Moon Area High School junior David Korotky has been honored for his film talent for the second year in a row at the Challenge High School Film Festival awards ceremony at the Carnegie Science Center.

David won the Communicating Science Award for his five-minute film, "A Global Mission," which addresses how to solve climate change. His prize included $300, a director's chair, Carnegie Science Center passes and Three Rivers Film Festival tickets. He also received a $1,500 check and trophy for his high school.

• Moon Area High School sophomore Molly McDonald, 16, of Crescent, has been selected for the National Security Language Initiative for Youth Program, which will take her to the Republic of Korea.

This is the first time that a Moon Area High School student has been chosen for the program, which is administered by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

She will leave for Korea in July, where she will take a six-week language course at Seoul National University and then attend a high school and live with a host family.

• Moon Area students bested hundreds of other competitors at the 2009 national tournament of the Academic Games Leagues of America in Knoxville, Tenn.

Moon Area Middle School students Selin Sirinterlikci, Abby Eberts, Allison Murphy and Ashley Hall were national team runner-ups. Sixth-graders Jessica Peng's and Maria Arbelaez's team finished in the top three in the World Events competition.

• Sophia Worrall, an eighth-grader at St. Philip Catholic School in Crafton, has received a Youthtowne Young Scholars Scholarship to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Moon. Sophia will receive tuition assistance as well as other educational and extracurricular opportunities.

• The team of Maddy Burgess, Natalie Celmo and Maria Graziano from the Bishop Canevin High School Future Business Leaders of America finished third in the management decision-making category of the state leadership conference in Hershey.

Fourth-place awards were won by Chelsea Pacconi in Miss Future Business Leader competition and Casey Tarasi in sports management.

• Carlynton High School senior Christina Chiccitt received an honorable mention for her artwork, "Imagination," in the 14th annual Congressional District Artistic Discovery competition.

Her artwork will be displayed in the high school.

• Monica Nicole Jones, of Sheraden, a senior at Pittsburgh Perry Traditional High School, received a $1,000 scholarship from the Kiwanis Club of Sheraden toward tuition at Alabama A&M University.

She ranks 17th in her class of 181 students and is graduating with a grade point average of 4.04. Monica's community service roles include assistant Sunday school teacher at her church, tutor at Pittsburgh Lincoln Elementary school and assistant cheerleading coach.

• Three eighth-graders who are reporters for The Red and White Pages, the newspaper for St. Joseph Catholic School in Coraopolis, were winners in a recent diocesan-wide competition.

Erica Belloma received an award of merit, or second place, and Janelle Gilmer received an honorable mention, or third place, in the best feature story category. In the best opinion category, Sara Lavin received an award of merit.

• Nicholas P. Stamatakis, of Montour High School, has won a $6,000, four-year Alcoa Foundation Sons & Daughters scholarship based on academic achievement, leadership, character, volunteerism and community service.

The program awards college scholarships to the children of Alcoa employees.

Nicholas, of Robinson, was captain of his high school Hi-Q team, president of the law team, president of the marching band, vice president of the National Honor Society and treasurer of the Montour Hidden Angels charity group.

He lettered in tennis for two years, took first place in the Pittsburgh Piano Teachers Association Solo Piano-Senior Division and is an Eagle Scout.

Nicholas has been accepted into the University of Pittsburgh Honors College, where he plans to study engineering and music.

• Moon Area Middle School sixth-grader Yuki Adama finished first among 50 sixth-graders to win the Wordsmith Tournament at North Allegheny School District. Hannah Bartus, also a sixth grader, placed third.

• Moon Area Middle School seventh-grader Brian Shaffer finished in second place out of more than 100 other Allegheny County students at the spring Calcusolve math competition May 13 at Montour School District's David E. Williams Middle School. This was Moon Area's best performance in a spring Calcusolve competition.

Moon Area eighth-graders Joel McCoy, Selin Sirinterlikci, Eric Burgeson and Ryan Pannebaker and seventh-grader Ashley Hall competed in the event, which requires participants to answer seven questions under time restrictions.

• These Cornell High School students have been awarded scholarships: Tiana Smith, Caplan scholarship, $1,000; Paige Hayman, Questeq award, $500; Andrew Logan, Ryan Madonna Memorial Scholarship, $1,000; Karissa Liberatore, Ralph B. Canterbury Scholarship, $1,250; and Danni Lin, Rotary Club of Pittsburgh, $2,500. These Cornell High students received a Groom Campbell scholarship of $500 each to study these fields: Ashley Betsch, nursing; Christian Jackson, arts; Jesse Smith, engineering; and Joseph Faherty, business.