Winter 2010 - Lancaster Mennonite School

Teacher Sheri Wenger’s AP United StatesHistory class steps back to 1965 as theydebate the various options facing theUnited States government on how to respondto the escalating crisis in Vietnam.AP coursesoffered at LMHCalculusChemistryComparative GovernmentEnglish CompositionIntroduction to LiteratureMusic*PhysicsPsychologySpanish 5StatisticsU.S. HistoryWorld History*being developedHACC courses offeredU.S. HistoryEnglish CompositionIntroduction to LiteratureBEST PREPARATION FOR LIFECollege prep plusAfter Charise Garber graduated fromLMH in 2008, her next step was college.But instead of entering at the freshmanlevel, she enrolled as a sophomore.That allowed her to register for classesearlier than her classmates whichshe said was “a huge advantage” sinceupperclassmen often fill the popularclasses quickly.Entering college as a sophomore wasmade possible through Lancaster Mennonite’sstrong college prep program.At LMH, Garber was involved in theCollege Board’s Advanced Placement(AP) program as well as the College inthe Classroom program. She also tooka three-credit psychology course takenthrough Lancaster Bible College’s JumpStart Program. As a result, Garber accumulated38 college credits inhigh school.The AP program offers rigorouscollege-level courses in high school.Each course translates into collegecredit, advanced placement, or bothfor successful performance on the APexam. According to the College Board,over 90 percent of four-year colleges inthe U.S. provide credit and/or placementfor qualifying exam grades.The College in the Classroom program,provided through HarrisburgArea Community College (HACC),allows students to take HACC courseson the LMH campus and then transferthe credits to most colleges. HACCprovides a syllabus but, according tosocial studies teacher Sheri Wenger,gives teachers the freedom to add contentthat reflects our Anabaptist valuesand heritage. An LMH teacher, whogenerally is required to have a master’sdegree in the subject area, teachesthe class.“One of our goals at LMS is toprovide a college prep program that issecond to none,” Superintendent RichardThomas said. “Academic excellencecoupled with inviting our students toChristian faith is what I believe willgive them the bestpossible preparationfor life.”Garber saysthe AP coursesshe took in highschool preparedher well for collegelevel coursework.“My transitionfrom high schoolto college coursework was veryeasy,” she said.“Several of my APclasses actually satisfiedgeneral education requirements,which gave me much more flexibilityin choosing classes and allowed me tojumpinto upper level major coursesmore quickly.“Although Ichose not tograduate early,my creditsfrom highschool haveallowed meto pursue twodemandingmajors (biologyand music) and a minorCharise GarberTyler Kreider(history). I am on the pre-medtrack at EMU, but I have been thinkingrecently about the possibility of pursuinga research degree through study ofmusic and how it relates to biology.”Being so far ahead of the game allowedGarber to take a semester off thisspring to study in the Middle East.Unlike Garber, many students whotake college-level courses in highschool do graduate early from college.Tyler Kreider, for example, graduatedin three and a half years, thus savinghimself the cost of one full semester.But, despite the obvious savings,Kreider, like Garber, focused more onhow those courses taken in high schoolimproved his college experience.“I have really appreciated the APclasses that LMH has offered,” he said,“mostly because they allowed meto take classes (in college) that wereoutside my program—meteorology andEcosystem Restoration, for example.... These classes would not have beenavailable to me, had I not had AP creditcoming into college.”Academic excellencecoupled with inviting ourstudents to Christian faithis what I believe will givethem the best possiblepreparation for life.Kreider, a 2006 LMH graduate,completed his undergraduate degreein December at State University ofNew York’s College of EnvironmentalScience and Forestry and is currentlyconsidering schools like VirginiaTech and Oregon StateUniversity for hismaster’s. He hasinterest in streamrestoration. Herecently scoreda perfect 800 onthe math sectionof his GRE’s andwrote to thank theschool and its teachersfor “your part in getting meto where I am today.”Director of Curriculum and InstructionBrenda Bare says that besides helpinghigh school students prepare for therigors of college, college-level courseshelp them think about what they mightwant to study. Taking college-levelcourses in the senior year also helpsprevent the coasting that is causedwhen seniors find they have alreadymet graduation requirements.“Now, instead of wasting time, theyAP Scholar AwardsSeven 2009 Lancaster MennoniteSchool alumni and one high schoolsenior have earned AP ScholarAwards in recognition of theirexceptional achievement on APExams.Kaela Landis, 2009, qualified forthe AP Scholar with DistinctionAward by earning an average gradeof at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken,and grades of 3 or higher on five ormore exams.Three students, all 2009 graduates,qualified for the AP Scholarwith Honor Award by earning anaverage grade of at least 3.25 onall AP Exams taken, and grades of 3or higher on four or more. They areErika Babikow, Joel Nofziger, andRachel Stoltzfoos.Four qualified for the AP ScholarAward by completing three or moreAP Exams with grades of 3 or higher.These AP Scholars are Joseph Bomberger,Aaron Gish, Lauren Stoltzfusand Thea Weaver—all class of 2009except for Aaron Gish who is anLMH senior.About 18 percent of the nearly 1.7million high school students worldwidewho took AP Exams performedat a sufficiently high level to alsoearn an AP Scholar Award.can get a jump start on their college,”Bare said. “That is especially attractivein today’s economy.”This year 294 students are enrolledin AP courses at LMH. 4 | Bridges W I N T E R 2 0 1 0Bridges W I N T E R 2 0 1 0 | 5

a l u m n i n o t e sRemembering artistthrough endowmentNovember’s alumniart exhibit was anopportunity toeducate visitorsabout the Kristin Palazzo Visual ArtsEndowment. The endowment wasestablished to enable the school’scommitment to a strong visual artsprogram as part of an excellent andholistic Christian education. KristinPalazzo, who died in 2006 when shewas an LMS junior, was a gifted artistwho got her start in art whilea student at the Kraybill Campus.For more information on how youcan help this endowment grow, contactDirector of Advancement HeidiStoltzfus at stoltzfushe@lancastermennonite.org.Alumni and friends connect atFall Festival and HomecomingOn a mild November weekend, over 2,500 Lancaster Mennonite School alumniand friends gathered at the Lancaster Campus to connect with each other and raisefunds for current students.One of the highlights of the November 19–21 Fall Festival and Homecomingwas Saturday’s first-ever alumni art exhibit that featured over 200 art pieces bymore than 50 alumni from 11 states plus Amsterdam.The weekend also included the high school play, Charley’s Aunt; a barbecue;a country breakfast; the Iron Bridge Run; a basketball tournament; and a BenefitDinner and Specialty Auction that featuredoriginal alumni artwork, quilts,handcrafted wooden items, vacationpackages, and unique experiences.Thank you to our many participantsand faithful volunteers who helpedmake this weekend a successful,community-building event. Next year’sFall Festival and Homecoming is set forNovember 18-20. In top left photo, LMS parent and alumniart exhibit committee chair Lynn Palazzo,left, talks with Rebecca and John Rutt aboutthe art endowment that was named afterher daughter, Kristin. Top right, the 3 v 3basketball tournament. Second right, the IronBridge Run. Below, alumni art exhibit committeemembers Mary Lou Weaver Houser,left (former LMS art teacher), and Joyce Haller(LMS parent) enjoy the show. Other committeemembers were former LMS art teacherBeky Weidner and current LMS art teacherKathy Ciaccia.PHOTOS: JONATHAN CHARLESBrett Forshey 1993While most of us stay as far awayfrom viruses as possible, 1993Lancaster Mennonite graduate BrettForshey finds the infectious littlegerms to be quite fascinating.Forshey is a virologist in Iquitos,Peru, where he is studying the virus,dengue, one that, like our West Nilevirus, is transmitted by mosquitoes.According to Forshey, every year millionsin tropical areas around the worldare infected with the dengue viruswhich has no licensed vaccine or cure.Death can result from dengue infection,and even relatively mild cases canbe debilitating, causing pressure on thehealth care system and economy whenthere are a large number of cases.“In the US, when the H1N1 flu viruscame back in fall of 2009, PresidentObama declared a national emergencyto prepare for the stress on the publichealth infrastructure,” Forshey said.“Dengue causes that level of impactevery year in many parts of the world.”Forshey says dengue has increaseddramatically in recent years, even becominga problem in Texas and Florida.No surprise, then, that oneof Forshey’s goals is to discover themost efficient way to control the mosquitothat spreads the virus.“We are also trying to understandwhy some people are infected yet havefew signs of disease while others ...come close to death,” he added. “If wea l u m n i f e a t u r eScientist chases viruses in Perucan figure out ways to predict the outcome,the patients at highest risk canbe properly treated in a hospital.”While Forshey’s research-focusedwork won’t necessarily improve thepublic health situation immediately,understanding the dynamics of virustransmission locally and regionallycould someday significantly impacthow the disease is controlled or apotential vaccine is implemented.Prior to his work in Peru, Forsheywas a research associate at the Divisionof Infectious Diseases for the New YorkState Department of Health in Albany.His resume lists a plethora of scholarlypublications, national and internationalscientific presentations, and numerousgrants and other professional awards.Forshey holds a degree in biologyfrom Gettysburg College and a doctoratefrom the Department of Microbiologyand Immunology at VanderbiltUniversity, Nashville, Tennessee.Forshey, son of LMS teacher JeanForshey, also attended Locust Grove.He is married to Anamarie Brown whomoved with him to Peru three daysafter they were married. Brown recentlybegan a graduate program in nursingin Iowa.What excites me mostabout my workThat it involves so many fields ofstudy—microbiology, entomology, humanimmunology, and public health.We also have to consider local andnational politics, the climate, economics,education ... I love what I do.Most challengingCommunicating in a foreign language.(At least I had a solid backgroundthrough Senor Kauffman’s classes.)Another—balancing our research withthe needs of the people in the communityand the needs of the local government,since often they are not the same.The best thing about LMHExtracurricular opportunities. For methat was orchestra, baseball and yearbook.Also, at LMH there was a strongsense of the world outside the U.S.Favorite LMH teachersMrs. Moyer, yearbook adviser, and Mr.Dan Dietzel, baseball coach. I learneda lot about teamwork and dealing withadversity while playing baseball forCoach Dietzel.Favorite LMH subjectsMr. Esh’s “Advanced Reading.” Also,Mr. Reinford’s calculus class. Mr. Reinfordwas a tough cookie. But no otherclass prepared me for my future studiesquite as much as that one. Easily on parwith college-level courses. 1 4 | Bridges W I N T E R 2 0 1 0Bridges W I N T E R 2 0 1 0 | 1 5

2176 Lincoln Highway EastLancaster, PA 17602POSTMASTER:Time Sensitive Material.Requested in Home Dates Jan. 22-25Non-ProfitU.S. PostagePAIDLancaster, PAPermit No. 280Parents: Each LMH alum receives a personal copyof Bridges. If this is addressed to a son or daughterwho has established a separate residence, pleasegive us the new address. Call (717) 299-0436, ext.701, or e-mail sprungerdl@lancastermennonite.org.Thank you.Centered in Christ • Transforming Lives • Changing our WorldLMS Visitation OpportunitiesJanuary 27, 9–11 a.m.Kindergarten Open HouseKraybill, Locust Grove and New DanvilleJanuary 28, 9–11 a.m.Pre-Kindergarten Open HouseKraybill, Locust Grove and New DanvilleFebruary 2, 6–8:30 p.m.All-School Open House, all campuses»»Tours and conversations with teachers»»Welcome assembly at Lancaster Campus, 7:00»»PreK/K presentation at Kraybill Campus, 7:00»»High school course selectionMarch 25Prospective Student Dayat Lancaster CampusHigh School: 8:05 a.m.–3:05 p.m.Middle school: half or full dayPlease call to register.For more informationor to schedule a visitKraybill, grades PreK–8(717) 653-5236Lancaster, grades 6–12(717) 299-0436, ext. 312Locust Grove, grades PreK–8(717) 394-7107New Danville, grades PreK–6(717) 872-2506www.lancastermennonite.org