Delaware County Community College has announced the availability of the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Scholarship for the 2016-17 academic year. Please check the scholarship listing in Family Connection or visit the Kennett High School counseling office for more information about how to apply for this scholarship.

Two Kennett High School seniors, Olivia Avedisian and Bailey Reigel, were recognized for their exceptional talent at the 42^nd annual Area High School Show. The juried exhibition was held at the Chester County Art Association in West Chester from April 23 to 30.

Olivia Avedisian earned a First Place Award/Chester County Art Association Board Excellence Award for her untitled charcoal work. Olivia is a student in Mr. Tom Hironimus’s Advanced Art III class. She carries on a proud tradition, as this is the same award Amelia Pagliaro won in 2012, and Noelle Raezer won in 2014.

When describing why she selected the photograph on which she based her drawing, Olivia said, “What I loved most about the piece was the emotion in her face. You could see the happiness in her eyes.”

“Winning was a big surprise. It’s an honor that I wasn’t expecting, and it’s really special, since it’s my senior year,” she added.

Senior Bailey Reigel, a student in Mr. Hironimus’s Advanced Art II course, won a Chester County Art Association Board Honorable Mention for “Buffalo,” an acrylic painting.

“Art makes me feel peaceful. I’m a high energy person, and art makes me feel calm. The reason I chose to do the buffalo is because I just liked the picture I based it on. I took the picture myself when my family was in Yellowstone last summer,” explained Bailey.

“I owe a lot to Mr. Hironimus. He’s a great teacher. An inspiration. Everybody likes him. Everybody respects him. Everybody listens to him. He’s amazing,” she added.

The exhibition displayed over five hundred pieces of artwork from all Chester County high schools brought together by the Chester County Intermediate Unit, including over twenty-five works by Kennett High School artists. Everything from drawing and painting to computer generated art, to found object sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and more showcased the talents of area students.

On Monday, May 9, Kennett High School’s team finished 10^th out of the 78 teams competing at the Temple University 7^th Annual OWLympiad. Hosted by the Department of Risk, Insurance, and Healthcare Management and the Sigma Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma at the university, the event is Philadelphia’s largest math competition for high school students and is designed to promote mathematics and introduce students to career paths in applied mathematics.

Competing from Kennett High School were juniors Lydia Pebly, Austin Maxwell, Zachary Hrenko, and Delaney Chaffin. The students were accompanied by mathematics teacher, Dr. Alicia Tamargo.

“This is the fourth year that Kennett High School has entered a team. We compete against both public and private high schools at the event, including teams from Downingtown High School, Council Rock High School, Spring Ford High School, and Henderson High School. This year’s team’s 10^th place finish definitely continues our tradition of excellence,” explained Dr. Tamargo.

The competition consisted of a 50 minute, multiple-choice exam that tested topics ranging from basic algebra to calculus and statistics; a “24” Math Card Game Competition; and a “Quizzo”-style lightning round. Kennett High School scored 78 of a possible 96 points across the three events to earn their 10^th place honor.

According to the OWLympiad website, the competition is “an opportunity to engage local high school students, in the midst of their college search, and expose them to Actuarial Science as a career choice. Actuaries specialize in the evaluation of insurance and financial risk. They hold positions of responsibility with insurance companies, consulting firms, investment banks, government regulatory organization, and government insurance programs.” Temple’s Actuarial Science program is one of the most distinguished in North America and has been recognized by the Society of Actuaries as a Center of Actuarial Excellence (CAE), one of only thirty institutions to receive this honor.

On Wednesday, May 4, the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented awards to seven Kennett High School students. Since 2002, the NATAS awards have recognized outstanding cultural, educational, technological, entertainment, news, and informational achievements by high school students who are pursuing careers in media and journalism. More than 150 students from more than a dozen high schools throughout the Greater Philadelphia region attended the event held at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Kennett High School students were accompanied by Mr. Frank Vanderslice, video production teacher.

Kennett High School senior Giovanna Ruggio garnered her category’s top prize, an Arts and Entertainment Emmy, for her production of “Practice Makes Perfect.” The film documents the life of a tap dancer as she choreographs, practices, and performs. The featured tap dancer is Giovanna’s best friend, so it was important to Giovanna that she portray the story well.

“I really wanted to give her a ‘pedestal’ moment,” she said.

“Going to the Emmys, I was nervous. I’d never gone to a competition like this before. I was afraid that, if I didn’t do well, I should reconsider my major. But, I won, so it made me even more excited for next year and the future,” Giovanna explained.

Giovanna’s award represents the third Emmy won by a Kennett High School student in recent years. Mr. Vanderslice commented that Giovanna “Just has an eye for editing. She’s so precise. People don’t realize the skill that it takes, timing each cut.” Giovanna will attend Temple University in the fall, majoring in Film and Media Studies.

Other Kennett High School students receiving Awards of Excellence include Madison Brown and Nijia Walls, who were honored in the Outstanding Music Video category for their film, “Kennett Pride;” Sean Rodgers, Luciano Spera, Michael Bellino, and Giovanna Ruggio who were honored in the Long Form – Fiction category for their work, “The Inevitable;” and Jack Ryder, who was honored in the Writing category for his film “Project Vigilante.” Additionally, Giovanna Ruggio was recognized in the Long Form – Fiction category for “Try.” Maggie O’Sullivan and Kyle Sheridan also entered their production work into the competition.

Junior Jack Ryder’s entry, “Project Vigilante,” took him three months to complete. With a plot Jack describes as being similar to Rolling Thunder, the film chronicles the adventures of a hit man targeting Russians as he avenges the death of his friend. He filmed the project in locations all over Kennett Square.

“The project taught me a lot more about the process of film making, directing, scheduling, and troubleshooting editing software,” observed Jack.

Mr. Vanderslice is extremely proud of his students and the quality of their work.

“I think this was our most successful year in terms of the number of entries we had and the number of awards received. I could see how dedicated the students were to putting in the time and effort to produce quality work. Each year the competition grows more intense as more schools participate. I think the number of schools competing has doubled in recent years,” said Mr. Vanderslice.

“This year, students got a chance to meet professionals in the field and talk to college students about their experiences and how much time they put in,” Mr. Vanderslice added.

Ms. Tara Faccenda, Executive Director of NATAS, asserted, “We are delighted to recognize the work of these individuals who represent the future of broadcast journalism . . . It’s amazing to see the growth of the student awards program in our region as well. This year we received the highest number of entries from twenty-five different high schools. The level of competition is a true testament to the tremendous talent that these students display.”

Kennett High School will host annual Spring Art Festival on May 5th. The exhibit will feature creative works by Kennett Consolidated School District students, alumni, teachers, staff, and local artists.

The Spring Art Festival will be held in Kennett High School’s Auxiliary Gym and will be open from 9am-2pm and from 6:30-7:30pm.