MMI junior receives rare individual award during Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week program

MMI Preparatory School junior Joel Cruz received the Raymond G. Weber award during the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) program, which was held in July at Lycoming College in Williamsport. The program is presented by the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education.

The Raymond G. Weber award, which is rarely given at PFEW, is the only individual student award ever presented during the program. It is named after one of the founders of PFEW, whose passion and vision made the program what it is today. The award is presented to students who rise above extraordinary challenges, exhibit remarkable courage when faced with adversity and makes a profound impact on their teammates and all those around them.

Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) is a unique summer program that offers incoming high school juniors and seniors an intensive and challenging opportunity to see what it is like to run their own business. Participants create an imaginary management team and learn first-hand about the American free enterprise system. The students develop their own marketing strategies for their businesses, design a website and make all the decisions that are demanded of real life company executives.

Two MMI Students Place in International Interdependence Hexagon Project Competition

MMI Preparatory School seventh graders Jakob Narrow and John Schwear III received recognition and will have their artwork exhibited as part of the 2017 International Interdependence Hexagon Project competition.

For the competition, which was completed during the 2016-17 school year, Narrow and Schwear competed in the Elementary Division (grades 4-6) in the 2-D category, which indicated a single student worked to create a two-dimensional hexagon. Narrow won the award for Most Effective All-Over Interpretation, while Schwear was an honorable mention selection in the Most Relevant Interdependence Theme category.

The International Interdependence Hexagon Project is a visual arts opportunity for young people ages 4 to 18 worldwide that is based out of Scranton. The annual project asks young people to create art within the infinitely inter-linking shape of a hexagon, a metaphor for interconnectedness. Entrants are asked to create their art in relation to the theme of our interconnectedness and acting interdependently. The symbol of the hexagon was used for the 11th consecutive year as a format to explore ideas about interdependence.

MMI instructor Lisa Marie Ferry Gives Presentation at STR2E2AM Conference at King’s College

MMI Preparatory School art instructor Lisa Marie Ferry recently gave a presentation at the STR²E²AM Evidence-Based Practices Conference at King’s College’s Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center in Wilkes-Barre. The conference covered material for pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade educators in the areas of science, technology, reading, writing, engineering, early childhood education, arts and mathematics.

Ferry’s presentation was entitled “Turning Anxiety into Creativity.” The hands-on session addressed the anxiety and stress students suffer in the classroom and examined evidence-based strategies that can be used to alleviate their symptoms not only in the art curriculum, but other classes and beyond.

MMI Alumnus Honors Class of 1967 With Sculpture That Merges Art and Mathematics

MMI Preparatory School graduate Salvadore DeFazio ‘67 presented his latest sculpture to the school during Alumni Weekend.  The sculpture honors the Class of 1967 as classmates prepare to celebrate their 50^th reunion with a gathering in October.  The statue was unveiled during a ceremony Saturday in the Mildred Culp Kahler Courtyard at MMI.

“I have artwork all over the world and felt it was time to do something for my alma mater,” DeFazio said. “It’s something I wanted to do for MMI because, obviously, I developed my earliest training at the school.”

DeFazio explained that the sculpture has dual titles that combine the concepts of art and mathematics. In an artistic sense, the sculpture is known as Apollo’s Harp and represents Apollo, the Greek God of the sun. On the mathematics side, the sculpture carries the title of Plotting the Gravitational Waves of the Solar System and honors MMI’s history as the Mining and Mechanical Institute.

Lisa Marie Ferry Wins Art Educator Award from Pennsylvania Art Education Association

MMI Preparatory School art instructor Lisa Marie Ferry was selected to receive the 2017 Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA) Outstanding Non-Public Art Educator Award. The award recognizes exemplary contributions, achievements and service to art education at the state, regional and national levels. It is given on behalf of the PAEA Awards Committee and PAEA Board.

A nomination letter and two additional letters of recommendation were required for each award candidate. The award selection process took into account a candidate’s level of education; participation in National Art Education Association (NAEA) activities on the national, regional, state and local levels; their leadership roles, offices and/or honors in other professional associations; related experience with program development, publications, artistic production and/or exhibitions; and additional teaching or related experiences.

PA School for Global Entrepreneurship, a Student Perspective.

By Sydney Karpowich
MMI Senior

The Pennsylvania School of Global Entrepreneurship (PSGE) has ignited my entrepreneurial spirit and helped me expand on business ventures I am involved in, as well as sparked creativity to develop other business ideas.  I have been working on an idea to develop a free women’s self-defense organization to combat rising abuse rates against local women.  Additionally, I am currently working with a team of four girls on an iDeX pitch, featuring an app that allows users to more effectively medically diagnose themselves at home. 

For my company project at PSGE, I was on a team with six other students to work for Soltech Solutions. The company produces grow lights that not only allow plants to flourish indoors, but also increases the ambiance of one's space. Our job was to create a new marketing campaign for the company and increase sales to other businesses.

MMI students tour Italy 2017

By T.R. Laputka
Director of Technology

Eleven MMI students, three parents and two faculty members traveled to Italy during spring break 2017 for an educational tour. Arranged by EF Education Tours, the tour took them through Milan, Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and many other towns. For most of the students this had been the first time they had traveled to Europe. T.R. Laputka, MMI technology director, and Michael Mele, Science Department Chair and Science instructor, led the private group.

Not Just Another Club

By Allison McGeehan
MMI Senior

When I first joined FBLA three years ago, I had no idea how much of an impact it would have on my life. Just entering my freshman year of high school, I really didn’t know much about FBLA, other than the fact it was a club to add to my résumé, and it focused on business, a topic that I was beginning to think about pursuing in the future. Flash-forward to sophomore year when I participated in the competitive event of Business Communications and was fortunate enough to qualify to compete at both the State Leadership Conference in Hershey and the National Leadership Conference in Chicago. At this point, I was well aware of the benefits and opportunities being a member of FBLA provided me, not just in terms of business education, but in developing leadership qualities and having the opportunity to network with motivated students and professionals from around the country.