R2-D2? C-3PO? Mount Saint Joseph Academy’s Robotics Team, the Firebirds, competed admirably in the F.I.R.S.T. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championships in Atlanta from April 21–23 at the Georgia Dome. Despite being one of the smallest among the 350 teams attending, the Firebirds — a rare all-girls’ team in a primarily male-dominated field — placed in the top 30 teams in their division of 85 teams. At this year’s competition, the “Triple Play” game presented several new challenges to the team, among them, a “3 vs. 3” contest, a Tetrahedron game piece, a vision camera and associated electronics. The Mount’s robot, “Fawkes” (so named after Guy Fawkes), performed flawlessly, and the drive team of Elizabeth Campo, Arielle Fakhraee, Karen Hart and Alicia Lin showed a lot of heart as they competed in a series of matches against some of the strongest teams in the nation. In addition to the drive team, Robotics members in attendance at the championships included Mary Cantwell, Elaine Davis, Sarah Hegarty, Gabrielle Jordan, Patty Murphy, Cindy Nicoletti and Nikki Poiesz.		GOVERNOR’S SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE SELECTS THREE LOCAL STUDENTS.Three juniors at William Penn Charter School have been selected to participate in the 2005 Pennsylvania Governor’s Schools of Excellence. Brooke Chan (right), of Ardmore, and Grace Fong (seated), of Mt. Airy, were admitted to the Governor’s School for Information Technology and will spend five weeks this summer studying at Drexel University. Eliot Park (left), of Blue Bell, will spend five weeks at Mercyhurst College in Erie exploring a curriculum that includes visual arts, creative writing and performing arts.
IKE RICHMAN, vice president of public relations for Comcast-Spectacor was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Association Hall of Fame at a luncheon on May 17. Richman, a 1988 graduate of the University of Maryland, has been with Comcast-Spectacor for 16 years. A resident of Lafayette Hill, Richman and his wife, Lynne, have two daughters, Allanah and Lauryn. HAROLD HAMBROSE, of West Mt. Airy, chief executive officer of Electronic Ink, has been selected as a recipient of the 2005 Alumni Merit Award by Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association for his leadership and contribution to the technology industry	EARLY PRESENT. CHCA president Maxine Dornemann and board member Stewart Graham presented a $200 check on Friday to Chestnut Hill bike patrol officers Tom Gack and Joe Bird. The money is a grant from the Chestnut Hill Community Fund for the 14th District’s annual Christmas party for children. (Photo by James Sturdivant)   COLM WILKINSON will be at the Kimmel Center on Saturday, June 11 at 8 p.m. as part of the celebration of Chestnut Hill College’s 80th anniversary. The celebrated Broadway star has spent years on the stage, mesmerizing audiences with his starring roles in Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. Tickets are $48, $63, $78. Call 215-893-1999 or go to www.kimmelcenter.org.	MOONLIGHT & ROSES, the annual fundraising gala of the Morris Arboretum, will take place on Friday, June 10 from 6 p.m. to midnight. Pictured from left are co-chair Rita Powell; this year’s honoree, Betty Somers; co-chair Denise De Laurentis Cilio; and Teresa Fay, owner of Belle’s Flowers and chair of the flowers and decorations subcommittee. Tickets are available to attend cocktails only, or for dinner, dancing and cocktails. For more information, contact Alison Rife at 215-247-5777 ext. 147. THE YOUNG NATURALIST AWARD is a national high school research competition sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. Eight students chosen as finalists and semifinalists came from the coordinate environmental science class at Springside School  taught by Dr. Kim Eberle-Wang. Each of the winners tied the environmental issue they researched to a particular locale in Philadelphia. The students are: front row (left to right) Julia Rorer, Hahna Kane, Leela Ehrhart and Elspeth Lodge. Back row (left to right) Anthony Biello, Caitlin Barstead, Tim Martz and Dan Shuptar. Junior Elspeth Lodge was a finalist; the others were semifinalists.