Wayne Board honors National Merit and College Board-recognized students from Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills

The Wayne Township Board of Education recognized dozens of students from Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills for National Merit, AP Scholar and College Board recognition during its Nov. 14 meeting.

Superintendent Mark Toback opened the recognition program and described the National Merit Scholarship Program and the College Board's AP Scholar awards, noting these honors identify top-performing students: "it's a very important part of the program because it gives the community a sense of the significance of this recognition," he said.

Felicia Michaelson, a lead counselor at Wayne Valley, introduced a long list of Wayne Valley honorees (National Merit commended students, AP Scholars with honors and distinction, National Hispanic and African American recognition program honorees) and highlighted students' plans and accomplishments, including academic awards, athletics and extracurricular leadership. Harrison Bender, lead counselor at Wayne Hills, similarly presented Wayne Hills honorees and noted regional and national achievements in robotics, athletics and the arts.

Student representatives Addison Deal (Wayne Hills) and Isabelle Gratjek (Wayne Valley) each reported on recent student activities: Glamour Gals outreach to a local assisted-living home, marching-band competition wins, photography contest victories and club leadership and induction ceremonies.

Board members praised the honorees and their teachers. The board recessed briefly so award winners could have photographs taken; the district noted photographs would be made available on the local public-access platform.

The board praised students' academic and extracurricular success as an example of district investment in learning and opportunities.

The recognition program and student reports occupied a substantive portion of the meeting agenda before the board moved to the audit and other business.