Students recognized for science, music, art
SOUDERTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT » The achievements of Souderton Area High School students this year in science fairs and music and art competitions were highlighted during the student recognition part of Souderton Area School Board’s May 28 meeting.
With the school buildings closed by the coronavirus, many of the contests also changed.
“This was a really interesting science fair season, but it was super successful nonetheless,” Karen Wolfe, a Souderton Area High School science teacher and science fair advisor, said at the meeting, held as a teleconference.
The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science fair was held in November at SAHS, she said.
First place winners from SAHS in that competition were Katelyn Schuchardt, Rohan Mehta, Hagar Eldeeb, Bridget Magee, Skye Scarlett, Carter Hancock, Rahela Dolha, Mira Patel, Kaitlyn Konopka, Nathan Fickert, Madhura Dahale and Aditya Bhandari.
The Montgomery County Science Research Competition was scheduled for March, but wasn’t able to be held in person because the schools had closed, Wolfe said.
“We ended up having the Montgomery County Science Fair virtually,” she said.
“The students had already made tri-fold boards, so they took a picture of their boards,” she said, “and they submitted that and then the pictures were judged by a panel of judges.”
First place SAHS winners at the Montgomery County Science Research Competition were Christopher Gerhart, Katelyn Schuchardt, Rohan Mehta, Magen Swartley and Erin Gavin.
“Those students ordinarily would go on to the Delaware Valley Science Fair, which they did,” Wolfe said.
Similar to the Montgomery County one, though, it was held virtually with pictures sent in to be judged, she said.
Gerhart, a 12th grader, who was one of the winners at Delaware Valley Science Fair, also received a bronze medal for being one of the tops in his grade in the contest.
That meant Gerhart would normally move on to an international science fair, involving students from all over the world, Wolfe said.
“This year, it was to be held in California, but as you can imagine, that did not happen,” she said.
A virtual science fair, including panels of speakers, but no judging of the student projects, was held, she said.
Gerhart will be considered a finalist in the international science fair and will receive a medal for having reached that point, she said.
“Despite our challenges in the fall with technology issues and our challenges in the spring, our Souderton students really rallied and they persisted,” Wolfe said, “and I think we can count the 2020 science fair season a success.”
The fall challenges came from a ransomware attack on the district’s computer system; the spring from the coronavirus.
“This is just incredible that we got this far in a virtual competition,” Superintendent Frank Gallagher said. “Next year, we’re gonna have this back for real, person to person, I just know it.”
Gallagher also said that as he had watched the high school’s scholar’s banquet, also held virtually this year, many of the students listed their plans for the future being in jobs involving science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
“So many of them are choosing a STEM career as they head off to post-secondary and I think that’s a tribute to you and your science department,” Gallagher said, thanking Wolfe.
Board President Ken Keith said he was sorry Gerhart didn’t get the chance to go to the international competition, “but, based on the description that we heard tonight, impressive is an understatement,” he said, “and congratulations once again and a job well done to all.”
Choir Director Teresa Washam listed the SAHS choral winners in Pennsylvania Music Educators Association competitions.
“We were able to hold both district and region chorus this year. All-State Chorus was cancelled,” she said.
All-National Chorus, which Victoria Lewis was in, had been held in November, Washam said.
Connor Stanford was in District 11 Chorus. James Baker, Nolan Berry, Kelly Hogan, Owen Hershberger, Gabe Thompson, Kaileigh Tuttle, Kacie Watkins and Jessica Wimmenauer were in both District 11 Chorus and Region VI Chorus. Hershberger and Watkins also qualified for All-State Chorus.
“They are the stars of the choir program at the high school and you’re gonna still see great things from them,” Washam said of the students, noting their involvement in various musical programs.
Washam’s retirement this year was also noted.
“You’ve just touched so many lives and you’ve inspired so many young people,” Gallagher said.
“Thank you for a stellar career and for all you’ve done,” Keith said. “I know your mark was left on our district and I’d like to think our district left its mark on you.”
Instrumental music honorees included cellist Aiden Bolding for District 11 Honors Orchestra and trumpeter Marco Clark for District 11 Band.
“Unfortunately, we were only able, as a band, to get in the district band festival,” Band Director Adam Tucker said.
“The region band festival was actually scheduled for the week after we shut down for the COVID-19, so what happened with that was any student that was qualified for region band actually got to re-audition online for state band,” he said.
Trumpeter Anna Lesher, trumpeter Caitlin Brush and french horn player Ian Martin were all in District 11 Band, would have been in Region VI Band, and, after auditioning online, would have been part of the state band, he said.
Ginny Perry, an art teacher and the district’s secondary grades art coordinator, described self-portraits done by Gavin Entenmann and Frankie Ferlick as “amazing” and said each had spent many hours on the works. Entenmann’s, which was made from yarn, and Ferlick’s, which was made from stamps, were each winners in the 33rd annual Pennsylvania State Education Association’s “Touch the Future” Art Competition.
“This is a very prestigious show, so this was quite an honor for our school, and congratulations Frankie and Gavin for your outstanding work,” Perry said.
“Both of them are tremendous artists and I think they’re gonna go far with their talent,” Gallagher said.