaluable cultural exchanges with South American students in Buenos Aires. These cultural exchanges were first-hand educational interactions for orchestra students to expand their own world views and understanding of people very different from themselves giving them new perspectives on the world and what it means to be a global citizen.
“There were a lot of young people in the audience, too, and the crowd was amazingly responsive,” she says. “Some of this can probably be chalked up to the fact that our Carnegie concerts are paid, while the Argentina ones were free.”
“The Argentina tour was a thrilling and wonderful experience,” she says. “I am grateful to the New York Youth Symphony as well as Classical Movements for putting the tour together. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city and I hope I can someday return.”
E-mail info@nyys.org for information about the program and upcoming auditions.
#b#North’s Young Historians Earn Gold Medal#/b#
Fourteen students from High School North students competed and presented six projects at the recent National History Day competition. North juniors Divya Pakianathan and Niharika Boinpally received first place overall. Their website, “To Learn or to Earn? The National Child Labor Committee and the Fight Against Children,” was awarded the gold medal.
“This is quite an accomplishment given the size of this competition and the number of other web site groups these two HSN students competed against at the national, state, and regional levels,” said Chris Bond, their teacher and advisor.
In its 41st year, National History Day entries are judged by historians, educators, and other history professionals on a regional, state, and national level.
#b#Rookie Robotics Team Experiences Success#/b#
Team Atlantis, a rookie Lego robotics team of first, second, and third grade students from WW-P schools, achieved success in the 2015 Jr. FLL challenge. Junior First Lego League is a non-competitive program where children ages six to nine are encouraged to show off their communication and research skills to a set of reviewers. The WW-P team, involved in learning about solar cars, demonstrated their learning at four major expos in New Jersey.
Team Atlantis members include Aditya Nitin Satav, Neil Mittal, and Vahin Goyal, all first grade students at Dutch Neck Elementary School; Aditya Kapoor, a second grade student at Maurice Hawk School; Ronit Joneja, a second grade student at Dutch Neck Elementary School; and Vedant Makkar, a third grade student at Town Center Elementary School.
The group received best construction and best adult mentor at the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Spring Robotics and Engineering Expo, best teamwork award at the showcase at WAGS Robotics, an efforts and learning award from Livingston Robotics Club Jr. FLL Expo, and an amazing movements award at the Science and Technology Fair at North Brunswick.
The team is coached by Vijeta Makkar and adult mentors include Shailesh Mittal, Rahul Joneja, Manju Kapoor, Reena Goyal, and Shilpa Nitin Satav. Middle school mentors include Aadil Makkar, a seventh grade student at Thomas Grover Middle School; and Rhythm Nitin Satav, a sixth grade student at Community Middle School.
#b#Memorial Scholarship#/b#
Attitudes in Reverse presented the Kenny Baker Memorial Scholarship to Liam Knox, a June graduate of High School North. Knox became a peer leader during his sophomore year because he wanted to help people, and a big part of this role was running and promoting events for Yellow Ribbon Week, in which AIR participated.
“Liam channeled his passion for our cause and his videography talent to create a powerful video that beautifully communicates our message and gets students and others at High School North involved, which further helps to extend the reach and impact of our message,” said Tricia Baker, co-founder of AIR and a resident of Plainsboro.
“We are grateful for Liam’s support and need more young adults like him to help engage our key target audience of 14 to 24-year-olds, who are in the age range when most mental health disorders develop. Liam is definitely most deserving of the Kenny Baker Memorial Scholarship and we were proud to present it to him,” said Kurt Baker, co-founder of AIR.
“I would do it again in a heartbeat and with even more enthusiasm,” says Knox. “It was the heart of my high school experience: to help and be there for other students, to work with AIR and other causes and people who inspired me. It was a lot more work than I expected and it was very rewarding.”
He also created videos for Yellow Ribbon Week since his sophomore year. Videography has been an interest of Knox’s since fourth or fifth grade, when he started creating short movies. “From sixth through 11th grade, I entered an annual national contest,” he says. “I created documentaries focusing on 20th century American and Middle Eastern history. I enjoy telling a story without sacrificing creative control.”
“I enjoy telling stories for good causes, too,” says Knox. “That allows me to tell AIR’s story, too. I did a video for peer leaders every year and I became in charge of doing mental health awareness because I was inspired by AIR’s presentation my sophomore year.” He produced a short documentary about AIR.
“I encouraged students to come to the AIR presentation and helped encourage their message,” says Knox. “I didn’t realize the value of their message before. It isn’t tangible like poverty, clean water, or tutoring. It’s hard to visualize why it’s a problem. How do you stimulate someone’s emotions around it? You can’t show a picture of someone with a mental health disorder, not like you can show abused animals. I wanted to pay more attention to the issue of mental health in my life.”
Knox believes in the importance of AIR’s mission for young adults and teens. “There’s the idea that if you’re not at the top or near it, your life won’t be fulfilling in comparison to other people. There’s a lot of competition and that leads to a lot of stress. People need something other than internal validation to be happy. We’re still developing. It’s hard to handle the pressures of school, relationships and home life. If everyone around could contribute to validating everyone’s life, by giving a nod in the hallway and being more empathetic, that can make a difference. That’s why it’s important for people in my age group to know about mental health.”
“With AIR, I think about working towards a goal or a cause bigger than oneself and working alongside a team of people with the same goal. With my fellow peer leaders, we experienced this together. I focus on what matters to myself because I have to get the good grades. It feels good, but the real sense of accomplishment comes from generosity; it’s more rewarding. AIR allows me to know what it feels to help that way. I learned there’s not much help out there on this issue and it’s important to help people in general, rather than helping myself.”
“AIR has so much potential,” Knox says. “I read an NPR article about organizations like AIR and I do not think AIR will be small for long. In the next five years, AIR will really take off. We’re addressing a problem that’s not stagnant. With economic problems and the world becoming more competitive and confusing, and more people struggling with mental health disorders, it’s critical to keep people more grounded. It’s going to be more important in the workforce.”
“It’s important that people like me recognize the importance of the cause even if it’s through a proxy branch and taking the lead at their school with the shoe exhibit or talking about it at their schools, encouraging their teachers to talk about it, and talking with their families. This is not just a cause for grieving families who went through the terrible tragedy of losing someone, but also a practical cause for achieving the goal of preventing suicide. We are limited by the fact that many people may not care they way do when they see commercials about abused dogs. But, it is something many people can relate to. We can relate to the idea of being sad, so there is the potential to bring the story out to make people more empathetic.”
Knox, who has contributed to the WW-P News, will attend Tufts University this fall. He is considering majoring in history or international relations, or possibly taking on a double major in Middle Eastern studies and Arabic. “Either way, I’ll definitely have a minor in creative writing and then go to graduate school for journalism,” he says. “I want to be a reporter in the Middle East. I think it’s important to have more context in reporting on the conflicts in the media and to do that, you need to know the region’s history. It’s a fascinating issue, and it’s scary how history is repeating itself.”
#b#Boys State#/b#
American Legion Jersey Boys State is a mythical 51st state organized and administered for citizenship training purposes under the auspices of American Legion, Department of New Jersey. A session has been held annually since the first session in 1946. Boys with outstanding qualifications in character and leadership, and a serious attitude toward an intensive citizenship training program, are invited to participate.
Boys from West Windsor attending this year’s event include Luke Balestrieri, Michael Bamford, Timothy Bason, Jordan DeGroote, Pierre-Antoine Frotte, Michael Greenberger, Luke Merrill, Dillon Sumanthiran, and Veenay Komaragirl. Plainsboro residents include Keshay Ramesh and Koshik Tuppil. All were in Post 76. Elected positions included DeGroote as governor, Greenberger as councilman, Sumanthiran as senator, Komaragiri as county surrogate, and Ramesh and Tuppil as freeholders.
Boys State educates youth in the duties, privileges, rights, and responsibilities of American citizenship. The program of training and instruction consists of extending the boy-citizen’s acquaintance with the background of American ideals, expanding his knowledge of the underlying principles of government organization, and active participation in the government of Boys State helps him to set up constructive ideals toward all phases of representative government.
A program of educational and recreational activity is provided. A concert band is formed, a newspaper is published daily, and a portion of each afternoon is given over to an organized program of intramural athletics under supervision. Speakers and specialists contribute to rounding out the annual session.
#b#In College#/b#
Colgate University: Graduates include Kory Beach, a graduate of High School South and a West Windsor resident, with a degree in physics; and Jessica Li, a graduate of High School North and a resident of Plainsboro, majored in geography.
University of Dayton: Emily Ferguson of West Windsor is on the dean’s list in the School of Education & Health Sciences.
University of Delaware: Student on the dean’s list include West Windsor residents F. Angley, Elizabeth Bellotti, Jennifer Curatolo, Ariana Efstathios, Bianca Ingato, Sara Itak, Alissa Julius, Jessica Kaganskiy, Jessica Musumeci, Stephanie Naglak, Kelly Scanlan, Michael Schenk, Stephanie Sievers, and Elianna Wydra. Students on the dean’s list also include Plainsboro residents Timothy Buttner, Laura Kosar, Christina Patti, Gina Patti, and Sarah Peck.
Fairleigh Dickinson University: Steven Bassin of West Windsor graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from FDU’s Florham in Madison. Nanatte Mathis-Bridgett of Plainsboro graduated with a master’s degree in administrative science from FDU’s Metropolitan in Teaneck. Kenneth Lemley of West Windsor graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from FDU’s Metropolitan in Teaneck. Daniel Pungello of West Windsor was inducted into Phi Zeta Kappa honor society and is on the dean’s list at FDU Florham. Mariane Herte of West Windsor is on the honors list.
Ithaca College: Jessica Miller of West Windsor graduated from the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance with a degree in public and community health.
Lafayette College: Students on the dean’s list include West Windsor residents Sarah Devery, Jessica Pe, and Kaitlin Perrine. They are all graduates of High School North.
Loyola University: Students on the dean’s list include Alexis Bruno of Plainsboro, a speech pathology major with a minor in special education. A sophomore, she plays club field hockey and is an Evergreen orientation leader. She is a member of the NSSLHA, Operation Smile, and Action for Autism Clubs.
James Madison University: Graduates include Jenna Greenstein of Plainsboro with a master’s degree in special education, Sean O Connell of Plainsboro with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Patrick O Connell of Plainsboro with a degree in accounting, and Gregory Weisbecker of Plainsboro with a degree in kinesiology.
University of New Haven: Daniel Espinosa of West Windsor graduated with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Students on the dean’s list include West Windsor residents Danielle Balzano and Jesse Castellana, who study mechanical engineering; and Alex Lerner who studies business and management. Students on the dean’s list from Plainsboro include Rani Kalaria, a student of civil engineering; and Irina Matos, a student of architecture.
University of Rhode Island: Students on the dean’s list include Troy Fernandez and Joshua Greener of West Windsor, and Anthony V. Colonna of Plainsboro.
Rochester Institute of Technology: Students on the dean’s list include Emma Fleming and Veronica Santosa, both residents of Plainsboro. Akshay Dharmadhikari of Plainsboro graduated with a master of science degree in information technology from RIT’s B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences.
Tufts University: Students on the dean’s list include Lillian Lu and Prachi Sharma of Plainsboro, and Nicole Campellone and Adam Kercheval of West Windsor. Graduates included Prachi Sharma with a bachelor of arts degree in economics, Magna Cum Laude; and Lillian Lu of Plainsboro with a bachelor of arts degree in English, Summa Cum Laude.
#b#30 Under 30#/b#
Bill Enkhbayar, a 2007 graduate of High School South, has been chosen by the IAVM (International Association of Venue Managers) Foundation as a member of their 30 Under 30 Class of 2015. The program focuses on identifying and developing the talent of professionals in the field of venue management who are under 30 years of age.
Enkhbayar is the event manager of Global Spectrum at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. He began his career in venue management in 2011 as a graduate assistant event manager for Global Spectrum at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two years later he moved into an event manager role at Global Spectrum’s Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, a public events complex comprised of the 17,000-seat Wells Fargo Arena, Hy-Vee Hall, and the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center. Enkhbayar worked in Iowa for eight months before returning to his home state of New Jersey and securing the event manager position at Boardwalk Hall.
“Bill is one of the smartest, most hard working and eager event managers I have ever worked with,” says Fran Rodowicz, general manager of Global Spectrum at Boardwalk Hall. “I’ve been fortunate to see him grow up in the industry since day one and he constantly wants to learn more about his position, about other departments, and everything about the industry. Always a team player, he’s proving to be a great leader and has a bright future with Global Spectrum.”
Enkhbayar will receive complimentary registration to VenueConnect, IAVM’s annual conference and trade show in Baltimore, Maryland, in August, a travel stipend of $850 for travel accommodations, and a one-year Young Professional Membership. He will be formally recognized at the Venue Industry Awards luncheon portion of the conference. The IAVM Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the positive impact and vitality of the public assembly industry by funding research, education, and resource development.
#b#Realtor Gosselin Receives Award#/b#
Franca Gosselin of West Windsor earned the RE/MAX Executive Club Award as a member of RE/Max In Town in Lawrenceville. A resident of West Windsor for 26 years, she is the secretary for the Brookside Homeowners Association. She is married and has three adult children.
#b#Girl Scout Gold Award#/b#
Brittany Benfer of Girl Scout Troop 71603 received her Gold Award for “Healthy Habits.” Benfer’s project addressed the issue of obesity and unhealthiness. She worked with children at Homefront and created an exercise plan and a cookbook featuring healthy snacks.
All the exercise equipment was donated to Homefront and the cookbook was left for future use. Benfer’s leader and project advisor is Debbie Cohen, and her mentor is Liza Peck. A June graduate of High School North, she is a rising freshman at University of Delaware.
