Kona Hawaiian Civic Club scholarships available Kona Hawaiian Civic Club scholarships available ADVERTISING The Kona Hawaiian Civic Club is offering two scholarships for continuing education to students of Hawaiian ethnicity. For more information, including applicant criteria, procedures and more, visit
Kona Hawaiian Civic Club scholarships available
The Kona Hawaiian Civic Club is offering two scholarships for continuing education to students of Hawaiian ethnicity.
For more information, including applicant criteria, procedures and more, visit konahawaiiancivicclub.org.
Hawaii Prep students
earn AP honors
Twenty-seven students at Hawaii Preparatory Academy have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on AP Exams.
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.9 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.
The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams.
Phong Hoang, Kyle Matsuda and Justin Sandulli received the National AP Scholar Award, granted to students who earn an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more exams.
Phong Hoang also received the State AP Scholar Award, granted to one male and one female student in each state with scores of 3 or higher on the greatest number of exams and the highest average score on all exams taken.
Yuki Ainge, Tori Campbell, Katherine Case, Jung-Hwi Cho, Nicholas Chock, Trevor Edwards, Linnea Gregg, Phong Hoang, Kyle Matusda, Delaney Ross, Justin Sandulli, Zoe Sims, Kulananalu Tarnas, Catherine Thorbecke and Mariko Thorbecke each received an AP Scholar with Distinction Award, granted to students with an average score of at least 3.5 on all exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams.
The AP Scholar with Honor Award, recognizing students who receive an average score of at least 3.25, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams, was granted to Rebecca Barrett, Eloi-Kai Bernier-Chen, Connor Bradley, Alexandra Disney and Yoonjung Rho.
The AP Scholar Award, granted to students with scores of 3 or higher on three or more exams, was earned by Weier Guo, Emily Johnson, Torin Kubo, Zane Moran, Angelica Shumov, William Young and Sihan Yu.
More than 3,800 colleges and universities annually receive AP scores. Most four-year colleges in the United States provide credit or advanced placement for qualifying exam scores.
Elks announces
available scholarships
The Elks National Foundation provides more than $3.64 million in college scholarships each year through its three scholarship programs.
The foundation will award 500 Most Valuable Student Scholarships, four-year scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 per year, to graduating high school seniors based on financial need, leadership and scholarship. The application deadline is Dec. 1.
Merit-based Legacy Awards, totaling $4,000 over four years, are offered to children and grandchildren of Elks who are members in good standing. The deadline is Feb. 1, 2013.
Emergency Educational Grants of up to $4,000 are available to children of deceased or totally disabled Elks. New applications are due Dec. 31; renewals are due Oct. 31.
For applications and details, visit elks.org/enf/scholars. All applications must go through a local Elks Lodge before reaching the Elks National Foundation office. Contact a high school counselor for more information or Kona Elks Lodge Scholarship Chair Joe Reynolds at 334-0077 or jrinkona@gmail.com.
GEMS accepting registrations through Tuesday
West Hawaii’s fifth-grade girls are invited to Girls Exploring Math and Science Nov. 15 at the Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay. Through hands-on exhibits and workshops, women from the local community will introduce girls to their occupations and show them how they use math, science and technology in their daily work. The program is designed to stimulate interest and promote the confidence of girls in these fields. Workshop topics this year include marine science, architecture, financial planning and veterinary medicine.
Fifth-grade girls residing in the West Hawaii School Complex Area are welcome, whether they attend public, private or home school. Scholarships are available, and no girl will be turned away for financial reasons. The registration fee is $20.
Registration forms are available at area public and private schools and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until Sept. 25.
Individuals or businesses interested in helping girls attend GEMS through sponsorships are encouraged to do so. For more information or to request a registration packet, contact GEMS registration at gemsreg@aauwkona.org or call Laurel or Karen at 322-4858. Space is limited; register early.
GEMS is produced by the Kona branch of the American Association of University Women in conjunction with many local volunteers and sponsors.
Sims named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist
Zoe Sims, a senior at Hawaii Preparatory Academy, has been named a semifinalist in the 58th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Sims will continue in the competition for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered this spring. Sims has also been recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction, which is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
Sims, the daughter of Neil and Kathryn Sims of Kailua-Kona, is an active member of the HPA community. She is student body president and served as student council representative for two years. She also serves on the school’s Honor Council. In addition, Sims has written numerous articles for Ma Ke Kula, the school magazine, and North Hawaii News.
Sims is also one of the state’s top harriers. She was the 2011 individual BIIF champion and went on with her teammates to take the 2011 state championship. In track, Sims won her first state title in 2011 in the 1500m; she also took second at states that year in the 400m. This year, she is a captain of the girls cross-country team
About 1.5 million juniors entered the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.
