orth Hills School District
NORTH HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
North Hills Senior Named National Merit Scholarship Finalist
North Hills High School senior Robert Colville has been named a 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program finalist.
Colville represents one of the 15,000 students selected for the nationwide honor. A total of 8,200 seniors will be announced as National Merit Scholarship winners this spring.
He was one of the 16,000 high school seniors named scholarship semifinalists in early September and underwent an application process during the intervening months to be named finalists. Nationwide, semifinalists represent less than one percent of U. S. high school seniors, and their ranks include the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
Throughout his high school career, Colville has been active in C. A. D. D., French and science clubs, National Honor Society, S. A. D. D. and intermural athletics. In his free time, Colville serves as a camp counselor for diabetic children and takes part in mission trips with his congregation’ s youth group. He hopes to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering and design to eventually work in the vehicle industry. To that end, he was chosen for a green design engineering apprenticeship at Carnegie Mellon University last year, and he will be participating in an Allegheny Intermediate Unit apprenticeship for engineering careers this school year.
National Merit Scholarship semifinalists account for one-third of the exam’ s 50,000 high scorers.
The National Merit program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. 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 screening of approximately 1.5 million juniors in 22,000 high schools each year – and by meeting published program entry / participation requirements.
NH Students Advance to State Science Competition
North Hills High School and Middle School students advanced to the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science( PJAS) competition after securing top honors at the regional competition.
A total of six North Hills students participated in the competition at Duquesne University, and four students who secured first-place honors, including one student with a perfect score, competed at the state competition in May at Pennsylvania State University.
Students designed a unique experiment and were judged on their ability to conduct and convey the results of their experiment using the scientific method. PJAS is a statewide organization of middle and high school students designed to stimulate and promote interest in science among its members through the development of research projects and investigations.
36 Ross Township
First Place
• Senior Anna Meyer- Microbiology –“ The Effects of Tanacetum Parthenium on Sunflower Tumor Inhibition” and winner of Perseverance Award( six years of PJAS program participation), Environmental Science Award from the Center for Environmental Research and Education and Pennsylvania Science Talent Search’ s Sister Gabrielle Maze Award given to a senior with the competition’ s best SAT scores, science grades, interview skills and competition scores
• Sophomore Maria Arlia – Engineering –“ Can You Take the Heat?” and winner of Region 7 Director’ s Award, Society of Women Engineers’ Scientific Excellence Award and Duquesne Award of Merit for Scientific Excellence, and recipient of a perfect score from judges
• Sophomore Lauren Rebel – Microbiology –“ The Cleaning Power of Microbes”
• Freshman Allison Lukac – Microbiology –“ The Effects of Different Facial Cleansers on Escherichia Coli K-12”
Second Place
• Sophomore Nicole Egan – Engineering –“ Improved Asphalt Patch for Pothole Reduction”
• Freshman Douglas Kramer – Biology –“ Commercial Water Purifiers and their Effectiveness on Purifying Water”