News from the Nest
Cardinal Pride in the Upper Dublin School District
February 22, 2023
National Merit Finalists
Congratulations to our 8 National Merit Finalists: Alex Cai, Sneha Chaudhuri, Thomas Deng, Hannah Gong, Arden Kang, Landon Kullmann, Megan Lim, Ben Serafin.
The National Merit Scholarship Program has now determined which of the 16,000 Semifinalists named in September 2022 have met all requirements to advance to Finalist standing in the competition. The Upper Dublin School District is pleased to announce that all eight students previously named semi-finalists are now considered Finalists. All Finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarship awards to be offered in 2023. The Upper Dublin High School students named as National Merit Finalists are: Alex Cai, Sneha Chaudhuri, Thomas Deng, Hannah Gong, Arden Kang, Landon Kullmann, Megan Lim, and Ben Serafin.
Excellence in Athletics
Boys Basketball: The team earned a berth into the district playoffs this season as the number 5 seed. They finished their regular season with a 17-5 record and also got to the semi-finals of the Suburban One League Tournament. The team fell in the first round of the playoffs, but overall it was a successful season for the boys under first year coach Derek Brooks.
Girls Basketball: The girls also earned a berth into districts. They defeated Council Rock South 53-49 in round 1 and will face off with Liberty Division rival, Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday evening. A win either on Wednesday vs. PW or on Saturday vs. Abington/Pennsbury will secure another state playoff bid for the girls program.
Bowling: Last week our bowlers competed in the SOL Individual Championships. For the girls Lucy Ruppel bowled a 627 on the day with a game high of 138. Emeline Bell bowled a 626 with a stellar 155 game high. Joelle Jung had a 622 series. For the boys Joseph Theodorson came out of nowhere to bowl an incredible 904 and finish the tournament in 2nd place. His game high was 206 pins. Sam Goldberg finished with an 848 and game high of 205. Ari Weiner finished with an 834 with a game high of 202. The boys will compete in the SOL team championships on Wednesday. The boys team also advanced to regionals, which are Saturday March 4th. Ari and Sam advanced to the individual regional tournament on Friday March 3rd.
Cheer: Good luck to our cheerleaders who will be competing at the Millionaire Magic Cheer competition next Sunday at Williamsport.
Boys Indoor Track: Kyree Butler won the shotput again last weekend with a distance of 51-5. Matt Castronuovo finished 2nd in the 3200 meter run. Gus Platt finished 6th in the one mile run. Good luck to the boys who will compete at states this weekend at Penn State.
Girls Indoor Track: The 4x800 set a new school record with a time of 9:29.72 on Friday at the Meet of Champions. The relay was run by Emily Kulak, Mimi Pastore, Mason Kullmann, and Lilly Pittakas. Olivia Burdo set a PR in the 60mHH. The 4x400 relay of Pittakas, Ellison Kullmann, Mason Kullmann, and Ashley MacNeal also got their names in the record books with a time of 4:04.82. This weekend they head to PSU for states.
Boys Swim & Dive: The boys won the SOL Liberty Division Team Championship this year, this is the team's 25th consecutive championship. The following teams and relays won first place. The 200 Yd Medley Relay (Franco Ciccarone, Toby Herzog, Spencer Motelson, and Julian Ruocco). Jack Vitella won the 200 Free and 500 Free. Ciccarone won the 100 Fly and 100 Back. The 200 Free Relay (Michael Gewartowski, Jonathan In, Ruocco, and Vitella). Herzog won the 100 Breast. Finally, the 400 Relay won (Vitella, Gewartowski, Motelson, and In). Good luck to the boys competing in districts this weekend at the York YMCA.
Girls Swim & Dive: The girls won the SOL Liberty Division Team Championship this year. The team earned 565.5 points which was 160 points better than 2nd place Hatboro Horsham. Some gold medal winners from the event were Arina Vorobyeva who won the 200 IM & 500 Freestyle. Also, Alicia Taylor won the 50 Yd. Freestyle. Good luck to the girls who will be competing in districts at York YMCA.
- Wrestling: The Upper Dublin wrestling team capped off a tremendous season last week at the Liberty Division Championships at Quakertown. The team finished with an impressive 21 wins on the season. They finished in 2nd place in the regular season and at the Championship bouts with a score of 148 points. Jake Evans (107) and Tommy Clayton (160) each won their weight classes. Sophomore Jake Evans moved to 28-2 heading into regionals next weekend. Clayton finished with a 24-7 record. The Cards also had Zach Gallagher (114), Caden Cerminaro (121), Joseph Sirianni (127), Dan Gorman (139), Elias Abebe (145), Austin Pendleton (152), Gavin Rockey (172), & Noah Morginstin (189) earn 3rd place honors. Congrats Coach Jones, his staff, and all of the wrestlers on a fantastic season. Last Friday, Rylee Netter competed in the first SOL Girls Wrestling Championships at CB West. She finished in 2nd place in her weight class. Congratulations Rylee! Good luck to our wrestlers who will participate at Districts this weekend. Wrestling begins at 8:30 AM at Interboro.
UD Celebrate: A Celebration of Black History
Kindergarten and New Student Registration
Please keep in mind that students must be at least five (5) years of age before September 15, 2023, in order to be registered for kindergarten. Next year's kindergarten students will be the Class of 2036!
Mamma Mia!
ABBA's hits tell the story of a young woman's search for her birth father. This sunny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, Sophie's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother, Donna's, past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs like "Dancing Queen", "S.O.S.", "Thank You For the Music", and more propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A large cast, laughter, and exciting dance numbers combine to make Mamma Mia! a guaranteed smash hit for any theater. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you'll never forget! Purchase your tickets soon! The shows will undoubtedly sell out!
Music In Our Schools
The Music in Our Schools Concert features more than 500 students in all levels of musical instruction -- elementary, middle, and high school -- performing on the same stage and culminating in a spectacular grand finale! This concert event benefits our District music programs.
FWES Rennovation
Winning Cards - Casino Night 2023
Click here to register for your spot online now through Wednesday, March 15th. To cover costs for this fun-filled community fundraiser, there is a suggested donation of $95 per person. Registration includes $50 in gaming chips per person. Chips have no cash value, but can be traded in for chances to win one of many great prizes. Avoid lines by donating now for extra gaming chips.
Attire is Saturday night chic! Avoid the cold and save your feet for dancing by using the complimentary valet parking service. You must be 21 years or older to attend the event.
Beautiful Music
Sankofa Kids
Congrats, Coach!
Back in Business
I Love Math Day!
We Are the Champions!
FLES
100 Days Smarter
PRIDE
UD Medals
Nominations are now being accepted for the 39th annual Upper Dublin Medals Program, which recognizes outstanding Upper Dublin community members. Due no later than Friday, March 17th, nominations are sought in the following categories: Citizen, Educator, and Community Business or Non-profit Organization.
To submit a nomination, please fill out the UD Medals Nomination Form. To be considered, candidates must meet the designated criteria. Please include relevant supporting details and commentary to inform the selection committees’ decisions. Each selection committee is made up of individuals from various community groups who review all nominations and meet as a group to select the recipient in their category. Recipients will be announced early April and celebrated at an event on Wednesday, May 17th at 6:00 PM.
Special Acknowledgements
- Debbie Bonk - Debbie has served our JTES community as a school counselor for 26 years.
- Fran Duntzee - Fran has served the FWES community as a third-grade teacher for 26 years.
- Dawn Edelman - Dawn has served the UDHS community as a chemistry teacher for 17 years.
- Debbie Einhorn - Debbie has served our FWES community as a school counselor for 32 years.
- Gary Hite - Gary has served the SRMS community in several capacities including a gifted support, social studies, and science teacher for 29 years.
We will surely miss these team members as they begin their retirement journey! Between now and the end of the school year, we will have a chance to thank them and celebrate their many years of service!