St. Stans Students' Essays Win Tuitions

Gary Kaschak, author of "Hands that Break ... Hands that Heal" and "The Hole to China" and owner of Sterling Optical in Montgomery Mall, award $1,300 in tuition reimbursements to seventh graders as part of an essay contest

When you write from the heart, you get some money for school. On Tuesday, eight seventh-graders at St. Stanislaus Parish School were awarded, in total, $1,300 for tuition reimbursement for essays they wrote in response to their readings of two novels by New Jersey resident and author Gary Kaschak. Kaschak, who also owns Sterling Optical in Montgomery Mall, paid the rewards himself to the students on behalf of the business. The challenge of the seventh graders was to identify a hero in their lives who connected in some way to a character in one of two of Kaschak's books: "Hands that Break ... Hands that Heal" and "The Hole to China." Kaschak read aloud the essays he selected as the winners and subsequently presented each student with a …

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Whiz Kid

Writing Whiz: Mikhail Khodak

The North Penn High School junior was one of 17 finalists in the Penn State University Essay Contest.

Mikhail Khodak, 17, of Hatfield, may one day grow up to be an essayist and journalist like Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal or Arthur Miller. For now, he will simply revel in being one of 17 finalists— four from North Penn High School—in the Penn State Essay Contest. Khodak was chosen as a finalist because his impromptu essay in response to an article written by New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman had a lot of control, analysis and writing skill. “I enjoyed it,” Khodak said of the article. “I enjoyed a topic I’ve read before. His ideas are very interesting.” Friedman’s article was called “Global Village Idiocy,” and it criticized the advent of technology and its influence on our global society. “I have international relationships, and I pay …

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Whiz Kid

Writing Whiz: Ishaan Nerurkar

The North Penn junior was one of four students selected as a finalist in the Penn State University Essay Contest

There’s a slim chance Ishaan Nerurkar would ever be at a loss for words. The North Penn High School junior was one of four students named as finalists in the Pennsylvania State University Essay Contest. The task: Write an impromptu essay in under an hour after reading “Global Village Idiocy,” a New York Times article written by Thomas Friedman. The goal: Write an essay that has evidence of a broad range of analytical and writing skills. “My English teacher told me about it,” said Nerurkar, 16. “The article was on the impact on the Internet on a global society and how it’s connecting the world.” Nerurkar related to the theme on a personal note and decided to write about that. “I gave an example of how the Internet affected me connecting …

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The Tutoring Center of Lansdale Specializes in The Three Rs

The Tutoring Center, recently opened at The Pavilion, is helping students focus on overcoming their struggles with reading, writing and arithmetic.

When it comes to “The Three Rs,” The Tutoring Center in Lansdale puts them to the test to focus struggling students on academic success. Center directors Prakash and Sheetal Patel opened the first center in Pennsylvania at The Pavilion Shopping Center two weeks ago to start diagnostic testing. “I think this is really needed in the community,” said Sheetal Patel. “It’s something that parents can turn to; they have somewhere to go if their kids are struggling.” The two colorful rooms at The Tutoring Center are structured around rotational growth, based on the need of the student. A diagnostic test given prior to enrollment pinpoints one of three subjects for tutoring help: math, reading or writing. The center is split into two rooms. Each …

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One month down and many, many more to go

Today marks one month of Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch's success - and we couldn't have done it without you

Here it is – the one-month mark for Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch. We couldn’t have made it this far without you, our dedicated readers and residents. First, I want to thank you and your friends for coming along on this successful journey. The ship has been sailing with no leaks and calm winds, and the view from here is wide and beautiful. In 30 days, the site has seen new visitors daily and our number of hits is growing exceptionally. Being the new face on the Internet and to the local community is an exciting venture. Almost every day I hear someone mention visiting the site, and they often follow up with a story idea. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. In the past month, the Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch team has worked hard and …

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KateNerdRages

5:06 pm on Sunday, January 30, 2011

Haha. It is the best description of myself that I could ever imagine coming up with.   more ›