YOUTH ON THE GO
Highland High School seniors Minh Tran and Ishani Bansal were named finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for the National Merit Scholarship.
“To have two students become finalists is rare,” school counselor Heather Bragg said in a press release. “Since the road to becoming a finalist is a rigorous one, getting to that point is a really big deal.”
Students who are U.S. citizens, plan to go to college and take the Preliminary SATs (PSAT) in October of their junior year are eligible to receive National Merit distinctions and scholarships through the program. The corporation uses its own selection index to evaluate student scores in the math, reading and writing sections of the test. Students are compared on a state-tostate basis, and New York has the second-highest score cut-off in the country, making it even more challenging. In New York, an eligible student must have a score of 221 on the selection index. Bansal and Tran scored above that.
From the pool of about 15,000 finalists, only 2,500 students will be chosen for the Merit Scholarship based on their abilities, skills and accomplishments.
Both Tan and Bansal are members of the National Honor Society and are interested in careers in medicine. Tran did research on cancer at the University of Maryland and “shadowed” doctors at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. Bansal did pharmaceutical research in Tarrytown, N.Y.
As far as where they will pursue their medical studies, Tran is eyeing Johns Hopkins University and SUNY Upstate Medical University. Bansal is looking at SUNY Stony Brook and the University of Pennsylvania.
Tran is the son of Tuyen Nguyen and Phong Tran of Highland. Bansal is the daughter of Lily and Sandeep Bansal of Highland.
••• Catskill High School student Aizlyn O’Connell earned the Girls Basketball Scholar-Athlete Award for her outstanding achieve
ment in the classroom, the community and with the girls basketball team.
A senior at Catskill High, O’Connell represented her school and the Patroon Conference at the Section 2 Girls Basketball Scholar-Athlete brunch on Sunday, March 1. at the Albany Marriott, where she was honored with the award.
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Allyson Kappel and Mackenzie Radcliffe were named the Hunter-Tannersville Middle/High School students of the month for February.
Kappel, a seventhgrader, represents the Maroon Group (grades 7-9). She is a member of Hunter-Tannersville Center Band and Chorus, as well as the tech crew for the drama club. She is also the class rep to the student council for the seventh grade.
Kappel has received many awards throughout her academic career at Hunter-Tannersville. She also participates in soccer and basketball. She would like to travel the world and become a lawyer.
She is the daughter of Justin and Debbi Kappel of Lexington.
Radcliffe, a 10th-grader, represents the Gold Group (Grades 10-12). She is a member of the varsity club and is involved in chorus at Hunter-Tannersville Centra. She recently had her artwork published in the Hunter Foundations coloring book, featuring local businesses of Tannersville.
Radcliffe volunteers at with the Hunter-Tannersville Student Parent Teacher Organization and the Booster club. She plays, soccer, softball and is a captain of the junior varsity basketball team. She enjoys art and traveling.
She is the daughter of Dennis and Robin Radcliffe of Elka Park.
The criteria considered in nominating a student are academic perseverance, involvement in school/community activities, participation in sports/hobbies, respectfulness, determination to succeed in an endeavor, dedication to do their best and dependability.
Students of the Month choose to be photographed with a teacher or staff member who has been a source of inspiration and has guided them into becoming exemplary students. Each Student of the Month enjoys a lunch or dinner for two at The Last Chance Antiques and Cheese Café, a one-day lift ticket at Hunter Mountain provided by Peak Resorts, two passes to the Mountain Cinema from the Catskill Mountain Foundation, an engraved pen from the Student Parent Teacher Organization, a family bumper sticker from the Board of Education, and an ice cream from Principal Ryan Funck.
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Several New Paltz High School art students received honors from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and were named 2020 Regional Scholastic Art Award medalists. In addition, two students were nominated for the American Visions Award.
Ten New Paltz High students took home Gold and Silver medals in the regional competition, which was comprised of students from Ulster, Dutchess and Sullivan Counties. Their works were displayed at SUNY New Paltz until March 1.
Among the winners are Grade 12 students Pilar Duvivier, with two Gold, one Silver; Gia Hermes, one Gold, two Silver; and Shelby Maguire, two Gold, two Silver. For Grade 11, recipients include Emma Bakker, three Gold, one Silver; Eliza Behrke, one Gold, one Silver; Madison Harp, one Silver; Garrett Toman, one Gold; and Lake Willett, one Silver.
Grade 10 students who earned awards include Dylan Keessen, one Gold, one Silver; and Dexter Thompson, one Gold.
Any student who won a Gold medal advanced to the national level of the competition, where they have the opportunity to win money and national recognition. Thee winners will be invited to an awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Past national winners include Andy Warhol (for art) and Stephen King (for writing).
For the American Voices & Visions nominees, five works of writing and five works of art from each region were selected by local judges and will be celebrated in local exhibitions and ceremonies. Gia Hermes and Garrett Toman won regional nominations and will be entered into the next phase, where a panel of jurors in New York City will select one writer and one artist from each region to receive the American Voices Medal or an American Visions Medal, which is the highest regional honor. Winners of the awards also attend a ceremony at Carnegie Hall and are celebrated during national events and at the National Exhibition in New York City.
New Paltz High School Art teacher Laurene Pountain encouraged students to submit works for this prestigious competition, with 25 young artists answering the call, submitting more than 102 works of art.
Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the talent of our nation’s youth and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated. Each year, teens participate in the program, including artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets and sculptors, video game artists and science fiction writers.