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.

MMI Inducts Four Members into School’s Wall of Fame

MMI Preparatory School inducted four members into its Wall of Fame during the 12^th annual Wall of Fame Awards dinner, which was held Saturday as part of MMI’s Alumni Weekend festivities. Stephen A. Makuta ’69 and Wilson L. Zehner ’81 were recognized for Athletic Achievement, Dennis P. Clarke was honored for Service to MMI and Atty. Donald M. Barnes ’61 was inducted for Professional Achievement.

MMI Head of School D. Scott Wiggins said, “On behalf of the entire MMI family, I am honored to see Steve, Wilson, Dennis and Don inducted into the MMI Wall of Fame. During their time at MMI, they each played a crucial role in developing MMI Preparatory School into the exemplary academic and athletic institution that it is today. They continue to serve as outstanding representatives of MMI in their personal and professional endeavors.”

MMI’s Literary Magazine Wins Silver Award from the Pennsylvania School Press Association

MMI Preparatory School’s literary magazine, Angst, won a Silver Award from the Pennsylvania School Press Association. 

Angst is produced annually and features literary and visual works of art that are submitted by MMI students in grades 9 through 12. The 2016-2017 edition included 22 poems, 11 non-fiction pieces, 10 works of fiction and 24 art or photography submissions. MMI English instructor Jennifer Novotney served as the faculty adviser for the project. Student editorial board members were: Olivia Minzola, editor in chief; Evan Spear, co-editor and visual arts editor; Jessica Smith, nonfiction editor; Hunter O’Clair, assistant nonfiction editor; Jacob Weiksner, fiction editor; Nicolo Cottone, assistant fiction editor; Jaclyn Braunstein, poetry editor; Merci Centrella, assistant poetry editor; Gabriella DeMelfi, production and biography editor; and Gunner Jankouskas and Zachary Gera, copy editors.

MMI Earns Awards at FBLA National Competition

MMI Preparatory School received a first-place award for Local Market Share during the Eastern Region Meeting at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Competition in Anaheim, California. The award is given to the school with the highest percentage of students in a high school involved in FBLA among all the states along the east coast of the United States as well as the island chapters of the Caribbean. This marked the sixth consecutive year that MMI students advanced to the national competition.

Chava Kornblatt, Morgan Long, Allison McGeehan, Jakob Schwabe, Jonathan Smith, Jessica Smith, Julia Snyder and Stephanie Zellner represented MMI at the event. McGeehan finished fourth in the nation in the Insurance Risk Management event.

MMI Social Sciences instructor Katherine Zucco serves as FBLA adviser and MMI Art instructor Lisa Ferry served as the chaperone.

MMI students tour Italy 2017

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.

An Unforgettable Experience

By Garrett Kost
MMI Junior

At MMI, we pride ourselves with practical and useful knowledge through application both in the classroom and in real life. But little do we actually get to test the latter. For me, a student of the German language and culture for three years, the ability to try out my skills is limited to my class or those rare occasions where one can speak in German a little or barely at all. In my opinion, one can study a language for many years, but until you use it in conversation with a native speaker, you could never even think of becoming fluent. Finally, my chance came with this trip. While there, I could practice my skills and see how well I do.