Take a minute to recognize the achievements of our students for the 2018-2019 school year!
Click to see Super Student Successes for the 2017-2018, 2016-2017, 2015-2016, 2014-2015, 2013-2014, 2012-2013, 2011-2012 school years.
Winners of the State History Day Who Advance to National History Day!
Congratulations to the follow students for their achievements at the Maryland History Day Competition. Each year nearly 700 Maryland students advance to the Maryland History Day state competition at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Sponsored by Maryland Humanities.
Senior Group Exhibits, sponsored by Columbia Gas of Maryland, First and Second Place
Everest 1953: The High Cost of Conquest
Olivia Burdick, Elizabeth Phelps
Exercise Tiger: 749 American Lives Sacrificed for the Success of D-Day
Kenna Krueger, Rachel Teivy
Senior Group Documentaries, sponsored by Wegmans, Second Place
From Inefficient to Inspiring: How the Stonewall Riots Changed LGBT Activism
Pallavi Battina, Amulya Puttaraju
Senior Individual Websites, First Place
Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington: How Their Investment in People Led from Tragedy to Triumph
Matthew Palatnik
Senior Group Websites, Second Place
Expression of Oppression: The Role of the Great Migration in the Development of Harlem Renaissance Art
Hannah Kim, Imaan Shanavas
Dr. Dean Mesologites Award for Medicine and Society, sponsored by the Honorable Stephen J. and Dr. Elizabeth Sfekas, Second Place
The Idolization of J. Marion Sims
Helena Narisu and Hina Nishida
The Judy Dobbs Naval History Prize, sponsored by an Anonymous Donor, Second Place
Exercise Tiger: 749 American Lives Sacrificed for the Success of D-Day
Kenna Krueger and Rachel Tievy
Junior Award Winners
Congratulations to the following students for these Junior Awards!
Kelly Christensen--George Washington Medal
Matthew Palatnik--Mariam Greenblatt Award
Jacob Kiviat--Rensselaer Award
Hina Nishida--Harvard Book Award
2019 USA Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO) Winner!
Congratulations to senior Vincent Bian, winner of the the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competitions (MAA AMC). The MAA AMC program leads the nation in strengthening the mathematical capabilities of the next generation of problem-solvers. The competitions prepare students for future careers in STEM fields and help positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics.
National Merit Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to seniors, Brandon T. Summers, and Sivani Sundaram have earned National Merit Scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Each sponsoring college or university selected scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
World of 7 Billion Video Winner
PHS is very proud of Senior Ali Ransom, who earned 2nd place in the World of 7 Billion video contest. Recommend visiting the link below!
https://www.worldof7billion.org/student-video-contest/2019-winners/2019-preserving-biodiversity/
National History Day Competitors Advance!
Congratulate the juniors who are advancing to the national level competition for National History Day and their fabulous teachers!
Of the nine projects we sent to states, five projects are continuing on!
Lizzy Phelps and Olivia Burdick for Group Exhibit: “Everest 1953: The High Cost of Conquest”
Kenna Krueger and Rachel Tievy for Group Exhibit: “Exercise Tiger: 749 American Lives Sacrificed for the Success of D-Day”
Matthew Palatnik for individual website: “Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington: How Their Investment in People Led from Tragedy to Triumph”
Imaan Shanavas and Hanna S. Kim for group website: “Expression of Oppression: The Role of the Great Migration in the Development of Harlem Renaissance Art”
Pallavi Battina and Amulya Puttaraju for group documentary: “From Inefficient to Inspiring: How the Stonewall Riots Changed LGBT Activism”
Kenna and Rachel also took home a special prize as did Helena Narisu and Hina Nishida.
Mitro Hood Photography for Maryland History Day a program of Maryland Humanities
Video Contest Winner!
Congratulations to Senior Ali Ransom, who earned 2nd place in the World of 7 Billion video contest. The challenge of the contest was to create a short video – up to 60 seconds – about human population growth that highlights the following global challenges: Preserving Biodiversity. Her video can be viewed at the link below.
https://www.worldof7billion.org/student-video-contest/2019-winners/2019-preserving-biodiversity/
Global Ecology Students Earn Awards for Senior Projects
The following students have been chosen to receive an award for their Global senior project by various community groups. They will be recognized at an awards ceremony at Isaak Walton League!
Senior Project Awards Spring 2019
Izaak Walton League of America-BCC Chapter
• Katrina Rowe: Wyndham Oaks Equine Waste Management System
• Aidan Auel: The Effect of Artificial Habitats on the Populations of the Osmia lignaria and the Megachilidae Secies
• Clara Benadon: Predicting Ovine Pregnancy Through Timbre Analysis of Bleats
• Alison Ransom: Insect Infantry: Reducing the Agricultural Impact of Stink Bug Pests
• Rachel Bupp and Madeline Burdette: Barn Owl Boxes in Frederick and Montgomery Counties
Monocacy Garden Club
• Katrina Rowe: Wyndham Oaks Equine Waste Management System
• Sruthi Ganesh, Alex Jin, Sahana Kundu: Food for Thought: Comparing the Efficiency of Composting Systems
Maryland Bluebird Society
• Josephine Crucillo, Jenny Kim and Anthony Meza: Barnesville Bluebirds
International Science and Engineering Fair Accomplishments
Congratulations to Ishana Shastri (12th grade) and Sanjit Thangarasu (10th grade) who won prizes at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona.
Sanjit was awarded the USAID Science for Development First Place Award and a monetary prize for his project titled, AccessO2: An Innovative, Non-Electric, Life-Saving, Oxygen Concentrator.
Ishana was awarded a trip to Trento, Italy to participate in summer school "Web Valley" as a result of her project titled, A Fast, Sensitive, and Non-Invasive Approach to Detecting Breast Cancer Using a Fully Convolutional Neural Network. The Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK) is a leading research center in Trento, Italy. “WebValley” is the FBK Summer School program for interdisciplinary scientific research. Only one student at the entire International Science and Engineering Fair was chosen to receive the trip.
National History Day- County Level Winners!
Congratulations to the following winners from Saturday’s National History Day County competition. These students will go on to compete at the state level in May.
Senior Individual Website
1-Matthew Palatnik
2-Justin Hui
Senior Individual Performance
2-Ashlynn Stearns
Senior Group Performance
2-Ashley Pacheco and Briti Mallik
Senior Group Website
1-Hannah S. Kim and Imaan Shanvas
2-Helena Narisu and Hina Nishida
Senior Group documentary
1-Amulya Puttaraju and Pallavi Battina
Senior Group Exhibit
1-Olivia Burdick and Elizabeth Phelps
2-Ethan Turner, Kenna Krueger, and Rachel Tievy
Montgomery County Forensic Night Winners!
Montgomery County Forensics League awards night honored PHS students who competed in three rounds throughout the year. PHS had three students qualify in four categories in the finals tournament.
Awards were as follows:
Medha Kotti (11) in the category of Drama. She won first place! Medha got to present her speech to a standing room-only audience of about 100 people. Medha also competed in the Humor category, where she finished in third place.
Leeah Derenoncourt (12) finished second in Poetry
Lizzie Phelps (11) finished fifth in Poetry
Finally, the "Outstanding Novice Award" was given to a student who is in their first year of Forensics and earned the most points. Medha Kotti brought home this award, earning 34 points.
Congratulations to Finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition
The following seniors have been name as Finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition.
Clara Benadon
Vincent Bian
John Carbonell
Amanda Chu
Jason Lee
Daniel Li
Macy Palmer
Esha Parikh
Brandon Summers
Sivani Sundaram
April Xu
Grace Zheng
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)—which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year.
PHS Students Advance to State Level in Reflections Competition
Four PHS students have advanced to the state level of the Reflections competition. Please note these amazing students and their accomplishments:
Literature:
Award of Merit for Interpretation of the Theme
• Shriya Singh, Poolesville HS (The Three That Stay)
Musical Composition:
Honorable Mention Award
• Sarah Patch, Poolesville HS (That Incredible Moment When Golden Light Replaces Isolation)
• Arun Ghosh, Poolesville HS (Beneath the Surface)
Photography:
Honorable Mention Award
• Andres J. Martinez, Poolesville HS (Showing Support)
Model UN Earns Awards at AmeriMUNC
The PHS Model UN team competed in AmeriMUNC (at American University). In addition to winning 19 individual awards and the Outstanding Large Delegation team award (2nd place), students had the opportunity to hear from Ambassador Sally Shelton-Colby, Congressman Charlie Dent, Chairof the US Association for UNHCR Charles De Santis, and NPR Senior Correspondent Ron Elving.
Students who won awards:
Max Vodra – Best Delegate – representing the Swiss Confederation on the UNADMIN Committee
Vincent Chim – Outstanding Delegate – representing Takeshi Iwaya, Minister of Defense on the Cabinet of Japan Committee
Beverly Soriano – Honorable Mention and Diplomacy Award – representing Tang Min on the Sinopec Board of Directors Committee
Grace Kim – Honorable Mention – representing Vice Premier Kim Tok-Hun on the Cabinet of North Korea Committee
Shreya Sharma – Honorable Mention – representing People’s Republic of China on the SOCHUM Committee
Eashan Siddalingaiah – Honorable Mention – representing People’s Republic of China on DISEC
Matthew Palatnik – Honorable Mention – representing Elizabeth Buensuceso on the Philippines National Police Committee
Sivani Sundaram – Verbal Commendation – representing Jeff Williams on the Apple Board of Directors Committee
Angela Wang – Verbal Commendation – representing Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs on the Cabinet of China Committee
Julia Lyons – Verbal Commendation – representing the Swiss Confederation on the ECOFIN Committee
Jason Wu – Verbal Commendation – representing Huang Hsiu-fang on the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan Committee
Conri Connell – Verbal Commendation – representing Lin Wei-chou on the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan Committee
Nikita Kleyner – Verbal Commendation – representing Lin Ching-yi on the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan Committee
Michelle Zheng – Verbal Commendation – representing Xinhua News Agency on the Press Corps
Racheal Ssentongo – Verbal Committee – representing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the Cabinet of Russia Committee
Chase Hanscom – Verbal Commendation – representing the People’s Republic of China on the Security Council
Connor Dorsey - Verbal Commendation – representing the People’s Republic of China on the Security Council
Pragya Jha – Verbal Commendation – representing Steve Mnuchin on the Cabinet of the United States
Regional Scholastic Art Award Winners!
Big Congratulations to the following students and their studio art teacher, Nora Schaefer, on their recognition at the regional Scholastic Art Awards! Their work will be on display at the annual Art Show. Best of luck to Sam, Michelle (Rao), Julia, and Ali as their work moves on to the national competition. Go Falcons!
Gold Key Winners
Samuel Hull, Gold Key, Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation, Half-Mast, 12th
Rao Li, Gold Key, Digital Art, The Other Girl with a Pearl Earring, 12th
Julia Pavlick, Gold Key, Painting, Blue, 12th
Ali Ransom, Gold Key, Mixed Media, Newfound Highland, 12th
Silver Key Winners
Kaitlyn Yang, Silver Key, Digital Art, Moving In, 12th
McCleary Gallagher, Honorable Mention, Mixed Media, Strain, 10th
Honorable Mention Awards
Samuel Hull, Honorable Mention, Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation, One-Finger Salute, 12th
Rao Li, Honorable Mention, Digital Art, The Eye Collector, 12th
Julia Pavlick, Honorable Mention, Art Portfolio, Divided and United: A Series Illustrating the AIDS Crisis in the Gay Community, 12th
Julia Pavlick, Honorable Mention, Painting, Pink, 12th
Julia Pavlick, Honorable Mention, Painting, Purple, 12th
Julia Pavlick, Honorable Mention, Painting, Blood Money, 12th
Julia Pavlick, Honorable Mention, Painting, Act, 12th
Sabrina Su, Honorable Mention, Painting, We Really See You, 10th
Max Vodra, Honorable Mention, Printmaking, Overwealmed, 10th
Kaitlyn Yang, Honorable Mention, Digital Art, Sprint Forest, 12th
Kaitlyn Yang, Honorable Mention, Digital Art, Pancakes, 12th
Regional Scholastic Photography Award Winners!
Congratulations to the following students on their Regional Scholastic Photography Awards wins! Work will be displayed at the Art Show in early May- get ready to get wowed! Please congratulate these students and wish our 10 Gold Key winners the best at the national level.
Gold Keys
Holly Anderson
Anusha Chinthapale
Julie Corfman
Leeah Derenoncourt
Mandy Mossman
Calley Mullin
Caroline Park
Ashlynn Stearns
Sam Stewart x 2
Hailee Williams
Silver Keys
Sofia Bendana
Anusha Chintapale
Julie Corfman x 2
Mandy Mossman x 2
Caroline Park
Philip Huang
Honorable Mentions
Sofia Bendana
Leeah Derenoncourt
Nic Ferguson
Megan Kelly
Cassandra Maier
Mandy Mossman
Calley Mullin
Clarissa Ng
Ashlynn Stearns
Hailee Williams
Clare Wilson
Kristen Yee
Poolesville High School Honored at Maryland State House for History Day
PHS students were recognized for awards and honors they received at the 2018 National History Day competition in June 2018. Last year, over 3,000 students from around the world competed in the academic competition at the University of Maryland.
Maryland History Day is a year-long educational program, coordinated by Maryland Humanities. Over the course of a year, students work individually and within groups to create projects that explore historical topics centered around a yearly theme. The theme for 2018 was “Conflict and Compromise in History.”
These are the students from Poolesville High who were honored at the Maryland State House:
Holly Anderson
Anusha Chinthalapale
Julia Corfman
Isabel Huntley
Calley Mullin
Samantha Stewart
Angela Wang
Regional Scholastic Writing Award Winners
Congratulations to the following Humanities students and their English teachers (Donna Gibson and Diane Yan Yuga) on their success in the Regional Scholastic Writing Awards! PHS is excited by the continued, growing recognition we are receiving in these areas and it’s great to see evidence of hard work and commitment pay off! Please congratulate these students and wish Sophia Bass the best of luck in the national competition.
Gold Key
Sophia Bass Flash Fiction “Bambi” Gibson
Silver Key
Pallavi Battina “The Promotion” Sci/Fi Fantasy Gibson
Alison Wang “Skin + Bone” Flash Fiction Gibson
Kendrick Groman “rat” Flash Fiction Gibson
Honorable Mentions
Christine Kim “No Such Thing as Heroes” Critical Essay Van Yuga
Eva Kung-Bi “Metamorphosis” Personal Essay/Memoir Gibson
Zander Leff “A Nonzero Probability” Sci Fi/Fantasy Gibson
Ashley Pacheco “Fiery Festivities” Personal Essay/Memoir Gibson
Angelina Sachar “Unexpected Visits to New York” Personal Essay/Memoir Gibson
Sushil Shrestha “The Rooftop” Flash Fiction Gibson
Mia Tran “Casualty” Flash Fiction Gibson
Regeneron Semi-Finalists
Three Seniors have been named as top 300 scholars in the 78th Regeneron Science Talent Search—the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. Almost 2,000 students entered the competition this year.
The names of top 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars from Poolesville High School are: Vincent Bian, Peiqi Chen, and Ishana Shastri. Congratulations!
Model UN Regional Conference Results
The Model UN Team competed in the FCPS Regional Model UN Conference at Hood College. PHS had 37 students competing in a field of over 300 students from a variety of Maryland schools – both private and public, providing intense competition for all.
PHS students took home nine awards – each of which included a multi-year, partial scholarship to Hood College.
Award winners are:
Pamela Kramer - Best Position Paper and Honorable Mention Delegate for representing Kuwait on the UN Environmental Committee
Grace Kim – Best Delegate for representing Peru on the Security Council
Marina Karapanos – Honorable Mention Delegate for representing Spain on the Spanish Committee
Andrew Sojka – Honorable Mention Delegate for representing North Korea on the Electoral Process Committee
Christine Tang – Honorable Mention Delegate for representing Belarus on the Electoral Process Committee
Pragya Jha – Honorable Mention Delegate for representing Ethiopia on the Security Council
Matthew Palatnik – Honorable Mention Paper for representing Laos on the UN Environmental Committee
Kaitlyn Yang - Honorable Mention Paper for representing Rwanda on the GA Violence Against Women Committee.
National Chess Champion
Congratulations to Senior Sahil Sinha for being named National Chess Champion by the US Chess Federation!
Museum Makers
Congratulations to Senior Carl Dacanay on her completion of the National Gallery of Art (NGA) Museum Makers program. Her final presentation was outstanding!
The National Gallery of Art Museum Makers is a program that brings together students with an affinity for art. Museum makers value creativity, exploring, learning, and affirming and expanding who they can be.
This program offers upper-level high school students tools for experiencing, understanding, and interpreting art. It is a competitive program with an application process. Each school gets to nominate one student. The NGA selects roughly 18 students from all over the DMV.
As part of a community of like-minded students, Museum Makers participants explore art through observation, sketching, in-gallery group discussions, independent research on a work of art of their choice, and visual journaling. Participants also learn about the intersection of art, graphic design, and visual communication and create a personal graphic design project. Behind-the-scenes visits with museum professionals from curating and education to architecture and security. The program culminates with student-led public talks in the galleries and an exhibition of each student’s graphic design project.
International Olympiad Astronomy and Astrophysics Winner!
Senior Vincent Bian competed in the 12th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, and won a gold medal for team USA! On top of that, he also got the highest score on the theory competition.
This year's IOAA was held at Beijing China for 10 days and over 200 students from 39 countries participated. The competition consists of three rounds (theory competition, data analysis, and star observation), with total of over 10 hours testing. Team USA won 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal in total.
Student Invited to Speak at Glenstone Pavilion Opening Ceremony
Senior Joseph Dwyer (center) was invited to speak at the Glenstone Museum Pavilion Opening Ceremony. Joe was hand picked to speak along with other dignitaries including County Executive Ike Leggett and First Lady of the State, Yumi Hogan.
F. Scott Fitzgerald Contest Winner!
Congratulations to Junior Marco DiPietro on winning 2nd runner-up in the 16th Annual 2018 F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival Student Short Story Contest! The contest was open to high school students who attend an MCPS school. The contest had no restrictions on subject matter, had to be 1500 to 3000 words long and have a protagonist who resolves a conflict or achieves a new awareness.