Stamford Teen Selected as St. Luke’s Scholar

GROUP PHOTO: Back Row—L to R: Clara Pakman (New Canaan), Hannah Amendola (Wilton), Ellie Haljun (Wilton), Mary Grace Thomas (New Canaan), Lynden Steele (Norwalk), Anna Camp (Darien)
Front Row—L to R: Jewels Finley (Stamford), Sydney Napolitano (Fairfield), Christopher Ayoub (New Canaan), Jack Maguire (Ridgefield), Georgia Rosenberg (Greenwich)

[not in photo: Hunter Conetta (Bedford), Andres Falcon Gimenez (Old Greenwich), and Carolina Warneryd (Weston)]

In April, St. Luke’s held one of its signature annual academic events: the Scholars Symposium. Director of Studies Jim Yavenditti welcomed parents to the Scholars Symposium and kicked off the evening of presentations.

The fourteen St. Luke’s seniors who were selected as scholars spent the year on an independent study that culminated in a public presentation of their findings. Students studied either a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) or global (analysis of a global issue and extensive language study) topic.

Stamford resident Jewels Finley was one of the participating senior scholars.

Faculty advisors work one-on-one with scholars throughout the year and help the students prepare for their final presentations. Director of Studies Jim Yavenditti said, "I’m always impressed with our scholars’ work. They are able to take their incredibly detailed, scholarly research and present it at a level that is understandable to a general audience. That’s no easy task and reflects well on them as scholars and on our Upper School curriculum as a whole."

Student scholars and their topics included:

Hannah Amendola-STEM Scholar
Developing Time Management Software Using Several Platforms

Chris Ayoub-Global Scholar
The Problematic Relationship Over Intellectual Property Between the United States & the People’s Republic of China

Anna Camp-STEM Scholar
Fabrication of Microfluidic Devices to Investigate Blood Coagulation

Hunter Conetta-Global Scholar
Contemporary European Populism

Andres Falcon Gimenez-STEM Scholar
Optimization of Biodiesel Synthesis Through Transesterification of Waste Oils

Jewels Finley-Global Scholar
Contemporary Forms of Discrimination: Race in the United States and Brazil

Ellie Haljun-STEM Scholar
Ocean Acidification and Its Effect on Coral Growth

Jack Maguire-STEM Scholar
The Language of Champions: An Analysis of Confidence vs. Performance

Sydney Napolitano-Global Scholar
The Implications of Essential Medication Shortages

Clara Pakman-STEM Scholar
Creating a Video Game to Strengthen Critical Thinking Skills

Georgia Rosenberg-Global Scholar
Genetically Modified Food: The Quest for Successful Crop Cultivation With a Global Food Crisis on the Horizon

Lynden Steele-Global Scholar
Male Bodies as Weapons: Intractable Sexual Violence in South Sudan

Mary Grace Thomas-Global Scholar
The Dangers of an Antiquated System: The Modern Rights & Trials of Refugees

Carolina Warneryd-STEM Scholar
Engineering a Sanitation Solution for the Guatemala City Dump

St. Luke's faculty who served as advisors this year included Jason Haynes (Global), Alec LeBris (STEM), Jason Warner (STEM), and Beth Yavenditti (Global).

St. Luke's is a secular private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5-12. St. Luke's mission is an exceptional education that inspires a deep love of learning, a strong moral compass, the commitment to serve, and the confidence to lead. St. Luke's Center for Leadership advances our mission by helping students develop exceptional leadership ability. Visit today.