Student Spotlight

Senior videographer Erin Ruddy along with her brother-in-law Chris Pinella, member of the Trans Siberian Orchestra, created this moving video celebrating the compassion of others as they help to “Rebuild the Shore.”

 

Toms River mayor, Mr. Thomas Keleher, recognized freshman Adrian Joseph Lekperic on October 9th at Town Hall. Adrian received a proclamation for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. For his Leadership Project, he rebuilt tables at VFW#9503 in honor of a deceased veteran. Adrian also refurbished the Naval Anchor from the USS Randolph which resides on Water Street in Toms River.  

 

   Congratulations to freshmen Samantha Barton and Anthony Ricci from All Saints Regional Catholic School in Manahawkin who received four national competition wins from national S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) middle school division competitions over the past two years. 
   They were named as national finalists (one of six teams) in the Christopher Columbus Science. They competed before a group of national judges who awarded them the first place national gold medal for their project regarding solutions for the deforestation problems around the world with their innovative approach to biomass briquette making. 
   In addition, they also won the National First Place $30,000 scholarship award along with an all expensive paid trip to Fairbanks, Alaska this past July from the Siemens Foundation, The College Board and Discovery Student Adventures for their project regarding excessive vehicle idling, the problems and their many viable solution initiatives.
  They were also recognized for a National Jeffersons Foundation Innovation Award as well as a National Hunger Award.
 


Dr. Edward Gere announced today that Daniel Detoro and Niranjan Ramanand have been named Commended Students in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2013 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2013 competition by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT©).

Sally Meli, a senior at MDHS, created an outreach organization called Script A Smile in October 2010. Her inspiration came from a time when she used to visit her grandmother in the hospital. She started to wonder what it would be like to be a child in the hospital. During her own experience  of being admitted to a hospital in Ireland, she saw the loneliness of children who had working parents. Sally decided to be the “friend” to the hospitalized child.

  Script A Smile has two purposes: 1) to write letters and provide gift bags for the patients, and 2) to interface with the patients through craft projects and games. Donations have come from family and friends. Large corporations such as Colgate-Palmolive and Johnson and Johnson have donated toiletries for the gift bags. Currently, over 100 students from various schools are writing letters to the hospitalized children; hence, “Script A Smile.”

  Last year, Sally received the Caring Award from the Ocean County Guidance Counselors Association, the only junior in the history of the program to win the award. At the end of this month, she will do a fundraiser at Sur La Plage in Beach Haven at the annual Chowder Fest. Sally has even started a local chapter of Script A Smile here at MDHS.