The new year opened with hundreds of Science Fair projects on display in the Black Box theatre. Subjects ranged from chemistry to biology to answers to household questions. The display boards and the research were impressive and we expect much success for the first place winners who will go on to county competition. Historically, we are successful at that level and have had many projects go on to state competition and beyond. First place winners at both the high school and middle school level are eligible to compete county-wide.

	AHS Science Fair - High School (First Place/15 eligible) Zoe Zhou Miguel Paredes Harshath Gupta Bo You Angelica Gousse Kristina Thoren Jude Alawa Farrah Sklar Osvaldo Bianchi Susanna Bolt Rachel Gilfarb Francisco Zhu Sameer Kailasa Rachel Shapiro Adam Behar Trevor Birenbaum Mayuri Visnawanathan
Science Fair -  Middle School (First Place/10 eligible) Dawson Cohen Hemangi Rajpal Caroline Buechele Diego Ramos Zara Joykutty Sloane Kapit Suganth Kannan Rebekah Umansky Jonathan Mirchandani Nicholas Mirchandani Nithya Kasarla Moriah Bocus Nilay Neeranjun Cindy Reche

Shannon Farrell, AHS class of 2011, returned to American Heritage on January 9th as a student admission representative from Yale. Shannon, a sophomore, works in the admissions office and returned to her alma mater to speak with Heritage students about college life, financial aid, the residential college system and, most importantly, the admissions requirements at Yale University.

Shannon began working for the admissions office last year, and getting the job was actually more difficult than getting accepted to Yale! Over 700 students applied for seven openings, and Shannon was one of the lucky seven selected to represent the college as a student ambassador.

Yale University, which has 5300 undergraduate students, offers over 2000 courses in 78 majors. To get an idea of what all of those classes are about, students have a unique registration period called “shopping,” wherein they can sample classes for a two-week period prior to officially registering. Yale also happens to be one of the most highly-endowed colleges in America, and that affords their students tremendous learning advantages. With one billion dollars in STEM funding, Yale’s science majors have a world of year-round and summer research opportunities at their fingertips. Students also have the luxury of small classes, with 75% of all classes having fewer than 30 students and the remaining containing fewer than 10. And unlike typical institutions, Yale’s dormitories are 12 distinct “residential colleges,” essentially self-contained learning communities complete with their own libraries, gyms, residential halls, dining facilities, student centers, and social events. A tradition that dates back to Oxford and Cambridge, these colleges foster student “families” and strong campus community.

Shannon’s presentation also detailed financial aid and admissions. Yale is fortunate in that it can afford to meet 100% of a student’s financial need without loans. This means that it is actually possible for students to graduate debt-free and for less cost than typical state universities. To enjoy the benefits of such generous aid, though, one must first be admitted, a task that involves more than strong grades and test scores. Yale reviews applicants holistically, considering region, school, family background, and interests in addition to students’ test scores and high school transcripts.

AHS is fortunate to have Shannon representing Yale to our current students, and Heritage is also proud that we have three seniors who have already been accepted. For students and parents considering Yale, we encourage them to find out more by speaking with Yale Admissions, scheduling a campus tour, or visiting their website at www.yale.edu.

American Heritage student Josie Francois exemplifies what a stellar student and intellectual explorer should be. She has earned a full scholarship to attend Yale as a college freshman. Josie’s success is in part due to her strong character, dedication to learning, and a desire to become a doctor. Josie will be the first member of her family to attend college; she, her brother, and single mother emigrated from Haiti about 10 years ago. 

Josie has volunteered extensively at Holy Cross Hospital and the American Lung Association. In addition, she volunteers each summer at her former elementary school, where she is in charge of helping and training the other volunteers. All told, Josie has amassed more than 800 hours of volunteer service while in high school. 

To be needed, helpful, and to use her talents for the greater good: this is what drives and inspires Josie.  Her ultimate goal is to work with Doctors Without Borders. 

American Heritage is proud of the 57 members of the Class of 2013 who have been named to the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. These 57 students are among the 50,000 highest-scoring participants of 1.5 million program entrants. Heritage has claim to the largest number of Merit Semi-finalists in the state of Florida with 36 students, and another 21 Commended Scholars. Students who reach Finalist status in February of next year are eligible for college scholarships offered by Merit Scholarship, corporations and colleges.

Recognition is based on the scores earned on the PSAT, which students are required to take as juniors. In addition, qualified students are named National Hispanic Scholars or National Achievement Scholars based on the same test. We congratulate all of them on their accomplishments. 

American Heritage School was well represented at the National Mu Alpha Theta Convention held July 8-12 in Boston, MA. The Heritage Math Team once again earned the number one ranking among participating private schools. 

Mu Alpha Theta is the national honor society for math scholars. There are 1,732 chapters of Mu Alpha Theta worldwide. 

In addition to finishing as the number one private school in national competition, Heritage took home a total of 95  trophies for both team and individual events ranging from Algebra II to Calculus. 

We congratulate our students for their excellent showing at the national competition and for making American Heritage number one in math!

The student club “Letters for Better” recently donated over 2000 books to the Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary in Liberty City.  The media specialist at L. Pharr Elementary reports that the library has not received new books since the 90’s, and most of their books are from the 70’s. Heritage students not only donated over 2000 books that they pre-catalogued, but they also spent the day reading to Pre-K through 3rd grade students, many of whom do not own books at home, and therefore, do not get read to very often. 

Words cannot express what the visit meant to these children. They were so engaged with their guest readers, that even one special needs student who does not talk, responded during a choral reading done by Ian Olsson. Many of them asked if the Heritage students could come back and read again.  

A few even asked some of the students, “Will you be my mom?”

Club members got to see first-hand how under-privileged these kids are, how reading can bring people together, and that on that day, they made a difference.

For the second time in three years, the Heritage Mock Trial Team has won the state championship, hosted by the Florida Law Related Education Association (F.L.R.E.A). Winning the competition, which took place in Orlando, means that the Heritage team will once again proceed to the National High School Mock Trial Championship from May 9-11, in Indianapolis, where they will be challenged by, not only the best in America, but England and Australia as well.

Coached by Broward County criminal defense attorney Eric Schwartzreich and Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gilfarb, team members conducted opening and closing statements and performed direct as well as cross examinations in a simulated criminal case in the “State of Florida vs. Regan Buschell,” an aggravated battery case.

The Heritage Pre-Law program, directed by attorney Nikki Ippolitto Laurie, offers high school students the opportunity to take classes in evidence, constitutional law and trial advocacy, among many others. Students are solidly prepared by legal professionals for their efforts as part of the Mock Trial Team.

Young Scientists Take Most Awards at Florida Junior Academy of Science

On March 9, thirteen junior and senior high Heritage students competed at the Florida Junior Academy of Science (FJAS).  The competition, hosted at Barry University, requires students to present their research and science fair projects.   The students did exceedingly well, winning a grand total of 10 awards -  nearly one-third of all the awards given and the most by any school in the competition. The students’ projects were diverse and spanned various subjects, including environmental, medical, and physical sciences.  

Each student was given 10 minutes to present his/her research to a panel of judges that included professors from Barry and Nova University. The competition was stiff as schools, both private and public, came from all over the state to compete at FJAS.

In order to prepare for the FJAS competition, students worked under the tutelage of Dr. Charles Golden in a research class that is held weekly after school. The Science Research class requires a great deal of dedication and motivation, as students are required to research, select, experiment, and hone their projects over the course of the first semester. 

The students then continue to refine their project and work on putting together a presentation for various competitions held during the second semester. It is only through hard work that they can succeed as they have at this year’s FJAS competition. Wish them continued success for the rest of the year and on upcoming competitions.

 Tops at National Science Bowl

Heritage students won the regional National Science Bowl on March 15 held at Florida International University in Miami. The competition was part of a country-wide tournament initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science “to interest today’s youth in pursuing careers in science and math.” 

Finalist for 2013 US Physics Team

Francisco Rivera has been named as a semifinalist for the 2013 U.S. Physics Team! Each year, The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) sponsor a competition for high school students to represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad Competition. The mission of the U.S. Physics Team Program is to promote and demonstrate academic excellence through preparation for and participation in the International Physics Olympiad. Congratulations, Francisco!

Finalists in Regional Science Bowl Head for DC

Heritage students Jude Jaraki, Jacob Kenin, Zoe Zhou, Kevin Kang, and Samir Khan are the champions of Regional Science Bowl held by the US Department of Energy. They defeated 25 teams from schools south of North Central Florida. They will compete in Washington, D.C., in April for the national title.

Semifinalists in Biology Olympiad

Last, but not least, the following students are semifinalists for the United States Biology Olympiad (USABO): Samir Khan, Dave Dulay, Lauren Goboff, Leor Shuflita, and Mayuri Viswanathan

Heritage students met with much success when the Model UN group attended the recent competition/conference in Chicago. Advisor Mark Gruskin’s team set all kinds of records, winning 29 awards, including nine first place “Best Delegate” awards.  In all, 29 out of 42 students won awards, 18 of them were top honors (Best or Outstanding Delegate), eight of these first place awards. Last year, only one delegate (Morgan Baskin) received a first place award. It appears that experience is paying off! After their success in Chicago, the Heritage team will be ranked #1 in the state of Florida and in the top 10 nationally.

The team dominated the competition. Almost 70% of Heritage students won awards, while across the board, less than 5% of all the students at the conference received awards. 

Over 200 schools were represented at the conference (2800 total delegates); many of the schools had 100 delegates.  Heritage was certainly the top school present, and at this point, the school is likely one of the best Model UN squads in the nation. Mr. Gruskin states, “We also garnered the attention of the national Model UN website, www.bestdelegate.com.  They wrote about us, took pictures of us for their website, and their director has already e-mailed me congratulations, urging me to stay in touch.”

Historically, the role of the Pre-Med Society has been focused on community service, mainly to benefit the pediatric oncology unit of the Chris Evert Children’s Hospital. The society, consisting of 150 dedicated students, hosts events such as the Pizza Party, Christmas Party, and 5K for a Better Day to support the hospital and other charities. As well as these events, the club also organizes weekly hospital visits and socials with the patients in the hospital.

This year, the group hosted the 8th annual 5K for a Better Day. This event takes place in February when over 350 runners participate in a run/walk around the hospital. All proceeds benefit the Chris Evert Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Cancer Center. This year, over $25,000 was raised to redecorate the Pediatric Oncology floor of the hospital.

Congratulations to Patricia A. Butts, Senior High Principal, who was recently honored by the Association of Independent Schools of Florida (AISF). Ms. Butts was selected to receive the “Distinguished Educator Award” in honor of her 38 years of service to American Heritage School.

In the words of Charlene Luna, President of AISF: “Ms. Butts has laid a foundation for thousands of students over the years.  The effect she has had and will have on the students and adults she has worked with cannot be measured.  Her wisdom and steady hand has left an impact on generations of students she has served and guided.  Her legacy will live on to affect future generations of students.”

This award was a great honor and a symbol of her dedication and commitment to our school.  She has made AHS what it is today.  Ms. Butts plans to retire at the end of this school year.  Her spirit and energy will continue to guide us as we move forward.

American Heritage High School was again the top individual high school in the State Science Fair Competition held in Lakeland, Florida, the week of March 25.  There were nearly 900 competitors at both the high school and middle school levels.  

Nine Heritage high school students qualified to participate and all nine won category prizes (compared to less than half of all participants).  One of the four top grand prizes went to Miguel Paredes, AHS Senior, for the second year in a row.  A second place was achieved by Kristina Thoren.  Third places were awarded to Rachel Gilfarb, Sameer Kailasa, Harshath Gupta, and Mayori Viswanathan, while Rachel Shapiro, Angelica Gousse, and Zoe Zhou earned fourth places.  

In the middle school division, all three of Heritage’s entrants won place awards as well.  Nicholas Mirchandani was awarded a fourth place, while Zara Joykutty and Diego Ramos won fifth places.    

Miguel Paredes represented Heritage and the State of Florida at the International Science and Engineering Fair which was held in Phoenix, Arizona. He won 2nd place. 

The Miami Herald Silver Knight Awards is one of the nation’s most highly regarded student awards programs. The purpose of this program is to recognize outstanding students who have not only maintained good grades, but who have also unselfishly applied their special knowledge and talents to contribute significant service to their communities. Past publisher, Pulitzer Prize winner John S. Knight, instituted the program at The Miami Herald in 1959.

The program is open to high school seniors in Dade and Broward Counties, who have high GPA’s and hundreds of hours of community service over their four years of high school. Each school may nominate one student in any or all of fifteen different categories.

The nominees must each submit an extensive application, which includes documentation of all they have done and achieved during their four years of high school. A panel of independent judges interviews each candidate; each panel selects one Silver Knight and three honorable mentions in their category.

This year, American Heritage had thirteen nominees:  Morgan Baskin (Social Science), Rohan Batra (Mathenatics), Melissa Danz (Journalism), Sameer Kailasa (General Scholarship, Brendan Krimsky (Speech), Drew Kurzman (Music & Dance), Sara Lichterman (New Media), Francisco Mestre (Business), Daniel Notman (Vocational Technical), Miguel Paredes (World Languages), Christie Ramsaran (Art), Andrew Rubio (Science), John Wiltshire (English & Literature). We are very proud of all of them.

All nominees for both Dade and Broward Counties were recognized at a very special ceremony on May 22 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami. Special congratulations to Silver Knight winners Rohan Batra and Christie Ramsaran; each received the coveted Silver Knight trophy, a Silver Knight medallion, two round trip tickets to anywhere in the continental United States, and a check for $2000. Four of our students received Honorable Mention Awards; each was presented with an engraved plaque and a check for $500. Congratulations to Melissa Danz, Brendan Krimsky, Drew Kurzman, and Miguel Paredes.  

Two students from American Heritage have qualified for the Math Olympiad. The first is sophomore Francisco Rivera, for his first time, and the second is senior Bradley Snider, for an amazing third time.

The Math Olympiad is the pinnacle of math competitions. Students must take two exhaustive qualifying tests. The first one is 75 minutes long; success on that one wins students the opportunity to take a second test, which is three hours long. Less than half of one percent (0.5%) of students taking the tests qualify for the Olympiad. American Heritage is the only private school in the state to have anyone qualify.

Congratulations to Bradley Snider and Francisco Rivera for their outstanding performance, thus far. Let’s wish them good luck as they prepare for the grueling two day challenge of the Math Olympiad, which tests them each day for 4.5 hours.

The test for the two students is administered at Heritage under the strictest controls on April 30 and May 1.

Harshi  is now a graduate of the 2013 STARS program. The prestigious six-week summer science program, which ended July 19, pairs academically talented junior and senior high school students with top research mentors from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis University, Washington University in St. Louis and the host institution, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Experts from the four institutions took on student apprentices in laboratories and directed them in research projects. Also, students attended lectures by nationally known scientists from the St. Louis science community; learned information concerning the higher education admission process; and enjoyed social events such as bowling, a movie, an ice cream social, the St. Louis Symphony and a St. Louis Cardinals game.

This recent summer session included nearly 90 high school students.

Harshath’s research paper was titled “Proliferative effects of DIAPH2 knockdown in multiple myeloma.” His mentor for the project was Dr. Michael Tomasson, Washington University.

Judge Michael Usan is the second judge to join the Heritage Pre-law Program. He is teaching Honors Criminal Law during first semester and will teach Honors Criminal Law second semester.

The judge is a graduate of the University of Minnesota,with a B.A. in Political Science, Russian Area Studies. He earned his Juris Doctor degree at Wake Forest University School of Law.

Judge Usan is a Circuit Court Judge, 17th Judicial Circuit,  assigned to a felony criminal division where they have, on average, about 800 pending cases. Cases range from various third degree felonies such as drug possession and grand theft up to first degree, life and capital felonies such as rape, armed robbery with a firearm and murder.   This includes death penalty cases. He also hears appeals from county court cases.

Judge Usan states, “I’m very impressed with the ability of my students, 10th and 11th graders, in grasping concepts that are usually not taught until college.” He wants his students “to develop a solid understanding of how the criminal justice system works in Florida and across the United States; to appreciate the many avenues open to those who choose a career in the legal field.” And just as in law school, he wants to teach them how to think like a lawyer in a comprehensive, rational, and analytical manner.

He is married to Charlotte Rosner Usan. Children Jacob Usan and Naomi Usan, are Heritage students and both are in 8th grade. (twins)

Judge David Haimes began his second year with the Pre-law Program. In addition to his activities at Heritage, Judge Haimes is with the 17th Judicial Circuit, Ft. Lauderdale.

He is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Notre Dame Law School. He has practiced law in various capacities since 1987, including as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Florida, previous to being named to the Judicial Court. He is assigned to the Criminal Division and handles “all types of felony cases, ranging from third degree felonies to capital murder cases.”

The judge remains very enthusiastic about teaching students at this level. His expectations for students in his classes: “Students will learn how to utilize the Federal Rules of Evidence and how to introduce evidence at a trial.  Students participate in mock trial activities during which they both learn and have some fun.”

The judge and his wife Dianne have five children, including a son, Brian,  who is a sophomore at Heritage.

Congratulations to Alexander  who was the overall winner the past summer at the Entrepreneurship Summer Camp and Personal Enrichment ( E.S.C.A.P.E.) program at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship.

More than 50 high school students have attended the Entrepreneurship Summer Camp and Personal Enrichment (E .S.C.A.P.E.) program at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship since it began in 2010. All participants arrived at camp with an idea for a business that they would like to start. The instructors were highly impressed with these innovative business ideas, and throughout the week, helped get students on the right track to developing ethical businesses. The campers displayed maturity through their insightful questions and while delivering their  speeches and business plan.

On June 23, a team of three students, James McLaughlin, Barath Tirumula, and Ricardo Van Zanten, all ninth graders in the first year of the Pre-engineering Program, won first place at the 2013 SECME National Engineering Design - Mousetrap Car Competition - High School Division.

In the Mousetrap Car Competition,  students design, build and demonstrate small cars that use a standard mousetrap as the only source of power for the car.  The competition evaluates teams in multiple areas, including a technical report, technical drawing, personal interviews and a very demanding performance demonstration of the mousetrap car. The performance demonstration evaluated multiple car properties, rewarding teams for maximum distance and speed while also giving points for minimum length and weight.

SECME holds regional events throughout the country, and the first place regional winners are invited to compete in the national finals. SECME stands for Diversity in STEM Education and was established in 1975 to encourage the participation of all segments of the community in the academic pursuit of engineering.  

This was the first time that American Heritage competed in this event. The team won the regional competition held at Coral Springs High School on April 27, competing against 14 other schools from Broward county. The national event was hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, College of Engineering, in Daytona Beach.

The Heritage team came in first place in every aspect of the national competition, winning first place overall and accumulating an amazing perfect score of 300 out of 300 possible points, a feat rarely ever seen and well above the second place team. (See photo at left.)