SV students accepted into elite summer programs

Summer elite programs

Demonstrating their ongoing commitment to academic excellence, several talented Seneca Valley students were recently accepted into elite summer programs.

Junior Isabella Muthler will be attending the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences at Carnegie Mellon. The Pennsylvania Governor’s School is an intensive, five-week summer residential program that emphasizes cooperative learning, hands-on laboratory research and experience working with leading experts and university staff. All students accepted in the program are awarded scholarships, which cover the costs of housing, meals and all instructional materials.

Senior Julia Lipscomb and juniors Addison McClane, Ivan Chen and Eric Chen will be attending the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy, a hands-on summer program that engages students in cutting-edge cancer research. Ms. McClane was asked to return, for the second year, to continue her impressive research – an exceptional honor to be invited back! Through the eight-week program, high school students, will work in laboratories directed by dedicated faculty at sites across the University of Pittsburgh campus. Scholars in The Hillman Academy explore complex questions within a particular area of cancer research. The majority of their time is spent working in the lab with their assigned mentors. The remaining time is spent receiving didactic instruction, touring facilities dedicated to clinical cancer care and research, participating in journal clubs and attending cameo presentations by accomplished professionals in the field. At the end of the program, each scholar delivers a ten-minute oral presentation and participates in a poster symposium that reflects their findings in the lab.

“These students have been a part of Seneca Valley’s Center for Biotechnology Research Lab,” said Ms. Patti Griest, Seneca Valley Intermediate High School Gifted Support teacher. “It speaks to the preparation and experience they are gaining here at Seneca Valley to get accepted into these programs.”

Junior Heather Schwartz will be attending the Summer Science Program (SSP) in Astrophysics at New Mexico State University. Heather was also named a National Cyber Scholar by National Cyber Scholarship Foundation this year. Earlier this month, she was also elected as the Chief Supreme Court Justice for this year’s PA Youth and Government program. Heather’s five-week summer program at NMSU SSP is a leading immersive experience for exceptional high school students. Every program features a guest lecture series in which participants hear from and get to meet scientists, mathematicians, engineers and other professionals, including Nobel Laureates. They actively participate in hands-on research projects and learn the value of collaboration and connection, rigor and challenge, trust and respect and inclusivity and support.

“I’m proud of the initiative these students have shown to continue their enrichment over the summer in some incredibly rigorous programs,” said Mr. Dean Walker, Seneca Valley Senior High School Gifted Support Teacher. “Seneca Valley has cultivated a reputation through the successes and accomplishments of our students that have previously attended these highly selective and prestigious programs. We’re reached a point now where we’re seeing multiple students being accepted to these programs year after year. I’m excited to have a group of students of this caliber continuing to represent Seneca Valley and our tradition of excellence.”