On Campus

SPARTA - Katie McKenna of Sparta earned her associate degree in baking and pastry arts from The Culinary Institute of America in January. McKenna, the daughter of Barbara and Michael McKenna, is a 1996 graduate of Sparta High School. She also studied journalism and mass media from Cook College at Rutgers University. McKenna was the recipient of the ClA's Alumni and Leadership Scholarships and she was honored at the college's 2003 annual gala as the recipient of the Curtis L. Carlson Family Scholarship. Her peers chose her to serve as group leader of their class. Following her graduation, McKenna accepted a position as executive pastry chef at the Montali House in Perugia, Italy. Alyson Laury, 14, of Sparta, a student at Reverend Brown School, has been accepted into Interlochen Arts Academy for the 2004-05 school year. Laury, the daughter of Phyllis and Dennis Laury, will study dance and college-prep academics at the academy. Her acceptance to Interlochen was based on her academic record, a personal audition at the Arts Academy in January and her dance ability and technical training. Interlochen Arts Academy is a fine arts boarding school, drawing young artists from 45 states and more than 20 other countries. Interlochen, beginning its 43rd academic year, has produced 33 Presidential Scholars in the Arts, more than any other high school in the United States. The Academy offers students continual performance and exhibition opportunities, including tours. Over the next three years, Interlochen and The Julliard School will embark on a cooperative venture that will bring the Julliard faculty to the Interlochen campus to provide a series of master classes in music, dance and theatre. This new relationship is in addition to the annual visit Julliard admissions officers make to the Interlochen campus to audition Academy students. In recent years, around 15 percent of the Julliard freshman class has been made up of Interlochen alumni. Laury is a student at Branchville Dance Center where she has been training with Nancy Volpe and Sharon Druzbanski for the past five years. In addition, she has been taking classes for the past year at Theatre Arts Dance America with Elaine Kudo and Buddy Balou'. Laury studies ballet, jazz, lyrical and modern dance. Fairfield University, a Jesuit university founded in 1942 in Fairfield, Conn., has announced the names of the students from this area who qualified for the dean's list. To be selected a student must attain a grade point average of at least 3.5, of a possible 4.0. Cynthia Munden, a resident of Sparta and daughter of Barbara and Bill Munden was named to the dean's list. Cynthia majored in Biology at Fairfield University and was also active as Circle K, a volunteer program and the skill leadership program. A graduate of Sparta High School in Sparta, Cynthia plans a career in the pharmaceutical industry.