PUPILS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PUPILS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
National Merit finalist
SALEM -- West Branch High School senior Jeffrey A. Morckel is a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Jeffrey, son of Jodi McCullough and Dale Morckel of Salem, is among 15,000 students to advance to the finalist round from the pool of 16,400 semifinalists.
Speech contest winner
FARRELL, Pa. -- Jennifer Myers, a junior at Farrell High School, won the local and district level competitions in the annual Voice of Democracy speech contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Jennifer won $150 at the local level, $200 at the district level and went on to state competition where she won a $1,000 scholarship.
Tarrah Graham took second place at the local competition, and Heather O'Connell took third. Both are juniors at Farrell.
K-12 NEWS
Make-A-Wish benefits
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- The Greenville Area School District is holding several fund-raisers in March to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, including a live telethon, produced by Greenville High School Media Production students, running 7 to 9 p.m. March 31 over Time Warner Cable channel 9 in the Greenville area.
Other events include "Pig Out for Pennies" Monday through Friday at East Elementary School; "Coins for Kids" the week of March 8 at Hempfield Elementary; a "Wall of Wishes" Wednesday to March 9 at the high school; a "Kiss Me I'm Irish" event March 10 to 16 at the high school; and a denim day for staff at all three schools.
Call (724) 588-2500, Ext. 2417, to participate or donate.
Ursuline placement test
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ursuline High School will administer a free placement test for incoming freshmen from 9 a.m. to noon March 13 in the school cafeteria. Pupils need to bring two No. 2 pencils. For reservations, parents must call (330) 744-4563.
COLLEGE NEWS
Health center gets grant
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Slippery Rock University's McLachlan Student Health Center was one of two sites in the nation selected for an American College Health Association health center assessment grant. Funds will be used to review the center's operation and its capacity to prevent HIV infection and to outline other health problems among youth. The grant is part of ACHA's Building Healthy Campus Communities Project, a partnership between the organization and the Division of Adolescent and School Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hiram has new president
HIRAM -- The Hiram College Board of Trustees has appointed Thomas V. Chema the 21st president of the liberal arts institution. Chema, an East Liverpool native, has served as interim president of Hiram since June.
Before being named interim president, Chema, 57, served Hiram for 11 years as a board member and chairman of the Institutional Advancement Committee, which oversees fund raising, enrollment management and the institution's overall reputation. He has experience leading organizations including the Gateway Development Corp., the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and the Ohio Lottery Commission. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame and a law degree at Harvard University.
Malone degree information
CANFIELD -- Malone College accelerated management degree completion program information meetings will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday and March 18 at Malone College Continuing Studies Center located at the Westford Professional Centre, 4137 Boardman-Canfield Road. The program offers evening and weekend courses. Other March meetings are offered on the Canton campus and in Brecksville, Dover, Fairlawn and Stow. Call (800) 867-6267 or (330) 471-8342 or visit www.malone.edu/mcmp.
Open house rescheduled
CANTON -- A canceled January Malone College Graduate School Christian Ministries open house has been rescheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Jackson Friends Church, 7945 Portage St. NW, Massillon. Another open house will be the same day from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Canton First Friends Church, 5455 N. Market Ave., Canton.
U. of Akron student event
AKRON -- The University of Akron hosts an Adult Learner and Transfer Student Expo from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Student Union Ballroom B on campus. Events include a student services fair, a financial aid and scholarship information session, and an academic college fair. To register, call (800) 655-4884 or write admissions@uakron.edu.
CONTESTS
Writing on the Holocaust
Pupils in grades seven through 12 who live in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties or western Pennsylvania can enter a Holocaust Writing Contest by submitting an original piece of poetry and/or a narrative composition on "Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust." Separate awards for poetry and writing will be given in three age categories.
Entries must be typed or printed, double-spaced on one side, contain up to 1,500 words and include a title page. Submit entries to the Jewish Community Relations Council, 505 Gypsy Lane, Youngstown 44504-1314 or bdburdman1@juno.com. Deadline is April 1.