In the Schools
Gold Award
High School North’s Wind Ensemble received a Gold Rating on Monday, March 22, at a recent festival held in South Brunswick. They performed at the National Band Association/Central Jersey Music Educator’s Association Concert Band Festival.
Musicians led by band director Mark Bencivengo include Larissa Solovyov, piccolo; Minjung Sohn, Eb clarinet; Becky Sidor, contrabass clarinet; Shobhit Taneja, baritone saxophone; and Kevin Tsay, euphonium.
Flute players include Janis Ikeda, Steve Kim, Annette Lee, Sara McGuigan, Rebecca Pierson, Maya Pillai, and Leona Say. Oboe players include Piya Radia, Sonal Taneja, and Stefanie Wiener. Bassoon players include Becca McFarland, Renee Stewart, Marie Sutton, and Christine Tadie. Bb clarinet musicians include Niko af Ursin, Andrew Delman, Eurie Han, Chika Kusakawa, Anita Lin, David Lin, Michelle Melzer, Amit Penmetcha, Christine Scafa, and Stephanie Sun.
Bass clarinet players are Jessica Boston, Megan Hillsdon, Jackie Marks, and Paris Thomas. Alto saxophone players include Alex Gurzau and Adam Sutton. Tenor saxophone players are Allison Camara, Phil Chacko, and John Francis. French horn players include Mark Fields, Anna Osborne, Sade Richards, and Serena Wang.
Trumpet players are Jeff Hagan, Cassie Hernandez, Joe Martinez, Doug Nosko, John Plumeri, and Peter Wu. Trombone players include Rohit Kabra, Amanda Lee, and Sejin Park. Tuba players include Colin Bitter and Stephen Hennig. Percussion musicians are Archana Anantharaman, Suzanne Haggerty, Lauren Harrison, Laura McGregor, Mario Peia, and Chris Pereira.
Science Olympiad
Community Middle School placed first in the middle school Division B and will represent New Jersey at the National Science Olympiad tournament to be held at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, May 21 to 22. Grover School placed fourth overall in the same division. High School South took fourth place in the high school division, and High School North took fifth place, both in Division C. Virginia Baner and Denise Weber are the advisors for Community School.
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Team 7C at Grover Middle School prepared 375 bagged lunches — featuring peanut butter and jelly — for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen recently. Students and teachers donated food items and money to purchase the needed supplies.
Team 7C teachers include Carol Suarez, Erica Castelli, Donna Zangrilli, Jay Thompson, Debby Cohen, and Cindy Tantum. “The students in Team 7C recognize the needs of the soup kitchen, and they hope that this contribution helps T.A.S.K. serve those in need,” says Suarez.
Make a Bed Day
When Leah Damron, a Wicoff parent, recently visited the Ronald McDonald House and discovered its need for inflatable beds, she never imagined that Wicoff School would raise over $1,”400 to be donated to the organization. Wicoff PTA president Michelle Soller and the school administration coordinated a fundraiser, “Jammie/Make a Bed Day.”
Students were allowed to wear pajamas to school for a one dollar donation. “Bedtime” stories were read by guest readers including Millstone River School assistant principal Dianne Gallo and principal Mary Ann Isaacs; superintendent of schools Dr. Robert Loretan; assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction Judith Koru; juvenile detective Guy Armour and officer Michael Kelly from the Plainsboro Police Department; Rob Carpino from the Plainsboro SuperFresh store, and Mayor Peter Cantu.
Students received refreshments by the Plainsboro McDonald’s and Super Fresh Store. The money raised will be used to purchase inflatable beds for the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia.
Latin Scholars
Robin Boots-Ebenfeld led a team from High School South to place second in the Certamen Competition at the College of New Jersey on Tuesday, March 9. Certamen is a competition in Latin, history, and mythology.
Math and Science
Wicoff School held its annual Math-Science Day on Thursday, March 25, to engage students in math and science activities applicable in the real world. Students from kindergarten through third grade rotated through modules featuring hands-on studies of ladybugs, shapes, and mosquitoes.
Spelling Champs
Several West Windsor-Plainsboro students participated in the Times’ Spelling Bee Thursday, March 18, at Rider University. From Community Middle School, students included Kaushal Khambhati, Rohit Reddy, and Maiyi Maria Zheng. Grover Middle Schools students participating were Keerthana Krosuri, Derek Lorenz, and Jennifer Wang.
The winner, Raghav Srinivasan, is a student at Melvin H. Kreps Middle School, in East Windsor. He will compete in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Pennies for Patients
Dutch Neck School raised $4,”383.24 through their Pennies for Patients fundraiser. They donated the funds to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. “The student-run project is an example of how our children think beyond the walls of this school,” says guidance counselor Nancy Dunne. “They collected this money as one small way to help others in need.”
College Honors
Dickinson College: Kate Elizabeth O’Shaughnessy, West Windsor, senior, dean’s list.
Franklin & Marshall College: Robyn Zislin, West Windsor, sophomore, dean’s list.
Rider University: West Windsor students on the dean’s list include: Angela Agosta, post graduate; Maureen Coles, senior; Catherine Daab, junior; Jennifer Ehart, senior; Mina Ekladous, sophomore; Joanna Fikaris, junior; Andrew Lee, freshman; Talia Peverada, senior; Kira Popescu, freshman; Robin Smith, junior; and Amy Thurston, senior.
Plainsboro students on the dean’s list include: Nicole Braunstein, sophomore; Monica Brubaker, senior; Christina Contreras, freshman; Maria Fischer, junior; Allyson Hunter, sophomore; Laura Mejia, senior; Pratik Patel, sophomore; Deborah Porcelli, senior; Jian Tan, post graduate; and Monali Vora, post graduate.
Rosemont College: Saima Khan, West Windsor, freshman, dean’s list.
Rutgers University: Monica Mayorga, West Windsor, freshman, dean’s list.
University of Scranton: Peter Guala, West Windsor, was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society.
