Spotlight

BOCA RATON, FL, January 29, 2024 – Grandview Preparatory School is proud to announce the notable achievements of two of its students at the prestigious Student Artist Competition held during the Boca Raton Fine Art Show at Sanborn Square Park on January 27 and 28, 2024. 

Evgeniia Minaeva, a talented student at Grandview Preparatory School, has been honored with the Award of Excellence along with a monetary prize for her exceptional acrylic portrait painting. Demonstrating skill and creativity beyond her years, Evgeniia's artwork stood out among the competition, earning her one of the highest recognitions of the event.

Joining Minaeva in her success is fellow student MacKenzie Warren, whose artistic talents were on full display with her oil painting and graphite drawing. MacKenzie's innovative approach and technical expertise have rightly earned her these accolades for her contributions to the arts.

The Student Artist Competition is a highlight of the Boca Raton Fine Art Show, inviting young artists to showcase their work in a professional setting and compete among their peers for recognition and awards. This opportunity not only emphasizes the importance of arts education but also provides a platform for emerging artists to gather experience and display their talent.

“Grandview Preparatory School is committed to fostering an environment where artistic expression and creative development go hand in hand with academic excellence,” said Jennifer Schultz, Middle & Upper School art instructor. “The success of Evgeniia and MacKenzie is a testament to their hard work and our school's dedication to nurturing the fine arts. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments.”

For more information about the art programs at Grandview Preparatory School or to schedule an interview with the award-winning students, contact: Michelle Olson-Rogers, Director of Communications & Community Outreach at Grandview Preparatory School | michelle@grandviewprep.net

BOCA RATON, FL, January 25, 2024 – Grandview Preparatory School is celebrating its HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Chapter's successful debut at the recent Treasure Coast Regional Competition. Grandview’s chapter members competed against over 1,000 students from various schools, making their mark in several skills and knowledge-based events.

The Grandview HOSA Chapter proudly boasts three individuals/teams who placed in the top 5 of their respective competitions: Diana Galkina, class of 2028, exhibited composure and expertise to secure 4th place in the challenging Life Threatening Situations competition.

The team of Ana Palmer and K'leana Hines, both in the class of 2026, along with Pun Pun Nantsupawat, class of 2025, demonstrated collaboration and community awareness to achieve 5th place in the Community Awareness team competition.

Natalia Wolf Freire, another impressive member of the class of 2028, displayed exceptional creativity and understanding earning 2nd place in the Extemporaneous Health Poster competition. Her remarkable performance has paved the way for her to advance to the state competition in Orlando this upcoming April.

The HOSA Chapter at Grandview Preparatory School serves as an extension of the school's commitment to providing students with innovative and relevant educational experiences that prepare them for future careers in the health professions.

"This is a proud moment for Grandview Preparatory School, as our inaugural HOSA Chapter has not only participated, but also excelled in their first-ever regional competition," said Stephanie Leech, Grandview’s Upper School science teacher and HOSA advisor. 
Fellow HOSA advisor Brett Hartnagel added, “Their achievements are a direct reflection of the dedication and passion our students have for the health sciences, and we are excited to support Natalia as she represents Grandview at the state level.”

For more information about the HOSA program at Grandview Preparatory School or to request interviews with the students or faculty advisors, contact: Michelle Olson-Rogers, Director of Communications & Community Outreach at Grandview Preparatory School | michelle@grandviewprep.net

BOCA RATON, FL - Grandview Preparatory School proudly announces that Yvette O'Brien, a high school junior, has earned a nomination in the Girls Golf category for the esteemed Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards. This nomination is a testament to O'Brien's exceptional talent, dedication, and contribution to the sport of golf.

The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards, an annual event honoring the most outstanding high school athletes in the county, has unveiled its player of the year nominees for all fall sports, including bowling, cross country, football, golf, swimming, and girls volleyball. Winners will be revealed during a live show on Wednesday, June 5 (2024), at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

"The entire Grandview community is thrilled for Yvette," said Head of School, Jacqueline R. Westerfield. "This nomination recognizes her hard work and commitment to the sport. We are incredibly proud of her achievement and look forward to cheering her on at the awards ceremony."

The event, supported by Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, will honor athletes of the year in 31 state-sanctioned sports. In addition, top teams, coaches, and overall athletes will receive recognition, and a Courage Award winner will be honored. Nominated athletes who RSVP will receive a complimentary ticket to the event, thanks to generous sponsors. Information about obtaining additional tickets will be available soon.

Contact: Michelle Olson-Rogers, Director of Communications & Community Outreach at Grandview Preparatory School | michelle@grandviewprep.net
 

In March of 2023, the Humanities Department at Grandview led the GPSx program with a presentation on Slam Poetry/Spoken Word Poetry given by Dr. Marquese McFerguson, Assistant Professor of Intercultural Communication within the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University. “We were thrilled to have Dr. McFerguson introduce spoken word poetry and lead students through instruction in the poetic form as they answered the GPS essential question: What is the essence of the human story?” said Mrs. Beningoso.  

Middle and Upper School students listened to Dr. McFerguson's story regarding his experiences that led him to becoming a leader in the Slam Poetry/Spoken Word Poetry movement. Following his GPSx presentation, students were assigned to break-out rooms to learn the basic steps to constructing these types of poems. Lastly, students were encouraged to create their own poems to be presented at our First GPS Poetry Slam which took place two weeks after Dr. McFerguson's visit.

Students and teachers alike presented their poems in front of the Middle and Upper School student body. In true Poetry Slam fashion, the poetry was judged by 5 judges and winners were declared! Many of the students presenting were vastly changed by the experience and a few even found their "voice". Several students continue to write slam poetry in their spare time to hone the craft.

Grandview is looking forward to its Second Annual Poetry Slam to take place in the spring of 2024.

About GPSx: GPSx, inspired by TEDx, is a platform for learning that allows presenters to share personal stories and provide opportunities to foster the development of The Five C’s (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and character). At Grandview, we encourage all students to ask questions, explore their curiosities and take the spotlight on the GPSx stage. GPSx is planned and executed on a recurring basis by students with guidance from faculty and administration.

About TED: TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.

Grandview Preparatory School couldn’t be more grateful to Palm Beach Illustrated magazine for nominating our school for their 2022 Award for Institutional Excellence. 

This September, Palm Beach Illustrated’s 2022 Education Awards recognized individuals and organizations making an impact on education in the Palm Beaches. Consistent with Palm Beach Illustrated magazine’s commitment to literacy and the advancement of education, this annual program is a celebration of the diversity, innovation, and collaborative spirit of our academic community. In addition to the Award for Institutional Excellence, Awards were presented in three other categories.

We were among great company and are thrilled for the winner. Criteria for the Award for Institutional Excellence, was as follows: This award will be presented to a Palm Beach County institution that has demonstrated exemplary achievements in academic excellence and student success, has championed diversity and inclusion, and has effectively engaged in community outreach and partnerships.

Finalists:

• FAU High School
• Grandview Preparatory School
• Center for Creative Education
• Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
• Palm Beach Public Elementary School
   

Be sure to check out Palm Beach Illustrated's 2022 Education issue HERE.
 

Grandview Preparatory School Receives 2022 Best of Boca Raton Award

Grandview Preparatory School has been selected for the 2022 Best of Boca Raton Award in the Private Schools category by the Boca Raton Award Program.

Each year, the Boca Raton Award Program identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Boca Raton area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2022 Boca Raton Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Boca Raton Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Boca Raton Award Program

The Boca Raton Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Boca Raton area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Boca Raton Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. The organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Their mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

Grandview's IP Art Program Takes Over the (former) Lord & Taylor Windows at Mizner Park

Originally Published on BocaMag.com: Grandview Preparatory School’s Visual Arts Program, led by teacher and artist Jennifer Schultz, M.Ed., decked out the former Lord & Taylor store windows at Mizner Park to premier their Community Art Show in December 2021. 

Art for Positive Change is a collection of art installations using non-traditional, recycled, and upcycled art media, community resources and collaboration that draw from this question: How can the visual arts help us to connect with the world in meaningful ways by expressing our talents and passion through visual collaborative voice? 

Grandview Upper School students’ pieces will be on display for the next month or longer in the store windows. There is also one additional display featuring schoolwide art pieces facing Federal Highway. You can’t miss the “Let’s Make More Art” signage! 

This unique collaboration is due in part to the future Boca Raton Center for Arts & Innovation. Grandview currently participates on the Center’s Advisory Board of Directors and was invited by Mizner Park and Brookfield Properties’ to beautify the space visible from the plaza until a new lease is negotiated. 

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity as an educator,” said Schultz. “To be able to take these students from creative brainstorming all the way to the installation process has been a real world, art professional experience that would be very difficult to replicate in a classroom setting.” The student artists of these special, emotional installations hope to emphasize the importance of taking action now before it’s too late. Art for Positive Change invites the viewer to reflect on their lives and to consider the importance of taking action to create a healthy environment and respect for humankind for generations to come.

Art for Positive Change student artists:

• Thea Dahl-Pedersen, class of 2022
• Megan Enriquez, class of 2022
• Ilan Hirschman, class of 2022
• Taylor Sutton, class of 2022
• Dominique Blandon-Iandoli, class of 2022
• Nicole Vivas, class of 2022
• Enrico Figueiredo , class of 2022
• Madeleine MacNeille, class of 2022
• Victoria Kaseta, class of 2022
• Mia Kusturic, class of 2025

Class of 2021's Elizabeth Buckley One of 33 Florida Students Named US Presidential Scholar Semifinalist

April 29, 2021 | Boca Raton, FL- Grandview senior Elizabeth “Elle” Buckley has been selected as a 2021 Semifinalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, as announced by the office of U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona.

The program was established in 1964 by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. And in 2015, the program was extended once again to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional ability and accomplishment in the career and technical education fields. U.S. Presidential Scholars represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America’s youth.

Scholars are chosen on the basis of students’ accomplishments in many areas; academic and artistic success, leadership, and involvement in school and the community, and represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America’s youth. Buckley was one of only 33 semifinalists chosen in the state of Florida. There are 625 in total this year across the nation.

Buckley earned a perfect SAT score in 2020 and has maintained a perfect GPA during her time in Upper School and dual enrollment at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Buckley is also “deeply committed to advancing the causes of justice, democracy, and liberty.”

Recent accomplishments include:

• Two-time alumnus of the ACLU Advocacy Institute
• Named “Young Justice Nerd" by the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) and Google.org
• Received the “Spirit of the Barb Schmidt Fellowship Award” while a fellow at FAU
• Internship with Florida Senator Lori Berman
• Co-founder of Grandview’s Activism Club
• Grandview SGA President (2020-21)
• National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist

The Presidential Scholars Class of 2021 will be recognized for their outstanding achievement this summer. If circumstances permit, scholars will be invited to Washington D.C. to receive the Presidential Scholars Medallion at a recognition ceremony and to participate in events and activities. Congratulations Elle!

For a full list of 2021 semi-finalists for the Presidential Scholarship Program, click HERE. 

Class of 2022's Megan Enriquez Receives Prestigious Honors

From WPTV News Channel 5: If it's building a robot, 17-year-old Megan Enriquez will figure out a way. “I’ve always really liked math and science classes in school,” said Enriquez.

She's a part of a robotics team called the Dirty Mechanics. They entered the FIRST Robotics Competition. FIRST is an acronym: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. "Students and mentors are challenged to build an industrial robot in six weeks and then compete in regional competitions,” she said. 

Teams competed from around the world and Enriquez was one of the winners. "One of them is from Australia, there's some from Alaska—all across the world, and they are all super passionate,” she said.

Her mentor, Keith Glasnapp, is proud of her. "It gives her opportunities for scholarships, it gives her an opportunity to apply to schools like MIT. Very prestigious universities will go after people who have the Dean's List award," he said. 

Enriquez said she wants to be a mechanical engineer. "I wanted to be an engineer from when I was a 4th grader and I didn’t even know what the word meant or what they really did,” she said.

To assist with her professional goals, Enriquez was recently awarded a scholarship from the South Florida Fair, sponsored by Florida Power & Light (FPL). A banner with her photos is hanging at the Fair through January 30th. Congratulations Megan!