Four eighth grade students at The Academy of Our Lady of Peace School in New Providence have been accepted to the prestigious Union County Vocational Technical School ("UCVTS") high school program.

The so-called "Magnet School" system is actually comprised of five schools that are part of the UCVTS campus in Scotch Plains. The schools are highly competitive and offer admission only to a select number of exemplary students. All four students from The Academy that applied to the Magnet Schools were accepted; a tremendous achievement for these students. The four students that were offered admission are Megan Donohue, Margaret Sport, Kelli Cheung and Amanda Morton.

Megan Donohue and Margaret Sport were accepted at The Academy for Allied Health Services, where students participate in a comprehensive program designed to prepare the doctors, nurses, medical technicians and health care managers of tomorrow. Megan was awarded second place in The Academy science fair for her project on the classification of fingerprint patterns and hopes to continue her education in the science field and become a forensic scientist. Margaret participates in several team sports, maintains a 4.0 average at The Academy and plans to become a veterinarian.

Kelli Cheung was accepted at The Academy for Information Technology, where students with a keen interest in computer science and information technology attend a college-level technical training program. Kelli, a dedicated tennis player, plans to continue playing tennis throughout high school for her home district of Plainfield while she enjoys all of the new opportunities that the Magnet School will present to her.

Amanda Morton was accepted at the Academy for Performing Arts. This school offers intensive study in theatre arts and dance and a rigorous academic curriculum, culminating with a senior year at Kean University as a performing arts major. Amanda auditioned for the school with a performance from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Amanda hopes to pursue a career in theatre, television or film, or alternatively, study medicine.

All four of these students have exceptional talent and look forward to all of the opportunities and challenges that the Union County Magnet Schools will afford them. Congratulations to all.

The Academy of Our Lady of Peace is a private Catholic School located in downtown New Providence with students in grades Pre-K3 through Grade 8. Offering a challenging academic curriculum and many enrichment activities within a religious atmosphere, The Academy of Our Lady of Peace strives to inspire and prepare each student to achieve their personal best. For more information, please visit www.TheAcademyOLP.org  or call the school office at (908) 464-8657.