Byram Intermediate School students receive Satori Awards

BYRAM — Seventh grade students from Byram Intermediate School participated in the ROGATE Independent Research Project this year. ROGATE, run by the National Talent Network, stands for Resources Offered in Gifted and Talented Education, and is considered one of the most competitive gifted programs. The National Talent Network is dedicated to promoting educational excellence in creative problem solving and original research methods. Students were also eligible to take the SAT test. ROGATE participants selected a topic, formulated a hypothesis, and conducted formal, rigorous, in-depth academic research. The results of this research, representing months of individual study, were then presented at the ROGATE Expo at Montclair State University. On the evening of June 7, the Byram Intermediate School students were honored at Montclair State University for receiving SAT scores equal to or higher than those of high school students this past January and for their independent research projects. Although seven students participated in this intensive program, just three of the research projects received the coveted Satori Award. In Japanese, satori means the highest level of expertise in a given endeavor or area of study. Original research was conducted by Krista Bahnsen, Maura Chozick, Madison Grant, Brendan Raffay, Cassandra Rilinger, Sydney Wheeler and Anthony Tesori. The students recognized for their outstanding performance on the SATs were Brendan Raffay and Cassandra Rilinger.