IN Peters Township April/May 2016 | Page 100

STUDENT Highlights Challenge Awards National Merit Finalists Two students from Peters Township High School have been named Finalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These students are among an elite group of students from across the nation to earn this honor. Seniors Connor Schwartz and Varun Sharma will now all be considered for the National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $33 million. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. MathCounts PE TE RS TOWN SH I P S C HOO L D IS TRI C T NE WS eters Township PTHS Challenge Awards Ten students from PTHS were presented with awards from the Challenge Program, an effort designed to motivate high school students both in and out of the classroom by encouraging good habits with tangible results. Students are honored in areas such as attendance, academics and citizenship, with a $200 award given to two students in each of five categories thanks to a partnership with WesBanco. The following students are the Challenge Award winners for this year: Perfect Attendance: Ethan Smith and Margo Burkholder; STEM: Megan Black and Zach Basar; Community Service: Marissa McFarlin and Anthony LaRosa; Academic Improvement: Maeve Parisi and Clayton Yeates; and Academic Excellence: Emma McCartney and Sam Marx. As part of Red Ribbon Week at McMurray Elementary, the building sponsored an anti-bullying contest among the students. The winners were: First Place - Mikayla Bayer, Second Place - Zoe Sanchez and Third Place - Aidan Cheek. Honorable mention awards were also given to Tess Prokopchak and Alexandra Kartsonas. Jump Rope for the Heart Student Athletes Sign Letters of Intent Congratulations to the six High School students below who signed letters of intent of Feb. 4 to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level: Adam Jaworski: Baseball, Washington & Jefferson College Chloe Grzyb (not pictured)- Cross Country/Track & Field, Johns Hopkins University Stephanie Shakespeare - Lacrosse, Allegheny College Madeline Lavigna - Soccer, Kent State University Reilly McGlumphy - Soccer, California University of PA Cricket Watson - Volleyball, Austin College 98 Peters Township Geologist Visit at Pleasant Valley Pleasant Valley Third graders welcomed geologist, Dr. Dan Alexander as a guest speaker. The students have been studying the earth’s crust in science and are also reading about the earth in language arts. The Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration also donated a rock and mineral collection for each 3rd grade classroom. MathCounts Student Moves on to States Sixth grader Scott Zhu finished fourth at the local MathCounts Competition in Washington, PA on February 6th. He has moved on to the state competition in March. Overall, ten students from McMurray and the Middle School attended, with Scott ranking the highest among them. Calendar Highlights: Jump Rope for Heart at Bower Hill Bower Hill students worked in their heart health in February and raised money for the American Heart Association. The school took part in Jump Rope for the Heart in gym classes to encourage heart healthy activities. The original goal for the first-time fundraiser was $4,000, but the students far exceeded that amount by bringing in more than $12,000 for the cause. Anti-Bullying Posted Contest Winners April 7-10 April 18 April 19 April 22 April 25 May 2 May 21 May 30 PTHS Musical, Tarzan PSSA ELA Testing Window Begins (gr. 4-8) End of Third Grade Period Half Day for Students/Clerical Day PSSA Math Testing Window Begins (Gr. 4-8) PSSA Science Testing Window Begins (Gr. 4, 8) Saturday Graduation Practice for Seniors Memorial Day, No School For complete testing calendars and end of the year musical and chorus events, please check the calendar on the District website for more details!