Senior Project Spreads
Love of Science
Spelling Trophy Showcased at
Metzgar Elementary
There’s no stumping Noah Mutnansky when it
comes to spelling. In May, Noah represented Mrs.
McNair’s class in the Rotary Club of Greensburg’s
Annual Spelling Bee, held at Stanwood Elementary.
One student from every third grade class in
Greensburg Salem School District, Hempfield Area
School District, and Aquinas Academy participated in
the competition.
Every year, the Rotary Club gives a brand new
dictionary to every third grader in each of these
school districts, then hosts the spelling bee to
encourage students to increase their vocabulary and
improve their spelling.
Noah won an iPad for being the top speller, and
the traveling trophy will make its home at Metzgar
this year for all to see. Great job, Noah!
Grant Hoffer’s project on display
Recent graduate Dakota Clouse’s passion for science
laid the foundation for her senior project, opening
the door for other high school students to explore
their own scientific interests. Dakota hosted a
science fair for GSHS students in collaboration with
PhD students from the University of Pittsburgh’s
Computational Biology program, with project
judging by the college’s staff members. She shared
her thoughts on her project:
For my senior project, I chose to host a science
fair focused on independent research projects
completed by GSHS students. I chose to do a
science fair because I wanted to encourage
independent learning in students who want to
explore different topics that are not covered or
gone into much depth in their classes. I have a
passion for giving students the chance to excel in
science and expand their knowledge through an
enjoyable, yet competitive, experience that will
help to prepare them for their college courses.
Amanda Kowalczyk, a graduate student in the
Computational Biology Joint-Program at University
of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University,
served as my mentor for the project and helped to
make the fair a success.
Participants conducted their research,
then created posters highlighting questions,
methods, and conclusions, similar to those that
undergraduates and graduates at universities
make. For example, seniors at Saint Vincent College
are required to complete capstone research
projects before they can graduate, and those
research posters are comparable to the ones the
high school students made. Some of the projects
explored such topics as the most powerful spring
combinations for gymnastic vaulting, how light
color and brightness affects phototropism in
marigolds, and whether drought or competitors
have a greater effect on plant performance.
Participating in the fair allowed students to
collaborate with graduate student mentors to
create their research posters, as well as receive
feedback and constructive criticism from the
college staff judging the entries. They also had the
chance to win prize money (1st place won $300,
2nd won $200 and 3rd won $100)! The feedback I
received from every student that participated was
they enjoyed the whole experience and would
without a doubt enter the fair again next year. The
science fair will be a great conversational piece to
set these students apart from others when being
interviewed for future colleges and jobs.
30
GREENSBURG SALEM
Noah and his awards
Greensburg Salem’s Super
Spellers!
Foreign Language Students Receive Biliteracy Awards
T
he World Language teachers at GSHS
are thrilled to have 26 biliteracy
awardees this year, a tremendous
accomplishment for a school of our size! In
order for students to be recognized for a
biliteracy award, they must meet specific
standards and requirements, which
include:
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Completion of all English Language Arts requirements for graduation with an overall GPA
of 3.0 or above and…
Four semesters or more of study at the high school level in the same foreign language
(excluding Foreign Language Early Start) with a GPA of 3.5 overall or higher and…
Score of intermediate high or higher as determined by the American Council on the
Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency guidelines on a Simulated Oral Proficiency
Interview, Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), or modified OPE exam or…
Score of 3.0 or higher on the AP Language Examination in French or Spanish or…
SAT II foreign language examination with a score of 600 or higher.
Congratulations to the awardees and our Greensburg Salem language teachers for always
striving to be the best of the best!
GSMS Student Fundraises
Onto PNC Park’s Field
Ellie Miller was Greensburg Salem
Middle School’s top fundraiser for
all three of her years at the school!
She won many prizes, but perhaps
most memorable were the on-
field experiences during PNC Park
Education Day Pirates games. In
6th grade, she threw the first pitch
of the game. In 7th grade, she was
responsible for changing the bases.
By 8th grade, she was catching
the first pitch! Thank you, Ellie, for
supporting the school through your
fundraising efforts!