# K NIGHTS STAND OUT Artists Bring Home Accolades
Guest Speakers Enlighten Students
Our student‑artists are standing out in local and statewide arenas. Results from the highly competitive South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) and the Texas Art Education Association's Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) showcase the talent, effort, and potential unleased at EHS.
In addition to the guest homilists who speak in Chapel, the School often welcomes outside experts to address issues relevant to the curriculum or current events.
Weston Bering was nominated to the SXSW Texas High School Shorts Moviemaking Program. Bering is one of only 20 students from Texas to receive this honor. He recently learned that his music video "Loveless" won Best U.S. Music Video at the prestigious Lovett High School Film Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and was screened in front of 650 people. EHS students Teagan Ashworth, Madeleine Berckley, Miranda Greenwalt, Helen Hecht, Mary Helen Kennedy, Nora Lawless, Parker Nickerson, Dailey Nottingham, Natalie Peterson, Ryan Rassoli, River Reinertsen‑Forehand, and Sam Wilson received honors at the regional level of the VASE competition for their media and studio arts submissions. VASE artists that advance to State include Teagan Ashworth, Madeleine Berckley, Nora Lawless, and Ryan Rassoli.
In February, the Underwood Library hosted Baylor College of Medicine pediatric genetics counselor Haley Streff for a day‑long series of seminars on the latest advances in genetics testing. Streff engaged the students by sharing photos of popular celebrities who have inherited health conditions, such as "Game of Thrones" actor Peter Dinklage (dwarfism), Selena Gomez (lupus), and Angelina Jolie (BRCA gene). "Genetic information can be empowering," Streff asserts, and she enjoys counseling and advocating for her young patients. Streff and the students discussed the pros and cons of genetic testing and the implications for employment and families. In March, the Choices program invited Houstonian Maureen Wittels to be this year's Distinguished Speaker. Wittels explained that her son, Harris, a rising star in comedy writing, had been a popular and brilliant student, but after he suffered a back injury in his 20s, he developed an addiction that led to his death in 2015 at age 30. "Addiction does not discriminate," she says. "It affects all demographics." After her son's death, Wittels embarked on a mission to prevent other families from similar tragedy. She travels throughout the country educating audiences about opioid addiction and effective recovery programs. Wittels believes that a key to prevention is to encourage self‑care and stress management in families, schools, and workplaces.
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Eight Students Named National Merit Finalists By taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and meeting the required Selection Index of 212 or above, eight EHS students have shown outstanding academic potential and have been entered into the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. From approximately 1.6 million entrants, these students are among the 50,000 highest‑scoring participants who will be recognized in the fall. From the 50,000 high scorers nationwide, about 16,000 will be named National Merit Program Semifinalists, representing the top scorers in each state. The other 34,000 students will be commended for their PSAT/ NMSQT performance. Semifinalists will be the only students to continue in the competition for about 7,500 Merit Scholarship awards to be offered in September 2019. Congratulations to our EHS finalists: Daniel Cai, Brett Hauser, Carter Kardesch, Claire Kardesch, Anna McLauchlin, Ellie Ragiel, James Henry Ray, and Gabrielle Small.
