STUDENT DIRECTORY
Mars Area High School junior Alexandra Knotts earned first place in the art category at the 2020 Three Rivers German Day.
Alexandra, a member of the high school German Club, received the award for her drawing “Drießig Jahre,” inspired by the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The annual Three Rivers German Day competition is typically held at Washington & Jefferson College and was initially canceled. However, students were later invited to participate online in various categories, including art, poetry recitation and writing.
The annual competition brings together students from middle schools and high schools in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Participants compete in art, culture trivia, drama, music, poetry recitation, technology and writing events.
Several works by Mars Area High School students received awards in the 2020 Associated Artists of Butler County (AABC) Virtual High School Art Exhibit.Junior Aspen Wilson received the Best in Show Award for her liquid watercolor and charcoal on paper called “The Oil Bath.”In the sculpture category, senior Emma Werling earned first place for her cardboard sculpture “Tree Owl,” and junior Isabel Mannella took second place for her paper sculpture “Half Off.”In the photo category, senior Amanda Olesnevich took first place for her photography series of die cast arrangements “Little Town.” Junior Caroline Dunn received second place for her photo “Hazy Day.”In the painting category, senior Alexis Barger earned first place for her acrylic on mirror “Mountains,” and junior Leah Yendell took second place for her acrylic on hand-stretched canvas “Lamb Chops.”In the drawing category, freshman Hayley Goerl received first place for her colored pencil on board “Marbles.” Freshman Charlotte Stamper took second place for her colored pencil on board “Marbles.”Honorable mentions were awarded to senior Alexis Barger for her photo “Railroad,” junior Kendall Ceh for her acrylic on canvas “Lit,” junior Aspen Wilson for her oil on paper “Clowning Around,” freshman Kaitlyn Ames for her acrylic on canvas “The End,” and freshman Blythe McClure for her ink on paper “Migraine.”
Mars Area Centennial School's sixth grade took ninth place overall in the 2019-20 Pennsylvania Mathematics League Contest.The top five scorers — sixth-graders Julian Coquelet, Levi Jackson, Naveen Jayaraman, Joseph Shebek and Clarke Wickland — earned a combined score of 129, which became the school's “team” score and placed the school third among schools in the Pittsburgh region.More than 70 schools across Pennsylvania participated in the annual contest.Earlier this year, all Mars Area Centennial School sixth-graders entered the contest by completing a 30-minute timed exam in their math classes.The goal of the annual contest is to encourage student interest and confidence in mathematics through solving worthwhile problems.
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley sophomore Veronica Pimenova was recently awarded a scholarship from Gannon University for her work on a nanoparticles project for the Covestro Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair (PRSEF).Pimenova found gold nanoparticles can be used to make paints more environmentally friendly. She developed the gold particles with several different Turkevich methods and was able to use scanning electron microscopy to study their characteristics.
Lebanon Valley College in Annville inducted Caleb Cekella of Harmony into Pi Mu Epsilon at Lebanon Valley College this spring.Pi Mu Epsilon is a National Honor Society dedicated to the promotion of mathematics and the recognition of students who successfully pursue mathematical understanding.Cekella, a graduate of Seneca Valley Senior High School, is pursuing a bachelor of science in actuarial science and computer and data science.Saxonburg resident honored at YSUThe Honors College at Youngstown State University announced the Spring 2020 Honors Students of the Week including Kendall Orris of Saxonburg, recognized for academic excellence, community engagement and student success.Orris was part of the executive team for Guinathon, YSU's dance marathon, which raises funds and awareness year-round for Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley.
SLIPPERY ROCK — Every year, Slippery Rock University recognizes contributions made by students, faculty, staff and community partners for their civic engagement.The winner of the Student Civic Leadership Award was Alison Vlasnik, a junior health science- public health major from Cranberry Township.Vlasnik is the service leadership coordinator for Dream Chasers, a service-learning program where SRU students visit local nursing home residents, document their life stories and, through a partner foundation, potentially identify and fulfill a resident's “dream.”Vlasnik also organized an Out of the Darkness Campus Walk for suicide prevention through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Although the walk was conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event raised nearly $2,500 from more than 40 participants.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Mitchell Topf of Cranberry Township, a history major, has been elected to the 63rd cohort of the Clarence Gould Society at Youngstown State University. Inductees were evaluated for academic excellence as well as depth and breadth of study.New members are elected from the top students choosing a curriculum founded in the liberal arts and sciences from the Cliffe College of Creative Arts & Communication, the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.
Maxwell Chomas of Grove City was honored this spring by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University for earning a Quantitative Economics Award during the 2019-20 academic year.Established by economist Harold Ball, an alumnus, this award is given annually to recognize distinguished performance in quantitative economics.The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State strengthens communities across the globe through policy research, scholarship, public engagement and the development of leaders.
