Students To Graduate From Cornell Univ.
<lst>These local students will be graduating from Cornell University during commencement ceremonies on May 24:
Aditi Sunil Kolhekar of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.
Amanda Miriam Rudman of Potomac, with a N/A in Jewish Studies Minor.
Amanda Miriam Rudman of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies.
Ariel Avram Freilich of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Arts in Government.
Ariel Avram Freilich of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Arts in Reli! gious Studies.
Bailey Guocheng Zhang of North Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Independent Major.
Benjamin Charles Gordon of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Daniel Dinrin Chen of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.
David Charles Karr of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Design and Environmental Analysis.
Jamie Michelle Picard of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations.
Linda M. Jaffe of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Biometry and Statistics.
Natallie Stevens Douglas of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Administration.
Timothy Albert Myers of Potomac, with a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences.
<sh>Prillaman Is Presidential Scholar
<bt>Nathan C. Prillaman of Potomac, Md., who attends Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, was chosen as a 2009 Presidential Scholar.
Prillaman is one of 141 outstanding American high school seniors that have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, and service at school and in their community. The Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington, D.C., from June 20 to 24.
Prillaman is also a recipient of a National Merit Scholarship, is an Eagle Scout, and is an accomplished musician, both as a composer and as a performer. In the summer of 2008 he attended the Young Composers Program at Boston University Tanglewood Institute. He plans to attend Yale University in the fall.
The 141 Presidential Scholars include one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. A 29-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by the President selected the Scholars based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
The teacher chosen for recognition by Prillaman was Peter Perry, of Rockville.
The Mary Pickford Foundation is giving a gift to students in Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County community: a premiere at the Music Center at Strathmore of Philip Carli’s new musical score for Mary Pickford’s 1917 silent film, "The Poor Little Rich Girl." The live event on Tuesday, May 19, will be performed twice, once in the morning at 10:45 a.m. for students from several Montgomery County middle schools, and again in the evening at 8 p.m., when it will be offered free to the public. The score will be performed by Strathmore’s ensemble-in-residence, the National Philharmonic, under the baton of Hugh Munro Neely. This special presentation, designed for families and film lovers of all ages, celebrates the 100th anniversary of Pickford’s first appearance as an actress on screen in May of 1909.
Neema Nassiri-Motlagh, a senior at Connecticut College, was awarded the Robert W. Jordan Prize at the annual Honors and Awards ceremony at Connecticut College on April 29. The honor is awarded to a student for excellence in philosophy.
Twenty-four Montgomery County Public Schools students have won $2,500 National Merit Scholarships after meeting rigorous academic standards and other criteria. They join 12 previous winners this year of corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships. Scholarship winners are chosen from finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Listed by school, the latest MCPS winners and their intended career fields are:
Winston Churchill HS: Andrew H. Cho, law; Mackenzie K. Dolginow, medicine; Vera Khovanskaya, architecture
Richard Montgomery HS: Abiola D. Laniyonu, computer science; Hanfu Chai, business; Kevin F. Haaga, permaculture; Kara J. Karpman, mathematics; Nathan C. Prillaman, academia/music; Ivy H. Zhou, undecided
Walt Whitman HS: Kavitha Anandalingam, biomedical engineering; Thomas A. Berry, medicine; Seth E. Gordon, aerospace engineering; Hannah N. Vogel, environmental science
Thomas S. Wootton HS: Joanna Dong, medicine; Seth F. Nelson, mechanical engineering
Earlier this year 12 students won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships financed by companies, foundations, and other business organization. These students are among 31 corporate-sponsored scholarship winners in Maryland.
The corporate winners, their intended career fields and scholarship sponsors are:
Montgomery Blair HS: Mandeep S. Bedi, computer engineering, Computer Sciences Corporation; Samir R. Chainani, electrical engineering, Lockheed Martin; Jessica Chen, medicine, Lockheed Martin; Elaine T. Chung, electrical engineering, Lockheed Martin; Jiali Fang, surgical medicine, Boeing; Sally Huang, accounting, Unisys Corporation; Sneha T. Kannan, medicine, Computer Sciences Corporation; Charles L. Kong, medicine, The Mitre Corporation; Tai Zheng, medicine, Lockheed Martin
Northwest HS: John D. Ingraham, software engineering, Lockheed Martin
Richard Montgomery HS: Leon L. Ko, engineering, Computer Sciences Corporation
Thomas S. Wootton HS: Jonathan J. Liang, biomedical science/engineering, Computer Sciences Corporation
Kindergarten orientation is taking place this year now through May 22. Orientation is open to parents and their children who will be starting kindergarten in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in the 2009–10 school year. Children who will be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, can enroll in kindergarten. Parents who are not certain which elementary school serves their area should call the MCPS Boundaries Office at 240-314-4710 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information about the kindergarten program, call the Division of Early Childhood Programs and Services at 301-230-0691. The MCPS Parent Academy is offering a free parent workshop on getting your child ready for kindergarten. It will be held May 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Rosemont Middle School. Rosemont is located at 16400 Alden Ave. in Gaithersburg. Register online at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/
Summit Educational Group, is offering free practice tests this spring for the SAT and ACT at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac. For a complete listing of dates, please visit www.mytutor.com.
Holton's Advanced Placement Art History class was among 21 programs recognized in a new booklet, Stories of Excellence: Case Studies of Exemplary Teaching and Learning with Technology, produced by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
In addition to producing their own podcasts, Holton's students mentor fifth-grade students from Seaton Elementary, an inner-city public school in Washington, D.C. Together the students research artwork at the museum and then Holton's students help their mentees create podcasts of their own. Visit www.nais.org/go/storiesofexcellence.
Thomas S. Wootton High School junior Timothy Hwang has been elected student member of the Board of Education for 2009-2010. He has been active in student government for several years and currently is the vice president of the Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils.