MMI News

MMI Preparatory School junior Zachary Young, the son of Christian and Nicole Young of Freeland, will receive recognition in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program after finishing as one of the top 50,000 entrants in the country on the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

MMI Preparatory School junior Frederick Mejia, left, placed second in the Junior Division in the Wilkes University/Luzerne County Council of Teachers of Mathematics (LCCTM) content. Mejia competed against approximately 80 other students in the division. Pictured at right is Susan Moyer, MMI mathematics instructor and contest advisor.

MMI Preparatory School’s team of Rachael Betz, Alistair Plotnick, Connor Spencer, and Benjamin Zhao placed fifth out of 16 teams during the annual MATHCOUNTS competition in February. Zhao also earned the fourth highest individual score in the competition and placed fifth in the Countdown Round. Additional MMI individual competitors were Brenna Eckhart, Edgar Lopez-Rodriquez, Nathaniel Neidlinger, Frankie Martinelli, Elizabeth O’Donnell and Abigail Sparich.

Fifty of MMI Preparatory School’s 69 competitors placed first in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition and will advance to the state competition, which will be held May 20-21 at Penn State University’s Main Campus in State College. MMI students presented 76 projects. Seven students finished in the top two in multiple categories. Junior Coleman Smith placed first in two math categories and recorded a perfect score in the one event. Freshman McKenna Gallagher (biology and chemistry), junior Mahum Ahmed (microbiology and math), senior Lauren Babinetz (engineering and math), and senior Joshua Kalada-Kania (botany and zoology) all placed first...

MMI Preparatory School inducted students into the Chinese, German, and Spanish National Honor societies during an honor societies induction ceremony at the school. MMI Head of School D. Scott Wiggins welcomed those in attendance and provided closing remarks.

MMI Preparatory School inducted 27 students into the Andrew J. Stofan Chapter of the National Honor Society during an honor societies induction ceremony at the school. MMI Head of School D. Scott Wiggins delivered a welcome address to the attendees and provided closing remarks. MMI English instructor and National Honor Society advisor Donna Titus presided over the induction ceremony. National Honor Society officers are: Marc Lobitz, president; Benjamin Lloyd, vice president; Wesley Guarneri, secretary; Andrew Decker, historian, and John Malay, treasurer.

MMI Preparatory School inducted students into the Science, Math, and Art National Honor societies during an honor societies induction ceremony at the school. During the ceremony, MMI Head of School D. Scott Wiggins delivered a welcome address to the attendees and provided closing remarks.

Four MMI Preparatory School students placed in the 23rd annual Israel T. & Mildred Klapper Memorial Holocaust Essay Contest. The contest is sponsored jointly by the Hazleton Jewish Community Council and the Greater Hazleton Ministerial Association. Senior Sydney Karpowich captured first place in the High School division and senior Julia Snyder placed second. Eighth grader Lucy Butkiewicz and seventh grader Jakob Narrow tied for second place in the Middle School division. MMI English instructor Jennifer Novotney and History instructor Grete Floryshak were the faculty advisers for the competition.

MMI Preparatory School, located at 154 Centre Street in Freeland, will host its annual Open House this Sunday, March 18, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and features special research projects in academic fields and the culinary arts that were created by MMI students. State Street Corporation is the event sponsor. Visitors can view the academic projects from 2 to 4 p.m., while the culinary projects will be available to see and sample from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The Wister Quartet, a nationally renowned and Grammy-nominated chamber ensemble, will return to MMI Preparatory School for the 15th consecutive year for a performance at the school on Monday, March 5, at 7 p.m. The concert is sponsored by Dr. James W. Feussner ’65 in memory of Elizabeth Feussner and The Sowers & Turri Music and Arts Fund of the Luzerne Foundation. The performance, 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.

Eleven MMI Preparatory School students were recipients of 2018 Scholastic Writing Awards in the Northeast Writing Region-at-Large division. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12.  Senior Lauren Babinetz, the daughter of Michael and Patricia Babinetz of Jim Thorpe, received a Gold Key for her critical essay “Whistleblowers – The Only Way to Know” and will advance to the national competition. Regional Gold Key work is currently being considered for national recognition in New York City and national medalists will be announced on March 13.

Eighth grader Noah Poesnecker won MMI Preparatory School’s in-school competition of the National Geographic Bee and will advance in the competition for a chance to win a $50,000 college scholarship. Sixth grader Heath Williams was the runner-up in MMI’s competition. Poesnecker is the son of Renee Poesnecker of Mountain Top and the late Devon Poesnecker. Williams is the son of Atty. Richard and Shannon Williams of Mountain Top. MMI Social Sciences instructor Grete Floryshak is the National Geographic Bee adviser. The School National Geographic Bee, at which students answered questions on geography, was the first round in the 30th annual...

MMI Preparatory School’s literary magazine, Angst, was ranked as Recommended for Highest Award in the nation from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) as part of its 2017 Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines (PRESLM) Awards. The latest edition of Angst was displayed at the NCTE Annual Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, in November of 2017.  MMI received a Superior score (scores of 91-100 points) in the first round of judging, which is completed by state and national judges and based on a point system. Magazines scoring 91-100 points are recommended by the state and national judges...

Fifty-one of MMI Preparatory School’s 78 competitors in ninth through 12th grades advanced to compete at the Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference, which will be held from April 9-11 in Hershey. MMI competed against students from throughout Luzerne County during the FBLA Regional Leadership Conference and saw 24 students capture first place in individual and team events. First place winners and their categories are: Jakob Schwabe (Accounting I); Alexander Kline (Business Communication); Kelisa Hysenbegasi and Mahum Ahmed  (Business Ethics); Kaitlyn Bellizia (Client Service); Zachary Young (Economics); Amanda Kalada-Kania and Alyssa Sweda (Entrepreneurship); McKenna Gallagher and...

MMI Preparatory School junior Andrew Decker, the son of Aaron Decker, Kingston, and Elizabeth and Troy Topolski, Sugarloaf, finished third in the regional Poetry Out Loud competition at the WVIA-TV studios in Pittston. Decker represented MMI for the third consecutive year and was competing against students from parts of six counties. During the regional competition, students recited three poems each to determine the overall winner. Decker competed against students from throughout Luzerne, Lackawanna, northwestern Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and eastern Wyoming counties. The regional competition, which was held under the direction of Arts in Education in Northeastern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Educational...

Students in 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 Benjamin Putnam, the son of Benjamin and Andrea Putnam of Sugarloaf, was the overall “Best of the Best” winner for the first semester for his presentation entitled “The Science of Stranger Things.” 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.

MMI’s Relay For Life team raised $700 for the American Cancer Society with a Dance-A-Thon fundraiser it hosted at the school on December 1. Prior to the dance, team members sold t-shirts. Any student who purchased a t-shirt was permitted a dress-down day on the day of the dance. Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s largest fundraising initiative, with volunteers in more than 5,200 communities across 27 countries gathering annually to raise money to fight cancer. All money raised benefits the American Cancer Society’s mission of funding research, education, advocacy and service programs for cancer patients, cancer survivors,...