YHS STUDENTS PRAISED FOR NATIONAL MERIT SCORES. Seven York High School seniors have been honored for their outstanding performance in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program. Curran Russell and Melissa Enright have been named as semifinalists while Emily Marshall, Stuart Mason, Molly McCarthy, Jillian Means and Samuel Rasche have been named Commended Students. Russell and Enright now have the opportunity to continue on in the competition for 8,200 National Merit Scholarships totaling about $35 million to be offered next spring. To be considered for one of the awards, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist stage of competition, including maintaining an outstanding academic record throughout high school, being endorsed and recommended by their principal and earning SAT scores that confirm their performance on the qualifying test. Although the Commended Students will not continue in the 2009 scholarship competition, they have each received a Letter of Commendation from York High School and National Merit Scholarship Corporation honoring their placement among the top 5 percent of the more than 1.5 million students who took the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). According to a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, "The young people named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding academic potential by their strong performance in this highly competitive program. We hope that this recognition will enhance their educational opportunities and that they will continue to diligently pursue their professional goals." Pictured, from left, are Molly McCarthy, Sam Rasche, Stuart Mason, Curran Russell, Emily Marshall and Jillian Means after learning of the honor at York High School. Missing from the photo is Melissa Enright.
Photo by Tori Rasche

PEACE SIGNS. In honor of the United Nations' International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, York Middle School social studies students, some of whom are pictured here, worked with teacher Melissa Fenelon to create their own "Pinwheels for Peace" to display on the school's front lawn. The students made more than 100 pinwheels in honor of the event in the hope of raising awareness of the U.N.'s efforts. Meanwhile, across town at the Union Congregational Church in York Beach, a similar project was underway as local groups focused on the importance of this international effort. For more about the annual event, visit the website at www.internationaldayofpeace.org.
Courtesy photo