NJ students: Patel named National Merit Scholarship 2023 semi-finalist

Frenchtown native Khushbu Patel, a senior in Hunterdon County Vocational School District’s Biomedical Sciences Academy (BSA), is a National Merit Scholarship 2023 semi-finalist, representing the top 0.5 percent of the high school seniors in New Jersey. That honor complements her first-place win over the summer at Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)’s International Leadership Conference (ILC) in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference brings together high school students from throughout the country who are highly motivated to continue learning about and working toward health occupations. Both of Patel’s achievements demonstrate her focus and commitment to succeed academically.

At the ILC, Patel competed in Cultural Diversities and Disparities in Healthcare and became the first BSA student to win at the conference. Using “old school” handwritten notes coupled with more creative approaches to studying, she entered the competition fully prepared.

Her hard work did not go unnoticed. Patel felt the pure excitement of hearing her name called to accept her award and was able to represent Hunterdon County Vocational School District on one of the biggest stages yet.

She said, “My name and face were on thousands of screens, if not more, and just the idea of that is mind blowing.”

With the school year underway, Patel is ready to continue building a legacy that she can take pride in. She plans on continuing her participation in HOSA events and competitions, with the big goal of competing again at the ILC.

Being a part of HOSA has been a worthwhile dedication for Patel.

She says, “From the social events to the leadership conferences at every level, you are building connections with peers and mentors who have had a similarly intense ambition to succeed as a medical professional. The competition and gatherings themselves alike prepare us for what (we can imagine) the real world of medicine is going to be like.”

Dr. Irina Grigorian, BSA instructor, says the curriculum at BSA has allowed students like Patel to excel when going beyond learning the set coursework. Asking questions and going deeper into concepts are a few examples. Grigorian hopes Patel’s success can inspire others to climb similar hills.

“Such an attitude is what we are expecting at the Academy; we, as teachers, should always be ready to bring our students to such a level of curiosity that will drive their success in academic studies,” Grigorian said.

With support from Grigorian, Patel looks forward to another year of milestones in the BSA, including moving to the next round in the National Merit Scholarship Program. She must continue to meet high academic standards to advance and compete for scholarship money, which is presented in the spring.

David Brearley Middle-High School

Four years may seem like forever to those in high school, but in reality, the time will pass in the blink of an eye.

To help students prepare for their not-too-distant future, David Brearley Middle-High School in Kenilworth will host a college fair on Wednesday, Oct. 19, in the main gym. Representatives from 40 colleges and universities will be available to talk with students and provide information on educational opportunities. All freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors will attend the morning event during a portion of their class time.

“This is a great exposure opportunity for our students and can provide inspiration for our high schoolers,” said Jeremy Davies, Brearley principal. “When they have a conversation with a college representative, reality may set in that they need to focus better on school and formulate a goal for their post-secondary life.”

Brearley also recently held a Freshman College Experience to nurture a future-focused mindset among the high school’s newest students. During this series of workshops, staff members introduced freshmen to concepts such as learning what a Grade Point Average (GPA) is and how their transcript develops over time.

The students were also given a career inventory test and asked how they envisioned themselves in four and eight years. Six workshops were held to help motivate and inspire the freshman class.

Hunterdon County Polytech Career and Technical High School

Education students from Hunterdon County Polytech Career & Technical High School in Flemington started off the school year by celebrating their success over the summer. After winning gold medals and the Red Rose Chapter Award at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) State Leadership Conference back in March, the students headed to Nationals for the Career and Technical Student Organization with extra determination to stay in the spotlight. They returned from the San Diego event victorious, with many top placements to celebrate and share with the Polytech community.

Natalie Guarino, instructor of Principles of Teaching at Polytech, was beyond proud of her students. “It reminds me why I do what I do,” she said. “I try to build them up to be confident and know they have good projects; otherwise, they wouldn’t be there. They stand up well against other competitors across the nation.”

Claire Gootman of Hampton, who won a gold medal and placed second nationwide in the Early Childhood Education event, said her win reflects the many career and professional skills she has gained over her high school experience. “My project required a lot of responsibility with time management. At the competition itself, I had to think on my feet and work well under pressure, which is important for real-life teaching. You never know what you’re going to get, and we even learned that from being here at Polytech.”

Other Polytech winners include Maddie Torkildsen, Tori Sebastiano and Eli Gerth, who worked as a team and placed in the Top 10 with a silver medal for their Chapter in Review project display. “FCCLA, in general, helped me realize how much I can really do for our community and the people around me every day. It was rewarding when we came home from Nationals and saw all our hard work pay off,” Torkildsen said. “Overall, it helped me to become a better leader, which is an important trait if you want to be a teacher. I became more willing to lead, organize, plan and execute an activity,” Sebastiano said.

Emily Augustus and Kathleen Lowndes also worked together and won a silver medal for their Focus on Children project.

Guarino assisted all the competitors, both giving them a foundation of knowledge through her teaching and extra support with their FCCLA projects. “I played a supportive role in guiding them through the challenges of developing these projects, and that helped them stay motivated, engaged and practicing. In the end, the projects became a part of who they were," she said.

North Planifield School District

The North Plainfield School District announced the sponsorship of the Child Care Food Program. This is a federally funded program that reimburses sponsoring agencies that provide healthy meals and snacks at no charge to children enrolled in licensed or approved day-care facilities. Meals are available at no separate charge to all enrolled participants in the Child Care Food Program and are served without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability.

Following are the Income Eligibility Guidelines used in determining eligibility for free and reduced-price meals for the period from Friday, July 1, 2022, through Friday, June 30, 2023:

Eligibility Income Scale Effective from Friday, July 1, 2022 through Friday, June 30, 2023:

Family Size Free Yearly Income Reduced Yearly Income1 $17,667 $25,1422 $23,803 $33,8743 $29,939 $42,6064 $36,075 $51,338 +$6,136 +$8,732 (each additional family member)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program is a federal program of the Food and Nutrition Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://bit.ly/3F1CFcC, from any USDA office, by calling 866-632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or (2) fax: 833-256-1665 or 202-690-7442; or (3) email: Program.Intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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Piscataway Education Foundation

Hundreds of members of the Piscataway community came together on Friday, Oct. 13, to celebrate a night of family fun at “Pway Diwali: Festival of Lights,” presented by the Piscataway Education Foundation.

More than 400 people attended the event, which featured food, traditional and popular Indian music, dancing, shopping, henna, coloring and puzzles for children, and sparklers to cap off the night.

Diwali is the Indian “festival of lights” — a holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on Monday, Oct. 24.

All proceeds from Pway Diwali benefit the Piscataway Education Foundation, which funds Inspire Grants for Teachers, student scholarships, and the Piscataway Reads program.

Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School

Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School (TEECS) in the Somerset section of Franklin Township celebrated Walk to School Day. TEECS was joined by Somerset County Prosecutor, John P. McDonald; Prosecutor`s Agent Criminal Investigation Division, Maurice Guglielmo; Somerset County Sheriff, Darrin Russo; Detective Thomas Laird and officers from the Franklin Township Police Department.

Walk to School Day is an International holiday celebrated in October as a way to introduce schools, families, and community groups to alternative Safe Routes to School.

The whole school gathered at the Sonnova parking lot across the street from TEECS and walked back to the soccer field. The police department was there to help block traffic during the walk. Once at the TEECS Soccer field, Prosecutor, John P. McDonald; and students spoke on the importance of the Walk to School day and why alternative transportation is an important way to save the planet and reduce the carbon footprint.

At the end, as a special treat, TEECS also celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month is a National holiday celebrated from September to October each year. Americans take this time to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Students gave speeches about Hispanic leaders that have made important contributions to the nation. In addition, students performed various songs and dances. To top it off, staff members surprised students with a special performance of La Bamba.

At the conclusion of the events, the special guests toured the school. They visited classrooms, spoke with students and teachers, and were introduced to the TEECS robotics program.

Westfield Public Schools

Fourth graders in Lauren Zales' class at McKinley Elementary School in Westfield planted garlic (a cold weather crop) in the McKinley Elementary School Garden of Hearts and Minds on Thursday, Oct. 6, thanks to a Union County grant applied for by paraprofessional Donna Dwyer. On hand for the planting were Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded and staff from Groundwork Elizabeth. “This hands-on experience will certainly enrich our learning about soil in our first fourth grade science unit,” said Zales.

Student and School news appears on Saturdays. Email: cnmetro@mycentraljersey.com

Carolyn Sampson is Executive Office Assistant for the Courier News, The Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com, and handles the weekly Student News page.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ students: Patel named National Merit Scholarship 2023 semi-finalist