Each year, approximately 1.6 million students take the PSAT/NMSQT exam.  This exam not only prepares students for the SAT but also allows students to enroll in a competitive program that screens superior academic performance for future scholarships.

Scholarships can range from a few hundred dollars to 100% paid tuition with money donated from the College Board, corporate sponsors, and college sponsorships. The top 50,000 students are recognized each year as Merit Scholars.  The top 16,000 students from the pool of 50,000 are named as Semifinalists and the remaining 36,000 are titled Commended. After successfully completing an application and fulfilling the rigorous requirements of the program, the top 15,000 (less than 1% of all test takers) are identified as Finalists.  We are very excited to announce that we had three Finalists, one Semifinalist and 8 Commended Merit Scholars in the class of 2018.

Finalists:

Bryce Gavin
Charlotte Nesbitt
Zezette Pflaum

Semifinalist:

Steven Burchett

Commended:

Anne Baskwill
Tanner Haynes
Josh Kerr
Ban Khuc
Maya Lehman
Kaidin Mir-Young
Katherine Mooney
Peyton Stuart

2019 National Merit Scholarship Program Semi-Finalists were recently announced and included four York Suburban seniors:

Samuel R. Garncarz, son of Mr. John and Mrs. Anne Marie Grancarz

Zoe M. Prats, daughter of Mr. Jamie and Mrs. Melanie Prats

Bryn C. Walsh, daughter of Mr. Ned Walsh and Mrs. Jennifer Hughes

Caleb J. West, son of Mr. Jonathan and Mrs. Heidi West

Submitted by Mr. Scott Shirey, High School Assistant Principal

York Suburban proudly welcomes 37 new staff members to its Community of Encouragement for the 2018-2019 school year.  The additional YS team members include one administrator, one social worker, 16 teachers, and 19 support staff.

This summer, York Suburban Middle School students kept their math skills sharp by attending a two week Summer Math Academy held at the middle school during the month of July. The optional program, in its inaugural year, provided over 20 incoming 7th and 8th-grade students with the opportunity to engage in real-world mathematics applications without the pressure of grades, homework, and tests. Math teachers from grades 6-8 facilitated the program and worked with students in small groups. “One of our goals was for students to discover the enjoyment of math and to see how it relates to their everyday lives without the stress that a formal classroom setting can bring”, noted principal Dr. Scott Krauser. “Making mathematics meaningful and relevant is an integral component in confidence and success in math ability.”

The first week of the program focused on the math skills related to ratios and proportions developed through recipe planning for a large crowd and included a walking field trip to Weis to calculate the price of meals and find the best buy for each item on the ingredient list. In the second week, students designed a dream bedroom and selected paint, carpeting, and furnishings using area and cost calculations, all embedded in geometric skills. The “virtual” purchases were required to stay within a specified budget. Each week concluded with student presentations showcasing the recipes and bedrooms and the mathematics involved.

When asked about her thoughts on spending her summer vacation working on math, one 8th grade student commented that she “liked that we were doing math without even realizing it.” Students also remarked that they enjoyed working with friends in a smaller group and that they liked getting to know different teachers throughout the week. A 7th-grade participant summed up her experience perfectly by noting that she “never really knew how expensive stuff was! That taught me a lot about real life math!”

Submitted by Mrs. Alicia Kowitz

The Impact Foundation (IF) is a student-led committee of the York Suburban Education Foundation (YSEF) with a mission of “students helping students.” The committee consists of 17 junior and senior board members as well as 14 underclassmen volunteers. The students have been working in preparation for the new school year by packing and distributing 31 school supply starter kits throughout the district, hosting tables for each building’s Back to School night, and responding to Impact Closet need requests. Impact Closets are located in each school to provide essential items for students who may need a helping hand. 

IF would like to thank the outstanding community partners assisting with Food for Thought, a food backpack program supporting food insecure students. Luther Memorial Church collected food all summer and church volunteers helped in preparing the products for the first packing day. Throughout the school year, IF students will be packing and distributing these food backpacks weekly. Zach Weinstein (2017 Impact Foundation President) and YS parent Melissa Plotkin coordinated food donation drives in their neighborhoods.

Are you interested in organizing a neighborhood food drive? Would you like to make a regular food or monetary donation to the Impact Foundation/Food for Thought? If so, contact YSEF at info@ysef.org or visit the website at www.ysef.org. Thank you — together we can make an IMPACT!

Submitted By: Lauren Guyer, YS junior

Congratulations to the York Suburban students selected to join the York Junior Symphony Orchestra! In August, these outstanding YS musicians auditioned (with scales and prepared pieces) against other top instrumentalists from York County schools and were accepted into this exceptional ensemble. What an honor! York Suburban is well-represented and their directors are #YSProud

Pictured (l-r): Riley Sullivan (8th – bass), Emma Hilty (8th – violin), Sabiya Neuman (7th – violin), Lexi Purkanto (5th – violin), Lillian Baker (7th – violin), Jesse Ehrlich (8th – french horn), Rebecca West (7th – viola), Myles Druck (7th – violin)

Senior Yarelis Alicea, daughter of Yajaira Alicea, was awarded 2nd runner-up in the Miss Latina 2018 at the York Fairgrounds on September 15, 2018. Yarelis represented York Suburban High School in a county-wide search for a Latino young woman to be an ambassador to the community with leadership, volunteer service, and pride for the Latino community.

Skills are learned, not inherited. Third grade is a year of big transition, moving from a primary building to an intermediate building. A goal is to instill a mindset of students taking individual responsibility for their learning, which takes a lot of hard work and practice. After reading The Dot by Peter Reynolds, the Indian Rock students created a classroom poster by making their mark using watercolors and adding thoughts that will strengthen their brain as they take steps to learn new things.

Submitted by Mrs. Sherri Mahorney

Students: Cole Eckenroth and Zhoie Clark

Students: Piper Logan and Noah Diehl.

York Suburban’s elementary libraries were active places this summer!  All four buildings opened their library doors every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the months of July and August.  Students visited the library with their family members each week. There they were able to participate in activities such as read aloud, guest readers, computer time, STEAM activities, and various theme-based activities.  High school student-athletes donned capes and costumes to read for Super Hero Day and community helpers such as the local fire chief joined in on the summer fun.

All students left each session with smiles on their faces and library books to take home and enjoy.