The Department of Education has announced their candidates for the Presidential Scholars, including the 60 candidates for Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

The Presidential Scholars in the Arts were selected from the 152 Finalists of the YoungArts Awards. The YoungArts Awards, sponsored by the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, also recognized 174 Honorable Mentions and 271 Merit Awards across the nine artistic disciplines: Writing, Voice, Visual Arts, Theater, Photography, Music, Jazz, Dance and Cinematic Arts.

Of these, NWSA proudly has 3 candidates for the Presidential Scholars in the Arts and a total of 21 awards from all disciplines at all levels.

• NWSA Young Arts Awards:
• Jaylon Ballard, Finalist, Voice
• Damien Cayro, Merit Award, Voice
• Daniel Chavarriaga, Merit Award, Theater
• Ana Collado, Merit Award, Voice
• Frances Collins, Merit Award, Voice
• Jose Contreras, Merit Award, Voice
• Virginia De Las Pozas, Finalist, Voice
• Brandon Flynn, Finalist, Theater
• Sabrina Granados, Honorable Mention, Visual Arts
• Caroline Haldeman-Emmerling, Honorable Mention, Visual Arts
• Kelley Kessell, Candidate – Presidential Scholars of the Arts, Finalist, Voice
• Kelley Kessell, Merit Award, Theater
• Heather Knobel, Merit Award, Theater
• David Leon, Merit Award, Jazz
• Anna Litvinenko, Finalist, Music
• Antonio Madruga, Candidate – Presidential Scholars of the Arts, Finalist, Jazz
• Taylor Manning, Merit Award, Music
• Jorge Roldan, Merit Award, Jazz
• Daniel Santa, Honorable Mention, Visual Arts
• Erika Suhr, Merit Award, Visual Arts
• Jessica Suhr, Candidate – Presidential Scholars of the Arts, Finalist, Visual Arts

The Scholastic Art Awards is the largest and oldest recognition program for young artists in the United States. Founded in 1923 by Scholastic, since 1992 it has been administered by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. Each year regional competitions select Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention awards. Gold Keys are given for individual works or for a portfolio of eight works. A few number of Gold Key works are selected as an American Visions Nominee. All Gold Key works are forwarded to New York City for a national competition.

The winners of the South Regional Scholastic competition were honored at an awards ceremony on Sunday, January 22, at the Miami Art Museum. The works on a exhibt at the Miami Art Museum, January 22 to February 12.

The NWSA students receiving Scholastic awards are:

• Regional Scholastics, 2012
• Polina Abratenko, Gold Key
• Gerre Barnwell, Honorable Mention
• Gabriela Borregales, Gold Key
• Karla Buergo, Gold Key
• Dianee Da’Lama, Silver Key
• Juan Garcia, Silver Key
• Maximillian Gonzalez, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Sabrina Granados, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Caroline Haldeman-Emmerling, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Yann Herry, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Jazmin Perez, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Megan Perritt, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Lauren Pick, Gold Key
• Logan Rackear, Gold Key
• Tatiana Reina, Gold Key, American Visions Nominee
• Mika Rosenberg, Gold Key
• Samantha Rosner, Gold Key
• Daniel Santa, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Erika Suhr, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Jessica Suhr, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Luis Trujillo, Gold Key, Portfolio
• Tamara Walker, Gold Key
• Angeilca Yudasto, Gold Key, Portfolio

The following NWSA students won Gold Key Regional Awards last year, and these are the results of the national competition. Winning work can be found at the on line gallery of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.

• National Scholastics, 2011
• Audrey Gair, Portfolio Gold
• Rachel Doliner, Portfolio Silver
• Julie George, Portfolio Silver
• Asher Mones, Portfolio Silver
• Eric Rackear, Silver Painting
• Christopher Rodriguez, Portfolio Silver

For students in the visual arts, don’t forget that today is portfolio day. NWSA is the host of the National Portfolio Day Event in Miami, which brings together prospective students and representatives recruiting for 52 art schools across the country.

Bring your sketchbooks, and energy and your smiles. This is an event that college-bound juniors simply cannot miss. Sophomores can go to pick up information about pre-college programs.

For more information see the National Portfolio Day web-site.

The NWSA PTSA is kicking off its fundraising campaign January 16, 2012. Your tax deductible donation of $300* or more to the NWSA PTSA will entitle you to two reserved $50 tickets to Rising Stars, March 23rd at the Gusman Theater. Please help us fund programs and activities that benefit your student at New World while reserving your premium seats for this exceptional performance.

Donations may be mailed to the PTSA, c/o New World, or on-line through Amazon. The donations page of this web site will assist you to conveniently and securely make your donation and secure your seat at this event.

To purchase tickets directly, go to http://tickets.gusmancenter.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=20

* Please note that the value of the tickets can not be deducted for taxes.

Dear PTSA Member:

We hope all of our PTSA members are enjoying the end of the year holidays and that everyone finds time to relax whether you are traveling or are staying close to home in Miami. Our children’s two week break from school, as always, will go by quickly and they will soon be back at school and hard at work on their academics and arts.

We would like to take this opportunity to request that you keep our organization in mind as you consider any end of the year financial donations. The PTSA does not engage in numerous fundraising activities throughout the school year, specifically because we realize that most of us, including our children, lead very busy lives and simply do not have the time to sell magazines, chocolates or wash cars, to name a few of the traditional fundraising activities. Instead, the PTSA relies on the generosity of its membership to make a once-a-year financial donation to support the PTSA activities. In the past, we have provided funds to pay a portion of the salary of a college placement advisor and to provide snacks to the children on standardized testing days, to name only a few of the academic programs that we try to support.

The PTSA is asking each of you to consider making your once-a-year financial donation before the end of the 2011 so that you can take advantage of the donation on your 2011 taxes. Although we will be conducting a more formal fund drive in the new year, the PTSA is always able to accept your donations online at www.nwsa-ptsa.org

Thank you for supporting the PTSA and we look forward to a productive and exciting 2012!

NWSA PTSA Board

Today’s PTSA meeting will be by conference call:

5:15 – 6:15 pm
1-800-853-0223
code xxxxxx

The agenda is to plan for the General Membership Meeting next Wednesday, December 14th.

The minutes of the meeting are here.

Looking ahead 2012–2013 — A town hall meeting with Superintendent Carvalho

Designed with the community in mind, the town hall meeting will offer a recap of the challenges faced during the last three years, provide an outlook for next schol year, and engage community stakeholders in the education process.

Monday, December 12, from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M.
TERRA school, 11005 S.W. 84 St.

Please mark your calendars with the following two upcoming PTSA events —

“got talent?” T-shirts will be on sale in the school lobby this Thursday morning, December 8 beginning at 7:00 a.m. The t-shirts are $15 each, are available in black or white, and would make perfect gifts for the holidays. Don’t forget to send your student with cash to purchase one or several t-shirts.

A General Membership Meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. This is a perfect opportunity to meet other parents and to share ideas about how we can each be a part of the excellence that is NWSA. We look forward to seeing you there and ask you to please spread the word.

Join Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Tuesday, November 29th at 6:30 pm in a Town Hall meeting to discuss “Looking Ahead — 2012-2013″ and the effects of the $200-$300 million budget reduction to Miami Dade Public Schools.

What: Town Hall Meeting on the Budget
When: Tuesday, November 29th at 6:30 pm.
Where: South Miami Senior High School
  6856 SW 53 Street, Miami, Florida 33155