2015-2016
f ox c hapel a rea s chool d istrict s tate of the s chools
2015-2016
State of the Schools
Awards and Achievements
Highlights
•For the seventh year, Fox Chapel Area
High School received a Silver Medal rank
from U.S.News & World Report. The
annual rankings identify the country’s topperforming high schools. The school was
also ranked among America’s Top High
Schools in 2016 by Newsweek and was
ranked among the top 250 high schools
in the nation and also received an “A+
Overall Niche Grade” on niche.com.
•High school junior Nina Khorey earned
the highest score in the nation in her
division (French V) and received the
Platinum Award on the 2016 Le Grand
Concours (National French Exam). She
was featured with other platinum winners
in the fall publication of the American
Association of Teachers of French.
•High school business education
teacher Brian Yanizeski received a Next
Generation Personal Finance Teacher
Innovator Award for his online finance
course “Home-Buying Project.” The
project is part of the online personal
finance and investing course that he
developed and is offered as part of Fox
Chapel Area Online. Mr. Yanizeski, who
was one of seven teachers selected from
across the nation, had the opportunity to
talk about his project on a podcast.
•High school counselor Rachel Machen
was named a recipient of the 2015 Yale
Educator Award by the Yale Office of
Undergraduate Admissions. The award
recognizes outstanding educators from
around the world who support and inspire
students to perform at high levels. Mrs.
Machen was nominated by 2015 Fox
Chapel Area graduate Rishi Mirchandani,
who is a student at Yale.
10 Fox Chapel Area
• Sixteen high school seniors were named National Merit
Finalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program,
including Isabel Acevedo, Jessica Berg, Madelyn Coulson,
Christopher Esch, Conor Gaffney, David Humphrey, Nicola
Lee-Oesterreich, Shaina Munin, Stephen Polcyn, Sophie
Rodosky, Anja Schempf, Sreeroopa Som, James Thomson,
Daly Trimble, Konrad Urban, and Spencer Williams.
Additionally, nine seniors were named Commended Students.
• High school sophomore Helen Paulini was a winner in the Emperor Science Award program
and had the opportunity to work alongside with and be mentored by an esteemed scientist on
a multiweek cancer research project. She worked this past summer with the director of
the UPMC Department of Radiology Molecular Imaging Center. Cancer research is very
important to Helen, as she, herself, is a cancer survivor.
• High school junior David
Han was chosen to be
a 2016 Yosemite Alcoa
Scholar and participated
in the NatureBridge Alcoa
Scholars program. One of 100
students chosen worldwide,
he spent 12 days in the field
at Yosemite National Park in
California. His selection was
based on his passion for the
environment, experience in
giving back to his community,
and his demonstrated desire
to learn in a team setting.