It’s a tradition enjoyed by students, parents and staff alike: Some of Lakeland Regional High School’s best and brightest were honored in a special segment of the September Board of Ed meeting, with awards and honors presented to a variety of students by Assistant Superintendent Mr. Michael Novak. This year’s meeting was on September 19, 2023.
Awards for a multitude of categories of achievement were distributed during the meeting: Performance on the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA,) AP Scholar awards, performance on the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test,) as well as two unique awards from College Board bestowed upon two exceptional Lakeland students.
The NJPGA
The NJPGA is a state test given to all New Jersey high school students in the spring of their junior year. It consists of two sections, English and Math, with the scoring scale being 650 to 850 for each section (an 850 being the highest possible score on a section.)
For scoring among the top percent on the English section when they took the test during the 2022-23 school year, the following now-seniors were recognized: Noah Bulleri, Katherine Geisel, Isabella Hennessey, Eduin Moya, Jacob Spear, Sam Stokem, Peter Sutula, Kylen Trossman and Piotr Widerynski. This impressive feat is a great achievement for all of these students.
More exceptional still, the following now-seniors had perfect scores on the English section: Erin Baione, Allison Doran, Shannon Kincaid, Patrick Scharr, Stephan Schwab, Elisa Uzeiri and Carter Vargas.
Standardized tests are never easy, so congratulations to these many students for crushing the NJGPA!
AP Scholar Awards
AP Exams are tests administered by College Board corresponding to different AP classes which high school students can choose to take. These classes are often the most academically rigorous offered by high schools, designed to offer the most academically talented students the challenge of a college-level curriculum. Depending on the score a student achieves on an AP Exam, this has the potential to translate into college credits, exempting them from certain classes in college.
AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1 through 5, with a 3 and above being considered a passing grade.
As defined by College Board, AP Scholar awards come in three levels:
- AP Scholars are students who receive scores of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP Exams.
- AP Scholars with Honor are students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams, with scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams.
- AP Scholars with Distinction are students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams, with scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams.
The following students were recognized as AP Scholars: seniors Noah Bulleri, Patrick Scharr, Sean Walker, Piotr Widerynski, Liam Wright and Elisa Uzeiri. As emphasized by Mr. Novak, the effort of these students is highly commendable, and their hard work in rigorous classes paid off in the end as they achieved success on their AP Exams.
Recognized as AP Scholars with Honor were seniors Daniel Czeczot and Stephan Schwab, and recognized as AP Scholars with Distinction were seniors Diya Kumrah and Carter Vargas.
These seniors, with their great successes thus far, show no signs of slowing down, with all of the aforementioned individuals taking an impressive variety of AP classes this year including some of Lakeland’s most challenging courses, such as AP Calculus and AP Chemistry.
PSAT/NMSQT
The PSAT/NMSQT is a test offered to high school students to prepare them for the highly important SAT as well as to determine eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program. For their performance on the test, two students were granted Letters of Commendation “for outstanding performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in 2022.” The two students who received this honor were seniors Diya Kumrah and Stephan Schwab.
More Awards from College Board
College Board, the same organization which administers the SAT and AP Exams, recognizes students nationwide for a variety of achievements not directly related to their performance on exams. Per College Board’s website, these programs are designed to “award academic honors to underrepresented students.”
The first of these awards was the National Hispanic Recognition Award, won by junior Brianna Rodriguez.
The second award was the National Rural & Small Town Award, won by junior Eva Bodner-Whetstone.
These awards are only given to a limited number of students nationwide, so these are incredible honors for the two students who received them!
Congratulations, Lancers!
Presenter Mr. Michael Novak, assistant superintendent, highlighted the brilliance and achievement of every single student who received an honor at the meeting. While rigorous workloads combined with a plethora of extracurricular activities can become daunting for students, so many of them have the incredible ability to persevere and maintain their status as the best of the best despite the challenges they may face.
Mr. Novak emphasized his congratulations to the students who received multiple awards: two honors each for seniors Noah Bulleri, Diya Kumrah, Patrick Scharr, Elisa Uzeiri, Carter Vargas and Piotr Widerynski, and three honors for senior Stephan Schwab. With all of these students among the highest-ranking in their class, it’s no secret that they have worked exceptionally hard to get where they are.
To every student that received any type of award or honor at September’s Board of Education meeting, congratulations! Go Lancers!
The next Board of Education meeting is October 17, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Chris Schwab • Oct 18, 2023 at 8:50 am
Excellent achievements!