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We should celebrate our high schools’ many accomplishments

By Bob Harris

College adviser Nicole Caruso has announced that the Hillcrest High School’s class of 2018 earned over $2 million in institutional and private scholarships, including full scholarships to NYU and Howard University. Overall, she says that 93 percent of the graduating seniors applied to CUNY, SUNY or private schools.

Student Association President of Richmond Hill High School Soribel Estevez, who is also captain of the Law Club, participated in the Mock Trial competition, is a member of the School Leadership team and co-captain of the bowling team has won a scholarship to NYU.

Martin Van Buren High School decided to join the March For Our Lives after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, Fla., so a busload of students and faculty members went down to Washington, D.C., including Principal Sam Sochet and his wife. The school newspaper, The Bee-Line, devoted four pages to the event.

At the Campus Magnet Complex in Cambria Heights, the Math, Science Research & Technology High School held a National Honor Society induction and a College & Career event, where more than 25 guests, including several graduates, came to tell about their careers.

Also at the Campus Magnet Complex, Benjamin Franklin High School For Finance & Information Technology prepared for its first graduation. Students like George Daniels — who has been in the student government, is on the debate team and Campus Magnet Volleyball team — wants to be a behavioral analyst for the FBI.

The Pan-American International High School in Elmhurst is leaving its mark on New York’s art scene. Sophomores Juan Arbelaez and Bryan Guinea had their artwork featured in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Freshman Albin Deaza created a Renaissance-inspired portrait, which was selected for the 2018 Queens Borough Arts Festival at the Queens Museum.

John Bowne High School held its annual STEM Fair Showcase, which featured bridge construction, engineering, Latin, 3-D printing and computer science. The school also celebrated its cultural diversity with culinary dishes featuring Latin-Caribbean origins along with dance. Bowne also has a working 3.8-acre farm.

Congresswoman Grace Meng announced that juniors Jashua Veerasammy and Arun Budhoo from Thomas Edison High School in Jamaica are the winners of the U.S. Congress app contest in her district. Their app seeks to help people become motivated and confident in fitness and health. The app will be on display on the House of Representatives website.

The High School of Applied Communication in Long Island City, has partnered with Rothschild & Co., an investment banking firm in Rockefeller Center, with the help of an organization called Pencil, so that students can visit the firm and learn about the real life operations of a large corporation.

Borough President Melinda Katz joined Aviation High School Principal Steven Jackson in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Long Island City school’s new College and Career Center. The school has a unique Aviation Maintenance Technology program.

Global Kids Leaders from William Cullen Bryant High School traveled to Washington, D.C. for the March For Our Lives demonstration. Global Kids is an organization which works in schools to develop leadership, activism, global awareness and to help students graduate from high school.

In November, the Francis Lewis High School Soccer team won the Public School Athletic League Class A girls soccer championship. They had an undefeated season of (17-0).

Earl Gabriel Simons Jr., a resident of Cambria Heights who attends the Frank Sinatra School for the Arts in Astoria, has won a full Posse Foundation Scholarship to Lawrence University. He will attend the university with nine other students as a posse so they can mentor and monitor each other after having taken weekend sessions together for the past several months.

These events are just a few of the activities, events and accomplishments in our borough high schools.