MMI Preparatory School senior Joshua Narrow was recently appointed the Hazleton City Poet Laureate during a meeting held at Hazleton City Hall on March 22. Narrow was selected out a group of creative writing students from schools throughout Greater Hazleton to fill the position.
The Poet Laureate has been recreated to help foster an appreciation for the humanities in the Hazleton area with the hope that students can get involved with various art-based organizations to exhibit their work.
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MMI Preparatory School inducted senior Katherine Eschenbach and juniors Anna Haber, Talia Logerfo, Julia Snyder and Stephanie Zellner into the MMI Chroma Chapter of the National Art Honor Society during a ceremony at the school earlier this month.
During the ceremony, MMI art instructor Lisa Ferry welcomed guests and explained the history of the art honor society. Attorney Lee Ann Palubinsky ’02 was the guest speaker. Palubinsky earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from American University in Washington, D.C. and a juris doctorate degree from Barry University School of Law, where she specialized in constitutional law and First Amendment law. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and Hawaii. She was admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of the United States in November of 2015 and is also liscenced to practice in the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Federal District Court of Hawaii and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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MMI Preparatory School will host its annual Open House this Sunday, March 26 from 2:00-4:30 P.M. The public is invited to attend the event where students will showcase their projects.
Each year, MMI students are challenged with preparing special research projects, which are displayed at Open House. Students in grades six through 12 will display, explain, and demonstrate their projects in classrooms and locations throughout the school.
Visitors will be able to observe a variety of student projects in the areas of literature, mathematics, science, and social studies. In addition, food projects prepared primarily by senior students will be featured. The food, which will be available for sampling, will be served in an atmosphere that fits with the theme and style of food.
Non-food projects are open to the public from 2:00-4:00 P.M., and culinary projects are open to the public from 2:30-4:30 P.M.
MMI students prepare all projects under the guidance of faculty advisers. The Math of the Stars, Sir Isaac Newton’s Discovery of Calculus, A Grimm End: The Origin of Fairy Tales, The Science of Chicken Egg Shells, Harry Potter Foods, and 3D Scanning in the Physical World are just a few of the projects that will be presented this year. Each project is then evaluated during Open House by a panel of judges from Penn State Hazleton. MMI’s in-house chef will evaluate food projects. The winners are then honored at a special assembly.
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The MMI Prepper Playhouse is presenting Shrek The Musical, which was postponed last weekend due to the storm, this Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25, at 7:00 P.M. in the MMI Athletic and Drama Complex, 154 Centre Street in Freeland.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students, and $12 for reserved seats and may be purchased by calling the school at 570-636-1108 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek The Musical is a Tony-Award winning fairy tale adventure, featuring songs from Jeanine Tesori and a book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Shrek brings all the characters you know from the film to life on the stage and proves there’s more to the story than meets the ears. “Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek,” and thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero (played by sophomore Andrew Decker) who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey (played by senior Evan Dryfoos) and a feisty princess named Fiona (played by sophomore Kaitlyn Bellizia) who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy (Lord Farquaad, played by senior Garrett Kost), a cookie with an attitude and assorted fairy tale misfits and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero…Shrek!
Shrek the Musical is presented through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized materials are supplied through MTI. www.MTIShows.com.
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Four MMI Preparatory School seniors advanced from the semifinalist round to become finalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Ali Aijaz, Anirban Chowdhury, Allison McGeehan and Nicholas Young, who received semifinalist recognition last fall, are among just 15,000 students nationwide to be named finalists in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
As finalists, Ali Aijaz, Anirban Chowdhury, Allison McGeehan and Nicholas Young have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered in the spring.
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MMI Preparatory School junior Angelica Alday has been honored for her exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. MMI nominated Alday for national honors this fall in recognition of her volunteer service.
Alday, the daughter of Dr. Senen Alday and Milagros Azcueta-Alday, Mountaintop, has participated in several volunteer activities in the region. She was involved in the Junior Volunteer Program through Geisinger Hospital for two summers and worked in the supply department at Geisinger last summer. She also volunteered in the St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. For two years, she volunteered in her church as a teacher's aide in religion class as well as playing violin in the church choir. This fall she started collecting shoes for the Shoe Drive to benefit the homeless shelter in Hazleton.
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MMI Preparatory School eighth-grade student Louis DeAngelo advanced to the MATHCOUNTS state competition after posting the second highest individual score and finishing third in the Countdown Round.
Alistair Plotnick, Connor Spencer, Elizabeth O'Donnell, Rachael Betz, Benjamin Zhao, Hiba Muhammad. Samantha Sparich, Kevin McNulty and Natalie Graham also competed on MMI’s MATHCOUNTS team.
The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is designed to cultivate talent in the nation’s brightest young minds by bringing together students from all 50 states in a one-of-a-kind competition consisting of a series of in-person contests.
The Competition Series, which was created in 1983, is the longest-running MATHCOUNTS program and is open to all sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students. The competition is comprised of four rounds—Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown Round. Altogether the rounds are designed to take about three hours to complete.
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The MMI Preparatory School Mock Trial team advanced to the District 2 Championships following semifinal wins by its defense and prosecution units.
Garrett Kost, Marc Lobitz, John Malay, Joshua Narrow, Hunter O’Clair, Erin Sari and Jonathan Smith were MMI’s winning defense team members. Ali Aijaz, Merci Centrella, Kevin Cibak, Andrew Decker, Evan Dryfoos, Mahad Muhammad and Jonathan Smith were members of the winning prosecution team.
D. Scott Wiggins, MMI Head of School and Mock Trial adviser, said, “The performance of our student attorneys and witnesses was extraordinary. The magnitude of time and investment it takes to prepare oneself and carry forth in a courtroom in front of real judges and attorney juries is immense. While the teams did not prevail in the District 2 Championship round, I’m proud of how these 13 students performed and represented MMI during the competition.”
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MMI junior Angelica Alday, the daughter of Dr. Senen Alday and Milagros Azcueta Alday of Mountaintop, was one of just 30 girls selected to participate in the Center For Women in Technology’s (CWIT) Bits and Bytes Program, which was held Feb. 19 and 20 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), an honors university in Maryland.
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For the 14th consecutive year, MMI Preparatory School will host the Grammy-nominated Wister Quartet for a public performance at the school on Monday, March 6, at 7 p.m. The performance is made possible through the support of Dr. James W. Feussner ’65 in memory of Elizabeth Feussner.
Once again this year, the Wister Quartet will perform with guitarist Allen Krantz, a critically acclaimed guitarist, composer and chamber musician. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Athletics and Drama Complex on the MMI campus at 154 Centre St., Freeland. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Members of the quartet are violinists Nancy Bean and Davyd Booth, violist Pamela Fay, and cellist Lloyd Smith.
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MMI Preparatory School has announced the names of students who achieved Head of School’s List status for the first semester of the 2016-2017 school year.
Head of School’s List students are:
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MMI Preparatory School has announced the names of students who achieved Honor Roll status for the second quarter of the 2016-2017 school year.
Honor Roll students are:
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Forty-seven of MMI Preparatory School’s 76 entrants in ninth through 12th grades qualified to attend the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference, which will be held from April 2-5 in Hershey.
MMI students qualified for the state conference in 26 different individual and team competitive events during a regional competition at the Woodlands in Wilkes-Barre. The list of competitive categories includes: Business Calculations, Business Ethics, Business Law, Business Planning, Client Service, Computer Problem Solving, Cyber Security, Global Business, Health Care Administration, Help Desk, Insurance and Risk Management, Introduction to Business, Introduction to Business Procedures, Introduction to Financial Math, Introduction to Information Technology, Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, Journalism, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Organizational Management, Personal Finance, Publication Design, Public Speaking, Public Service Announcement, Securities and Investments, and Sports and Entertainment Management.
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MMI Preparatory School recently received a $1,000 contribution from FNCB Bank through the Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program to go toward need-based scholarships at the school.
MMI Director of Advancement Kim McNulty said, “On behalf of everyone at MMI Preparatory School, “I’d like to thank FNCB for their generous contribution. MMI students have received more than $3 million in direct scholarships thanks to the contributions from companies like FNCB since our EITC program’s inception in 2005. When you contribute to MMI through the EITC program, your gift directly supports funding for children in need to attend our school.”
FNCB Assistant Vice President Mike Cummings said, “Since 2010, FNCB has contributed almost $1.2 million dollars to local scholarship organizations through the EITC program. We are proud to help many deserving families attend schools such as MMI.”
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Anden Karlick captured first place in MMI’s Sixth Grade Science Fair for his presentation on Root Systems and Erosion. John Schwear III placed second for his presentation on Tire Pressure in Bicycles and Jeffrey DeAngelo was third for his presentation on How Senses Change Your Taste.
The Science fair took place on January 27 in the MMI Cafe. All sixth grade students were required to complete a project, which they then showcased to the school and their families. Projects were judged by AP Science students and faculty.
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Seventh grader Christian Homnack was the winner and classmate Connor Spencer finished as the runner-up in MMI Preparatory School’s competition as part of qualifications for the National Geographic Bee. MMI’s Geographic Bee competition, at which students answered questions on geography, was the first round in the 29th annual National Geographic Bee. As MMI’s winner, Homnack now has a chance to compete for a $50,000 college scholarship.
Christian Homnack is the son of Lori Pavell, Hazleton, and Dennis Homnack, St. Johns. Connor Spencer is the son of Christina and Christopher Spencer, Mountaintop.
Grete Floryshak, MMI Social Sciences instructor and adviser for the competition, said, “I’d like to commend Christian, Connor and all of MMI’s participants for their dedication to the competition. We’re honored to have Christian represent MMI as he advances to the state level of the competition.”
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D. Scott Wiggins, who has served as interim Head of School at MMI Preparatory School since July of 2016, was appointed as the school’s Head of School by the MMI Board of Directors at a meeting on Thursday. The appointment takes effect immediately.
Wiggins has been serving as interim Head of School since former Head of School Thomas G. Hood stepped down to become Head of School at St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School in Tennessee.
At the direction of the Board of Directors, a search committee comprised of six current and former members of the board of directors, four of them having served as chairs of the board and all of them having graduated from MMI, managed the national search that resulted both in Wiggins’ appointment as interim Head of School, and his eventual appointment as Head of School.
Following his appointment, Wiggins said, “When I accepted the Interim Head of School position, it was with a one or two year window in mind. But, in the time I have been here, I have fallen in love with the school and the MMI community, which powered my desire to be considered for the position. I am humbled to have been chosen to continue to lead the MMI community into the future as the new Head of School and I welcome the opportunity with open arms.”
This past weekend, MMI students participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 9 Orchestra Festival at Elk Lake High School. Junior Angelica Alday earned second seat for violin and will advance to the PMEA Regional Orchestra Festival, which will be held March 9-11 at Bangor Area High School.
Junior Aaron Harman placed third in the orchestra seating auditions for trombone and freshman Molly O'Connell placed ninth in the violin section. Students were accompanied by music instructor Christine Lizbinski.
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Six MMI Preparatory School students won a total of 16 awards in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. The students were honored during a recent awards ceremony at Marywood University.
Senior Evan Spear won the American Voices Medal for writers, the highest honor presented to a writer by the Scholastic Writing Awards. Only one writer from each region is presented with this award each year. Spear also received a Gold Key Poetry award.
The American Voices nominees are “Best in Show” awards that most exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Five works of writing from each region are selected by local judges as American Voices Nominees. These nominees are celebrated in local exhibitions and ceremonies. From the pool of nominees, an esteemed panel of jurors in New York City then selects one writer from each region to receive an American Voices Medal. These Medalists are recognized at the National Ceremony and Art.Write.Now exhibition in New York City.
Other recognized MMI students were: Junior Jaclyn Braunstein and sophomore Lauren Matyas who both won a Silver Key Poetry award and Matyas was an Honorable Mention selection in the Poetry category. Senior Joshua Narrow was a Gold Key Portfolio recipient and received four Silver Keys and one Honorable Mention selection in Poetry. Senior Olivia Minzola won a Gold Key for Portfolio, Silver Key awards in Personal Essay/Memoir and Flash Fiction and an Honorable Mentions in Poetry. Junior Hunter O’Clair was an Honorable Mention selection in Dramatic Script. MMI English instructors Jennifer Novotney and Donna Titus served as advisers for MMI students in the competition.
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MMI Preparatory School received a $500 grant through the ExxonMobil Foundation that it will use toward its science and technology departments.
MMI was nominated for the grant ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grant by Liberty Petroleum Distributors of New Milford. The grant funds are specifically designated for math or science departments. MMI plans to use the grant money to fund a collaborative project between the Marine Biology and Robotics classes where students are working toward building Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs).
Michael Mele, MMI Science Department Chair said, “We are so appreciative of the support for this cross curriculum project and for the dedication of our alumni and the organizations they represent in helping MMI continue to provide a strong academic program in both science and technology.”
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