Log In


Reset Password

Two PV students to attend 'Young Scholars Program'

Two Panther Valley fourth graders will have the privilege of spending a week this month at the National Young Scholars Program held at Villanova University in Philadelphia.

Josh Faenza and Abigail Vermillion, both of Summit Hill, were nominated by their third grade teacher to attend the weeklong day camp, which will feature a leadership segment as well as a discovery area they were able to select."I will be going to look for a missing painting," said Faenza who will be attending the discovery track "Crime Scene Investigation: The Case of the Missing Masterpiece."In his sessions, he will be learning about the world of forensic science and how it is applied toward cracking a case dealing with a theft. He will learn how to use handwriting and tool mark analyses, deductive reasoning and examining various pieces of evidence as they track down the guilty party who stole a missing masterpiece.Faenza said he is interested in this discovery track because he likes finding things."I like being a detective," he added.Faenza is the son of Jay and Tammy Faenza of Summit Hill.Vermillion said she is planning to be a dentist someday and was looking forward to her discovery track, "Medicine: The Incredible Human Body.""I'm going to get to dissect something," she said.Through the week she will learn about the various systems that comprise the human body including the digestive, muscular, respiratory and circulatory systems and learn how the brain controls the body.She will participate in various experiments as well culminating in a dissection and constructing a model lung.At the end of the week, she and her fellow explorers will actually diagnose the needs of a patient and present a plan for care.Vermillion is the daughter of Tom and Alicia Vermillion of Summit Hill."Both Josh and Abby were nominated from among all of the third grade students by their teacher," said Josh's mother Tammy.She said the camp runs five days and the parents will be taking turns driving them to Villanova.Besides their discovery tracks, they will also be taking a leadership strand that will teach them team building, character development, communication, problem solving and goal setting.The leadership strand is integrated throughout the camp activities and will help them identify their strengths and work on areas that need development.

Katie Wargo/special to the times news Panther Valley fourth graders Josh Faenza, left, and Abigail Vermillion will be attending the National Young Scholars Program at Villanova University this summer where they will learn leadership skills as well as explore scientific areas during the weeklong day camp.