National Merit Semifinalists Congratulations to the following AFS seniors who were named National Merit Semifinalists: Martin Greenberg, Maria Ratskevich, Daniel Schiano and Hannah Weitz (not pictured). As semifinalists, these students remain in competition for National Merit Scholarships. In addition, AFS seniors Susie Meyer, Rohan Prabhu, Sasha Rojavin and Alex Zega all received Letters of Commendation. Established in 1955, National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that conducts annual competitions for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships. The organization’s goals are to identify and honor academically talented U.S. high school students; to stimulate increased support for their education; and to provide efficient and effective scholarship program management for organizations that wish to sponsor college undergraduate scholarships. Since its founding, NMSC has recognized 2.8 million students and provided over 350,000 scholarships worth more than $1.4 billion.
Gwen McEntee Appointed Lower School Librarian Gwen McEntee, former AFS library assistant, has been appointed Lower School Librarian after an extensive search that began in late August. “She was the best candidate and a great match for AFS,” says Director of Libraries Toni Vahlsing. “Gwen has a strong Quaker background, which is a wonderful asset to our program; she’s a natural collaborator having both the need and ability to connect well with others; and she’s remarkably creative as well.”
Alumni Video Contest Back in the fall we put the call out for submissions to our first Alumni Video Contest. We asked recent graduates to tell us, in video form, how AFS prepared them for college. We were thrilled with the responses, which incorporated hand drawn illustrations, inspired locations, delightful humor and both thoughtful and thought provoking reflections on the AFS experience. Our winner, Stephen Pettit ’10, who will receive an iPad for his efforts, is currently studying at Drexel University. In his video, he talked about how AFS had encouraged him to explore all his passions and become a true “Renaissance man.” Runner up Liz Myrtetus ’07, who will receive an iPod Touch, dazzled us with her wit and humor, and we also appreciated the powerful message behind all the fun.
In her previous position, Gwen spent weekday mornings in the Lower School Library as an assistant. Now she’s fully immersed in the world of our PreK-5th grade students and enjoying herself immensely. “The Lower School students have so many questions. They’re curious about everything, and they engage you in a very direct way,” says Gwen. “I’m using up a great deal of energy taking in all of their questions, but at the same time, I’m getting so much energy from them in return. Their excitement is contagious!”
We also commended Katie Gross ’08 for her supremely imaginative and beautiful take on the assignment and the film making team of Jacob McEntire ’10 and Dan Basch ’09, for their thoughtful perspective on how AFS paved their way to Vassar.
Gwen has two specific goals she’s set for herself in her new role. “I really want to stimulate and celebrate the students’ independent reading. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, independent reading is a great way of exploring things that aren’t necessarily in our curriculum,” she says. “And I’m excited about getting to know the students’ families, and gaining a deeper understanding of each child’s emotional and educational life.”
You can see the winning videos on the AFS Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/user/ AbingtonFriendsVideo
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