MMI Preparatory School juniors Gabriella Kupsho and Angelica Alday were recently accepted into this summer’s Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences, which will be held from July 2 through August 5 at Carnegie Mellon University.
The Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences (PGSS) is an intense summer enrichment program in which students from across the state take lecture courses in the core subjects of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. In addition, they are expected to participate in their choice of one laboratory course in either biology, chemistry, physics or computer science, and to engage in team research projects in one of the above five major discipline areas. The students also have the opportunity to take elective courses which may vary from year to year, to participate in several field trips and to be further enriched by a distinguished guest lecture series.
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MMI Preparatory School eighth grader Peter Walko captured first place in the Middle School Division and eighth grader Emily Ryan and junior Caitlyn Kline finished second in the Middle School and High School divisions, respectively, in the 22nd annual Israel T. and Mildred Klapper Memorial Holocaust Essay Contest, which is sponsored jointly by the Hazleton Jewish Community Council and the Greater Hazleton Ministerial Association.
All three students read their winning entries and received their awards at the Yom Hashoa Memorial Service at the Beth Israel Temple in Hazleton on April 24. MMI English instructor Jennifer Novotney was the faculty adviser for the competition.
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Eight MMI Preparatory School students advanced to the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) national leadership convention and 9 additional students placed in the top 10 in their respective competitive events during the Pennsylvania FBLA state leadership conference earlier this month at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.
Junior Julia Snyder captured first place for client service, seniors Jonathan Smith and Jessica Smith both finished second for public service announcement, senior Allison McGeehan was second in business law and sophomore Morgan Long finished fourth for intro to business procedures. Junior Jakob Schwabe was elected to serve as the Pennsylvania FBLA state secretary for 2017-2018. All six students will represent MMI at the FBLA national leadership convention, along with juniors Chava Kornblatt and Stephanie Zellner who took sixth for marketing, which will be held from June 27 to July 3 in Anaheim, California.
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MMI Preparatory School has announced the names of students who achieved Honor Roll status for the third quarter of the 2016-2017 school year.
Honor Roll students are:
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MMI Preparatory School recently held an induction ceremony to welcome new members to the Spanish, Chinese and German national honor societies.
Head of School D. Scott Wiggins welcomed those in attendance to open the ceremony. University of Scranton Professor Marie Karam, German Fulbright Scholar Sarah Schrier and visiting Chinese Lecturer Allison Lai were the guest speakers.
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Forty-three MMI Preparatory School students captured first place at a recent Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) regional competition held at Wilkes University and will advance to the 83rd annual PJAS state competition, which is set for May 14-16 at Penn State University’s University Park campus.
Two of the 43 students, Lois Ann Polashenski and Louis DeAngelo, topped the field in two categories and will compete at the state competition in both events. Nine students received a perfect score in their respective categories. The students are: Joshua Kalada-Kania (in zoology), Gabriella DeMelfi (math), Samuel Sessock (engineering), Nicholas Young (chemistry), Dustin Paul (chemistry), Connor Spencer (chemistry), Louis DeAngelo (computer science), Lois Ann Polashenski (computer science) and Lauren Freeman (biology).
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The guest chef program at MMI Preparatory School strives to give students the opportunity to try new things. Guest chef Foster Dale of Genetti Catering recently visited MMI to prepare a healthy and scratch-made meal for the students.
The Guest Chef program began two years ago and is part of a three-year plan undertaken by MMI to provide food to the student body and staff in a more sustainable manner.
The students were treated to a meal that included grilled marinated chicken breast, strawberry spinach salad, a whole grain roll and vegetarian vegetable soup.
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MMI Preparatory School will host an information session about the Selective College Admission Process at schools like The University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, May 3 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria. The event is open to the public. MMI is located at 154 Centre Street in Freeland.
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MMI Preparatory School sophomore Andrew Decker placed among the top five in Pennsylvania at the Poetry Out Loud state competition in Harrisburg.
Decker, the son of Aaron Decker, Kingston, and Elizabeth and Troy Topolski, Sugarloaf, was one of only 15 students who advanced to the state finals out of a total of 7,000 students from across the state who entered the competition starting at the school level.
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MMI Preparatory School freshman Philip Byriel was selected to the Wyoming Valley Conference Coaches Association Division 3 First team following the 2016-17 varsity basketball season.
The 6-foot-7 post player led the Preppers in scoring and rebounding with an average of 13 points and six boards per game. He also topped MMI in blocks and steals. He posted multiple double-digit scoring games this season, including a career-high 31 points in MMI’s victory over Hanover Area in February.
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Four MMI Preparatory School students placed in the top four at the Pennsylvania School Press Association Student Journalism State Championships, which were held last month at Penn State University’s University Park campus.
Joshua Narrow and Julia Snyder both won the state championship in their respective categories. Narrow placed first in the Literary Magazine Poetry category, while Snyder topped the field in the Literary Magazine Artwork category. Danielle Pileggi received the State Reserve Champion title for finishing second in the Literary Magazine Artwork category and Chava Kornblatt was fourth in the Yearbook Photo Caption Writing category.
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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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