Ellis Students Win 16 Awards at Science Competition
Congratulations to the 16 Ellis students who were awarded either first, second, or third place at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) Regional Competition. Students visited Duquesne University on Saturday, February 2 to present their projects in front of a panel of judges. Both Middle and Upper School students were also awarded special awards such as the STARS Special Award, the Duquesne University Award for Excellence in Chemistry, the Meghan Roe Microbiology Perseverance Award, and others.
PJAS is a statewide organization that promotes and encourages science and mathematics research and analysis among junior and senior high school students. At the competition, students participate within different scientific categories of research (such as Computer Science, Engineering, Biochemistry, Biology, Mathematics, etc.) and present their hypothesis and findings to a panel of judges. Once the judges deliberate and determine student’s scores, the awards are announced and all first place winners automatically receive a spot at the final state competition.
“I was very proud to sit at the PJAS awards ceremony for the first time on Saturday, both as a parent and as an Ellis faculty member,” said Cara LaRoche, “the number of times our students were recognized, given how many participants we had, was quite impressive.”
The Ellis School is extremely proud of the time and effort that went into these student’s projects and their performance at the competition on Saturday.
Middle School (By Grade Level, Alphabetical)
Franny LaRoche (7th Grade) - 1st Place Award
Sarah Ali (8th Grade) - 1st Place Award, STARS Special Award
Viola Haggerty (8th Grade) - 1st Place Award, STARS Special Award
Kate Nury (8th Grade) - 2nd Place Award
Sreethi Ramineni (8th Grade) - 1st Place Award
Serena Sharan (8th Grade) - 3rd Place Award
Upper School (By Grade Level, Alphabetical)
Eleanor Barth Wu (9th Grade) - 1st Place Award, Duquesne University Award for Excellence in Chemistry
Makayla Malandra (9th Grade) - 2nd Place Award
Meghan McNabb (9th Grade) - 1st Place Award, Duquesne University Award for Excellence in Chemistry, and the Meghan Roe Microbiology Perseverance Award
Shivani Nangia (9th Grade) - 1st Place Award
Erika Rispoli (9th Grade) - 1st Place Award, Duquesne University Department of Biomedical Engineering Award
Shivani Watson (9th Grade) - 1st Place Award, Duquesne University Award for Excellence in Biochemistry, and Duane Keenan Award in Biochemistry
Maya Winter (9th Grade) - 1st Place Award
Sami Silk (10th Grade) - 1st Place Award
Alex Wood (11th Grade) - 2nd Place Award
Lucia Snyderman (12th Grade) - 1st Place Award, Perseverance Award 6 Years!
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