THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 13, 2019 Page 11 MVRCS senior achieves semifinal status in National Merit Scholarship D avid Nguyen of Everett, a senior at Mystic Valley ReDavid Nguyen Mystic Valley Regional Charter School senior gional Charter School (MVRCS), was named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist, joining just 16,000 students nationwide in receiving the distinction. He becomes MVRCS’s first semifinalist since Kimberly Huynh reached semifinal status in 2016. He also joins an exclusive club of 25 Mystic Valley students who achieved at least commended student distinction since 2009. Nguyen was one of over 1.5 million juniors in 2018 in 21,000 high schools across America who entered the contest by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which serves as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. “This is quite an accomplishment for David,” MVRCS Assistant Director Matthew Stone said. “The Mystic Valley community is proud to salute him for his tireless efforts in the classroom. It goes without saying that this is a team effort; David’s teachers since he entered Mystic Valley 13 years ago have all played a role in his intellectual development as well as his social growth and maturation.” According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation ~ Letter to the Editor ~ MBTA funding is off track for Malden Dear Editor, While campaigning, I’ve been asked very thoughtful questions. One question that comes up quite often is: what do we pay to the MBTA for public transportation? I think this is a great question and I appreciate the voter engagement! If you have more questions, please contact me at JulianneOrsino@gmail.com. After doing some research, I found that Malden’s assessment (and required payments to the MBTA) for FY2020 is $4,149,626. How was this amount determined? The MBTA assesses 176 municipalities for funding. The formula determining what each municipality is assessed is based on a complicated and antiquated equation. Much like the Chapter 70 education funding formula, the MBTA formula needs to be updated to provide fair and equitable assessments to the communities it serves. The current formula does not work for the residents of Malden. The major challenge with the MBTA funding formula is that it puts the lion’s share of assessments on 14 “original” communities. Out of the 176 municipalities assessed, Malden is the 6th highest in the state. A higher assessment would make sense if the formula was based on providing increased, more reliable and improved transportation services to all, but that is not currently the case. The funding model for the MBTA is unfair and leads to inequitable assessments on 14 communities, especially Malden. The estimated $4.15 million fee is astronomical compared to other communities similar to Malden. For example, Quincy has several subway, bus and rail options like Malden. The population of Quincy is over 94,000 residents, compared with the population of Malden at over 67,000. Here is the difference; Quincy is not one of the “original” 14 MBTA communities, so Quincy is assessed $2.1 million where Malden is assessed $4.15 million. It seems clear that there is a disconnect in how municipalities are assessed, and this is hurting Malden. We need to work with state officials and the MBTA Advisory Board to balance out assessments and bring fairness to the process. Malden can take a leadership role in moving the MBTA toward equitable assessments tied to improved service for all, but this is not a small task. It will take strong, committed and tenacious leaders to initiate and follow through. With your help and vote, I will make this a focus for our City Council. The Boston City Council has called for an updated funding formula. Malden City Council can follow suit and take action! As the sixth highest assessed municipality, we have a vested interest in getting this fixed. It’s time for Malden to jump on the train and demand fairness with the MBTA funding model! As a strong community advocate, I have galvanized our community to tackle big challenges together! I have over 20 years of implementing multi-million dollar, complex global projects in the private sector. I have facilitated tough conversations with groups with competing interests. I know how to successfully engage different stakeholders to reach a common vision and goal. I will bring these skills to the City Council as your Ward 3 City Councillor. Respectfully, I ask for your vote on November 5. As your Ward 3 Councillor, I will work hard for the residents, commuters, and taxpayers of Malden to tackle the issues that matter to you! Please contact me with your thoughts and questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Very Best Regards, Julianne Orsino, Candidate for Ward 3 Councillor (781) 627-6469 (NMSC), of the 16,000 semifinalists, approximately 15,000 are expected to advance to the final round – Nguyen will learn his fate in February. NMSC, a nonprofit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds, and there are approximately 400 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
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