EHS Pillars - Spring 2018

# KNIGHTS STAND OUT
Artists Bring
Home Accolades
Our student‐artists are standing
out in local and statewide arenas.
Results from the highly competitive
South by Southwest Film Festival
(SXSW) and the Texas Art Education
Association's Visual Arts Scholastic
Event (VASE) showcase the talent,
effort, and potential unleased at EHS.
Weston Bering was nominated to
the SXSW Texas High School Shorts
Moviemaking Program. Bering is one of
only 20 students from Texas to receive
this honor. He recently learned that his
music video "Loveless" won Best U.S.
Music Video at the prestigious Lovett
High School Film Festival in Atlanta,
Georgia, and was screened in front of
650 people.
EHS students Teagan Ashworth,
Madeleine Berckley, Miranda
Greenwalt, Helen Hecht, Mary Helen
Kennedy, Nora Lawless, Parker
Nickerson, Dailey Nottingham,
Natalie Peterson, Ryan Rassoli, River
Reinertsen‐Forehand, and Sam
Wilson received honors at the regional
level of the VASE competition for their
media and studio arts submissions.
VASE artists that advance to State
include Teagan Ashworth, Madeleine
Berckley, Nora Lawless, and Ryan
Rassoli.
Guest Speakers
Enlighten Students
In addition to the guest homilists who
speak in Chapel, the School often
welcomes outside experts to address
issues relevant to the curriculum or
current events.
In February, the Underwood Library
hosted Baylor College of Medicine
pediatric genetics counselor Haley
Streff for a day‐long series of seminars
on the latest advances in genetics
testing. Streff engaged the students by
sharing photos of popular celebrities
who have inherited health conditions,
such as "Game of Thrones" actor Peter
Dinklage (dwarfism), Selena Gomez
(lupus), and Angelina Jolie (BRCA
gene). "Genetic information can be
empowering," Streff asserts, and she
enjoys counseling and advocating
for her young patients. Streff and the
students discussed the pros and cons
of genetic testing and the implications
for employment and families.
In March, the Choices program invited
Houstonian Maureen Wittels to be this
year's Distinguished Speaker. Wittels
explained that her son, Harris, a rising
star in comedy writing, had been a
popular and brilliant student, but after
he suffered a back injury in his 20s, he
developed an addiction that led to his
death in 2015 at age 30. "Addiction
does not discriminate," she says. "It
affects all demographics."
Eight Students
Named National
Merit Finalists
By taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/
National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
Test and meeting the required Selection
Index of 212 or above, eight EHS
students have shown outstanding
academic potential and have been
entered into the 2019 National
Merit Scholarship Program. From
approximately 1.6 million entrants,
these students are among the 50,000
highest‐scoring participants who will be
recognized in the fall.
From the 50,000 high scorers
nationwide, about 16,000 will be named
National Merit Program Semifinalists,
representing the top scorers in each
state. The other 34,000 students
will be commended for their PSAT/
NMSQT performance. Semifinalists
will be the only students to continue in
the competition for about 7,500 Merit
Scholarship awards to be offered in
September 2019.
Congratulations to our EHS finalists:
Daniel Cai, Brett Hauser, Carter
Kardesch, Claire Kardesch, Anna
McLauchlin, Ellie Ragiel, James
Henry Ray, and Gabrielle Small.
After her son's death, Wittels embarked
on a mission to prevent other families
from similar tragedy. She travels
throughout the country educating
audiences about opioid addiction and
effective recovery programs. Wittels
believes that a key to prevention is
to encourage self‐care and stress
management in families, schools, and
workplaces.
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