Several Mars Area High School students received
awards in the 2016 Saxonburg Festival of the Arts
exhibit, held Sept. 10 &11 in Saxonburg, PA.
In the Fine Arts category, senior Claire Staresinic
earned first place for her wax relief, “I’m Your
Huckleberry.” Senior Adia Taimuty-Loomis took third
place for her self-portrait; junior Jonathan Knotts
received an honorable mention for his gouache
painting, “Island Hopping;” and, senior Angela Srock
earned an honorable mention for her wax acrylic,
“Flowers.”
In the Photography category, junior
Samantha Ridgeway earned first place with her photo,
“Beauty,” and received an honorable mention for her
photo, “Noses.” Senior Adia Taimuty-Loomis took
second place for her photo, “McClellan Farm.”
For more information, contact Erin Sloane, art teacher,
at 724.625.1581 or visit visitsaxonburgpa.com.
Mars Area Senior
Joins CMU Team in
Solving Problem
Mars Area senior
Nathan Kalieda was part
of a team of nine high
school students at the
Pennsylvania Governor’s
School for the Sciences that
tied eight world records
for solving a version of
the Traveling Salesman
Problem.
The problem, an example
of complex algorithmic or
NP-hard problems, asked
the students to devise the
most efficient method of delivering packages to a set
number of customers within a given timeframe. As part
of the students’ final project, the team set out to solve a
version of the problem referred to as the “Vehicle Routing
Problem with Time Windows.”
The students developed an artificial intelligence
framework for a computer program to choose and modify
the best routes until an optimal solution was established.
The program quickly solved eight variations of the
problem, tying for a world record each time.
The Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences,
held at Carnegie Mellon University, is a five-week,
summer enrichment program for high school seniors. For
more information, visit science.pa-gov-schools.org.
Senior Named
Week 3
Baierl
Scholar
Athlete
Mars Area senior Cassie McKernan
was named a WPNT 22 The Point 2016
Week 3 Baierl Scholar Athlete.
McKernan, 18, daughter of Timothy and Laurie McKernan of
Mars, is a four-year member of Mars Area High School Girls Varsity
Volleyball Team and was named an Academic All-State Volleyball
Team Award winner. She is also a four-time Competitive Double
Dutch Jump Rope gold medalist and a member of the Mars Stars
Jump Rope Team.
At Mars Area High School, McKernan is a member of National
Honor Society. In the community, she volunteers at Mission Vision
and participates in the American Red Cross High School Leadership
Program.
As part of the WPNT 22’s weekly Friday Night Rivals series, one
student from each participating school is selected for the Baierl
Scholar Athlete based on his/her academic and athletic excellence.
Each student is also nominated for a $5,000 college scholarship.
For more information, visit 22thepoint.com/sports/friday-nightrivals/scholar-athlete/2016-week-3-baierl-scholar-athletes.
Freshman Wins Red,
White & Blue Cross
Country Invite
Mars Area freshman Zachary Leachman took first place in the 14th
annual Red, White & Blue Cross Country Invitational Freshman Race,
held Sept. 10 at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh.
Leachman completed the race with a winning time of 17:58.17,
leading the boys freshman team to take third place overall