IN Pine-Richland Winter 2016 | Page 46

Students Named Semifinalists in National Merit Program The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named three PineRichland High School students as semifinalists in its 2017 program. Semifinalists include seniors Richard Kwon, Joshua Pantanowitz and Kendall Pomerleau. These seniors, along with 16,000 other students, were recently notified that they qualified for semifinalist status out of 50,000 top scorers. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. Richard Kwon Joshua Pantanowitz Kendall Pomerleau C IT PI NE Y -O RIC F MC HL AN KE ES D SC POR H OOL T NE WS DI STR IC T NE WS cKeespor t INE-RICHLAND Four PRHS Grads Recognized for Being Named 2016 National AP Scholars Pine-Richland High School is recognizing four graduates for being named 2016 National Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars based on their performance on AP exams given during the 2015-2016 school year. As seniors, 2016 graduates Nathan Carnovale, Benjamin Harris, Hannah Reiling and Monica Shope were added to the 2016 National AP Scholar roster. Nathan Carnovale Benjamin Harris Hannah Reiling Monica Shope These students earned an average score of at least four on all AP Exams taken and scores of four or higher on eight or more of AP exams. Advanced Placement courses allow students to take In all 157 students are recognized for being added to the challenging, college-level courses and receive college credit, AP Scholar Roster with a designation of National AP Scholar, advanced placement or both for successful performance on AP Scholar with Distinction, AP Scholar with Honor and AP AP exams. Scholar. Teacher Earns Recognition Teacher Michelle Bruno 44 Pine-Richland Pine-Richland High School English Teacher Michelle Bruno was nominated for the ATHENA award and was honored for her work this fall. The ATHENA Awards Program of Greater Pittsburgh recognizes exceptional women who demonstrate excellence in their profession, contribute to their community and help other women to succeed through mentorship. Bruno has been teaching at Pine-Richland School District for 18 years. When she was hired in 1998, she helped create the curriculum and design a theater program to help students as they entered the professional theater and film world. She has earned many nominations including in the Teacher of the Year program, Claes Novel Educator of Distinction and in the National Honors of High School Scholars. She mentors alumni as they work in the publishing, directing and dancing field and other performance-based arts and also serves as a mentor to women by encouraging them to volunteer and be active in the community. “My goal is to dedicate my life to helping others unite, collaborate and reach their dreams and make this world a better place by spreading kindness and understanding with laughter,” says Bruno. She is an acting coach and has helped with production projects such as South Paw and commercial work for Westinghouse. She also was a former library lecturer for Carnegie Library. Each year, she helps high school students participate in the Pittsburgh Public Theater Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest which she helped build through collaboration in the program’s infancy back in 1997.