MMI News

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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.  

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...

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.

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...

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...

Students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades delivered presentations as part of MMI Preparatory School’s annual “Best of the Best” program during an assembly held at the school. Sophomore Alyssa Sweda, the daughter of John and Jacqueline Sweda of Hazle Township, was the overall “Best of the Best” winner for the first semester for her presentation on Charleston, South Carolina. The assembly program is designed to help MMI students improve and enhance their communication skills, which are important as they progress through high school, college, and beyond. Additional “Best of the Best” presenters were senior Joshua Narrow, the son of...

A team of four MMI Preparatory School students placed third in all three categories in the annual Bloomsburg University Math Contest. The team of Ali Aijaz, Anirban Chowdhury, Allison McGeehan and Nicholas Young placed third in Brain Teasers, Quiz Bowl and the Game of 24 card challenge. Ali Aijaz is the son of Fakhruddin and Dr. Naghma Aijaz, Mountaintop; Anirban Chowdhury is the son of Bhaskar and Saumitri Chowdhury, Hazle Township; Allison McGeehan is the daughter of Thomas and Sandra McGeehan, Drums; and Nicholas Young is the son of Christian and Nicole Young, Freeland.

Four MMI Preparatory School students qualified to compete in the Pennsylvania School Press Association 2016-17 State Journalism Contest during a regional competition at Penn State University’s Berks Campus. Joshua Narrow, Danielle Pileggi, Julia Snyder and Chava Kornblatt earned the right to travel to Penn State’s University Park campus on March 29, 2017, to vie for the state championship in their respective categories. Danielle Pileggi and Julia Snyder both qualified in the Literary Magazine Art category, Joshua Narrow qualified in the Literary Magazine Poetry category and Chava Kornblatt qualified in the Yearbook Caption Writing category.

MMI Preparatory School sophomores Desiree Petrick and Elizabeth Eckhart were selected to represent MMI at the 2017 Central Pennsylvania Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) seminar, which will be held May 18-21 at Shippensburg University. Desiree Petrick is the granddaughter of John Petrick, Freeland and Elizabeth Eckhart is the daughter of Charles and Kim Eckhart, Lehighton. The four-day HOBY seminar focuses on the theme “Empower. Lead. Excel” while encouraging the young leaders to display responsible citizenship, including community service and volunteerism. Each September, HOBY sophomore registration kits are sent to more than 22,000 public, private, and charter high schools in the...

Six MMI student-athletes were honored for their performance during the fall sports season. Senior Dana Carrato was named to the Wyoming Valley Coaches Association Second Team and juniors Madison Perchak and Lauryn Banyas were honorable mention selections. The Citizens’ Voice selected junior George Palermo (golf), sophomore Jessica McClellan (golf), senior Elizabeth Pinto (tennis) and senior Dana Carrato (volleyball) to its All Star teams in their respective sports.

MMI Preparatory School sophomore Andrew Decker captured the regional Poetry Out Loud competition against students from parts of six counties and will advance to the state finals March 5-6, 2017 in Harrisburg. The winner of the state competition advances to the national championship in Washington, D.C. Andrew Decker is the son of Aaron Decker, Kingston, and Elizabeth and Troy Topolski, Sugarloaf. Jennifer Novotney, MMI English instructor and Poetry Out Loud adviser, said, “Andrew did a fantastic job and we are all very proud of him. It is an honor to have him represent MMI Preparatory School at the state finals.”

MMI Preparatory School English instructor Jennifer Novotney was one of only 13 teachers from across the country to receive the National High School Teacher of Excellence Award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The NCTE honors recipients with the High School Teacher of Excellence Award to recognize and celebrate exceptional high school classroom teachers. Novotney accepted her award during the annual conference in Atlanta in November where she was also a general session presenter during the second day of the four-day convention. In his nomination remarks, MMI Assistant Head of School Charles Seidel said Novotney “is an...