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 ”