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A District That Celebrates

CHS

Three Columbia High students named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

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Three Columbia High students named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

September 18, 2020 – The South Orange and Maplewood School District Board of Education is pleased to announce the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Among the academically talented high school seniors named are three seniors from Columbia High School:  Matthew D. Krause, Daniel J. Palumbo, and Julia A. Vitale were named as Semifinalists for the 2021 National Merit® Scholarship Program and have an opportunity to continue to the National Merit Scholarship competition.  The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

“Amid so much uncertainty and change for our students, this is a wonderful announcement,” said, Superintendent of Schools, Ronald G. Taylor.  “As a District, we are proud of CHS Seniors, Matthew, Daniel, and Julia for this great accomplishment, we are rooting for them and hope that they will be able to celebrate all of their senior milestones fully this year.”

In April 2020, NMSC identified the 50,000 highest scorers and notified their high schools. Some 16,000 of those high performers were recently designated Semifinalists on a state representational basis. Their schools were notified, and NMSC released their names to news media on September 9.  From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level, and in February, they will be notified of this designation. All winners will be selected from this group of finalists.

As semifinalists, the three students will have an opportunity to continue in the Merit Scholarship® competition and advance to Finalist standing by meeting some additional requirements.  Finalists will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, as well as 1,000 corporate scholarships. The next round will be announced in February.

Columbia High School Principal, Frank Sanchez, shared, “We are so proud that in addition to these three semi-finalists, we have a total of 20 National Merit Commended Scholars, representing an incredible senior class.  This accomplishment demonstrates years of hard work and dedication by these students and by the mentoring of our faculty at Columbia High School and our colleagues across the district.”

Over 1.5 million students took the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) last October and entered the National Merit Scholarship Program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

 

CHS Students Named Semifinalist in 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program

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National Merit Scholarship Program

Three Columbia High School Students were recently named as semifinalist in the 65th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Congratulations to Ryanne Barrett, Alexander Glynn, and Zubin Kremer Guha. Click here to view the Tap Into SOMA article regarding the National Merit Scholarship Program.

CHS Students Host Indigenous Peoples Celebration with UN Delegates

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May 3, 2019 – On Thursday, May 2, 2019, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) delegates visited Columbia High School to speak about the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages as declared by the United Nations. This event was one of the first held outside of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization‘s (UNESCO) auspices on the International Year of Indigenous Languages, and is the first side event held at a high school.

Indigenous peoples from North America and West Africa were represented at the Indigenous Peoples Celebration at CHS, which Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, former Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Co-Founder of Tin Hinan Canada, recognized to be on historic indigenous (Lenni Lenape) territory.

In addition to Dr. Aboubakrine, Kenneth Deer, Secretary of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake Haudenosaunee, Joe Deom, External Relations Committee and Sub Chief of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake Haudenosaunee, and Saoudata Wallet Aboubakrine, Founder/President of Tin Hinan Sahel also spoke to the audience of CHS students, MAPSO community members, and visitors from neighboring towns. The event was also attended by several other UN delegates, notably Tiffany Ente-Jordan, a Resource Person of Tin Hinan.

Both Dr. Aboubrakine and Dr. Deer, along with their colleagues, are leading experts on indigenous issues in the world. In their presentations, they recognized the need for youth to learn about indigenous issues and to realize their importance to global issues, such as globalization and climate change. Dr. Deer noted the urgency of the need to address the disappearance of indigenous languages, claiming that an indigenous language dies out every month, and with the death of every elder, a few words with cultural and historical significance also die out.

CHS students also had the opportunity to learn about Tuareg fashion and games used to spread messages of peace. The Tuareg people are a pastoralist people from the Central Sahara in Northwestern Africa. CHS students dressed in clothes made by Tin Hinan for the 2019 third edition of the “Festival Vivre Ensemble Tombuktu“ in Timbuktu, Mali, which carry messages about the right to education for girls, violence against girls and women, the right to peace, and the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

This event was organized by the Indigenous Peoples Celebration Organizing Committee at Columbia High School. CHS senior Hikaru Hayakawa, who is the Chair of the Organizing Committee for the event, has been volunteering for Tin Hinan for three years and was a delegate to the 2017, 2018, and 2019 sessions of the UNPFII as an intern and volunteer for Tin Hinan. CHS juniors and Vice Chairs of the Organizing Committee, Jeremy Giles and Isabel Wolter, also attended the 2019 session of the UNPFII as delegates and volunteers for Tin Hinan. Along with student volunteers, Jasmine Quraishi, Maisie Conrad-Poor, and Milo Orbutz, faculty advisors, Rocio Lopez and Stephanie Rivera, they worked hard to organize the event held on May 2 with the help of Bibi Hayakawa, Randi Mandelbaum, Lisa Novemsky, CHS Principal Dr. Kalisha Morgan, CHS Athletics Director Kenneth Mullen, CHS Athletics Department Secretary Amy Singer, and the Board of Education.

 

Columbia High School Band Members Play With the U.S. Army Band

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Columbia High School Band Members Play With the U.S. Army Band

Andre Weinberger, Louise Kern-Kensler, Linsday Camara, Brian da Silva, Poe Rosenberg, Joe Lintern, and Peter Glynn. On Sunday, September 2, 2018, seven members of the Columbia High School Honors Wind Ensemble had the honor of being invited to perform with the United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus at a summer concert presented in Maplewood Memorial Park.  The students were invited to perform “America the Beautiful” with the band, and in fact took the place of players from the band who left the stage to make room for the Columbia students to play within the ensemble.

“This was a tremendous honor for our students” said Peter F. Bauer, Director of Bands.  “To have the opportunity to play with a world-class ensemble is a memory that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.  At this point in their careers it’s all about providing exciting and memorable experiences for all of our students.”

The concert was arranged through the efforts of Andrew Fishman and the Maplewood Office of Cultural Louise Kern-Kensler, Lindsay Camara, Poe Rosenberg, Brian da Silva, and Andre Weinberger Affairs, who had solicited the Army Band for several years before being awarded the concert this year.

In addition to playing with the ensemble, Columbia students had the opportunity to meet the conductor of the band, Colonel Jim R. Keene, as well as other members of the band, who graciously gave of their time and expertise to prepare the students for the experience.  A large and appreciative audience that had come to enjoy the beautiful weather and wonderful performance by the band cheered with thunderous applause at the conclusion of the student’s performance, making the experience even more memorable. “We are grateful to everyone who had a hand in making this performance happen, and we look forward to hosting the next event with the Army Band in March of 2019.”  The United States Army Field Band, a corollary ensemble to the Field Band, will perform at Columbia High School on Friday, March 22, 2019. For more information contact Peter F. Bauer, Director of Bands, at pbauer@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us.

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Joe Lintern, Poe Rosenberg, Brian da Silva, and Andre Weinberger Pictured, above, top left:  Columbia High School Honors Wind Ensemble students who participated with the United States Army Field Band: Andre Weinberger, Louise Kern-Kensler, Linsday Camara, Brian da Silva, Poe Rosenberg, Joe Lintern, and Peter Glynn.

 

Pictured, above right:  Louise Kern-Kensler, Lindsay Camara, Poe Rosenberg, Brian da Silva, and Andre Weinberger wait to perform with the US Army Field Band.

 

Pictured left:  Joe Lintern, Poe Rosenberg, Brian da Silva, and Andre Weinberger listened to instructions prior to their performance.

 

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