American Scholar Celebrates Valentine’s Day

On Friday, February 10th, ASG hosted our annual Valentine’s Day party, a celebration of the themes of love and romance.  The highlight of this party was a karaoke competition, organized by student government, which allowed our students to showcase their exceptional vocal abilities.  The first-place prize was secured by Jeovana Zhang with a fabulous performance of Adele’s “When We Were Young,” followed by second and third place winners Edison Wang and Jayna Choi.  The party also featured a Valentine’s themed photo booth and two chocolate fountains which proved very popular with the students.  A magnificent time was had by all participants in this special event.

American Scholar Celebrates Lunar New Year

American Scholar’s celebration of the Lunar New Year was a rousing success, full of fun for all students and staff members. We began our celebration of this special holiday with a Student Government organized Lunar New Year party on Friday, January 27th.  This event included activities such as dumpling making and karaoke, which allowed our students to share their talents for performance with their peers.  On Saturday the 28th, the students and staff of American Scholar traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for our annual Lunar New Year Luncheon at Jimmy Wan’s Restaurant and Lounge, an Asian Specialty restaurant.  This special occasion permitted our students and staff to share this most important holiday, along with a variety of holiday traditions, with one another. We at ASG would like to wish you all a Happy Lunar New Year and do not forget to check out our pictures of both events!

We prepared this view book to share this cultural holiday with you! We hope you enjoy it!

Christmas Dinner 2016

Students, staff and friends of the American Scholar Group (ASG) came together for a night of dining and dancing at the annual ASG Christmas formal on Saturday, December 3rd 2016!

For dinner, all guests were treated to a delicious spread of roasted meats (chicken marsala, Roast Beef. Roasted Pork Loin), Pasta, mashed redskin potatoes and an assortment of vegetables. There was also a dessert bar, with homemade Christmas cookies, Choco caramels delights, Brownie Bon Bons and an assortment of cupcakes beautifully arranged in a shape of a Christmas tree.

 After dinner, various staff and student clubs kicked off the festivities by singing Feliz Navidad together. Then everyone took to the dance floor to show off their best moves.

The ASG Vision Club set up a wonderful photo booth cut out with a hand-painted outline of Santa Claus that was a huge hit with everyone.

Individual and group shots were also taken in front of a Christmas tree. It was a wonderful night and all in attendance came dressed to impress.

We prepared this view book to share these moments with you! We hope you enjoy it!

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Dinner 2016

Students, staff and guests of the American Scholar Group (ASG) came together for the annual Thanksgiving Banquet on Friday, November 18th, 2016.

All in attendance indulged on traditional thanksgiving meal favorites, from roasted turkey and mashed potatoes, to stuffing, pumpkin pie, and an assortment of desserts. It was a delicious affair, followed by several student-led presentations and performances.

Members of the ASG Music Club (Katy Yang, Jayna Choi, Wendy Yu, Lavender Tian, Linda Hu, Tom Fu, John Gabb and Eunice Tan) performed a range of classical and contemporary songs for the audience in both English, Chinese, and Korean languages.

Ellie Nguyen and Alice Vu of the ASG Vision Club presented the club’s November gallery of videos, pictures and artwork based on the theme of the Fall season. See below (link to the story)

ASG Vietnamese Society members, Kandee Nguyen and Jennifer Hoang, gave a presentation on teacher’s appreciation that related the thanksgiving theme to the traditional Vietnamese practice of celebrating teachers in November.

Leo Lee and Sophia Xu also each gave speeches, reflecting on their personal growth throughout their high school years. They also took the opportunity to thank various teachers and staff members, all while offering advice to fellow students about studying in America.

After the student speeches and presentations, Dean of Students, Maria Morin, presented the ASG Traveling Academic trophy to Stonewall house for earning the highest average GPA for the 1st quarter. Stonewall house residents won the quarterly academic competition with an astounding 95.22% average! Congratulations, Stonewall House residents! Yale House (93.2%), PA House (92.67%), and West Point House (92.8%) came in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the academic competition respectively.

We are thankful to be able to share our evening with you in this specially prepared view book for you to enjoy.

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery!

Halloween Party 2016

Halloween may be largely associated with America, but that doesn’t mean other nations don’t celebrate the frightful holiday. American Scholar Group (ASG) hosted the annual Halloween Party for staff and students on October 28th, 2016 in the Student Banquet Hall.

The Banquet Hall, while usually used for a full range of formal occasions, was decked out in spooky decorations. Students came dressed in various costumes, from evil clowns and sumo wrestlers, to zombies, movie characters and more! Pizza and fun magical treats were provided for the party goers including witches hat cookies and broom sticks and bright orange popcorn balls.

As always, the event included a costume contest. This year’s contest was conducted via a fashion show. Students took turns to parade their costumes before a panel of judges comprised of ASG staff and fellow students. The participants were judged according to effort, creativity, and presentation.

Jeovana Zhang won 1st place, Ezekiel Lim came in 2nd, and Celina Zhao came in 3rd Place. Each winner took home cash prizes of $50, $30 and $20 respectively.

A number of student clubs also hosted exhibits and events at the costume party.

ASG Music club members performed a number of musical hits for all in attendance, getting the audience to sing and dance along to their songs. As part of their monthly visual arts presentation, the ASG Vision Club set up a gallery of photos, drawings and videos dedicated to the spirit of Halloween. Each art piece and picture was carefully selected to match the theme and tell a spooky story. Lastly, the ASG Fashion & Cosmetics Society set up a Halloween Makeup booth to help their fellow students spice up their costumes.

We hope you enjoy this view book prepared especially for you to share in our night of Halloween magic!

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery!

4th Annual Honors Banquet

The American Scholar Group held its 4th Annual Honors Banquet on September 24th, 2016 in the Student Banquet Hall.

ASG staff pledged to deliver the best educational experience possible, and the students committed to academic upholding the values of academic integrity and to treat their teachers and peers with respect and dignity through reciting the Honor Oath. Everyone was in full dress, including the staff, students, and guests from the community at large. A brunch of mixed breakfast items began the afternoon’s activities after brief opening remarks and prayer.
Jim Chapin, Group Chaplain, gave the keynote address, which highlighted the year’s theme – Everyone Has a Story. “We were created to be able to change. Change is required of ASG students. This isn’t a one-way relationship. We all share our stories together and it becomes one.” This couldn’t have been said better, because the decision to come to a foreign country, thousands of miles from home, isn’t a simple one to make. The doubts and uncertainties are boundless, but new and returning students continue finding the courage every year.

Maria Morin, Dean of Student Engagement, presented the Staff Pledge and student Honor Oath, which were recited by both groups. The Music Club played lovely musical pieces while the guests were served their food and Student government presidents for both the Pennsylvania and Ohio branches, sophomore John Zhang and senior Edison Wang, each addressed the student body with prepared speeches. This year’s event also featured local students from Greenville and Sharpsville High School who shared about their experiences traveling through China over their Summer holidays.

The event serves as another reminder of our community’s commitment to placing students first, while also teaching students to respect their peers and the values of academic integrity, and a desire to never stop improving.

We hope you enjoy this view book prepared especially for you to share in these moments with us!

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery! Look for the photos taken by our very own Ellie Nguyen!

Leadership Day 2016

ASG held its 3rd Annual Leadership Day at Chapel Hill Campus on September 17th, 2016. This year’s program featured 7 different stations and games, each designed to emphasize the importance of teamwork and critical thinking skills. 14 teams of students rotated through each station, competing against one another throughout the event.

More strenuous stations, like Human Foosball, the Minute–to–win-It games, and the Obstacle Course, tested students’ athleticism and ability to assign positions according to each teammate’s strengths. While stations like the Spider Web, Spaghetti Tower, Tarp Flip, and Mine Field tested their problem solving and communication skills.

The atmosphere was electric, as the students completed each event with determination and effectively balanced a competitive attitude with learning the lessons of the day well. Students and staff alike praised the event as a huge success and look forward to next year’s event.

ASG’s Leadership Day is held every year to give students the chance to work together in teams, solve problems, and make new friends along the way. That’s just what happened, as the students came together as one and worked toward the overcoming the challenges that each station presented.

We hope you enjoy this view book prepared especially for you to share in these moments with us!

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery!

American Scholar Football Camp 2016

Greenville, Pennsylvania – 75 players, managers, and coaching staff from Kwansei Gakuin High School of Japan participated in the region’s first international football camp organized by the American Scholar Group from July 22nd – 31st, 2016. The Kwansei Gakuin fighters attended ‘two-a-day’ training sessions and clinics ran by the Greenville High School football coaching staff. They also took trips to places significant to the sport, from attending the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, to visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio and Ohio State University’s Les Wexner football complex. Most excitingly, the 18 time national high school football champions of Japan made history by playing in Pennsylvania’s first international high school game against local players from the Pennsylvania Northwest and Southwest high school All-Star teams on Friday, July 29th, 2016 at GHS’ football stadium. It was a hard fought game that featured excellent plays and standout performances from players on both sides. Check out a few of the highlights from the camp!

ASG Summer In America 2016

This Summer, more than 130 students from China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in various summer camps and programs with the American Scholar Group (ASG). Our campers joined cultural immersion activities from whitewater rafting to horseback riding, and visited places of interest from Niagara Falls to Washington D.C. Students also took a number of courses ranging from American English lessons to University level courses from the University of Pittsburgh. The following are a compilation of images that encapsulate the 2016 Summer Camp.

ASG 2016 Commencement Luncheon

On Sunday, May 15th, 2016, about 170 students, staff, and honored guests of the American Scholar Group (ASG) gathered for the annual commencement banquet held at Thiel College. Everyone was treated to a delicious meal prepared by Thiel College dining services. Numerous ASG students also showcased their musical talents through various solo and group performances. Katherine Bai kicked off the event with a beautiful song on her zither, a traditional Chinese musical instrument. Carl Tang and Ander Wang played a duet titled, ‘a chorus of violins’ and the ASG music band––Peter Zhang, Mason Zhang, Stacy Shen, Tom Huang and Eunice Tan––serenaded the audience with numerous songs in between awards presentations.

Dr. Troy VanAken, the president of Thiel College and the event keynote speaker, personally presented Senior Tom Sun his official acceptance to Thiel College and shared his 8 tips for lifelong success with all in attendance.

Vice President of Education, Cecelia Yauger, Director of student affairs, Sheryl Lanning, and Dean of Student Life, Maria Morin, presented numerous awards recognizing ASG student academic success and achievement over the 2015 – 2016 academic year.

All graduating seniors were recognized for completing graduation requirements. Awards were also given out to select students for:

• ASG Valedictorian
• ASG Salutatorian
• Top students for each grade level
• Gold, Silver, and Bronze Scholarship awards
• Mr. and Mrs. Spirit of American Scholar Awards
• Best Attendance awards
• Most Improved Student

The annual commencement banquet is the final special dining event of the academic year and its purpose is to honor the academic achievements and successes of ASG students. As we approach the end of another wonder academic year, we want to wish all our graduating seniors a big congratulations and the best of luck in all their future endeavors. We will surely miss everyone of them and we look forward to hearing about their many accomplishments in the years to come!

We hope you enjoy this view book prepared especially for you to share in these moments with us!

English Version

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery!

ASG 5th Annual Spring Pig Roast

On Sunday, May 1st, 2016, about 150 students, staff, and guests of the American Scholar Group (ASG) gathered together at Trinity Hall for the annual Spring Pork Roast barbecue. As always, all in attendance were treated to a delicious meal of roast pork, beef, and mutton, as well as an assortment of traditional picnic foods from potato salad to make your own ice cream sundae bar. It was a wonderful event highlighted by Mason Zhang and Mae Song’s performance of the song, “Fix You” by Cold Play. Elections were also held for the 2016-2017 student government class. James Tang, this years student government president announced the new representatives for the following year:

President: John Zhang
Vice President: Sophia Xu
Treasurer and Student Activities Coordinator: James Zhang
Secretary: Ryan Yang
Congratulations new representatives!

We hope you enjoy this view book prepared
especially for you to share in these moments with us!

English Version

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery!

ASG 4th Annual Lunar New Year Luncheon

About 120 students, staff, and special guest s of the American Scholar Group (ASG) gathered together to celebrate the Lunar New Year at Jimmy Wan’ s, a popular Chinese restaurant located in Cranberry, Pennsylvania. Everyone brought in the year of the Monkey together by feasting on roasted duck, Ma Po tofu, Kung Pao Chicken, sautéed vegetables, szechuan style shrimp and scallops, fried rice cake, and sesame dumplings. It was a wonderful event, highlighted by sharp dress attires and stude nts wishing each other a happy new year in their native languages. The annual Lunar New Year celebration is one of 8 special dinin g events held every month for ASG students. These events give students the opportunity to celebrate and experience the best of American and International culture. We prepared this view book specially for you to share these special moments with us. We hope you enjoy it!

English Version

Check out our favorite photos from the day in our gallery!

ASG - Lunar New Year

ASG Christmas Party

In the United States, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and for most Americans this holiday is more special and important than all other holidays. To share the joy of Christmas with our students on December 12, ASG held its annual Christmas Dinner and Dance, which brought together students from both ASG’s Greenville and Youngstown campuses. This event, inspired by the winter formals of American high schools, saw a fun-filled night of dancing, karaoke, and music provided by a local DJ. As always, our students especially enjoyed singing their hearts out to their favorite songs during the karaoke contest. Other big hits included a unique, custom-made hot chocolate bar and the tremendous spread of delicious Christmas cookies. Our students were invited to bring their American friends, allowing them to share the ASG experience with their Western peers. A special thanks is reserved for all the students and staff who worked so hard to orchestrate this wonderful event.

Check out our favorite photos from the night in our gallery!