PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT Saint Mary’s seniors honored in National Merit Scholarship Program Congratulations, to Saint Mary’s seniors honored in this year’s National Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. Serena Zhou ’21, pictured bottom center, has earned semifinalist status, placing her among the top 1 percent of the 1.5 million high school students who entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) as juniors. She will continue in the competition for a National Merit Scholarship. Saint Mary’s students earning Commended Student honors, placing them among the top 3.3 percent in the competition, are, pictured clockwise from bottom left, Anna Zulueta ’21, Rosemary Raynal ’21, Grace Dai ’21, Caroline Koonce ’21, Chloe Shen ’21, and Shirley Xue ’21. “Those recognized have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” says a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope this this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
Art students exhibit in China Art students Shirley Xue ’21, pictured left, and Tresa Zhao ’21, pictured right, curated and presented an art exhibit this summer in China, featuring art by Saint Mary’s students. The exhibit, Life Beyond Life: On the Horizon, opened in the art innovation zone M50 in Shanghai. Shirley and Tresa spoke at the opening. This art exhibition included 30 works of oil paintings, acrylic paintings, and photography. The content is divided into four subsections. Some of the art was brought from the United States but most was created by the students this summer in China. The idea was developed through Saint Mary’s Art Share Club. “I cannot tell how amazing curating such an exhibit is to me,” says Shirley. “I have gained lots of experience in all aspects of exhibition curation - from crafting the core ideas to interpersonal communications to external presentation and themes. I feel really lucky to make this bold attempt to get support from everyone around me, especially Tresa!” Congratulations, Shirley, Tresa, and the other contributing artists Becky Chen ‘21, Vivian Sun ‘22, and Pipi Pi ‘22, on an amazing exhibit, which also traveled to Beijing.
Saint Mary’s Senior creates Backpacks with Love project Each August before school starts, Saint Mary’s students stock their backpacks for the coming year. But, rising Lilli Russell ’21 spent her summer making sure children from low income families were also backpack ready for the new school year. Lilli partnered with a non-profit in her hometown of Wilmington, N.C., whose mission is to empower families of Title 1 schools. One of their immediate needs is to provide backpacks and school supplies to the children of these families. Some are food insecure, so to even think about school supplies presents a hardship. “I wanted to find a way where people could come together this summer to make a positive impact in our community while socially distancing,” says Lilli. “The uncertainty of what the upcoming school year was going to look like created stress for all of us, but one thing is certain - kids need school supplies to be successful!” Lilli exceeded her goal and put together some 50 backpacks for the children. She hopes to expand the program next summer. Learn more at Lilli’s Backpacks for Love website: https:// www.signupgenius.com/go/backpackswithlove
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