Pictured: 2025 American Legion Academic Excellence Award winners. First row, L to R: Kendall Orozco, Diane Kim, Alexander Composto, Michael Kranyak, Kiyan Paknezhad. Second Row, L to R: Commander Gerald Gaffney, Mr. Robert DeJohn, Ms. Laura Strober, Mrs. Theresa Long.

MMI Preparatory School recognized the achievements of its high school students during the Upper School Awards Ceremony on May 14. This annual event, hosted by Head of School Mrs. Theresa Long, honors students from ninth to twelfth grades who showcase excellence in various subjects and events. Assistant Head of School Mrs. Marcianna Hosier acted as the emcee for the night. 

Mrs. Theresa Long commented, “At MMI, we celebrate not only academic achievement, but the curiosity, dedication, and integrity that drive our students to reach their full potential. The Upper School Awards Ceremony is a reflection of our students’ hard work and the unwavering support of our faculty, families, and community. I am incredibly proud of each honoree and inspired by what their futures hold.” 

The American Legion’s Academic Excellence Awards were presented by Commander

Gerald Gaffney, Mr. Robert DeJohn, and Ms. Laura Strober of Freeland Post 473 to Alexander Composto ‘25, Michael Kranyak ‘25, Kendall Orozco ‘25, and Diane Kim ‘25. The 2025 American Legion Award was awarded to senior Kiyan Paknezhad ‘25.

The VFW established the Voice of Democracy program in 1947 to provide students in grades

nine through twelve the opportunity to express themselves in regards to democratic ideas and principles. The Freeland Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5010 recognized Alexis Bleiler ‘26 in the 2024-25 Voice of Democracy Competition. 

Mr. David Pedri, President of The Luzerne Foundation, joined the ceremony to recognize students for the Frank Pasdon Memorial Scholarship, the Father Louis S. Garbacik Memorial Scholarship, and the Ed Hughes Scholarship. 

The Frank Pasdon Memorial Scholarship, established by family and friends of Frank Pasdon, was created to thank the residents of the greater Jim Thorpe area who helped support the success of his business. Willa Bartholomew ‘25, Nicholas Pantages ‘25, and Winni Zheng ‘25 were honored with this award. 

Kendall Orozco ‘25 was awarded the Father Louis S. Garbacik Memorial Scholarship, which is given to graduating seniors within the Hazleton Area School District. 

The Ed Hughes Memorial Scholarship was presented to Alexander Composto ‘25, Michael Kranyak ‘25, and Joshua Witner ‘25. The Ed Hughes Scholarship Fund was created by Mr. Ed Hughes. It is awarded to students who display a strong sense of character, who are committed to their communities, and who choose to pursue their education despite facing challenges.
The W. Kevin O’Donnell Memorial Scholarship was presented by Ms. Courtney O’Donnell and Mrs. Erin O’Donnell Rudalavage, daughters of W. Kevin O’Donnell, Mr. Earl Berger, VP of CAN DO Community Foundation, and Mr. John Schwear Jr., CAN DO Chair of the Board. In remembrance of the late Mr. W. Kevin O’Donnell, the CAN DO Community Foundation, in collaboration with CAN DO, Inc. and The Luzerne Foundation, honors Mr. O’Donnell’s legacy and his years of commitment to community service with this award. Mr. O’Donnell played a pivotal role in the economic development of the Greater Hazleton area. He first joined CAN DO as the organization’s second hired employee in 1973. Originally serving in the capacity of Assistant Director, he was then promoted to Executive Director, and in 1995, his title was later changed to President & CEO, a title which he held until his retirement in 2020. In addition to the numerous accolades and accomplishments Mr. O’Donnell achieved during his 47-year tenure with CAN DO, he was also one of the key incorporators of the CAN DO Community Foundation in 1992. The 2025 winners were Alexander Composto ‘25 and Kendall Orozco ’25.

State Senator David G. Argall honored Diane Kim ‘25 and Daniel Griffith ‘25 with the Good Citizenship Award, which exemplifies the qualities of good citizenship through their display of outstanding character, leadership, and scholarship.

Winni Zheng ‘25 received the Great Valu Scholarship, which is given to seniors who are planning to attend a two or four-year college, university, or vocational school and have maintained at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average. 

Corey Buchman ‘25, Isabelle Wells ‘25, Diane Kim ‘25, and Winni Zheng ‘25 were honored by the College Board’s National First-Generation Recognition Program. This program is designed to recognize high-achieving students who are first-generation college students. 

Kendall Orozco ‘25 was awarded the National Merit Commended Scholar Award while the Greater Hazleton Area Polonaise Society Scholarship winner was Alex Composto ‘25. Awards were also given to underclass students who showed outstanding contributions, achievements, and dedication to an individual subject area in the past academic year. Those students were:

Freshmen: Arianna Larsen (Chinese), Madalynn Young (English, Performing Arts), Siya Patel (History), Isaac Edmunds (Math), Isabella DeStefano (Science, Visual Arts), Shreeya Parikh (Spanish), Danilka Mena (French).

Sophomores: Amanda Stoffa (Chinese, History, Visual Arts), Angelina Seeba (English), Katherine Arias (Math, Spanish), Gavyn Corchado (Science), Christina Chrin (Performing Arts).

Juniors: Cedrah Abdulrahman (Chinese, English), Gabriel Horvath (History), Arushi Solgama (Math), Jozef Dovicak (Science), Alexis Bleiler (Spanish), Erica Schwear (Performing Arts).

Nine students were recognized for their excellent performances on the National Spanish Exam.

They were: Madalynn Young ‘28, Shreeya Parikh ‘28, Siya Patel ‘28, Katherine Arias ‘27, Angelina Seeba ‘27, Gavyn Corchado ‘27, Eliza Garcia ‘27, Arushi Solgama ‘26, and Rishi Patel ‘26. 

Every year, MMI students also participate in research projects that are presented at their Open House in the spring, where winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges. Level 2 Awards for Humanities and STEM are awarded to eighth and ninth-grade students, while Level 3 awards are presented to tenth and eleventh-grade students. Those winners were:

Humanities Level 3: First place – Cedrah Abdulrahman ‘26 (Tarrare – The Hungriest Man to Ever Live), Second place – Christina Chrin ‘28 (The Effects of Music on the Body), Third place – Alexa Fazio ‘27 (RMS Queen Mary).

STEM Level 2: First place- Siya Patel ‘28 (From Sunshine to Science), Second place – Madalynn Young ‘28 (Navigating Flow Dynamics).

STEM Level 3: First place – Arushi Solgama ‘26 (Depth Dependent Atmospheric pH Changes from CO2 Increase), Second place – David Yamulla ‘26 (The Formic Acid Feather Treatment), Third place – Ruhani Shah ’27 (The Effects of Colloidal Silver on E. Coli). 

Seniors completed capstone projects instead of regular Open House projects, which were group projects incorporating three disciplines within an extensive research project. The winners of the senior capstone project were: Michael Kranyak ‘25, Joshua Witner ‘25, and Jason Roberts ‘25 for “Fairways and Fun Times.”  Thomas Horvat ‘25 was presented with the 2025 MMI Ambassador Service Award for his dedication and longevity in the MMI Student Ambassador Program. The 2025 American Red Cross Scholarship recipient was Georgia Washko ‘26. The University of Pennsylvania Book Award was presented to Sharan Parikh ‘26.

The 2025 Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award was presented to Jozef Dovicak ‘26.

The University of Rochester sponsored four awards: The George Eastman Kodak Young

Leaders Award and Scholarship, which was presented to Alexis Bleiler ‘26; The 2025 Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award, which was given to Jozef Dovicak ‘26; The 2025 Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award in Humanities and Social Sciences, which was won by Adam Frask ‘26; and the 2025 Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology, which was given to Christian Schulz ‘26. 

The 2025 Rensselaer Medal Award was presented to Rishi Patel ‘26.  

Several awards were given to multiple winners, including the 2025 Student Sage Awards. This award was given to Yeleiny Paniagua ‘26, Morgan Beerbower ‘26, Hasan Arain ‘26, and Jandel Figueroa ‘26.

The George H. Ball Community Achievement Award went to Andrea Jimenez ’26 and Bryce Radzwich ‘26. 

Gabriel Horvath ‘26 and Madelyn Young ‘26 earned the 2025 Elmira College Key Awards.

The Rochester Institute of Technology High School Award Program recognized six students. Those students were: Frederick Blaine ‘26 (2025 RIT Computing Medal), Nora Herseim ‘26 (2025 RIT Humanities and Social Science Award), Cassidy McDermott ‘26 (2025 RIT Women in STEM Award), Joseph Mayernick ‘26 (2025 RIT Math and Science Award), Mehak Manzoor ‘26 (RIT Business Leadership Award), and Arushi Solgama ‘26 (RIT Art and Design Award).

Caleb Skuba ‘26 and Jayden Unger ‘26 were named to the 2025 Junior Scholars Program at High Point University.

Cedrah Abdulrahman ‘26 was presented with the Health Planet Award.

The Alfred University Outside of Ordinary Award was presented to Erica Schwear ‘26.

Sharan Parikh ‘26 was the recipient of the Ceramic Association of New York (CANY) award, while Benjamin Gombeda ‘26 and Christopher Laverty ‘26 were awarded the Saint Bonaventure University – Bonnie Scholarship. 

JT Ferry ‘26, Ava Genetti ‘26, David Yamulla ‘26, and Samantha Gatts ‘26 earned the Wilkes University Colonel Emerging Leader Awards.

Cameron Kress ‘26 was awarded the Saint Anselm College Book Award. 

Aiden Hosier ‘26 and Mary Katherine Kupsky ‘26 were recipients of the 2025 District 2 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Awards.

The final awards of the evening were The Eckley B. Coxe, Jr. Memorial Subject Awards. Eckley B. Coxe, Jr. was the nephew of MMI founder Eckley B. Coxe. A trustee of the Mining and Mechanical Institute, now MMI Preparatory School, he donated the funds necessary to establish a series of monetary awards recognizing academic excellence in each subject area over the student’s entire tenure in the Upper School. The winners were: Diane Kim ‘25 (English and Arts), Corey Buchman ‘25 (History), Xavier Bleiler ‘25 (Math), Kiyan Paknezhad ‘25 (Science), Lydia Chen ‘25 (Chinese), Alexander Composto ‘25 (Spanish).