Tartan Student Achievements: Band Honors, Research Papers and More

Several St. Margaret’s students have been recognized recently for their achievements in academics and the arts. Here are some recent honorees:

 

Middle School student Gloria Zhou was selected to participate in the All-State Jr. High Symphonic Band. The most talented young musicians from schools across California gather together to perform repertoires at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center earlier this month. Gloria was one out of only 12 flutists chosen to represent the entire state. 

  

Gloria represented St. Margaret’s at the All-State Jr. High Symphonic Band amongst various schools, including the Orange County School of the Arts, South Pointe Middle School, and Sierra Vista Middle School. Their collective passion for music transformed the stage into a vibrant canvas of melodies.

  

Under the baton of conductor M.J. Wamhoff, Director of Bands at Delta College, Gloria and fellow musicians delivered an unforgettable performance. Their repertoire included: “A Time to Dance,” by Julie Giroux, “Danza la Habana,” by Ruth Brittin, “Ridge Fun,” by M.J. Wamhoff, “Earth Song,” by Frank Ticheli, “In Two Places,” by Haley Woodrow and World Premiere: “Poorvi, an Evening Raga for Concert Band,” by Aakash Mittal.

 

Gloria’s commitment to master her craft is evident. Band director Chris Carbajal remarks, “I’m so proud of Gloria. Her achievements are a testament to her passion and unwavering dedication.”

Upper School senior Avery Ainsworth recently had a manuscript published in the National High School Journal of Science around the topic of artificial intelligence.

 

Avery took a course on AI and developed a chatbot project that aims to identify users’ emotions and intensity of feeling through dialogue. The project, titled AMES (Always My Emotional Support), engages in conversations with high school and college students. Through the use of algorithms, the chatbot seeks to identify individuals struggling with mental health issues and provide targeted responses to attempt to get needed help directly to the individual.

 

Avery’s paper can be viewed at this link.

 

St. Margaret’s graduate Jonathan Lee ‘23 had an article published in the International Journal of High School Research, which he submitted while still a St. Margaret’s student. Jonathan’s paper was titled “Time Evolution of the Mass of Primordial Black Holes in a Cosmic Microwave Background with a Time-Dependent Temperature.”