Categorized | Education

Parker School lauds Matsunobu, Dunnington

PRESS RELEASE

MATSUNOBU ADVANCES AS A NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP FINALIST

Lysha Matsunobu

Lysha Matsunobu

Senior Lysha Matsunobu has advanced as a National Merit Scholarship Program finalist.

She was notified in September that she was one of approximately 16,000 national semi-finalists out of the 50,000 highest scorers of the approximately 1.5 million high school students who took the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) last year.

Now she has advanced to a group of about 15,000 finalists.

Matsunobu, the daughter of Miriam and Neal Matsunobu of Kona, also was in the in the news for her science accomplishments — she attended the Summer Science Program at Westmont College last summer and she was a presenter at the Galaxy Forum in Waimea in November.

At the Galaxy Forum, she was the only student presenter and presented alongside accomplished scientists and teachers.

Last year, Parker students Paul Gregg and Aidan Wharton were finalists.

In the last four years, Parker has had seven of the 12 total Big Island finalists.

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DUNNINGTON SECOND IN POETRY OUT LOUD STATE FINALS

Parker School has announced that junior Sean Dunnington earned second place in the Poetry Out Loud State Finals at the Tenney Theatre, Cathedral of St. Andrew’s in Honolulu.

Sean Dunnington

Sean Dunnington

One of 15 contestants at the state level, Dunnington recited the poems “Momma Said” by Calvin Forbes, “The Chimney Sweeper: When My Mother Died I Was Very Young,” by William Blake, and “Self-Inquiry Before the Job Interview” by Gary Soto.

First place went to home school student Brady Jernigan who will travel, expenses paid, to Washington, D.C. for the Poetry Out Loud National Finals.

As the second place finisher, Dunnington received a writing journal, $100 cash, and $200 to Parker School for the purchase of poetry books.

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LOWER SCHOOLERS RAISE NEARLY $9,000 FOR JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

A very rainy day could not stop Parker Lower School students from participating in their annual Jump Rope for Heart Event on March 7.

For several weeks prior, students worked to collect funds from family and friend sponsors and raised a total of nearly $9,000, far surpassing their $5,000 goal.

On the day of the event, with Parker 11th graders on hand to help facilitate, the young students gathered on the school’s large covered lanai to move through various jumping stations as their favorite music boomed in the background.

The stations had activities like solo jump roping, partner jumping, parachute fun, group jumping and team races.

The Jump Rope for Heart event raises money for the American Heart Association to help children with heart problems, and also teaches the young participants about how to keep their own hearts healthy through exercise and good nutrition.

Parker School congratulates its students on working so hard to raise so much for such a worthy cause.

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STUDENTS SPREAD THE LOVE AND RAISE MORE THAN $1,500 FOR CHARITY

On Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, Parker high school students held LoveFest, a benefit concert, art show and silent auction in the Parker School Theatre to raise funds for Typhoon Haiyan Relief and Child & Family Services of Hawaii.

The evening event featured showcase performances by student musicians, singers, dancers and actors.

In addition to the evening event, LoveFest is a week-long fundraising effort, the brainchild of Nathalie Whitfield, graduate of the class of 2011 and former Student Council Vice President.

“She came up with the idea of celebrating Valentine’s Day for an entire week, as a week of love, reaching out to our own community and the larger world,” said Parker English teacher and Student Council Advisor Gillian Culff.

“We have raised money each year for different charities through spirited food sales at lunch (such as pink cupcakes, etc.), LoveFest T-shirt sales and a benefit concert,” Culff said.

LoveFest 2014 was the most successful yet, raising more than $1,500.

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PARKER SCHOOL RAISES MORE THAN $215,000 FOR FINANCIAL AID

Parker School hosted its ninth annual Kahiau dinner/auction gala for financial aid March 8 at the Fairmont Orchid on the Kohala Coast.

More than 230 people attended and helped the school raise more than $215,000, a record so far for this event.

More than 50 percent of the 270 kindergarten through 12th grade students at Parker receive financial assistance, and Kahiau, the school’s largest fundraiser of the year, is key in making this possible.

The Hawaiian word “kahiau” means “to give generously from the heart,” and every year the school puts on the gala so people can come together in a fun way while helping provide community children with a college-preparatory education at Parker.

— Find out more:
www.parkerschoolhawaii.org

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