N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

1

www.northallegheny.org

Tiger NewsUpcoming eventsJune 5 – Last Day of School for

Students

June 7 – Class of 2013 Graduation

June 19 – School Board Work Session @ CAO Bd. Rm. – 7pm

June 26 – School Board Regular Meeting @ CAO Bd. Rm. – 7pm

Don’t Miss!

Two Young NA Authors Win in PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest

FES student, Liam Ellis won Second Place among 2nd graders, for his story “A Snake Tail.”

MES first grader, Tharun Sunthar was an Honorable Mention winner for “Dan’s Exciting Night.”

Their stories can be found here: A Snake Tail and Dan’s Exciting Night. Both boys will also be heard narrating their stories on the Saturday Light Bri-gade radio broadcast this summer. Over 1,600 stories were submitted this year for the contest.

Kennywood Tickets –

page 4

NA Foundation Golf Outing-

page 7

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

2

www.northallegheny.org

NASH Senior Recognized in Science Fair for Project Tackling Air QualityNASH senior, Piyusha Sane, was one of three winners in the 2013 Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineer-ing Fair. The Allegheny County Health Department recognized Piyusha for her project “Reducing CO2 Emissions,” which acknowledged the effects of car-bon dioxide on the environment and explored the use of an acid-base reaction to filter the CO2. This project was deemed as the outstanding project in the air quality category.

Notable Accomplishments in the ArtsTobias Cueni, a sophomore at NAI, won First Place for Best Documentary in the 3rd Annual Antelope Film Festival for his short documentary entitled “The Alps (Natu-ral Disaster).”

Dan Mallampalli, a senior at NASH, conduct-ed the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orches-tra at Heinz Hall. Dan earned this honor by winning the PYSO Conducting Competition.

Rebecca Chen, 8th grader at Carson Middle School, was one of six winners in the WQED Musical Kids Classical Music Competition.

See Rebecca Chen’s performance

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

3

www.northallegheny.org

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

NA Students Earn Medals on 2013 Language ExamsRecently, 220 students received Distinguished Achievement Awards from the Board of School Directors in recognition of having garnered national honors for their performance on the 2013 National Foreign Language Exams. A total of 41 students achieved high rankings for the French Exams, 20 for the German Exams, 62 for the Latin Exams, and 97 for the Spanish Exams.

Félicitations!Herzlichen GlückwünschGratulationes!¡Felicitaciones!

NA Student Named 2013 U.S. Presidential Scholar!NASH senior Tom McCoy has been named a member of the 49th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars. Only one male and one female student from each state are selected for this honor annually based on their academic suc-cess, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations, and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, lead-ership, and demonstrated commit-ment to high ideals.

Tom is invited to Washington, D.C., in June to receive the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion at a recogni-tion ceremony and to participate in various activities

and events to be held in honor of the 2013 Scholars.

Each Presidential Scholar is asked to name their most influential teacher who will also be honored. Tom named Mr. Dan Williams, GOAL teacher at MMS, as his most influential teacher. When asked about Tom, Mr. Williams said, “Tommy is a special student in so many ways. He pos-sesses a brilliant intellect… a tremendous attitude… treats everyone he meets with

kindness and respect. This award is spectacular and well deserved… I consider him a success just in the way he conducts himself every day.”

Outstanding Young Citizens Program Recognizes NA StudentsNA junior, Dominic Moore, was named a Gold Medal Winner in the Trib Total Media’s Outstanding Young Citizen Program. Dominic was designated in the Top 10 of those nominated from North Pittsburgh schools. Megan Grzyb and Stephen Timcheck were also acknowledged, finishing in the Top 50. This year, 294 students were nominated, representing 32 schools. A total of 14 NA students were nominated.

The Tyler Parent Portal has been expanded to include your child’s health information.

The following information is now available:

We hope you find this information useful. For more information, please click here. If you have specific questions, please e-mail your school nurse.

Height, weight, and vision screening Hearing screening Antes (Physical) ScreeningDental Screening

Scoliosis ScreeningImmunization Records Medication Records

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

4

www.northallegheny.org

This space reserved for advertising.

To place your ad, call

412-369-5445

MMS Student Wins National History Day in PA CompetitionAlice Navadeh, an 8th grade stu-dent at Marshall Middle School, won First Place at National History Day in Pennsylvania and will represent the state at the national competi-tion. Alice was the only North Al-legheny student in the competition. Her winning entry in the junior per-formance division was “How Colum-bine Changed American Schools.”

Alice’s winning entry is one of only 36 from Pennsylvania that will pro-ceed to the national competition, which will be held in mid-June at

the University of Maryland. Ap-proximately 2,400 students from the 50 U.S. states, Guam, American Samoa, and from the U.S. military will compete nationally.

Alice reported she received sup-port and encouragement from everyone at MMS, but particularly her assistant principal, Mrs. Tracie Michalowski; her social studies teacher, Mrs. Tracy Devlin; and her librarian, Mr. Joseph Prince.

NA M3 Challenge Team Earns Honorable MentionThe NA Moody’s Mega Math (M3) Challenge Team fin-ished in the Top 5% nationwide, earning Honorable Mention recognition. M3 team members included se-niors Richard McCoy, Lily Zhang, and Henry Tabor-ski; and juniors Michael Becich and Tarek Maalouf. These students will share a $1,000 scholarship. The team is led by Ms. Cris Ruffolo.

The M3 Math Challenge is considered one of the most challenging math competitions in the country. NA’s team was one of just 55 teams to earn an award in the competition. Of the 1,054 initial submissions, 175 papers advanced to the second round of judg-ing, where judges identified 55 teams to receive shares of the $115,000 in scholarship prizes offered by The Moody’s Foundation.

NA Students Win Honors at State Science MeetingFifteen NA students earned high honors at the 2013 Annual State Meeting of the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science winning 12 First Place and two Second Place awards. To be success-ful, these students must integrate scientif-ic research techniques, statistical data analysis, aesthetics of design (presentation), public speaking and presentation skills, and an all-around ability to interact with professionals.

Congratulations to:

Abilash DhanvadaAllen WangAshwin ReddyGabe RenLloyd GumireddyMike BecichNila Suresh

Pranav MurthyShanelle FernandoSiddarth NarayanSongela ChenVictor MaoWilliam ChengZain Mehdi

NA Junior Classical League (JCL) now holds sixteen consecutive State Championships! The NA JCL team, com-prised of 70 students in grades 8–12, com-peted at the 62nd an-nual Pennsylvania Ju-nior Classical League State Convention held at Penn State Univer-sity in May. NA Students participated in every aspect of the competition which included athletic, artistic and academic events. The NA JCL League finished with their 16th consecutive state champion-ship title.

In addition, the following students were on the first place Quiz Bowl team: Connor Phillips, Tom (Rich-ard) McCoy, Mike Becich, and John Barczynski.

Special congratulations to Connor Phillips for earn-ing the Overall Academic Award and to Tom McCoy for winning the Individual Overall Champion Award.

Kennywood Day 2013

June 12, 2013

Sponsored by the Unified Boosters Organization

Click here for Funday Discount Tickets

$27.00 ($37.99 at Gate)

NA Alumni Association

Visit our website and facebook page.

Click here to get connected and

pass the word!

Stay in touch!

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

5

www.northallegheny.org

This space reserved for advertising.

To place your ad, call

412-369-5445

Visit the Na page on Facebook!

www.facebook.com/northallegheny

NA Forensics Team Shines Bright at State and National TournamentsThe North Allegheny High School Forensics Team recently competed in the Pennsylvania High School Speech League’s state tournament where they finished in Fourth Place. Additionally, several students won individual honors at the state tournament:Senior Priya Tumuluru – 1st Place and State Champion in Informative Speaking Sophomore Catherine Zhang – 2nd Place in Humorous Interpretation Senior Morgan Lennon – 3rd Place in Lincoln Douglas Debate Senior Natalie Dean – 3rd Place in Radio Announcing

The Harvard National High School Invitational Forensics Tournament is the largest and most prestigious high school debate tournament in the country. This year was the 39th Annual Tournament and included more than 4,200 individuals representing 356 schools, 39 states, and 3 countries.

Massil Adnani and Catherine Zhang, both sophomores at NAI, finished in the top three of their respective categories. Massil won First Place in the Junior Varsity Lincoln Douglas competition and Catherine won Third Place in Humorous Interpretation of Literature.

In addition, the following students all advanced to Octofinal Rounds in their competitive events: Seniors Lily Zhang, Katherine Zhou and Stephanie Metzger, Juniors Dominic Moore, Jenn Hoffman and Maria LaBella, and Sophomores Drew Bjorklund, Catherine Liu, Mike Tai and Sean Tao.

Congratulations to the NA Forensics Team and these students who earned individual honors!

Two NA Seniors Excel at International DECA ConferenceNASH seniors Melissa Sharlow and Michelle Murray were named Finalists in the Growing Your Business Written Event at DECA’s International Career Devel-opment Conference. This is quite an accomplishment given that the DECA International Conference is the pinnacle of competition in which nearly 10,000 stu-dents vie for international honors.

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. The competitions are designed to sim-ulate real-life business scenarios and test students’ academic understanding and development skills.

Students Recognized in Scholastic Art Awards ProgramThe Pittsburgh Art Region had 11 National Award winners this year and four of them were from North Allegheny. This annual awards competition begins locally as students in grades 7–12 submit works of art to their local affiliates. Submitted works are judged on originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal vision or voice. Those that receive a Gold Key – the highest honor possible in the Regional

competitions – have their work submitted for na-tional adjudication. Forty-four NA students earned one or more Gold Key in this year’s Regional art com-petition and four of those students also won Silver Medals in the national adjudication. Congratulations go to eighth grader Abigail King, sophomore Curtis Coltharp, and seniors Carly Fox and Christopher Richards for earning this national recognition.

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

6

www.northallegheny.org

This space reserved for advertising.

To place your ad, call

412-369-5445

NA Has a Mobile Website

Access the NA website anytime, anywhere with your mobile device!

Middle School Students Recognized at Technology ConferenceSeveral students from Ingomar and Marshall Middle Schools were recognized at the 2013 Pennsylva-nia Technology Student Association conference for achieving a third place finish or better in their speci-fied areas of competition. The competition provides opportunities for students to be recognized for their accomplishments in industrial arts.

First Place winners were: Anrey Peng (two awards),

Steven Kirk, Stephen Feraco, Julie Chen and Dana Mace.

Second place winners included: Jay Mahajan, Tomer Shamir, Soureesh Moturi, Joey Ficarri, Sidarth Ma-dala and Akshath Jain.

Third Place winners were: Victoria Morrison, Misha Kharhovski, Bronte Grossi, Wanlin Li and Laura Swi-hart

MMS Mathematics Team Finishes 4th in StateA team of 6th grade students at Marshall Middle School finished 4th out of 116 teams in the Pennsyl-vania Mathematics League competition. Team mem-bers included Jiwoo Cheon, Jerry Chen, Roy Sun, Andres Bonilla, and Eric Agamaite.

In addition to their 4th Place finish, three members of

the MMS team ranked among the Top 47 Sixth Grade Students in the Pennsylvania Math League. Jiwoo Cheon ranked 5th while Jerry Chen and Roy Sun tied at 25th Place.

Congratulations to the MMS Team of students!

NA Students Connecting Around the WorldStudents from North Allegheny Senior High School recently connected by video conference with their peers in South Africa, Taiwan, and Pakistan through the One Young World series. The One Young World series is coordinated through the World Affairs Coun-cil of Pittsburgh and this session was facilitated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of the World

Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. The focus of the ses-sion was Global Health. Students had the opportu-nity to share ideas, learn from others who experience life very differently, and see themselves as global citizens. The entire session lasted approximately 90 minutes and was recorded. Anyone interested may watch the session by clicking the image below.

Another NA Student Selected to PA Governor’s School for the SciencesNASH junior Derek Wang is one of only 60 students in the state to be selected to attend the Pennsylva-nia Governor’s School for the Sciences, a five-week summer program at Carnegie Mellon University. The application process is highly competitive, with typi-cally over 500 applications submitted each year. Ap-

plicants must demonstrate academic achievement and interest in the sciences and mathematics, both in the classroom and beyond. The program focuses on enrichment in STEM-related areas and also includes guest speakers, hands on laboratory courses, and a team research project.

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

7

www.northallegheny.org

Be a part

of NA Tiger

News!

Support the programs of the North Allegheny

School District by advertising your company here.

For information call 412-369-5445

NA Athletic Director Earns Prestigious AwardMr. Bob Bozzuto, NA Athletic Director, has recently been named a winner of the 2013 Mooseheart Community Spirit Award for his tireless dedication to the devel-opment of the youth of our communities.

The Mooseheart Community Spirit Awards recognize individuals who have dedicat-ed their lives to the betterment of youth and seniors. Mr. Bozzuto will be honored at the sixth annual Mooseheart Community Spirit awards on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at the Chadwick Banquet Center.

Previous award winners include PA Governor Corbett, Senator Randy Vulakovich, Mr. Bill Cardille, and Ms. Sally Wiggin. Congratulations Mr. Bozzuto!

Recognizing NA Scholar-Athletes The NA Athletic Department recognizes student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding classroom achievement. Athletes with a GPA of 3.4 or higher are designated as Scholar-Athletes. Throughout the 2012 – 13 school year, 73% of athletes earned this designation.

In addition, 89 out of 90 high school, junior high, and middle school teams were awarded Scholar-Athlete Team Awards based on total team GPAs.

Congratulations to our sports teams and Scholar-Athletes for 2012-13!

NA Junior ROTC Program Wins Distinguished Unit Award The North Allegheny Senior and Intermediate High Schools Junior ROTC, Unit PA-022, has been selected to receive the 2012-2013 Air Force Junior ROTC Distinguished Unit Award by the Department of the Air Force Air University.

Limited to the best of the best of our nation’s Air Force Junior ROTC units, the Distinguished Unit Award recognizes the personal growth and accomplish-ments of the cadets, the contributions of the instructors as mentors of the cadets, and the support of the school and community.

This is the ninth consecutive year, under the instruction of Maj. Frederick Schott and MSgt. Richard Denault, that the NA Junior ROTC program has been recognized with this award.

Monday June 17

The fun starts at 10:30am, and includes lunch, a 19th

hole cocktail party, and raffles!

2013 golf classic

For more information,

contact sally scherling

at 412-369-5419, or click this ad.

There’s still time to register!

N o r t h a l l e g h e N y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t

May 2013

www.northallegheny.org

Paid advertisements in District communica-tions and/or on District property do not rep-resent the District’s endorsement or approval of the matters or organizations represented in the advertisements. (School Board Policy #2580 – Approved Commercial Advertising.)

For district iNForMatioN

www.northallegheny.orgNATV Cable

Armstrong, Ch. 50 Comcast, Ch. 98

Consolidated Cable, Ch. 406 Verizon, Ch. 33

North Allegheny School District, 200 Hillvue Lane, Pittsburgh, PA

15237 • 412-366-2100

NA TIPSline 724-933-TIPS

(8477)

FREEANONYMOUS

EFFECTIVE

8

Year End Notes for Parents of Elementary StudentsStudents Withdrawing from NAIf you are aware that your child will not be returning to North Allegheny School District for the 2013-2014 school year, please contact your school’s office to notify the secretary of your child’s plans for next year. This is helpful information as we plan for next school year.

2013-2014 Placement InformationHomeroom placement information for the 2013-2014 school year will be sent to parents via the U.S. mail by August 15, 2013.

2013-2014 New Student Orientation and Kindergarten OrientationNew Student and Kindergarten Orientations will be held at each elementary school during the two weeks prior to the first day of school. Specific dates will be listed on building websites and sent to new and kin-dergarten families via welcome letters from the building principal. These dates will also be listed on the District’s 2013-2014 Activities Calendar.

High School Teams Place at Top of State and Nation in Knowledge Master Open Academic CompetitionTwo high school teams earned honors in the Spring Knowledge Master Open (KMO) where they competed with other student teams representing 48 states as well as teams from China, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Singa-pore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. The KMO is comprised of grade-appropriate competitions using computers to answer 200 challenging multiple-choice questions from all curriculum areas. A team of students from NASH, sponsored by Ms. Christina Ruffolo, competed in the High School Division and won First Place in Pennsylvania and Second Place in the nation. A team from NAI, sponsored by Ms. Janet Serdy, com-peted in the Junior High Division and claimed Second Place in Pennsylvania and Seventh Place in the nation. Team members were:

NASH Team

1st Place in PA and 2nd Place in Nation:Michael BecichSurabhi BeriwalAndrew BirsicBhanu Richa DuggiralaRobert DunbarEvan LeeRichard McCoyKevin MoDavid MooreNatalie MorrisseyEdward PaceyConnor Phillips

Anjali PremkumarBrandon RaymondAnisha ReddyRyan SanguigniSohail SidiqueKyle SilbersteinHenry TaborskiHemanth VenkateshCarol WangDerek WangMichelle Xu

NAI Team

2nd Place in PA and 7th Place in Nation:Alan CaiJulie ChoeJoie Jiayi FengJana GarrowEliza GunnGrace JinRobert KasperJeewon Lee

Sophia LeeJasmine MahajanJames McGaaZain MehdiEric MiGuanlin RenRussell RuffoloMegan Wadas