Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
The 2022 National Merit Finalists from Mountain Brook High School: First row from left: Amy Beth Hudson, Ivy Cobbs, Kate Ryan, Julianne Abenoja, Amelia Tynes, Caroline Allen; second row from left: Jelks Cabaniss, Cory Fan, Luke Turner.
Mountain Brook High School recently added more students to its long list of National Merit Finalists.
Students at MBHS are also excelling in computing and math.
And some local churches will present a fun event to kick off the summer at Crestline Elementary School this month.
In the spotlight
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a prestigious academic competition designed to “shine a spotlight on brilliant students,” according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.
Since 1968, 751 Mountain Brook High School students have stepped into that spotlight as National Merit Finalists.
This includes nine current MBHS students who became finalists in March: Julianne Abenoja, Caroline Allen, Jelks Cabaniss, Ivy Cobbs, Cory Fan, Amy Beth Hudson, Kate Ryan, Luke Turner and Amelia Tynes.
“There’s a tremendous amount of work that goes into achieving this honor,” said MBHS Principal Philip Holley. “I think it also shows their dedication to academic excellence.”
Talented programmers
Seven Mountain Brook High School students received awards for their work in computer science in March.
Six of the students were honored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology, which celebrates diversity by honoring young women in computing with the Award for Aspirations in Computing.
The MBHS honorees are Caley Record (Winner); Mary Midkiff (Honorable Mention); Laura Simpson (Honorable Mention); Ella Emblom (Honorable Mention); Sophia Li (Rising Star); and Evelyn Berry (Certificate of Distinction).
Recipients are selected based on technological aptitude, leadership ability, academic history and plans for post-secondary education.
MBHS senior Mason Keller received an honorable mention in the computer science and mathematics division at the Central Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair at UAB on March 5.
He presented research on combining an automobile’s Event Data Recorder (EDR) data with dashcam footage to increase safety standards.
The seven students “all are talented programmers and algorithmic thinkers,” said Fred Major, MBHS computer science teacher. “They spent a great deal of time outside of class working on projects for these awards.”
Math teams compete
Mountain Brook High School students competed remotely in the state math team competition February 25-27.
The Algebra 2 team placed second, with William Stringfellow placing 14th individually, Sophia Self placing 19th and Jackson Short placing 23rd. Patton Hahn also competed.
The Comprehensive team placed fourth, just 10 points from third place. Cory Fan placed fifth individually, Vaughn Frost placed ninth, Ivy Cobbs placed 21st, Jelks Cabaniss and Tommy Daley tied for 35th and Simon Wang placed 42nd. Other students competing were Hunter Anderson, Virginia Averyt, Moira Dowling, Eleanor Elkus, Jack Johnson, Sophia Li, Lilly Odom and Libby Turner.
Josh Watkins, the school’s assistant principal.
– Submitted by Mountain Brook Schools and Family Fest organizers and edited by the Village Living staff.
