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Panther Pride Student Round-up Series- 1/19/2012

Honoring students Jillian Ross '17, Elizabeth Paasche '16, Jerome Cohen '16, Christopher Nivera '17, Steven Jacobson '14, Roey Hadar '13, Sathya Edamadaka '19, Sabrina Park '15, Andrew Aboujaoude '14, Amanda Aboujaoude '17, Paul Park '15, Christa Dalmazio '12, Anthony Dennis '14, Sophia Lee '12, Sara Donnelly '20, Kate Donnelly '20 and Corrine Villany '20.
At Ranney, every child is known and valued. So far this school year, many athletes and students from various grade levels have soared to new and outstanding heights. While we recognize the hard work and talent of all students at Ranney, a number have recently shared their notable highlights with us, and we congratulate them on these achievements:

Jillian Ross (Rumson), Elizabeth Paasche (Little Silver), Jerome Cohen (Rumson) & Christopher Nivera (Holmdel)
Ranney’s Middle School Science Olympiad team, led by advisors Betty Williams and Tom Allen, attended a regional Science Olympiad Competition at Union County College on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. After spending many hours refining their skills and preparing for the competition after school and at weekend practices, two groups garnered individual placements at the event. They included Elizabeth Paasche ’16 and Jillian Ross ’17 who took third in the “Food Science” category, and Jerome Cohen ’16 with Christopher Nivera ’17 who earned fifth place in a “Reach for the Stars” category. In recognition of not only their success, but also of recent accomplishments seen by Ranney’s Middle School Literary Magazine, The MAG, and Math League, the division was awarded a dress-down day on January 13.
 
Steven Jacobson (Colts Neck)
Performing a Billy Crystal monologue from the play 700 Sundays at an event hosted by the New Jersey Drama & Forensics League (NJDFL) at Northern Burlington High School on Saturday, January 14, sophomore Steven Jacobson received a top-five placement in the comedic monologue category. After surpassing a large pool of nearly 40 high school contenders, Steven — along with senior Evelyn Giovine  — will compete in the NJDFL’s State Forensics meet to be held at Raritan High School on February 25, 2012.
 
Roey Hadar (Fair Haven)
The Upper School’s Academic Challenge Team competed in the Half Hollow Hills West High School 2012 Invitational Tournament in Dix Hill, New York on Saturday, January 7. Up against 102 teams from the Northeast United States, Ranney went 5-0 in the preliminary rounds and won its first playoff round before finally falling to a talented opponent from Great Neck South High School in Long Island. For its success, Ranney’s Academic Team was awarded a “Sweet Sixteen” trophy. Individually, participant Roey Hadar ’13 also ranked 35th all-time — amongst all contestants ever to compete in the invitational’s thousands of competitions – after scoring 185 points during the first round.

According to team advisor Douglas Felter, each game consists of 20 “toss-up” questions worth 10 points apiece followed by bonus questions that call for team collaboration. If a student correctly answers a “toss-up” question early on in the game, he or she can earn five additional “power” points as well.

Sathya Edamadaka (Allentown) & Sabrina Park (Colts Neck)
Congratulations to Sathya Edamadaka ’19 and Sabrina Park ’15 as both became two of the five entrants chosen winner of the David Garrett Violin Contest. Hosted by the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, Sathya and Sabrina will each receive a pair of tickets to David Garrett’s concert on Tuesday, January 31, sit in on Mr. Garrett’s sound check prior to the show, and personally meet with the artist. A 31-year-old musician and Juilliard graduate, David Garrett mixes classical works by the likes of Paganini with classic rock pieces by the likes of Metallica, and his own compositions. His six releases have garnered Echo Awards (the German equivalent of the Grammy) for “Classic without Borders” and “Bestseller of the Year.” To be declared winner of the David Garrett Violin Contest, Sathya and Sabrina submitted a performance video to the Count Basie Theater. Sathya’s included himself playing the first movement of Concertino in the style of Vivaldi Opus 15 by Kuchler. Meanwhile, Sabrina performed Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Summer.

Andrew Aboujaoude (Ocean) & Amanda Aboujaoude (Ocean)
Despite a nor'easter that struck New Jersey just before Halloween, approximately 20 children braved the rare snowstorm to fight cancer at TopGun Paintball field in Jackson on October 29, 2011. Led by siblings Andrew ’14 and Amanda Aboujaoude ’17, as well as 13-year-old Shalin Shah of Ocean Township Intermediate School, the kid-driven event earned approximately $400 in support of MMC’s Crystal Ball Gala held November 5th to benefit the Leon Hess Cancer Center. After hearing of a classmate being treated at The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth, Andrew, Amanda and Shalin promoted the event at their respective schools using flyers and word-of-mouth.

Upper School Chamber Ensemble
Although off for the holiday break, several Ranney School musicians within the Upper School Chamber Ensemble continued to spread cheer to those throughout the community. Organized by French horn player and ensemble member Paul Park ’15 (Morganville), approximately five Upper School musicians spent Friday, December 23 at an assisted living facility known as “Sunrise” in Marlboro. Along with their chaperone Dr. Dorothy Sobieski, students Christa Dalmazio ’12 (Leonardo), Anthony Dennis ’14 (Brick), Sophia Lee ’12 (Tinton Falls) and Paul Park performed such Christmas carols as “Joy to the World,” holiday pop selections like “Frosty the Snowman” and classical selections also played at the Upper School’s Winter Concert where the ensemble originally made its debut. “I was very touched and proud of my students who showed integrity, compassion and care, and truly brought the spirit of Ranney School to life with this initiative,” said Dr. Sobieski. The Upper School’s seven-member Chamber Ensemble allows students to develop their technical and musicianship skills and learn the principles of ensemble performances, while focusing on selections of classical repertoire. As the Lower and Middle School’s String Orchestras continue to grow, Dr. Sobieski hopes that the Chamber Ensemble will someday transform into an Upper School Orchestra.

Sara Donnelly (Holmdel), Kathleen Donnelly (Holmdel) & Corrine Villany (Colts Neck)
Beginning last spring, fourth graders Sara Donnelly, Kate Donnelly and Corrine Villany — along with fellow fifth grade teammate Bridget Zhang — joined the FIRST LEGO League (FLL). Since then, the four have been busy at work, devoting two to four hours per week preparing for competition. Representing team “Neon Spirit,” the girls headed to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 7. Competing against students grades four through eight, the girls gave three presentations, and answered five minutes of questioning from a panel of judges following each. Their presentations included: a problem and solution skit, core values on working together, and a technical executive summary on their robot’s design. With the tournament’s core value presentation requiring that every group complete a teambuilding activity, “Neon Spirit” demonstrated 100% cooperation as the girls effectively communicated ways in which to depict the word “horse” using only their bodies.

Team “Neon Spirit” also completed a Robot Game during the competition. With each FLL judge determining a winning robot based on three separate runs, the girls finished fourth out of 33 competing groups. Aside from having the opportunity to receive nine standard Individual awards in such categories as project (research, innovation, presentation), core values (teamwork, inspiration, gracious professionalism) and robot design (mechanical, programming, strategy), three Champion Awards were also awarded to those teams who earned both high marks in each of the nine judging areas and whose robot finished within the top 40th percentile.
 
Much to their surprise, team “Neon Spirit” learned that it had earned a third place Champion Award, and will move on to the DE State Tournament on January 28. The girls will enter into the DE States as a top-10 team (out of a field of 40). If they do well, they will continue on to the World Festival. Thus far, the girls have learned that “if they work hard, work as a team, and put their enthusiasm into something, they can truly accomplish more than they ever dreamed was possible,” said one “Neon Spirit” coach Michelle Donnelly.
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.