CIU 20, Member School Districts and Distinguished Guests Honor Educational Excellence (7/7/2011)

By Lindsey Smith, Coordinator of Professional Development

With students, parents, school district staff and administrators, board members and state legislators present, CIU 20 celebrated public education with its annual Excellence in Education and Merit Scholars Awards Ceremony. The event, held at the Candlelight Conference & Reception Center in Bethlehem, PA on Thursday, April 28, 2011, rewarded outstanding school programs and academic achievements in IU 20 member districts.

Intermediate Unit 20 and its school districts honored students who achieved the status of Finalist, Semi-Finalists or Commended in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students achieve this distinction by scoring in the top 3% of students nationally on PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test) tests. At the ceremony, 36 students received certificates of achievement from IU 20 and the state legislature. Students recognized from throughout the CIU 20 area include: Keith Bell, Freedom High School, Commended; Samuel Bina, Bangor Area High School, Finalist; Brandyn Bok, Pleasant Valley High School, Commended; Haley Burns, Pen Argyl Area High School, Commended; Michael Burns, Nazareth Area High School, Commended; Jennifer Davidson, Stroudsburg High School, Commended; Justin Davis, Pen Argyl Area High School, Finalist; Alexander Delluva, Liberty High School, Commended; Bethany Dus, Pocono Mountain East High School, Commended; Tarek Elsayed, Stroudsburg High School, Commended; Shannon Francis, Easton Area High School, Commended; Benjamin Gotchel, Pocono Mountain East High School, Commended; Grant Haines, Liberty High School, Commended; Thomas Hartmann, Delaware Valley High School, Commended; Vrinda Jagota, Liberty High School, Finalist; Matt Jouny, Easton Area High School, Commended; Elizabeth Joyce, Stroudsburg High School, Commended; Benjamin Kraft, Liberty High School, Finalist; Ryan Lichty, Liberty High School, Commended; Joseph Anthony LoPresti, Pocono Mountain West High School, Finalist; Nicholas Marshall, Pocono Mountain East High School, Commended; Patrick Miller, Saucon Valley High School, Commended; Wyatt Miller, Nazareth Area High School, Commended; Sarah Mincer, Delaware Valley High School, Commended; Heidi Muth, Bangor Area High School, Commended; Terese Nelson, Freedom High School, Finalist; Samantha Phillips, Pleasant Valley High School, Commended; Avani Pisapati, Liberty High School, Commended; Noah Root, Easton Area High School, Commended; Soham Roy, Freedom High School, Semi-Finalist; Allen Sirolly, Stroudsburg High School, Finalist; Andrew Trinker, Easton Area High School, Commended; Katrina Wagner, Bangor Area High School, Commended; Louis Wheeler, Easton Area High School, Commended; Jacob Young, Stroudsburg High School, Commended; Nicole Zenes, Delaware Valley High School, Commended.

Additionally, the evening featured the presentation of crystal awards, known as the Excellence in Education awards, to school districts and a non-school entity who work within school districts or the district’s community to increase achievement and support public schools. The outstanding programs presented with awards include:

·         Pleasant Valley High School, Pleasant Valley School District, for the program “Digital Documentaries to Highlight Contemporary Social Injustice” by Philomena Reduzzi, Patty McLain and Jackie Ludka.

·         Delaware Valley High School, Delaware Valley School District, for the program “Teens Against Tobacco Use” by Ellen Orben.

·         The NE PA Federal Credit Union for “East Stroudsburg Area High School Student Branch of NE PA Community Federal Credit Union” by Mark Filbert and Holly Wilds.

Distinguished guests included State Representatives Steve Samuelson, Marcia Hahn and Rosemary Brown, with representatives also in attendance for Representatives Mario Scavello and Steve Samuelson; as well as board members Pamela Colton, Bangor Area School District and CIU 20, Jane Erdo, Northampton Area School District and CIU 20 Board of Directors Vice President, Darin Arthofer, Northampton Area School District, and Dorothy Sirolly, Pocono Mountain School District.

The ceremony featured remarks from Dr. Charlene M. Brennan, CIU 20 Executive Director and Dr. John Toleno, Superintendent at Stroudsburg Area School District.