Coal Region News

North Pocono Middle School issued the following announcement on Oct. 18.

Mary Grace Alunni is the daughter of Dave and Maureen Alunni. Mary Grace’s passion for learning & music has been enriched by the many academic & musical opportunities available at North Pocono high school. While at the high school, Mary Grace has taken AP music theory, AP Calc, AP Biology, AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Gov, AP World, AP Seminar and AP Research. She participated in our Orchestra, District, Regional, and State Orchestra festivals, String Celebration, National Latin Exam, Medusa Mythology, Science Olympiad, & Mathletes. Additionally, Mary Grace has enjoyed participating in other community opportunities, including the Maywood Orchestra and her church choir. She has also served her parish as an altar server, lector, cantor, organist, and violist. Two of Mary Grace’s proudest accomplishments thus far have been achieving 3rd in class rank & qualifying for PA State Orchestra. Her love of music first sparked when she started to play the piano and was further kindled when she began the viola in fifth grade. She attributes her love of music to her parents, who introduced her to music, fostered her interests, and encouraged her creativity. Mary Grace is looking forward to her AP Research project, where she hopes to analyze the effects of music on the cognitive processes in the classroom. Following graduation in June, Mary Grace plans to major in pre-med/biochemistry or pre-med/neuroscience and minor in music.

Jacob Bianchi is the son of James & Karen Bianchi and is a resident of Moscow. Jacob is challenging himself with 6 AP courses his senior year, and by graduation will have completed a total of 13 AP courses. He is a 3 year member of the National Honor Society, and has received high honors every quarter throughout high school. He is currently ranked 2nd in his class. In addition to his demanding coursework, Jacob is quite involved in numerous school activities. He is the president of the Mathletes club and an active participant in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science program; he achieved a first award at the regional and state level for PJAS the last five years. Jacob is also a 3 year member of the Science Olympiad team, where he earned numerous medals for North Pocono. Jacob has a strong passion for the arts as well. He is a four year clarinet player in the marching band, and he is president of the Odyssey Players Drama Club. Jacob is starring as SpongeBob SquarePants in the upcoming North Pocono production of The Spongebob Musical! Outside of school, Jacob actively volunteers in the community, participates in local theater productions, and is a member of the Boy Scouts of America, where he earned the prestigious Eagle Scout Award at the age of 14. Jacob is currently serving a two-year term as Junior Council Member on the Moscow Borough Council. Post graduation, Jacob plans on attending college to further his education in Computer Science and Statistics, with aspirations to become a Data Scientist.

Victoria Simpson is the daughter of Richard and Mackenzie Simpson, has a sister named Hadley, who graduated from North Pocono last year. Victoria is making the most of her senior year by focusing on school. She is in the Nursing Program at CTC and will be obtaining all her certifications available to her. She has already passed her Handwashing skill, PPE skill, and Sterile Gloves skill. Victoria has been staying on top of her work and aiming to make honor roll for all 4 quarters. Although she doesn’t work right now, she wants to graduate and start a job as a CCMA while she goes to college. After graduation, Victoria plans to go to college for her RN, and then continue on to get her BSN. She hopes to get a job as an RN and move back to Germany.

Original source can be found here.