MERIT SCHOLARS! Springside School has two students who were selected as winners of National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Madeline Smith of Northwoods and Lucy Sorensen (left) of Chestnut Hill both received this honor because of their strong academic performance and their high SAT scores.
ESSAY WINNERS. Two of the three winners of the Drexel University School of Materials Engineering “Liberty Bell” Essay contest are 9th grade Springside students — Caitlin Gruer (right) of Lansdale and Macrina Cooper-White of Philadelphia. Contestants answered the question, “What is Materials Engineering?” and then described how a materials engineer would re-invent something in their everyday world to make it better. Macrina’s essay described ways to update and improve VHS recording tapes, while Caitlin (who competed in the North American Rock Climbing Championships) focused on improving hiking gear.
PARTICIPANTS IN JFCS' YOUTH MITZVAH CORPS, a pre-Bar Mitzvah service-learning project, serve up a Mother's Day feast to moms and kids at Rowan Homes, a Project H.O.M.E. residence for formerly homeless families. The kids cooked the food themselves in earlier sessions of the project, which was coordinated with Peachtree & Ward Catering. The cooking project was one of 10 service-learning options offered by the Youth Mitzvah Corps this spring. Shown here are, l. to r., front, Jared Miller (Dresher), Harry Russel (Rydal), Jeremy Sichel (Dresher); back, Dylan Orvell (Chestnut Hill), Sarah Weingarten (Ardmore), Andrea Hollenbach (Maple Glen), Michael Witkes (Gladwyne), Josh Lowenstern (Maple Glen) and Sarah Butler. (Photo by Nick Carrino)
JUDGE JAMES J. FITZGERALD III, of Chestnut Hill, Administrative Judge of the Trial Division, Court of Common Pleas, First Judicial District, was recently presented with the Brehon Law Society’s Award for Judicial Excellence. “I was deeply honored to be recognized by such an esteemed body,” said Fitzgerald. “I have spent almost my entire legal career in the City of Philadelphia as an assistant district attorney and a Common Pleas Court Judge. This event me an opportunity to thank the many people that have extended kindnesses to me along the way.” Shown here at the award luncheon are, from left to right, James J. Fitzgerald IV, Carol McC. Fitzgerald, Judge James J. Fitzgerald III and Melissa A. Fitzgerald.
NewsMakers ~~ Academia
Claudia D. Masko, daughter of Michael Masko and Deborah D’Angelo-Masko of Flourtown, was named the recipient of the George Herbert Mead Award at the recent Honors Day Convocation at Kenyon College. The award, donated in honor of the noted American social theorist, is presented to a student majoring in sociology who, in the judgment of the department’s faculty, has displayed in the past year’s work qualities of excellence, enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to the discipline. A graduate of Springside School, Masko is a senior at Kenyon, a private liberal-arts college in central Ohio.
Prof. Andrew Lamas, who teaches Urban Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the CGS Distinguished Teaching Award from Penn. Lamas is a graduate of Davidson College (Phi Beta Kappa), University of London and Penn’s Law School. He lives in Mount Airy with his wife, Dr. Virginia Vanderslice (president, Praxis Consulting Group, in Chestnut Hill). They have two children, Jana and Parker.
Kiley Guyton, formerly of Mt. Airy and Laverock, received her master's degree in Latin American Literature from the University of New Mexico on May 14 in Albuquerque. Kiley will travel to Fortaleza, Brazil to study Portuguese this summer before returning to New Mexico to begin working on her Ph.D. at UNM.
Rabbi Robyn Frisch will be assuming the position of Rabbi Educator at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in June. Frisch is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1988) and the New York University School of Law (1991). She was a lawyer in the corporate department of Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen from 1992-1994. She received a master’s degree from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she was ordained as a rabbi in 2000. From July 2001-June 2003 Frisch was the Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Beth Or in Spring House. Frisch currently spends her time raising her two sons and teaching classes at various local synagogues and Jewish institutions. Rabbi Frisch and her husband, Rabbi Seth Frisch, live with their sons in Rydal.
Bishop Troy K. Grant III recently released his first book, Preparing Yourself for Relationships. The book has been well received, selling out of copies during the first week of release. Bishop Grant is the founder of Revival Hill Church and the Revival Hill Fellowship of Churches. He is also the founder and establisher of Revival Hill Christian High School in Mt. Airy and TKG Worldwide Ministries.
Lorri Manfaa, Chris Murphy, Mark Fox, Cori Fox and Lane T. Damico have joined Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., Blue Bell, as a sales associates. Also at Long & Foster, Betsy Bullitt has been named “Top Producer for New Listings and Sales” for April 2005; Francine Graglia has been named “Top Lister” for April 2005; and Lee Garell has been named “Top New Construction Producer” for the month of April 2005.
Joy Lawrence, environmental initiatives manager at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, received the “Partnership Award” from the Philadelphia Department of Recreation on April 21 at their annual awards banquet. Joy, active with park groups in the Chestnut Hill area, was recognized for her hard work and dedication to Philadelphia’s parks.
Jessica Samph, of Chestnut Hill, received honors at Skidmore College for the spring term.
The Wissahickon Hospice golf tournament on May 16, when 100 golfers participated in the annual Tim Thomas Charity Golf Classic, has raised more than $40,000 for the hospice (to date).
Several local women were honored recently by Girl Scouts of Southeastern Pennsylvania at the Council’s annual Adult Awards Celebration. The Appreciation Pin for adult members, who have provided outstanding service to one or more service units in the council, was presented to Charmiene Carden of Germantown. Krystal Gilchrist of Mt. Airy was awarded the Free Spirit Award given each year to young women between the ages of 18-28 who serve as a model of continuing service to Girl Scouts in the role of leader, group leader or special program coordinator. Numeral Guards represent the total years of registered membership as both a girl and an adult. Michelle Staranowski (Roxborough) earned her 25 Year Numeral Guard; Barbara Taylor and Jude Samans Dunn of Roxborough each earned their 30 Year Numeral Guard; 35 Year Numeral Guards were awarded to Dorothy Ziegler and Gail Craighead of Roxborough; Nancy Sahms (Roxborough), Pauline Henderson (Wyndmoor) and Barbara Markowitz (Flourtown) earned their 40 Year Numeral Guards; Flora Julia Dunmore (Roxborough) earned a 45 Year Numeral Guard; Susan L. Anderson (Germantown), the current president of the Council’s Advisory Panel and a member of the National Board of Girl Scouts of the U.S., was presented her 50 Year Numeral Guard; and Barbara Shaw (Roxborough) and Marion Welsh (East Falls) received 55 Year Numeral Guards.
Jason R. Sieminski, of Flourtown, recently joined Cozen O'Connor's West Conshohocken office as an associate in the real estate department.
The Cliveden Hills Association (CHA) sponsored a black history month contest in February at five neighborhood schools. Each school had three winners who were remunerated in sums of $50 to $275 each. The contestants wrote an essay about an African American who either changed and/or influenced the American lifestyle. The lower grades made a poster, or wrote a poem. The office of the Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller granted CHA the funds, which were used as a book stipend, or summer enrichment program scholarship.
Erin Lawson, former Springside student and freshman lacrosse player at Union College, was the Liberty League rookie of the week this past week. She scored seven goals last week, including the game winner in the Vassar gae. She has helped the Union Lacrosse Team finish first in their league.
NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL. Richard F. Nourie will become head of school at Abington Friends, effective July 1. He comes to AFS with more than 20 years’ experience in Quaker education, most recently as associate head of school at Germantown Friends School. Nourie, who holds a B.S. in psychology from Brown University and a masters in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, lives in Germantown with his wife Robin, a middle school French and English teacher, and their three children, Michael, Jenna and Sarah. He is a singer/songwriter/ guitarist/keyboard player for Reckless Amateurs, an avid reader and a self-proclaimed “very average tennis player.” |
