MasonBuzz.com

Sonia Yeolekar / Photo provided

Two Mason students are among 36 Ohio students headed to Maryland this summer to compete in the National History Day Contest.

The Ohio State University hosted the National History Day in Ohio contest on April 28. The two entries in each division of the competition advance to the national contest, set for June 10-14 at the University of Maryland at College Park.

Mason High School freshman Sonia Yeolekar and Mason Middle School seventh-grader Aditya Jog made the cut and will now compete at the national level.

The annual history competition for students in grades 6-12 challenges students to compete either individually or in groups in five categories including: historical paper, exhibit, documentary, performance or website using the theme “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.”

Sonia received an excellent rating for her research paper titled “The Rebellion of Boudica,” referring to the celebrated Celtic queen who led an uprising against the Romans.

Aditya also received a superior rating for his paper titled, “The Salt March: Nonviolent resistance as a vehicle for political reform,” referring to the peaceful protest led by Gandhi against the British salt monopoly in colonial India.

Aditya Jog / Photo provided

Ten other Mason students competed in the Ohio History Day event.

Mason High School

• Melissa Groenewold with an individual documentary film titled “Leymah Gbowee: A Women’s Revolution” which received honorable mention.
• Clayton Lewis with an individual exhibit titled “Athenian Democracy: Redefining the Political Spectrum”,
• Mohamed Elzarka with an individual website titled “Rethinking Roman Progress: Improving a Nation“

Mason Middle School

• Sneha Gundavarpu and Mekhala Rao- Group Documentary- “The Evolution of Uganda during Idi Amin’s Reign” which received honorable mention.
• Annie McBeath- Exhibit- “Down with Dignity: The Rebellion at Masada” which received honorable mention.
• Lizzy Kong – Research Paper “Confucius and Civil Service Reform: A Rise in Social Mobility and Curricular Uniformity in China”
• Akhila Sonti- Research Paper- “Pablo Picasso: A Revolution in Art”
• Sriharsha Voleti- Research Paper- “The Bolshevik Revolution: The Birth of the Soviet Union”
• Jocelyn Kang – Exhibit- “The Unification of Germany: What pieced Germany together”

Erin White, a Mason Middle School social studies teacher, and Dan Langen, who teaches social studies at Mason High School, coached the team.

“We were so proud to have these deep thinkers represent us at the Ohio History Day competition, and are excited to have Sonia and Aditya showcase their projects at the national competition!” said White.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: aditya jog, college park, competition, contest, dan langen, erin white, mason high school, mason middle school, national history day contest, national history day in ohio, rebellion of boudica, salt march, sonia yeolekar, university of maryland

Mason’s Competition Cheer team ended the season last weekend on a high note.

The team placed first in the varsity non-build division and were named grand champions in school, rec and all-star at the American Cheer Power World-Bid Nationals held March 31-April 1 in Columbus.

The win comes on top of the four first place and one second place finish achieved this season.  The team also qualified for States and finished 10th in the OASSA State Championship.

Posted in: Sports |

Tags: Tags: american cheer power world-bid nationals, cheer team, cheerleading, columbus, competition, mason, mason high school, oassa state championship

Chuck Marshall of Mason uses oils to paint during the Mason Arts Festival on the grounds of the Mason Municipal Center. Over 120 local and regional artist were on hand displaying or demonstrating their work for the 5th annual event. The Enquirer/ Cara Owsley

The Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance has issued a Call to Artists for its annual Mason Arts Festival.

Now in its seventh year, the festival is set for Sept. 16 at the Mason Municipal Center.

More than 120 local and regional artists showcase their creative works each year in mediums ranging from painting and sculpture to mixed media and photography.

The juried event awards more than $3,000 in prize money each year.  To register, artists must submit jury materials and a $25 jury fee.  Booth fee for accepted artists is $75.

Artists may also submit up to three works in the indoor City Gallery, which will run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 21.  The City Gallery application fee is $10 with an additional $10 for the first piece entered, $15 for two works and $20 for three works.

Deadline for applications is April 2.  Artists will be notified as to acceptance by April 16.

The free festival features food and performing artists throughout the day.  Download artist, City Gallery, performing arts and food vendor applications online at www.masonarts.org.

For more information, call the MDAA at 513-309-8585 or email masonarts@gmail.com.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: artists, competition, free, juried, mason arts festival, mason municipal center, mason-deerfield arts alliance, mdaa

A Mason teen is headed to Columbus to compete in the state Business Professionals of America competition.

Bob Stillwell, a student in the Business Management program at Great Oaks Career Campuses, is one of five Live Oaks students to qualify for the state level at the regional BPA competition.

Stillwell finished in second place in the Network Administration Using Microsoft category.  BPA is a national student organization promoting business, technical and marketing skills.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: bob stillwell, bpa, business management program, competition, great oaks career campuses, live oaks, network administration, ohio

Mason Intermediate’s Math Counts team shined at the Greater Cincinnati Council of Teachers of Mathematics math competition held Saturday at Sycamore Junior High School.

The two sixth-grade teams both received superior rankings in the competition that pitted them against about 300 students in grades 6-8.

Competitors include: Jacob Bagadiong, Lauren Han, Wilhem Law, Kaushal Mangipudi, Connie Mi, Jeffrey Huang, Terry Luo, Atneya Nair, Alex Wang and Peter Zhu.

Jeffrey, Terry, Atneya, Alex and Peter’s team also finished in third place overall.

Team coach Mike Michalak, a fifth-grade math teacher, said he was pleased with the team’s performance.

“This is a great achievement for the sixth-graders since most of the competitors were seventh- and eighth-graders,” he said.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: competition, gcctm, greater cincinnati council of teachers of mathematics, mason intermediate, math counts, sycamore junior high

The Mason varsity wrestling team will look to defend its two-year title at Saturday's James Horning Memorial Varsity Wrestling Invitational. Photo provided

Ten of the state’s top wrestling teams will compete Saturday at the James V. Horning Memorial Varsity Wrestling Invitational at Mason Middle School’s Mason Athletic Arena.

The field of schools includes Mason, ranked tenth in the Ohio Division I Coaches’ poll, and conference rival Lakota West.

Other schools participating are Centerville, Olentangy, Marysville, Kettering Fairmont, Pickerington North, Dublin Coffman, Milford and Beavercreek.

Mason will seek to defend its two-year title.  The team is led by a trio of seniors: Jake Seuss, Kyle McIntyre and Eion Walden.

McIntyre and Walden are expected to earn their 100th career victories at Saturday’s competition.

“Our kids have really been working hard,” said Mason coach Craig Murnan.  ” As long as we stay healthy this week I’m sure our kids will wrestle hard for this event.”

For Mason, the win isn’t just about adding to its trophy case — it’s about honoring one of their own.  The tournament is named in honor of James Horning, a Mason high school senior and wrestling team captain who died in an automobile accident in 2004.

“The memory of James means a lot to them and I know it will motivate them,” said Murnan.

The team faces steep competition in defending their title.  Marysville placed fifth in the Ohio State Dual tournament and returns two state placers from last year.

Olentagy’s Trevor Fiorruci, a three-time Horning champion and state placer, will attempt to become the second wrestler in the tournament’s eight year history to become a four-time champion.

Olentangy also returns three other state qualifiers from last year and will be the team to watch, said Murnan.

“With Marysville and Olentangy along with a lot of other tough individuals from the other teams, I expect this to be a great day of wrestling. It’s going to be fun to watch,” he said.

Preliminary competition will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the finals set to start around 6 p.m.

All-day admission is $8 for adults and $6 for students. Concessions and souvenir T-shirts will also be on sale at the tournament.  Proceeds benefit the James Horning Memorial Fund.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: beavercreak, centerville, comets, competition, craig murnan, dublin coffman, eion walden, jake seuss, james horning, james v. horning, james v. horning memorial varsity wrestling invitational, kettering fairmount, kyle mcintyre, lakota west, marysville, mason high school, milford, olentangy, pickerington north, tournament, trevor fiorruci, wrestling

Mason vaulted to a second place finish behind Columbus powerhouse Dublin Coffman Saturday at Turpin’s gymnastics Snowflake Invitational.

The Lady Comets were led by upperclassmen Amythest Gauthier, Rachel Hawthorne, Lauren Robertson, Lindsay Woehrmyer, Maggie Fewell and Kelly Schweppe.

Gauthier, a newcomer who had previously worked out for local private clubs, won the bars competition with an 8.7 and placed eighth on beam.

Veteran seniors Hawthorne and Robertson placed sixth and seventh on beam respectively, while Fewell, a junior, finished tenth on both vault and bars.

Several of the Lady Comets debuted new skills and routines, including Woehrmyer (beam and floor), Fewell (bars, beam and floor) and Schweppe (floor).

Sophomore Brooke Middleton and incoming freshmen Kylie Agin, Ashley Clark and Nina Tavernier also contributed to Mason’s second place finish.

Lakota East finished third and Anderson was fourth.  The team will next compete at the Indian Cup Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 7.

Posted in: Sports |

Tags: Tags: ameythest gathier, ashley clark, brooke middleton, competition, gymnastics, gymnasts, indian cup invitational, kelly schweppe, kylie agin, lauren robertson, lindsay woehrmyer, maggie fewell, mason, mason high school, meet, nina tavernier, rachel hawthorne, snowflake invitational, turpin

MHS students Kaushik Chagarlamudi and Nikita Nambiar placed first in the Public Forum Debate at the 49th Annual Princeton Barton Classic on Nov. 11-12. Photo provided

The Mason High School speech and debate team took top honors at the 49th Annual Princeton Barton Classic.

The team took first place in the team sweepstakes at the competition, which took place Nov. 11-12 at Princeton High School.   Eighteen students also earned honors in individual events.

“I’m so proud of our team.  This is the first time in Mason speech and debate team history that students competed in all 13 (Ohio High School Speech League) events,” said team advisor Melissa Donahue.

Individual team members winning awards are:

Public Forum Debate

• 1st place finalists – Kaushik Chagarlamudi & Nikita Nambiar
• Semi-finalists – Diana He & Wei Sun
• Quarter-finalists – Arjun Mathur & Peeyush Shrivastava

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

• 2nd place finalist – Myra Gupta
• Semi-finalist – Sanika Barve
• Semi-finalist – Abhishek Ravinuthala

US Extemporaneous Speaking

• 1st place – James Gao

International Extemporaneous Speaking

• 1st place – Qian Wang
• 4th place – Sam Whipple
• 6th place – Mohamed Elzarka

Dramatic Interpretation

• 6th place – Katie Hibner

Humorous Interpretation

• 2nd place – Kathryn Albers
• 6th place – Katelyn Kang

Original Oratory

• 6th place – Katherine Hansen

Prose/Poetry Reading

• 2nd place – Umy Savani
• 5th place – Sri Karanam

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: competition, debate, mason high school, ohio high school speech league, princeton barton classic, speech, speech and debate team

Danielle Withers rocked her way to another week on NBC’s “The Sing-Off.”

Monday’s episode challenged the remaining seven groups to perform “Superstar Medleys.” Withers, 27, and her group, Afro-Blue, performed three Janet Jackson selections — a piece Withers said the group was “really excited about, or maybe it’s just me.”

• View photos of Danielle Withers and Afro-Blue
• Watch Afro-Blue perform a Janet Jackson Medley
• Vote for your favorite performance from week 7
  

The 2002 Mason High School graduate took the vocal lead in much of the performance, along with group member Mariah Maxwell.

Judges praised the group’s sound and its lead vocalists, but echoed critique from earlier weeks that the group has a tendency to “over-think” parts of its arrangements.

Judge Shawn Stockman said the group performed an ambitious arrangement, and that they made it look “easy and effortless.”

Ben Folds called it a radical and smart arrangement and called out Withers for an “awesome” performance.

Sara Bareilles said the performance was perhaps too ambitious, but overall praised the 10-member Howard University-based group.

“You guys have amazing lead vocalists: Danielle, Mariah, you sounded amazing, I loved it,” gushed Bareilles. “You guys are such an amazing strong group; there’s something really, really special in Afro-Blue and I want to continue to see that blossom and grow.”

Withers, dressed in a black Flapper-style dress, also took the early vocal lead in a special Halloween-themed opening piece, performed by all seven remaining groups.

The weekly series hosted by Nick Lachey follows 16 a cappella groups from across the country as they compete for a Sony Music recording contract and $200,000 cash prize.

Withers and Afro-Blue will next perform on Nov. 8. The final live episode will air later this month.

Stay tuned to MasonBuzz for updates about Withers and Afro-Blue’s progress in the competition.  You can also follow Withers on Facebook.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment |

Tags: Tags: a cappella, afro-blue, competition, danielle withers, halloween, howard university, janet jackson, mason, mason high school, nick lachey, recording contract, singing, superstar medleys, the sing-off, washington d.c.

Mason’s Danielle Withers and her group, Afro-Blue, survived another week on NBC’s “The Sing-Off” — but not without getting a taste of what it feels like to be in the bottom.

The weekly series hosted by Nick Lachey follows 16 a cappella groups from across the country as they compete for a Sony Music recording contract and $200,000 cash prize.

After being divided into two brackets for the first four episodes, the remaining ten groups came together in last night’s show.

Afro-Blue found itself competing against two new groups, the Deltones and Pentatonix, which were previously in the other bracket.

This week, each group performed a “guilty pleasure” song.  Afro-Blue performed a playful and energetic take on Whitney Houston’s pop hit, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”

• Watch: Afro-Blue perform “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
• View photos of Danielle Withers and Afro-Blue

“It’s very risky to do a Whitney Houston song because she’s known for being this amazing vocalist,” said Withers, 27, in a clip aired before the group performed.

The group received criticism last week from judges for “overthinking” their tunes, so Withers said it was important not to “jazzify” the piece up.

Judges Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman and Sara Bareilles praised the group’s moves, but had mixed comments on their sound.

Stockman called the performance entertaining and smart” and praised the group’s female vocalists, including Withers, who “got their shine” in the arrangement.

“All of you sounded magnifio.  Everything was just candy.  Great job,” he said.

Folds also praised Withers and the other female vocalists and the group’s energy, but he critiqued their diction.

“The only thing I would say is just pronounce the words a little more,” he said.  “You guys are so amazing I can’t believe I’m lecturing you.”

Bareilles also praised the group’s dance moves, including a “wedding march” like move in which each singer strut their stuff.  But she too had some critique for the group’s sound.

“I was missing some of the meat in the middle,” she said.  “At the end it almost felt like it went a little sharp for me, but it was so much fun to watch.  I loved it.

Afro-Blue competed with four other groups in the show’s second half, with them and the Deltones in the bottom two.  Judges voted off the Deltones, saying they wanted more dynamics from the University of Delaware-based group.

“Right now we’re on a tightrope,” said Withers in the clip that aired during the show.  “We definitely don’t want to go home and we’re going to do what we have to to fight our way to the end.”

Afro-Blue next performs on Monday, Oct. 24.  Stay tuned to MasonBuzz for updates about Withers and Afro-Blue’s progress in the competition.  You can also follow Withers on Facebook.

Related stories:

• Mason grad to compete on NBC’s ‘Sing-Off’
• NBC’s ‘Sing-Off’ a “major game-changer” for Mason grad

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, News |

Tags: Tags: a cappella, afro-blue, competition, danielle withers, deltones, howard university, i wanna dance with somebody, mason, mason high school, nick lachey, pentatonix, recording contract, singing, the sing-off, washington d.c., whitney houston