YOUTH ON THE GO
Members of the Ulster BOCES SkillsUSA club have been working to serve their community.
Recent activities include volunteering at the St. James Happy to Help Food Pantry, located at St. James United Methodist Church in Kingston, as well as collecting personal care items to donate to the charity. Club members also donated their time on weekends to help unload delivery trucks and assist in sorting and organizing food donations. In addition, the students hosted a talent show on April 18, with all proceeds earmarked for the food pantry.
Community service is an integral part of SkillsUSA participation. The focus of SkillsUSA includes uniting students who are participating in trade, technical and health occupation programs; developing leadership skills; fostering a deep respect for the dignity of work; and assisting students in establishing realistic career goals. Its focus also includes creating enthusiasm for learning; promoting high standards in trade, ethics, workmanship, and scholarship; and understanding the interdependence and cooperation of labor and management.
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David M. Fix was named the valedictorian of the Germantown Central School Class of 2017.
Tyler J. Hoffman was named the class salutatorian.
Fix was president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter. He was captain of the school’s soccer team and a member of the baseball team. He was also captain of the school’s volleyball team and a member of its concert band and jazz band. In addition, he is a member of the Germantown Envirothon.
Fix was a recipient of the Rochester Institute of Technology Computing Medal, the Clarkson University Leadership and Achievement Award and the Elmira College Key Award. He was also a recipient of Cornell University’s Gellert Cornell Admissions Invitation Award and the Marist Greystone Tech Award. In addition, he is an alumnus of Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership, and a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Relay for life and the St. Joseph’s Church Food Pantry.
Fix has been accepted to Siena, Middlebury College, SUNY Geneseo, Colgate University,
Bowdoin College, Colby College, Vassar College, Wesleyan University, Brandeis University and Connecticut College. He plans to major in finance.
He is the son of David and Mary Ann Fix of Hudson.
Hoffman served as treasurer for the school’s National Honor Society chapter and is the Class of 2017president. He is a recipient of the New York State Senate Youth Leadership Recognition Award and the Rensselaer Medal Award. He is also a recipient of the Rochester Institute of Technology Innovation & Creativity Award and the U.S. Air Force Excellence in Math and Science Award. In addition, he is a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
Hoffman will attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. He plans a career as a radiologist.
He is the son of Darren Hoffman and Sara Navins of Germantown.
••• Sohraab Khan, a senior at Kingston High School, will be a delegate at the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Lowell, Mass., from June 29 through July 1.
The congress is an honorsonly program for high school students who are passionate about science, technology, engineering or mathematics, The event’s purpose is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be scientists and technologists, as well as, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goals.
Khan was nominated by John C. Mather, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and science director of the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists, to represent New York state based on his academic achievements, leadership potential and passion for science and technology.
During the congress, Khan and other students nationwide will hear Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science recipients talk about leading scientific research. They will also be given advice from deans of the world’s top tech universities, be inspired by fellow teen science prodigies and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future of science and technology.
The National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists offers free services to students who have the desire to learn more about their future in science or technology. Visit scitechleaders.com for more information.
••• Elizabeth Goldstone ,asenior at Rhinebeck High School, was honored for her volunteer service with a Certificate of Excellence from the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. She also received a President’s Volunteer Service Award granted by the program on behalf of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
Presented annually by Prudential Financial, in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honors young people from across America for outstanding volunteer service. Certificates of Excellence are granted to the top 10 percent of all Prudential Spirit of Community Award applicants in each state and the District of Columbia.
President’s Volunteer Service Awards recognize Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country.
The school nominated Goldstone for national honors last fall in recognition of her dedication to community service. Her service has included serving as a member of the Peer Mentoring Club at Rhinebeck High, organizing a Holocaust Remembrance Event at the school that featured presentations by Holocaust survivors, volunteering for the Rhinebeck Science Foundation, founding the annual Bright Nights Winter Coat Drive in her freshman year, and serving as the teen liaison for the Temple Beth-El Social Action Committee.
Goldstone is also the recipient of the Jewish Federation of Ulster County Award for Leadership and Community Service and a is semifinalist for the “Diller Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) National Award.