By Frank Mustac, Special Writer
The Hopewell Valley Regional school board on April 25 formally recognized several students for accomplishments.
Sonja Michaluk, an eighth-grader from Timberlake Middle School, was recently awarded first place in the 2016 DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition – Junior Division. Her essay, “Because Salamanders Cannot Speak for Themselves,” was selected from more than 9,000 entries.
Sonja will receive a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond. She will also be traveling to Florida with her science teacher, Kelli Innacone, and a parent on an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World Resort. While in the Sunshine State, the three will attend a private luncheon and take an exclusive tour of the NASA-Kennedy Space Center.
As part of her award, Sonja and Timberlane Middle School will receive Britannica Digital Learning Resources as well as items from Carolina Biological Supply.
Eric Jing, a senior at Hopewell Valley Central High School, received the Excellence in Biology Achievement Award from the Delaware Valley Science Council.
In November, Eric completed two intensive subject exams selected from among mathematics, biology, chemistry or physics. Based on the exam results, Eric was named a finalist and invited to attend a personal interview in January. The combined results of the exams and interviews led to the selection of award recipients.
The annual Delaware Valley Science Competition program has been held for more than 60 years.
Currently, more than 300 high schools in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware are invited to send as many as four seniors to the DVSC competition. To participate, students must be college-bound high school seniors.
All finalists are invited to the awards dinner held in the spring. Awards are based on the results of the tests and interviews.
Annabelle Davis, a freshman at Central High School, is one of 65 students being sent on full scholarship by the U.S. Department of State to act as youth ambassadors to countries with significant Muslim populations. The scholarships are awarded through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad program.
For one year, youth ambassadors will be placed in 13 countries across three continents, living with local families and attending local schools. Annabelle will be stationed in Thailand.
The youth ambassadors will engage in activities to learn about the host country’s society and values. In turn, they will help educate others about American society and values.
Demi Zhang, a 12th-grade student at Hopewell Valley Central High School, won two Gold Keys, two Silver Keys and two honorable mentions in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
The nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens, the awards program accepts submissions from students across the country in grades 7-12. The program’s objective is to foster the confidence of young artists and give them the opportunity to be recognized for their creative achievements.
For 93 years, the awards, presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, have identified the early promise of some of our nation’s most accomplished visionaries and encouraged young artists and writers to pursue a variety of creative career paths and endeavors.
In the 2015 program year, a record-breaking 300,000 works were submitted for adjudication at the regional level, with more than 1,900 public, private and home-schooled students receiving national recognition.
Matthew Jackson, a senior at Central High School, received the General Carl A. Spaatz Award at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., in November. The Spaatz award is the highest rank in the Civil Air Patrol program.
Matthew was the 2,000 cadet to achieve this rank in the more than 50 years of the program.
He was also awarded the N.J. Cadet of the Year and the Regional Cadet of the Year, and is currently in the running for the National Cadet of the Year.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has more than a dozen units in New Jersey. The Hopewell Valley (Twin Pine Composite) squadron, comprised of more than 40 cadets, operates out of Trenton-Mercer Airport.
The patrol offers young people ages 12 to 21 the opportunity to learn about and practice aviation and service to the community and the nation under the supervision of adult members.
Established in 1964, the Spaatz award is the Civil Air Patrol’s highest cadet honor. Cadets qualify after devoting an average of five years to progress through 16 achievements in the CAP’s cadet program.
