National Merit Scholarship commendations
Forty-eight seniors in the Great Neck Public Schools have been named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. These students placed among the top 50,000 of the more than 1.5 million juniors who took the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Each honoree received a Letter of Commendation in recognition of exceptional academic promise. Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some become candidates for scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.
“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
North High Commended Students
North High’s Commended Students are: Michael Bornstein, Ryan Chen, Claire Cho, Jamie Fleshel, Kevin Khadavi, Reyna Kim, Gregory Leung, Zachary Levine, Jason Mei, Ernest Pang, Hailey Toch, Sarah Tsai, Trinity Wu, William Wu, Christopher Yang, Olivia Yeroushalmi, and Han Zheng.
South High Commended Students
South High’s Commended Students are: Laura An, Tristan Atreides, FeiFan Cao, Chloe Chan, Andrew Choe, Hannah Fisk, Sophie Galperin, Jonathan Guo, Nicole Kam, Joonhyuk Ko, Johann Lee, Aileen Li, Collin Li, Jessica Lin, Samantha Lin, Samuel Lurvey, Joshua Magidson, Sana Merchant, Eileen Mou, Daniel Niu, Preeti Shaji, Shruti Shaji, Kate Shaw, Neal Sodhi, Grace Song, Charrei Sung, Yiqi Tan, Lydia Wang, Derek Yu, Kevin Zhang, and Andrea Zhou.
NYSSMA Piano Showcase
North High School junior Hwi-On Lee has been selected to perform in the New York State School Music Educators Association (NYSSMA) Piano Showcase, part of the 2021 All-State Winter Conference.
There were 95 applicants for this year’s showcase and only 12 musicians were chosen for this prestigious honor. Hwi-On will perform Prokofiev Sonata Op. 28 No. 3 in A minor.
Hwi-On is a talented musician who plays multiple instruments across several performing groups at North High, including Chamber Music, Symphonic Band, Symphony Orchestra, and the Musical Pit Orchestra. In addition to her selection for the Piano Showcase, she has also been named as an Alternate violinist for the 2021 All-State Music Ensembles.
“Hwi-On has brought the level of musicianship in our music program to the highest standard possible,” says Joseph Rutkowski, instrumental music teacher at North High. “She plays the violin like a concertmaster in a professional orchestra. She plays the piano like no other student I have heard. And she really dazzles us when we hear her play the rock drum set.”
The NYSSMA All-State Winter Conference features various performances by the state’s finest student musicians as individuals and in ensembles. This year’s conference will take place in Rochester on Dec. 2–5, 2021.
UPK registration for 2022–23
Early registration for the Great Neck Public Schools Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program (UPK) for the 2022–23 school year will open on Oct. 25 and conclude on Nov. 12, 2021. All applications for UPK registration must be submitted online.
Parents are strongly encouraged to register their child(ren) for UPK during the early registration period from Oct. 25 through Nov. 12. Only applications submitted by Nov. 12 will be considered if a lottery is needed to determine student placement in a morning or afternoon session. Appointments to finalize applications will be scheduled from Nov. 29 through Dec. 11. If a lottery is necessary, it will take place in January 2022.
The UPK program is offered to all district residents at no cost. In order to be eligible, children must be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2022. The online registration application and instructions for submitting the necessary documents are available on the district website at www.greatneck.k12.ny.us/registration.
The UPK program is housed in-district at two sites: Parkville School (10 Campbell St., New Hyde Park) for families residing within the Baker, Lakeville, and Saddle Rock elementary school zones; and Kennedy School (1A Grassfield Rd., Great Neck) for families residing within the Kennedy elementary school zone. Morning and afternoon sessions are available. District bus transportation is only provided to and from UPK for either the morning or the afternoon session.
In compliance with the New York State Education Department, some students can attend the district’s UPK collaborative agency, Great Neck Community School, located at 225 Schenck Ave. School district bus transportation is not available to or from the Schenck Ave. location.
The following documents are required for registration: proof of school district residency (in the form of either a deed; current tax bill, or closing statement, if ownership; or current signed lease, or current rent receipts, if rental); three pieces of current, official USPS mail; child’s original birth certificate; parent or guardian valid photo ID; parental control papers (if applicable); and child’s immunization certificate signed and stamped by a physician or an authorized health agency.
For more information about early UPK registration, please contact the Registration Office by phone at (516) 441-4080, or by e-mail at residency@greatneck.k12.ny.us.
