MMI News

MMI Preparatory School senior Andrew Alday, the son of Dr. Senen Alday and Dr. Milagros Azcueta-Alday of Mountaintop, was selected as one of only ten University of Pittsburgh 2016 Nordenberg Leadership Scholars. Alday has accepted a full-tuition scholarship to attend the University of Pittsburgh and will study philosophy as a pre-law track. In addition to his academic course work in philosophy, Alday will participate in a series of outside-the-classroom experiences designed to enhance personal and professional growth, including training sessions on a variety of topics, leadership opportunities, service activities, one-on-one career and personal coaching and experiential learning in internship and...

MMI Preparatory School is still accepting registrations for its four art camps that are part of the 2016 Summer Camp program which will be held on MMI’s campus at 154 Centre Street in Freeland. Drawing Camp, Asian Art Camp and Bookmaking Camp run the week of July 25 and Messy Art Camp runs the week of August 1. The camps are open to all area school children. Each summer camp is held over five days and costs just $150. MMI is asking that people register by Tuesday, July 5.

MMI Preparatory School sophomores Gabriella Kupsho and Joshua Kalada-Kania finished in the top three in Penn State Hazleton’s second annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Research Fair competition in the Evelyn Graham Academic Building on the Penn State Hazleton campus.

MMI Preparatory School junior Dana Carrato, the daughter of Dr. Anthony and Carmine Carrato of Hazleton, has been selected to attend the 2016 Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Agricultural Sciences (PGSAS) at Penn State University.

MMI Preparatory School recently presented athletic awards to students during the school’s annual Awards Convocation. The awards were presented by MMI Athletic Director Jason Tribbet and team coaches. The District 2 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Award was presented to Desiree Dinko and Edward Herbener. The award is for students who have participated in MMI’s athletic program for multiple years, maintained high academic averages and are involved in community and school service. Sarah Moyer and Brendan Drusda received the 2016 Wendy’s High School Heisman Award, which recognizes students for success and achievement in both academics and athletics. Edward Herbener received...

MMI Preparatory School recently held its annual Awards Convocation to honor students in 9th through 12th grades. MMI Head of School Thomas G. Hood said, “Our students have made a number of tremendous accomplishments in many academic and community service areas throughout the 2015-16 school year and we’re honored to reward them for their achievements.” Alyssa Famalette received a scholarship award on behalf of the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC). Brendan Drusda was given the 2016 Jake Kislan ’56 Polonaise Society Award, which honors the highest achieving Polish American graduate of MMI. He also received the Ernest Scheller...

Ten MMI Preparatory School students placed in the top 10 in their respective competitive events categories at the 2016 Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference in Hershey, including four students who placed in the top four and will advance to the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Allison McGeehan placed second in the Business Law category and was honored in a recognition ceremony at the conclusion of the awards program for being elected to serve the state chapter on the Executive Committee as the 2016-2017 Pennsylvania FBLA State Reporter. Joshua Narrow, Joey Kress, and Nicholas Young placed fourth for their work...

There is still time to register your child for MMI Preparatory School’s 2016 Summer Camp program but space is limited. A variety of camps will be offered in morning and afternoon sessions for children ages 5 through 15 across a five-week period in June, July, and August. The camps are open to all area school children. Topics include maker camp, robotics; the science, art, and literature behind Harry Potter; Egyptian archaeology; computer work with Minecraft; film making with Legos; hovercraft design; forensics and crime scene investigation; Asian art; and bookmaking. Each summer camp is held for three hours each day...

MMI Preparatory School in Freeland, conducted its 124th Commencement Exercises on Thursday, May 19, as seniors were awarded diplomas by Stanley B. Warner III ’92, chairman of MMI’s Board of Directors. This year’s graduating class of 31 seniors amassed more than $5.9 million in merit scholarships and awards, an average of more than $190,000 per student. The 2016 graduating class also attained an average SAT score of 1708. The Class of 2016’s average ACT score is 26. Members of the Class of 2016 were accepted at over 90% of the colleges they applied to and will attend over 19 different...

MMI Preparatory School inducted 18 eighth-grade students into the National Junior Honor Society and 12 eighth graders into the National Latin Honor Society during a ceremony at the school. MMI Head of School Thomas G. Hood provided opening remarks and greeted those in attendance before the ceremony. Faculty member and adviser, the Very Rev. Lawrence Barriger, presented the criteria for membership, inducted the students into the honor societies, and introduced the speaker. Justin Richard, Esq. ’04, assistant district attorney for Luzerne County, was the guest speaker. Assistant Head of School Charles C. Seidel provided closing remarks. Benjamin Putnam, an eighth-grade...

MMI Preparatory School senior Karalyn Sitch, seated at center, will continue her academic and athletic careers at Immaculata University, where she will run cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field. Seated with Karalyn are her parents, from left, Rosemarie and Mark Sitch. Also pictured are, second row, from left: MMI Assistant Head of School Charles Seidel, MMI Athletic Director Jason Tribbet, MMI Cross Country Coach Jon Weaver, and MMI Head of School Thomas G. Hood.  

MMI Preparatory School Head of School Thomas G. Hood announced that Atty. Brian Rosen ’75 has accepted his invitation to deliver the Founder’s Day Address during MMI’s 124th commencement ceremonies, which will be held on Thursday, May 19 at the school. Rosen is a 1975 MMI Preparatory School graduate and was a point guard on the school’s basketball team. He is a partner in the Business Finance and Restructuring Department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Manhattan and focuses on chapter 11 bankruptcy (through pre-packaged and in-court solicitations) and out-of-court debt restructurings, acquisitions of distressed companies or assets, and the...

Five MMI Preparatory School juniors will receive 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program recognition after placing among the top 50,000 out of 1.5 million participants on the qualifying test. Ali Aijaz, Anirban Chowdhury, Allison McGeehan, Samuel Sessock, and Nicholas Young finished among the top 50,000 nationwide on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). All five students recorded a Selection Index score of 209 or above and have the opportunity to be one of the 16,000 students who will be named National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists in September.

Five MMI Preparatory School teams finished in the top 15 overall out of 36 teams at the 2016 Luzerne County Envirothon. The Luzerne County Conservation District coordinates and sponsors the Envirothon, an annual environmental competition for high school students in grades 9-12, each spring. It tests their knowledge of the environment with five 100-point tests: Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife, and a Current Topic. A cumulative score is tabulated based on the performance in those five tests. The team of Joshua Kalada-Kania, Samuel Sessock, Taylor Peluso, Sarah Moyer, and Jay Solgama captured first place with 410 out of a possible 500...

Elliot Blasko, pictured in the second row at left, won the overall title in MMI Preparatory School’s Spring Best of the Best competition for his speech entitled “How to Be Funny.” Each MMI student in grades 7-12 makes at least one appearance in an assembly program each school year. The best student performances from each semester’s assemblies, chosen by the MMI faculty, are presented to a joint assembly of both upper school and middle school students to determine the “Best of the Best.” Additional Best of the Best competitors and their assembly presentations were, first row, from left: Irene Altmiller, “Number...

MMI Preparatory School senior Nash Wenner finished 26th in the nation in the Junior Men’s (16-17-year-old) boardercross division at the 27th annual United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) National Championships at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado.

MMI Preparatory School junior Danielle Pileggi is one of only 160 students worldwide who were recently selected from hundreds of applicants to attend this year’s Leadership in the Business World program offered by Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Pileggi, the daughter of Daniel and Sandra Pileggi of Albrightsville, will attend the highly-selective program from July 3 to July 30 on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus in Philadelphia.

MMI Preparatory School juniors Ali Aijaz and Anirban Chowdhury were recently accepted into the summer 2016 Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences. The Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences (PGSS), which is hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, was established in order to provide a summer enrichment experience in the sciences and mathematics for talented Pennsylvania high school students and to encourage them to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics. The program provides instruction in biological sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science, with emphasis on collaborative learning and team research.

Thirteen MMI Preparatory School students and two faculty members recently completed a 10-day educational European tour of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The group learned about the culture, history, geography and people of each region and sampled traditional European meals. Seniors William Bower, Samanta Cottone, Brian Galbiati and Sarah Moyer; juniors Ali Aijaz, Niklas Byriel, Garrett Kost, Anna Olivieri, Keenan Overa, Dylan Slusser and Jacob Weiksner and sophomores Nicolo Cottone and Joseph Taylor attended the trip. T.R. Laputka, MMI IT Director, and Gabriela Moustardas, MMI world language department chair and German instructor, were the faculty advisers. The trip was planned...