Profiles in Excellence - Parkland School District

Annually, we develop a district theme to focus our energies and
efforts on behalf of students and staff. This past year we utilized the
new school district vision statement, “Educating for Success,
Inspiring Excellence.” This statement was created by our Strategic
Planning Steering Committee. Professional and support staff
responded to the message with a renewed emphasis on the
importance of working together to meet student needs with our goal
to attain excellence in all that we do. In Parkland, we believe in
continuous improvement, always looking to progress in every aspect
of our programs and services for students and staff. Honoring
student and staff achievement is critical to maintaining a positive
culture and climate in the Parkland School District. We celebrate
these accomplishments and thank all involved for making the extra effort to achieve at the highest
level.
Each year we analyze numerous sources of data, including test scores on state and national tests,
to determine student needs and improve achievement by working to better meet these needs. Our
students and staff have responded with a cooperative effort that continues to achieve excellent results.
In particular, we work diligently to assist and support our special needs students to reach proficiency
on state assessments. This is an ongoing challenge for students and staff that we embrace with
determination.
The mission of the Parkland School District is to assist young people to grow and develop into
productive citizens. As a result of the dedication of students, staff, parents and the entire community,
the school district continues its rich tradition of noteworthy accomplishments. This past school year
we once again celebrated achievement that garnered numerous state and national awards in all
academic areas as well as in the arts and athletics. Guided by the efforts of a talented and caring
staff of educators, Parkland students continue to distinguish themselves. This annual publication
serves to illustrate many examples of these efforts.
We are very proud of all of our students and staff. It is through their positive interaction that the
school district is able to achieve these desirable outcomes. However, as with every successful
community-sponsored enterprise, another ingredient essential to bringing all of this achievement to
fruition is a supportive community!
Parkland School District is blessed with a positive, pro-active, supportive community. We know that
public schools tend to reflect the community in which they are located. The ongoing support of the
Parkland community has allowed our schools to be strong and effective. With your continued
assistance, we will work harder to continue to grow and improve.
FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
This publication, Profiles in Excellence, provides the community
with an overview of the many programs and successes that our
students have experienced during the 2008-09 school year.
As you enjoy this year-end report, I am certain that you will agree
that our students were actively engaged in a wide variety of learning
opportunities.
On the Cover:
During the 2008-2009 school year, the theme of “Educating for
Success, Inspiring Excellence” was embraced across the district.
Pictured on the cover is a collage of student achievements that
are highlighted in this book.
Louise E. Donohue, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Editor’s Note:
1
Gathering the material for this publication is a yearlong process.
Sources include information submitted by principals and teachers
within the district throughout the year. All professional staff
members also receive year-end surveys used to collect staff
achievement data.
FROM
THE
PRESIDENT...
2009 CO-VALEDICTORIANS
Dear Stakeholders in the Parkland School District,
Christopher Busack was a member
of the National Honor Society, the
National Math Honor Society and the
Spanish Honor Society. He played
football for two years and volleyball for
four years and was selected as captain
of the varsity boys’ volleyball team.
Chris was a member of the P.A.L.S.
club for four years and served as
Vice-President his senior year. He is a
four-year member of Explorer Post. Chris earned the
National Honor Society Award of Scholastic Achievement
in Mathematics. He attained a 4.9167 grade point average
and scored 2140 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test including
a perfect score of 800 on the Math SAT and the SAT 2
subject test in Math. Chris plans to attend Duke University
in the fall and double major in Chemistry and Math. He is
the son of Annette and Frank Busack.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
as President, it is my pleasure to
write to you prefacing our Profiles
in Excellence for the 2008-2009
school year.
As you examine this publication,
I believe you will agree with us that
our educational theme for the
2008-09 school year, “Educating for
Success, Inspiring Excellence,” is
abundantly evident within these pages.
Starting with the merit profiles and continuing through
elementary, middle, high school, and the Lehigh
Career & Technical Institute; depicting excellence in
scholarship, the arts, sports, community involvement;
and showing the hard work by the students, faculty,
administration, support personnel, and, most
importantly, the parents; we find much to celebrate
and be proud of as a Parkland partnership and family.
2009 CO-VALEDICTORIANS
Aaron M. Levick was a member of the
soccer team for four years, and track
for two years. He was involved with
the Leo Club for four years and a
member of the Debate team for two
years, serving as Co-Captain his
senior year. Aaron was a National
Honor Society member and a member
of the National Math Honor Society
and the French Honor Society. He is a
four-year member of the French Club, his senior year
serving as Vice-President. He also participated in the
Pennsylvania Math League for four years. Aaron is the
founder and President of the Exploring Careers in
Engineering Club. Aaron is a National Merit Finalist and
scholarship recipient and received the American
Association of Physics Teachers Outstanding Student
Award. He attained a 4.9167 grade point average and
scored 2270 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test including a
perfect score of 800 on the Critical Reading SAT. Aaron
plans to attend Cornell University and major in Physics.
He is the son of Doctors Mary and Donald Levick.
We, the board, could not be more amazed and
gratified by the commitment of our Parkland team to
challenge our students to be the best of the best.
We certainly are proud of all of our students who strive
to be the best they can be, and those who contributed
to their successes.
I continue to believe that there is a masterpiece locked
within each and every child. By combining the efforts
of the entire Parkland community, and by “Educating
for Success, Inspiring Excellence,” those masterpieces
will continue to be unlocked every day.
Robert E. Bold
President
Parkland Board of School Directors
2009 SALUTATORIAN
Christopher Whittaker was a four-year member of the track team and participated in cross country for
two years, being named the Lehigh Valley Scholar Athlete in Cross Country his senior year. He was a
member of the National Honor Society and the National Math Honors Society. Chris participated in the
Pennsylvania Math League. Chris is a talented musician, participating in the Jazz Band and the Concert
Band for four years. He served on the Student Senate as well. Chris was the President of the Class of
2009 for four years. He achieved the Eagle Scout Award and remains active in the Scouts. Chris is a
dedicated volunteer with his church as well as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Chris was the
recipient of this year’s Donley Award for Excellence as well as the Cohen-Feeley ‘Best of the Best’
Scholarship. He received the Community Service Award from the Exchange Club of Western Lehigh
and is a National Merit Commended student. He attained a 4.902 grade point average and scored 2210
on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Chris plans to attend Duke University and major in Economics and International Relations.
He is the son of Deborah and Harold Whittaker.
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MERIT PROFILES
2009 PARKLAND HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS
Raaj Parekh was the Regional President and
Chapter President of Future Business Leaders of America,
Co-captain of the Debate Team, Co-editor-in-chief of the
school newspaper, and was a member of the Political
Science Club, National Honor Society and Amnesty
International. He hopes to study Economics and
International Relations at Brown University.
Eleven Parkland seniors were among a group of 16,000
National Merit Finalists in the 54th Annual National Merit
Scholarship program. The finalists make up about .5% of
each state’s graduating class.
Kerry Cao was a member of Parkland High School’s
Debate Team, Odyssey of the Mind Club (this club came in
7th in the World Finals last year), Math League, Science
Olympiad, National Honor Society, Scholastic Scrimmage,
Political Science Club, French Club, French Honor Society,
and the Boys’ tennis team. He has held leadership positions
in many of the clubs he is involved in. He also was a 5-time
National Winner in the Guild Auditions for piano.
Steven Rosen was the Student Representative to
the School Board, Scholastic Scrimmage Captain, Club Med
President, Debate Team Co-captain, Math League Vice
President, JSA President, National Honor Society Treasurer,
Future Business Leaders of America Treasurer, and Political
Science Club Treasurer. He was also a member of the Boys’
Varsity Tennis team and Student Senate and won numerous
awards in the National History Day competition.
He co-founded Tennis Friends, an organization for teens
with special needs.
Steven Dunmire was the President of the
Performing Arts Club, and a member of the International
Thespian Society, the Chorale, National Honor Society, and
Spanish Honor Society. He participated in the school plays
and was the Children’s Show Co-Director for the 2008-09
school year. He was also the Teen Co-Chair of the United
Way’s TeenWorks Board as well as a teacher of religious
school.
Delaney Snyder was a Co-captain of the Club
Soccer Team and a member of the Leo Club, Spanish Honor
Society. She played JV soccer and ran track where she
medaled in Districts. She also volunteered at the Parkland
Library during high school.
Aaron Levick (2009 Co-Valedictorian) was a
member of the soccer team for four years, and track team for
two years. He was involved with the Leo Club for four years
and a member of the Debate team for two years, serving as
Co-Captain his senior year. Aaron was a National Honor
Society member and a member of the National Math Honor
Society and the French Honor Society. He is a four-year
member of the French Club, his senior year serving as
Vice-President. He also participated in the Pennsylvania
Math League for four years. Aaron is the founder and
President of the Exploring Careers in Engineering Club.
Aaron is a National Merit Finalist and scholarship recipient
and received the American Association of Physics Teachers
Outstanding Student Award. He attained a 4.9167 grade
point average and scored 2270 on the Scholastic Aptitude
Test including a perfect score of 800 on the Critical Reading
SAT. Aaron plans to attend Cornell University and major in
Physics. He is the son of Doctors Mary and Donald Levick.
Bianca Tang was an editor of the school’s
newspaper, French Club President, French Honor Society
Treasurer, and a member of the Elementary World Language
Enrichment program, Student Senate, Math Honor Society,
National Honor Society, Key Club, and Varsity Dance Team.
She also served as the Student Senate Arts Representative.
Bianca won Pennsylvania Scholastic Press Association
awards for newspaper articles and an award for her
performance on the Le Grand Concours, a national French
contest. In her spare time, she volunteered at Lehigh Valley
Hospital in Pediatrics and has been dancing and playing the
piano for 12 years.
David Tench was 1st chair tenor saxophonist in the
Jazz Ensemble and ran hurdles in Varsity Track. He was
also a member of the French Honor Society and the National
Honor Society.
Christine Mays was the drum major of the marching
band for two years and the President of the band for one
year. She was also Co-leader of the Flute Choir and a
Co-leader of the Truth Bible Study as well as a member of
the Elementary World Language Enrichment program, Math
League, National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, and
Spanish Honor Society. In her spare time, Christy helped
her community by participating in a leadership team at her
church youth group as a member of the church orchestra
and going on mission trips.
Joyce Wang was the President of the Art Club,
Historian of the French Honor Society, and PR Chair of the
Red Cross Club as well as a member of the Elementary
World Language Enrichment program and PHS Bible Study.
She is also a worship leader at the Lehigh Valley Chinese
Christian Church.
3
Yunfan Zhang speaks Chinese and Spanish and
volunteers her time in a nursing home and hospital
pharmacy. She enjoys reading and origami and hopes to
study Biology.
MERIT PROFILES
MATH, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MATH WIZARDS
Zhenghao “Tony”
Shen was the only
student to qualify for
the United States of
America Math
Olympiad at
Parkland High
School. He received a perfect score on the
Pennsylvania Math Exam and was one of only 5
students in Pennsylvania to achieve this honor.
He also placed first at the Bucknell University Math
Competition out of 147 participating high school
students. The Parkland High School Team of Tony
Shen, Steven Rosen, and Kerry Cao received an
Honorable Mention Plaque placing 4th out of 28 schools
at Bucknell and took 9th place in the FBLA’s National
Leadership Conference competition in Business Math in
Anaheim, CA over the summer. The team as a whole
placed 1st in Lehigh County and 5th in the state. Tony
Shen is pictured above with teachers Ms. Stinner, Ms.
Sproul, and Principal Sniscak.
TRIG STAR CHAMP
Nicholas Dyszel was
awarded $200 for winning
the PHS Trig Star
Competition and $1000 and
a plaque for winning the
state competition. The Trig
Star Competition is
sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of
Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS).
Parkland has had two state 1st place winners in five
years of participating in the Trig Star competition and
both have been sophomores and students in Mr. Haaf’s
math classes. Nick is pictured above with math
teacher David Haaf (center) and Robert Miller, Trig Star
Committee Chairperson from PSLS.
ENGINEERING AWARD
At the 2nd Annual
Pennsylvania Project
Lead the Way
Engineering/Design
Challenge, fourteen
Pennsylvania high school teams from across the state
competed to design a solar-powered vehicle within a
specific amount of time and given identical bags of
materials. Not only did the teams have to design the
vehicle, but they all had to make timed team
presentations detailing how they arrived at their
design. The results were judged by a group of
engineers from Carpenter Technology, a leading
manufacturer and distributor of specialty alloys located
in Reading, PA. Project Lead The Way is a national
non-profit organization that works in partnership with
public middle and high schools to implement a
curriculum that emphasizes hands-on experiences in
engineering, design, and technology. Pictured attached
is the Parkland Engineering team with the “Best
Presentation” award. From Left to right: Jack Huang,
Nick Dyszel, Mr. Yocum, Shannon Varcoe, Steve
Wynosky, and Stephanie Goldberg. Their teachers are
Jim Kester and Bob Yocum.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Two teams of Parkland
High School students
captured 1st and 2nd
place in the
Pennsylvania School
Boards Association
Student Architectural
Design Competition
which was designed to give students an opportunity
to apply the skills required in school to a real-life,
real-world project. The students were asked to create
an elementary school in an urban setting with limited
existing space. The first place team is pictured above
and includes (from left to right): Emily Stein, Tanya
Haldeman, Michael Andrew, and Jared Bilsak. The
second place team included: Darpan Patel, George
Hayward, Nick Dyszel, and Fatema Kanji.
ENGINEERING PROCESS AWARD
The PHS Engineering Club
participated in the 2009
SeaPerch Competition at
Drexel University and won
2nd Place for their
Engineering Notebook
(the Team that best
demonstrates the engineering process) and 3rd place
for their Oral Presentation (for their creative
presentation that best reflects a marketable company
product). The team is pictured as follows: Back row
from left to right: Alex Caballero, Danielle Sullivan,
Shannon Varcoe, Kris Zeller. Front row from left to
right: Abhi Mehta and Brian DeVincentis.
4
MATH, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
STOCK MARKET WIN
Parkland High School
students took part in an
online Stock Market Game
run by the National Council
for Economic Education
(NCEE) as part of Investing
class. The game is a
10-week simulation during
which students invest an imaginary $100,000 by buying
stocks listed on the major securities exchanges.
Team rankings are based on the final portfolio values.
Students competed against 59 other teams in the
Scranton/Lehigh region. Finishing in 1st place for the
fall, with a final portfolio of $112,392 are, (left to right),
Mike Williamson vice president, Prudential Financial,
Michael Ashcraft and Christopher Brill. Absent from the
photo is Karen N. Ceh (advisor). The Parkland team of
Chris Krajcir and Justin Lewis placed 3rd.
SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS
PJAS
Parkland High School participated in the 75th annual
Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science State
Competition. Seventeen students scored a 1st place
with a score of 4.0 or higher. Sara Kaskowitz, 12th
grade, scored a perfect 5.0 and was also awarded with
a plaque for 6 years of participation at PJAS. The other
1st place winners include: Carl Blew, Janelle Crilley,
Pitambar Dayal, Andrew Feldman, Steven Frey, Sachin
Ganhdi, Sara Kaskowitz, Samir Lakhani, Bret Lesavoy,
Paul Peng, Rohit Rajendran, Matt Ringer, Alexandra
Savkova, Melissa Schlags, Peter Shi, Sophia Lee
Srinivasan and Carly Trachtman. The teacher advisor
is Loretta Igo.
DELAWARE VALLEY SCIENCE FAIR
First Place
Melissa Schlags – Microbiology
Jack Huang – Chemistry
SPECIAL AWARDS
Jack Huang - Bronze Medal Freshman Fair, United
States Air Force Award, Jack Mixit Award and the
Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley High
School Award
Steven Frey and Jack Huang - NANO/BIO Interface
Center Award
Melissa Schlags - USDA Future Scientists Award.
Sophia Srinivasan - American Entomological Society
Calvert Award
LEHIGH VALLEY SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS
First Place
Jack Huang – Chemistry
Colin Bader - Behavior/Social Science
Peter Shi – Physics
Greg Kemper – Environmental
Dolly Malik and VrundaVthalani – Team Project
Sagar Laud – Medicine/Health
Sophia Srinivasan - Zoology
Students pictured for winning science awards include:
Front row: Mr. Laub, Mrs. Baranak, Melissa Schlags,
Sneha Mitra, Andrew Feldman, Mrs. Igo 2nd row: Sara
Kaskowitz, Molly Weinberg, Carly Trachtman 3rd row:
Sachin Gandhi, Jack Huang, Sophia Srinivasan, Megan
Snyder, Carl Blew, Rohit Rajendran, Pitambar Dayal
Back row: Paul Peng, Alexandra Savkova, Samir
Lakhani. Not pictured are PJAS 1st place award
winners Peter Shi, Janelle Crilley, Bret Lesavoy, Steven
Frey and Matt Ringer.
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MATH, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
SCHOLAR ACTIVITIES
COCA-COLA SCHOLARS
Kelsey Bonsell and Steven Rosen were selected as one
of 250 Finalists in the 2008-09 Coca-Cola Scholars
Program which distinguishes them as an outstanding
leader in their school and community. There were nearly
75,000 applicants and more than 2,100 Semifinalists
who applied to be a part of this program which awards
50 $20,000 scholarships and 200 $10,000 scholarships
to the Finalists who traveled to Atlanta, Georgia
(Coca-Cola headquarters) April 2-5, 2009 for a Scholars
Weekend. Kelsey and Steven enjoyed an all expense
paid trip that included interviews that determined their
final scholarship award as well as a banquet that
honored their achievements and a weekend filled with
seminars, tours of local landmarks, social gatherings and
a community service project.
ECONOMICS CHALLENGE
level competition this spring.
The Parkland High
School Economics
Challenge team of (from
left to right) Alex Stein,
Josh Heft, Rashida
Kamal, Sarah Holko won
2nd place in the state
POLI SCI CLUB MEETS PAKISTAN AMBASSADOR
ODYSSEY OF THE MIND
Parkland High School’s
Odyssey of the Mind
team placed 2nd in their
division at the state
competition and then
went on to place 7th at
the World Finals held at
Iowa State University.
They are coached by
Judy Migliore-Erdman.
Maureen Kautzmann and Laura Kowalski serve as
moderators for the team. The team is pictured left to
right, back row: Stephen Erdman, Sarah Said, Erin
Ganey, Marisa Bannon, Kerry Cao. Front row: Megan
Bannon and Vivien Tsou.
Due to the outstanding performance at the LVIAC
Model United Nations, the PHS Political Science Club
had the opportunity to attend a presentation by the
former ambassador to the UN from Pakistan, Ahmad
Kamal, as well as have a private question and answer
session with him. Nine students attended. Pictured
from left to right are: Hamidisan Ahmed, Tyler Coulton,
Alex Stein, Ambassador Ahmed, Kelsey Grasoff,
Niharika Agarwal, James Joseph, Alina Spiegel, Tom
Acker, Chris Whittaker, and Calliope Volikas,
teacher/advisor.
MODEL UN
Parkland High School Political
Science Club’s Sophia Lee
Srinivasan won the award of
Distinguished Delegate at the 2009
Kutztown Model United Nations
Conference. The Parkland High
School Political Science Club won
awards at the LVIAC Model United Nations Conference
as follows: Zach Gayner-Best Delegate, Raaj ParekhBest Delegate, Parth Javia-Best Delegate, Parth JaviaBest Resolution, Chris Whittaker-Best Delegate,
Stephen Erdman-Best Resolution, Tyler Coulton-Best
Resolution, and Tyler Coulton-Best Delegate.
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SCHOLAR ACTIVITIES
COMMUNICATION
TRUMPET AWARDS
The Parkland High School student newspaper, The Trumpet,
received a Gold Award (the highest honor) by the prestigious
Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) at Columbia
University with a score of 971 out of 1000. The paper was also
awarded a Silver rating in the 2008 Pennsylvania School Press
Association Newspaper Evaluation contest. Additionally,
professional journalists from across the state judged almost 600
student entries in writing, illustration and design. Gold Parkland
High School winners are:
Andy Wagaman (3) gold awards
(2) gold awards
Bianca Tang
Helen Stanley (3) gold awards
Katie Sheinberg (1) gold award
Rashida Kamal (3) gold awards
FRENCH
National French Contest Winners
Jack Huang and Sophia Srinivasan
placed 1st and 2nd in the Lehigh
Valley Region and also placed 6th and
7th nationally on the National French
Contest exam, “Le Grand Concours.”
NOVELIST
Katie Sheinberg is a PHS student who selfpublished her first novel The Treasure
Trove Tales aimed at Middle School
Students. She is pictured left with her book
and middle school teacher, Ms. Jessica
Reitnauer, whom she thanked for helping to
mentor her and foster a love for writing.
Alex Gardner won 1st place in the Spot News Category in the
2009 Scholastic Keystone Press Awards Contest sponsored by
the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. The Trumpet also
received a first place award in the American Scholastic
Press Association’s annual review and contest for
scholastic newspapers.
Andy Wagaman and
Kyle Desandes-Moyer
received the Best
Overall Sports
Coverage in the
contest. This year’s
editors were Raaj
Parekh and Alex Stein.
VFW VOICE OF DEMOCRACY ESSAY CONTEST
Parkland High School’s winners include:
1st Place Michelle Trinh
2nd Place Eugenia Kim
3rd Place Danielle Rosen
Danielle Rosen’s essay won at the regional level and ultimately
won 6th place in the state. Dale Ritter won VFW Teacher of the
Year for District 8.
Pictured above are
(from left to right): Alex Gardener, Andy Wagaman, Alex Stein, and
Raaj Parekh with Board President Robert Bold.
The photo above
includes from left to
right:
Joseph Zeller - Macungie VFW and Chairman of the VOD contest;
Caliope Volikas - PHS AP US History teacher of the 3 school
winners; Eugenia Kim; Danielle Rosen; Michelle Trinh; Dale R.
Ritter - PHS History Teacher/School Coordinator for the VOD
contest and 1st Place District 8 VFW “Teacher of the Year.”
MORNING NEWS
The Parkland Morning News Team at Parkland High School once
again received the Shortie Award at the Student Film and News
Festival for having the best high school news program at the 8th
Annual Festival on June 6th in Washington, D.C. This year’s
competition received nearly
400 entries, created by close
to 3,000 filmmakers, from 23
states in the U.S. and 13
other countries.Top row from
left to right: Gina Morrone,
Dan Stinebaugh, Christine
Dax, and David Miller.
Bottom row: Mel Knouse and
Andrew Kim. Missing from photo: Alex Krisko, Jon Whittaker, Matt
Krisch, Sarah Jagiela, and Guy Lesavoy.
SIGN LANGUAGE
Mariah Alston signed the National Anthem at the Harlem
Globetrotters game at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, PA. Also,
Lauren Ritter volunteered to interpret for a deaf student taking a
Modern Design class at The Baum School of Art this year.
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COMMUNICATION
PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS
PERFORMANCES
FALL PLAY: THE DIARY
OF ANNE FRANK
The Parkland High
School cast and crew
brought to life the
human experience of
eight people hiding
from the holocaust in
an Amsterdam
attic. Pictured here are:
Tom Acker, Morgan
Reilly and Hannah
Snyder-Samuelson.
ART AWARDS
The Performing Arts Club put on Seussical, Jr. as the
annual student-directed and performed Children’s
Show.
The PHS Spring Musical, Godspell, was nominated for
9 Freddy Nominations and the Best Performance by a
Featured Actress Award went to Morgan Reilly.
STATE BAND, CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA HONORS
The following Parkland High School students
auditioned for and won the opportunity to participate in
the All-State Concerts representing Parkland as some
of the best talent that exists in Pennsylvania high
schools today:
ALL-STATE CHORUS
Hannah Snyder-Samuelson
Morgan Reilly
Kirsten Tamte-Horan
Andrew Kurtz
Nicholas Roehler
Ryan McCarty
ALL-STATE BAND
Ellen Choi
Rachael Hendricks
ALL-STATE ORCHESTRA
Anlin Wang
Alina Spiegel
Zeke Francis
Catherine Kemmerer won a 2009 National Scholastic
Art Award for her meticulously detailed painting that is
shown in the picture above. Nearly 80,000 students
submitted more than 140,000 works of art and writing
to 81 regional programs. The top regional artworks,
approximately 8,000, received Gold Keys and were
automatically entered into national judging. Only 500
individual works of art received national awards and
were honored at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall, New
York City. Catherine’s painting then went on to be sold
to Lehigh Valley Hospital and will be housed in their art
gallery. It is the first student work of art that the gallery
has purchased.
Thuy Tran won a 15th Congressional District
Art Competition Second Place Award from
the Baum School for her still life collage,
“Still Life.” She won 2 certificates,
$25, and a one-term scholarship to the
Baum School of Art.
Parkland High School student Matt Fox
competed at the Pennsylvania State
Computer Fair at Dickinson College.
He won 3rd place in the state for his
“Shards of Light” digital graphic design.
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PERFORMING
AND VISUAL ARTS
COMMUNITY SERVICE
GARTER BOWL
Garter Bowl is a girls’ powder puff flag football event
during Homecoming week where the freshmen girls
play the junior girls at 6 PM, the sophomores face the
seniors at 7 PM, and then the winners of the 2 previous
games face off in a championship game at 8 PM. This
event serves as a huge spirit event that has brought in
thousands of students and members of the community
and is also a charity event. The annual goal this year
was to increase the students’ as well as the
community’s awareness on local environmental issues.
The Student Council contributed their proceeds to The
Lehigh Valley Zoo to continue to preserve the game
lands and continue to educate our community on the
local and imported animals under their care.
Parkland High School’s Music Production class
released a holiday album
entitled, Parkland: A Season
for Giving 2008. Profits from
this third annual project set a
record. As a result, $1,300 was
raised for their charity, the
CHILDREN OF FALLEN
SOLDIERS RELIEF FUND.
The French Club held a fundraiser at Applebee’s
restaurant to benefit children in the french-speaking
region of West Africa, Benin, where French teacher
Noel Smith spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar.
The students raised over $800 in profits and Applebees
told them that it was the second highest fund raising
breakfast they had ever had.
GEO CLUB ELECTRONICS RECYCLING EVENT
Community members dropped off their unwanted
electronics, batteries, cell phones, radios, computers,
printers etc. for recycling at this annual event. Most
items cost $1 to recycle, but TV’s were a flat rate of
$18 regardless of size, bulbs were 25 cents per piece
and batteries were 75 cents per pound. They collected
more than 15,000 pounds of recyclables.
Nicholas Tacca was nominated by the Eastern PA
Youth Soccer Association to receive the 2009 Union
League Good Citizenship Award in recognition of his
endeavor to follow and uphold the principles of a
committed citizen. As a result, he was invited to attend
Youth Work Day at the Union League in Philadelphia
where he participated in a full day of workshops on the
rights and responsibilities of good citizenship and an
evening banquet.
The Red Cross Club held a Heroes Campaign to raise
money for local disasters. The club was asked to raise
$500, but they exceeded that with a total
of $701 which
was made up by
staff donations
alone.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
STAFF AWARDS
Parkland High School Guidance
Counselors Dixie Gross and Kim Pilgert
presented, “Keep Your Sanity - How To
Take Control Of The College Admissions
Process” at the College Board Forum
2008 in Houston, Texas. It was their
second time presenting at the national
conference.
Chris Barrett, Parkland High
School art teacher, has been
accepted to the Transart
Institute of Danube University in
Linz, Austria to begin his
graduate study toward an MFA
Degree in New Media. It will
take three summers of course
work. This year it took place in
Berlin, Germany. This is an
international program of study
where he will be working with
artists from all over the world. He was one of eighteen
who has been accepted out of 700 applicants.
Amy L. Moyer, a PHS Family and
Consumer Science Teacher and a
second-year Ed.D. student in
Lehigh University’s College of
Education’s International
Leadership program, was selected
to showcase her research at
Lehigh University’s Research
Symposium on April 16th.
Her research focused on
sustaining pre-service teacher education teacher
reform in a Post-Soviet Latvia. Amy traveled to Dhaka,
Bangladesh during the summer to study the Bengali
language, going to class 6 hours per day for 9 weeks
on a fully-paid scholarship. The Critical Language
Scholarship (CLS) is sponsored by the United States
Department of State and the Council of American
Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). The CLS
Program is part of the National Security Language
Initiative (NSLI), a U.S. government interagency
effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans
studying and mastering critical need foreign languages.
Jason Henry, Parkland High School Classrooms for
the Future Technology Coach, was
selected as a Keystone Technology
Integrator (KTI) as one of 100 teachers
across the state to attend the Keystone
Summit at Bucknell University
July 27-31, 2009 because of his work in
using technology in meaningful ways to
enhance teaching and learning.
There, he engaged in hands-on experiences that
increased his ability to lead and support the effective
use of technology in the classrooms.
10
STAFF AWARDS
SENIOR LCTI LAB AWARDS
Administrative Office Technology/Accounting
Ariana Hinds - Outstanding Achievement in PowerPoint
Auto Technology
Stephen Geneczko - 2009 Hamm’s Auto Parts Specialist
Nathan Eberhardt - Attendance
CAP Early Care & Education of Young Children
Erin Koch – Attendance, Outstanding Student
CAP Home Health Services
Martha Wood - Outstanding Student
Diesel Medium/Heavy Truck Technology
Joseph Sell - Attendance
Drafting/Computer-Aided Design
Kevyn Faverey - Outstanding Architectural Student,
Outstanding Student
Early Care & Education of Young Children
Kirsten Fegley – Leadership, LANAEYC Award for
Excellence in ECEYC
Electrical Technology
Bryan Peralta – Attendance, Excellence in
Employability Skills, Outstanding Student
Health Occupations/Health Related Technology
Mindra Perez - Outstanding in Healthcare Skills
Heating/Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
John Shattah - Excellence in Employability,
Outstanding Student
Jonathan Bortz - Outstanding Technical Skill
Achievement, Baran Technical Institute scholarship,
Associated Building and Contractors Apprentice
Program scholarship
Landscape Construction/Environmental Design
Ronald Smith - Outstanding Landscaper
Material Handling/Logistics Technology
Andrew Hein - Outstanding Student
Painting and Decorating
Tyler Marinucci - Joe Cruthers Memorial Award
Hailey Noe - Outstanding Student
Small Engines/Recreational Vehicle Repair
Curtis Fritchman - Outstanding Student
SOC Food Service
Donnie Mason - Attendance
SOC Material Handling
Nicholas Grim - Safety
Kelsey McKinney - Teamwork
Cosmetology
Amy Millsap - Outstanding Esthetics
Masonry
Brendan Woodbridge - Dependabiltiy/Reliabiltiy
Print Technology/Graphic Imaging
Sheryl Guzman - Outstanding Desktop Publisher
SOC Indoor/Outdoor Maintenance
Ian Thackray - Outstanding Student
Joshua Finn - Outstanding Team Worker
Commercial Baking
Brittany Sherman - Outstanding Student
Law Enforcement/Security Systems
Brittany Sutter - Attendance
Kent Jenkins -Outstanding Police Patrol Officers
Holly Guevara - Outstanding Private Detectives
and Investigators
Plumbing and Heating
Joshua Heil - Attendance
Web Design/Web Programming
Jonathon Ramos - Outstanding Digital Layout and Design
Welding Technology
John Keck - Attendance
LCTI STATE AWARD WINNERS
The following students made it to state level
competition in their respective Career and
Technical organizations.
SKILLS USA
Justine Rios, Nail Care Model, First Place
DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION CLUBS OF AMERICA (DECA)
Tiphani Grady, Apparel and Accessories Marketing
Written Test, Gold medal and Apparel and Accessories
Role Play, Gold medal
Kyle Opie, Automotive Services Marketing Written
Event, Gold medal
Kayleigh Klotz, Travel and Tourism Marketing Team
Event Written Test, Gold medal
Ashley O’Hara, Travel and Tourism Marketing Team
Event Written Test, Gold medal
Alex Weaver, Sports and Entertainment Marketing
Team Event Written Test, Gold medal and Sports and
Entertainment Marketing Team Event Role Play, Gold
medal
FAMILY, CAREER, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS OF AMERICA
(FCCLA)
Alexandra Jany, Entrepreneurship, First Place
Samantha Cancaro, Culinary Arts, First Place Award
and $16,000 in scholarships
HEALTH OCCUPATIONS STUDENTS OF AMERICA (HOSA)
Kaitlyn Weaver, HOSA State Officer Western Region
Vice President, First Place
11
SENIOR
LCTI LAB AWARDS
PHS SENIOR AWARDS
2008-2009 Senior Academic Awards Recipients
Donley Award
Roland J. Wotring Scholarships
Christopher Whittaker
Hannah Binder
Matthew Gillette
Susan Posch-Tafuri
National Merit Finalists
Kerry Cao
Steven Dunmire
Aaron Levick
Christine Mays
Raaj Parekh
Steven Rosen
Delaney Snyder
Bianca Tang
David Tench
Joyce Wang
Yunfan Zhang
National Merit Scholarships
Aaron Levick
Steven Rosen
Bianca Tang
Joyce Wang
Air Products Merit Scholarships
Nationwide Foundation Scholarship
Gary P. McCartney Scholarship
Lee A. Kreidler Scholarship
Kerry Cao
Christine Mays
Raaj Parekh
Alexander Krisko
Nicholas Petrogeorge
Cassandra Hartzell
Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Award
PENSPRA Scholarship
Parkland Media Network Award
Matthew Koch Vocational Scholarship
Upper Lehigh Lioness Lions Award
Upper Lehigh Lions Club Award
Exchange Club of Western Lehigh
Scott Gollatz Memorial Scholarship
Kevyn Faverey
Kevyn Faverey
Jared Bilsak
Erica Murphy
Melissa Cruz
Sarah Holko
Monica Stachowski
Helen Stanley
Sarah Holko
Christopher Whittaker
Community Service Award Allentown
West-Western Lehigh County
Rotary Club Scholarship
Keystone Nazareth Scholastic
Erin Ganey
Christine Dax
Alexander Krisko
Elmer Gates Award
Allen M.M. George Scholarship
Jason Solensky
Sean Keiper
Leonard Salines
Sarah Holko
Achievement, Service & Leadership
The Seeing Eye Scholarship
Ashley Glick
University of Rochester Dean’s Scholarship
Mitchell Jones
The Second Mile Award
Kelsey Bonsell
Justin Sheftel Memorial Scholarship Michaeleena Cosgrove
Nicholas Gisolfi
Student Council Service Award
Lauren Sniscak
Monica Stachowski
Adam Wolk Memorial Scholarship
Alex Gardner
Coca-Cola Scholars Grant
Cadet Anthony Severo SADD Scholarship
Kelsey Bonsell
Steven Rosen
United States Military Academy West Point
United States Naval Academy Annapolis
United States Coast Guard Academy
Semper Fidelis Music Award
Mikala Ashmar
Brian Kiernan
Austin Zalik
Nathan Warnke
Nicholas Gackenbach
PARKLAND MUSIC BOOSTERS:
Orchestra Scholarship
Ariane Torres
Chorus Scholarship
Kayla Toborowski
Band/Color Guard Scholarship
Christine Mays
Parkland Performing Arts Award
Steven Dunmire
Jason Goldenberg Memorial Award
Ashley Werkheiser
Wegmans Scholarships
Ian Haberle
Tegan Hanlon
Rebecca Hausman
Emily Holko
Ann Marie Krulick
Sarah Pfenning
Adam Ward
Walter W. Johnson Sr. Writing Award
Ariane Torres
Charles A. Klein Jr. Memorial
Scholarship (Cetronia Elem. PTO)
Fogelsville Educator’s Scholarship
Michelle Ahrens
Renee G. Beitler Memorial Scholarship
Ironton PTO Scholarships
Jon Ward
12
Jamie Motsko
Patrick Clause
Richard Trevor Troxel
Devon Ziegenfuss
PHS SENIOR AWARDS
Richard A. Houck Honorary Scholarship
Kylie Polzer
Kernsville Elementary School
Megan Lewis
Emily Stein
Kratzer Elementary School
Kelsey Bonsell
Jesse Krasley
Parkway Manor Scholarship
OMS P.T.O. Scholarships
Springhouse P.T.O. Scholarships
Parkland Youth Center Scholarship
Tegan Hanlon
Megan Steber
Meghan Holtzhafer
Megan Steber
Annie B. Fritch Scholarships
Slatington Lodge #440 Award
Señora Herber Memorial Award
Shaun Buenzly Memorial Scholarship
American Association of Physics Teachers
Science Fair Excellence
Steven Dunmire
Liana Mandel
Kelsey Bonsell
Clint Miller
Casey Fager
Ashley Glick
Jesse Krasley
Kayla Persichetti
Sean Keiper
Steven Dunmire
Alex Gardner
Tiffany Samuel
Aaron Levick
Sara Kaskowitz
Dr. Peter Miraldo Science Award
Maria Cartolano
LV Society of Women Engineers
Christine Mays
Stanley L. Cramer Chemistry Award
Christine Mays
Political Science Club Scholarship
Stephen Erdman
Sons of The American Revolution Award
Stephen Erdman
PHS Student Store Award
Michael Martinez
Congressional Citizenship Award
Parkland Education Association Awards
Joseph Calpas
Jamie Motsko
Alex Gardner
SENIOR ART AWARDS:
National Scholastic
Silver Medal Art Award
Shaun Buenzly Art Award
Portfolio Prep
Ceramics
Jewelry & Metals
Computer Graphics
Drawing
Advanced Drawing
Crafts
Painting
Photography
Roger LaDue Senior Art Award
Cheesecake Art Award
Catherine Kemmerer
Catherine Kemmerer
Danah Clark
Anastasia Zelios
Steven Pribanich
Thomas Soto
Matthew Fox
Thomas Kostelnik
Ann Marie Krulick
Noah Kirshner
Thuy Tran
Kristy McKeever
Kyle Yuditsky
Daniel Incalcaterra
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY AWARDS OF SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT:
Art
Business
English
Family and Consumer Sciences
Spanish
French
German
American Sign Language
Social Studies
Orchestra
Band
Vocal Music
Mathematics
Science
Technology Education
Physical Education
Vocational Education
13
Catherine Kemmerer
Michael Martinez
Gianna Walton
Emily Bowden
George Hayward
Nikitasha Aggarwal
Jamie Lorah
Kathryn Novak
Brett Feldman
Yecheskel Francis
Sarah Wascavage
Megan Ohlsen
Christopher Busack
Kerry Cao
Darpan Patel
Richard Trevor Troxel
Brittany Sherman
PHS SENIOR AWARDS
ATHLETIC AWARDS
PARKLAND HIGH SCHOOL
2008-2009
ATHLETIC AWARD RECIPIENTS
Another school year has passed and with it also
passed three outstanding athletic seasons. Over
the course of the 2008-2009 school year, Parkland
athletic teams amassed a winning record in excess
of 81 percent. To put that figure in perspective, the
NCAA Division One athletic program selected for this
year’s Director’s Cup, the award annually given to
the best college athletic program in the nation, had
less than a 70 percent winning average.
LVIAC SCHOLAR ATHLETES:
Christopher Whittaker
Helen Stanley
Eric Zuber
Kryan Knouse
Kyle DeSandes-Moyer
Andy Wagaman
Liana Mandel
Breanna Mazalewski
Sequenna Thomas
Jonathan Ward
Joshua Heft
Nicholas Gisolfi
Jaime Malandra
Sara Holko
Jonathan Gabriel
Kyle deSandes-Moyer
Cameron McConnell
Elizabeth Skinker
Jordan Silberg
Erica Murphy
Christopher Busack
Boys’ Cross Country
Girls’ Cross Country
Football
Boys’ Soccer
Field Hockey
Golf
Girls’ Tennis
Girls’ Volleyball
Girls’ Basketball
Boys’ Basketball
Wrestling
Boys’ Swimming
Girls’ Swimming
Cheerleading
Baseball
Softball
Boys’ Track
Girls’ Track
Boys’ Tennis
Girls’ Soccer
Boys’ Volleyball
OUTSTANDING ATHLETE
BY SPORT:
Matt Gillette
Boys’ Cross-Country
Helen Stanley
Girls’ Cross Country
Jaleel Clark
Football, Offense
Pete Bross
Football, Defense
Arialle Hess
Field Hockey, Offense
Chelsey Talhelm
Field Hockey, Defense
Bryan Knouse
Boys’ Soccer, Offense
Garrett Bleiler
Boys’ Soccer, Defense
Jordan Keller
Golf
Liana Mandel
Girls’ Tennis
Breanna Mazalewski
Girls’ Volleyball
Deanna Stinner
Girls’ Volleyball
Jaleel Clark
Boys’ Basketball
Morgan Taylor
Girls’ Basketball
Ian Heist
Wrestling
Jaime Malandra
Girls’ Swimming
Caitlin Zajko
Girls’ Swimming
Erika Bilenki
Girls’ Diving
Demetri Karedis
Boys’ Swimming
James Marrow
Boys’ Diving
Lauren Sniscak
Cheerleading
Jessica Ritzenthaler
Cheerleading
Ashley Mikulcik
Student Trainer
Jon Gabriel
Baseball, Player
Andrew Kulp
Baseball, Pitcher
Kelly Muth
Softball, Player
Kyle deSandes-Moyer
Softball, Player
Deanna Stinner
Softball
Emily Schneider
Girls’ Soccer, Offense
Courtney Paxson
Girls’ Soccer, Defense
Andrew Schwepfinger
Boys’ Tennis
Sequeena Thomas
Girls’ Track, Running Events
Arialle Hess
Girls’ Track, Running Events
Courtney Sniscak
Girls’ Track, Field Events
Alex Macri
Boys’ Track, Running Events
Matt Gillette
Boys’ Track, Running Events
Erik Troutman
Boys’ Track, Field Events
Chris Busack
Boys’ Volleyball
Pat Clause
Boys’ Lacrosse
2009 PARKLAND HIGH SCHOOL
“FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR”
Jaime Malandra
2009 PARKLAND HIGH SCHOOL
“MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR”
Jaleel Clark
14
ATHLETIC AWARDS
FALL SPORTS
GIRLS TENNIS
Girls Tennis won the LVIAC, League and Tournament
Championships. Martha Wood came in third for District
Singles. Liana Mandel and Megan Wylie won the gold
medal in the District XI doubles competition.
PARKLAND GOLF
Coach Jeff Bartman led his team to
the local golf scene hat trick by
winning the LVIAC League and
Tournament Championship, as well
as the team District XI gold. LVIAC
All-Stars were Brandon Davis and
Jordan Keller. The team went on
to win the PIAA Eastern
Championship and finished 4th in
the state finals.
BOYS/GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
The boys’ cross country team
ended the regular season as the
LVIAC Dual Meet Champions with
an undefeated 12-0 record. The
girls finished fourth in the league meet with a 9-3
record. Helen Stanley, Matt Gillette, Alex Macri and
Tyler Ranft were named to the LVIAC Cross Country
All-Stars. Matt Gillette was named District XI
Champion and took 19th place at the PIAA state
competition.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
The girls won the East/West Challenge at State
College and finished 5th in the Garden State
Challenge, losing in the playoffs to #21 nationally
ranked Mercy Academy. This team qualified for
districts earlier than any other team in program history,
won the District XI Silver Medal, were named LVIAC
Champions, ranked 3rd in the Pennsylvania Coaches
poll, and were undefeated at home. Deanna Stinner
and Breanna Mazalewski were selected for District XI
and LVIAC First team.
BOYS SOCCER
The boys’ soccer team rebounded from a 5-4-1 start to
go unbeaten in the next 11 games of the season
culminating with a 1-0 overtime win against Freedom to
capture the team’s second consecutive
District XI AAA Championship. Bryan
Knouse, the league’s leading scorer, and
Ryan Wetherhold were selected to the
LVIAC All-Star Team and goalkeeper
Garrett Bleiler was named Honorable
Mention. The team finished 15-5-2 after
falling to Lower Merion (ranked #8
nationally) in the PIAA playoffs.
FOOTBALL
LVIAC All-Stars Defense
team members included:
Nick Deluca – Lineman, 1st Team;
Clint Miller – Lineman, Honorable Mention;
Darryl Herod – Linebacker, 1st Team;
Jaleel Clark – Secondary, 1st Team and
Casey Cooperman – Punter, Honorable Mention.
LVIAC All-Stars Offense team members included:
Jaleel Clark – Wide Receiver, 1st Team;
Ian Tomcho – Guard, Honorable Mention and
Travis Guth – Placekicker, Honorable Mention.
Jaleel Clark was also selected to participate in the
Big 33 Football All-Star game pitting the best of
Pennsylvania against the best of Ohio.
FIELD HOCKEY
The Pennsylvania Field Hockey Coaches Association
announced the following All-State selections. Jacque
Gerrick received 2nd Team All-State and Kyle
DeSandes-Moyer, Stephanie Goldberg, and Kayla
Mueller received Honorable Mention All-State. In
addition, Kyle DeSandes-Moyer, Karie Vassallo, and
Arialle Hess received the honor of All-State Academic.
15
FALL SPORTS
WINTER SPORTS
CHEERLEADING
The Cheerleading squad finished 2nd at the District XI
Cheerleading competition. The stunt team consisting
of seniors Kayla Persichetti, Lauren Sniscak, Casey
Fennell, Ashley Glick, and Paige McFarland
also took 2nd place.
WRESTLING
BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL
The wrestling team completed a
successful season by sending
four wrestlers to Hershey for the
individual state tournament. Mike
Fake (103), Mike Ottinger (140),
Ian Heist (145), and Wade Rivera
(152) all qualified for the state
tournament. Sophomore Mike
Fake placed 8th at 103 pounds.
The Boys’ Basketball season
came to an end at Villanova with
a loss to York in the state
quarterfinals. The Trojans
capped a 26-4 season
highlighted by their two state
tournament wins and District XI
Championship. The Girls’
Basketball team battled through
adversity during the year, but still
managed a winning record at
14-10. The team’s season ended
in the District XI playoffs.
Sequeena Thomas and Jaleel
Clark made Third Team All-State
in Basketball.
BOYS AND GIRLS SWIMMING AND DIVING
The teams completed their season with the state
championships at Bucknell University. The Lady
Trojans won the District XI Championship and finished
5th overall in the state. Jaime Malandra won gold in
the 200 freestyle and silver in the 500 freestyle. Caitlin
Zajko placed sixth in the 200 individual medley and fifth
in the 100 backstroke. Freshman Erica Reifinger was
fifth in the 500 freestyle. The 400 freestyle relay team
took eighth place. Erika Bilenki placed fifth in the diving competition. The Parkland Boys finished runner-up
in the District and wound up 17th of 55 teams in the
state tournament. Demitri Karedis placed 6th in the
100 freestyle.
16
WINTER SPORTS
SPRING SPORTS
SOFTBALL
The softball team won the LVIAC championship, placed
2nd in District XI playoffs and went on to become the
PIAA 4A State Champions and was named Morning
Call Team of the Year. Individual softball honors went
to Deanna Stinner (Morning Call Player of the Year,
LVIAC MVP, All State, Parkland Hall of Fame); Melissa
Catone, Kyle DeSandis-Moyer and Kelly Muth (All
LVIAC). Coach Glen Ray retired at the end of the
season after coaching for 23 years.
TRACK AND FIELD
Boys’ track won the LVIAC Championship. At States,
male athlete Andre Williams won the 5th Place PIAA
medal in the 100 Meter Dash. He also won 5th in the
110 Meter Hurdles. Matt Gillette was a 4th Place PIAA
Medal Winner in the 3200 Meter Run. Female
Sequeena Thomas was the 4th Place PIAA Medal
Winner in the Triple Jump.
LACROSSE
In its inaugural varsity season, boys’
lacrosse finished with a District XI
silver medal and three All LVIAC
performers: Allen Nist, Curtis Kaunas
and Patrick Clause.
BASEBALL
The baseball team
won the silver PIAA
medal and was named
Morning Call Team of
the Year after winning
both the LVIAC and
District XI
championships.
Individual baseball honors went to Tony Galucy
(Morning Call Coach of the Year); Andrew Kulp
(Morning Call Pitcher of the Year, All LVIAC), Daniel
Klem and John Gabriel (Morning Call All Area, LVIAC
All League), Andrew Branstetter (All LVIAC).
SOCCER
Rounding out the spring sports awards were members
of the girls’ soccer team, Tara Huber (All State, All Area,
All LVIAC) and Emily Schneider (All LVIAC). Both girls
moved into the top 10 in all-time scoring at PHS.
VOLLEYBALL
Boys’ volleball won the LVIAC championship, was
District XI runner-up, ranked 3rd in the state
tournament and garnered Morning Call Team of the
Year honors. Individual honors went to Scott
Trumbauer (Morning Call Coach of the Year); Chris
Busak (LVIAC Spring Scholar Athlete, All State and All
LVIAC); Matt Sundahl (All State, All LVIAC); Duy
Nguyen (All State, LVIAC Co-Player of the Year); and
Andy Buss (All LVIAC, LVIAC MVP).
TENNIS
For the most current game listings, changes, etc.
please go to www.HighSchoolSports.net or
www.parklandsd.org
and click on the Athletics Calendar link.
Boys’ tennis won the LVIAC team championship.
Individuals from the tennis team who excelled were
Jordan Silberg (LVIAC Top Male Scholar Athlete, All
LVIAC) and Andrew Schwepfinger (Morning Call Player
of the Year, All LVIAC and District XI.)
17
SPRING SPORTS
OREFIELD
MIDDLE SCHOOL
COMPUTER FAIR
Twenty-six schools and more
than 200 middle school
students competed at the 5th
Annual PA Computer Fair.
Orefield Middle School
students Abby Krutsick (right)
and Jessica Leiby (left)
scored 1st place for the logo design competition and
are holding their winning design entry above.
INSPIRING AWARD WINNER
Zachary Kraus
received the
Outstanding Young
Achiever Award from
the Weller Health
Education Center after
being nominated by
the Dream Come True
organization for the
6th Annual Outstanding Friend to Kids Weller Health
Education Awards. He also won the Yes I Can Award!
from the Council for Exceptional Children – a national
award given to him in Seattle. This fourteen-year-old
was diagnosed with leukemia in 2000 and began an
aggressive treatment regiment to combat the cancer.
After his own hospital experience, he realized the
rooms were not kid-friendly, so he went door-to-door
and raised money to purchase play station video game
machines for other children undergoing similar
intensive hospital stays. Despite relapsing and
suffering from new illnesses, Zachary still manages to
think of others first by organizing many fundraisers and
through community service work. He is pictured above
with (from left to right) Bob Bold (School Board
President), his mom, and teachers Stephanie Shirk
and Brian Fulmer who coordinated a district-wide staff
basket raffle that raised more than $4000 to help pay
for travel expenses associated with the trip to Seattle.
SPELLING BEE
Ruby Johnson, 7th grader, won
the opportunity to represent
OMS at the Express-Times
Regional Spelling Bee where
she competed against sixth, seventh, and eighth
graders in the regional bee.
LUNCH WITH CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE DENT
Social Studies teachers Patti Heavener, Amy Miller and
Mike Messerschmidt conducted a mock election in
early November. To help motivate students to vote, 2
winners from each grade were randomly drawn to win
a luncheon with Congressman Charlie Dent. Dent
discussed what it is like to campaign, details about his
job in Washington, and how he hopes to take care of
community members in his district during his role as
Congressman.
From left to right: Jen Zarzeki, Rachel Dunne, Joseph
Fernandes, Tommy Stenulis, Congressman Dent,
Sydney Krassen, and John Wynn. Board members
Bob Bold, Roberta Marcus and Superintendent Dr.
Donohue, along with Principal Dr. Troutman, were also
in attendance.
OMS TOP READERS
Christopher Tarantino grade 6 and
Jason Law grade 7 are pictured at
right for reading the most books in
their grade in the annual
Accelerated Readers Program.
(Not pictured: Nathan Haberstroh
grade 8)
18
OREFIELD
MIDDLE SCHOOL
ENVIROTHON
Fifteen students, who showed outstanding attitude and
achievement in science, were selected out of the 7th
grade to participate in
this year’s
Lehigh County Envirothon. They are, from left to right:
Maria Vratsanos, Zachary Bartman, Robert Monko,
Madison Crain, Chris Schweikert, Madeline Hain and
2nd row: Seth Bartinski, Kirby Perosa, Jonathan Vasilik,
Grayson Thackary, Haven Diehl (Missing are: Audrey
Wrobel, Gabrielle Christman, Ian Reilly, and Emily
Hanson).
PJAS SCIENCE FAIR 1ST PLACE STATE WINNERS
First Place winners at the Pennsylvania Junior
Academy of Science State Competition are pictured as
follows: Top row from
left to right: Tyler Duff,
Igor Ivanov, Andrew
Pany, Meghan Preiss,
Camille Roberts, Jake
Gottwald, Megan Frey.
Kneeling from left to right: Jenna Peng, Alison Dyszel,
Audrey Wrobel, Christian Wadsworth, Evan Hall,
James Mellon, Matthew Giacobbe (Missing from picture
are Kirby Perosa and Adrian Tsou).
STAFF AWARD
Learning for Life honored local educators at their
annual Educator’s Luncheon at Muhlenberg College.
A Golden Apple Award, in recognition of a commitment
to education, was presented to Greg Poremba,
guidance counselor at Orefield Middle School.
NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC ART AWARD
Kristen McCarty, 7th grader at OMS won a
distinguished Silver Medal from The Scholastic Alliance
for Young Artists and Writers. Nearly
80,000 students submitted more than
140,000 works of art and writing to 81
regional programs. The top regional
artworks, approximately 8,000, received
Gold Keys and were automatically
entered into national judging. Kristen’s
paper lantern was one of only 500
individual works of art that received a
national award and she was honored at a
ceremony at Carnegie Hall, New York City.
PLAYS
Orefield students
performed “Law and
Order: Fairy Tale Unit”
for the fall play and
“Kokonut Capers” for
the spring musical this
year. Pictured right are
Yelena Gulkewicz
(Detective Cindy Rella)
and Jared Blockus
(Detective HD) from the fall play.
PMEA* ELEMENTARY ALL STAR ORCHESTRA
Ashleigh Albert, Jeff Strisovksy, Samuel Lin, Ellen
McCauley, Alexis Dongvort, Brian Cummings, Taylor
Brown.
PMEA* INTERMEDIATE ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL
Jeffrey Kurtz, Melissa Lukas, Emily O’Brien, Colin Pratt,
Collin Kistler, Emily Albertson (Missing: Amanda
LaCesa and Nate Case).
* PMEA stands for Pennsylvania Music Educator’s
Association. Students selected to perform in the
various groups above showed outstanding talent
and commitment to their musical studies.
19
OREFIELD
MIDDLE SCHOOL
ALLENTOWN SYMPHONY BRAHMS FESTIVAL
6th grade string students were selected to participate in
the Allentown Symphony Orchestra Festival and
worked with Diane Wittry, the conductor of Allentown
Symphony to play short excerpts from each of the
movements of Brahms Symphony #1. OMS students
who were a part of this prestigious performance group
are pictured above from left to right: Jeffrey Strisovsky,
Ashleigh Albert, Alexis Dongvort, Ellen McCauley,
Taylor Brown, Lauren LaCesa, and Kendra Chuss.
DIRECTOR’S AWARD - CHORUS
Pictured right is 8th Grader Jared
Blockus who was selected out of
120 students in 8th Grade Chorus
to receive the prestigious Director’s
Award. Outstanding member of the
7th Grade Chorus was Alison
Dyszel and for 6th Grade,
Alexander Geisel.
OMS BAND AWARDS
Pictured from left to right are 8th grade winners:
Eric Mikitka and Brian Tom; 7th grade winner Ian Reilly
(missing is Sarah Lerew), and 6th grade winners:
Emma Adams and Shannon Kruczek.
INTERMEDIATE DISTRICT BAND
From left to right are: Eric Mikitka, Yelena Gulkewicz,
Andrew Kanas, Adrian Tsou, and Morgan Haberstroh.
Missing is Sarah Lerew and Alex Seigfried.
OUTSTANDING RHYTHM SECTION
Nitschmann Middle School Jazz Festival and
Southern Lehigh Middle School Jazz Festival
Pictured from left to right is the OMS Jazz Band Rhythm
Section: Ian Reilly, Camille Roberts, Xavier Roden, and
Travis
Wingate.
Missing from
photo are:
Allison Fella,
Collin Kistler,
Timothy Lentz,
and Audrey Wrobel.
BAND DIRECTOR’S AWARDS
Yelena Gulkewicz and Andrew
Kanas are pictured at right for
winning this year’s Band
Director’s Award. Missing from the
photo are Jennifer Miller and
Bradley Vasilik.
OUTSTANDING SOLOISTS
Yelena Gulkewicz won awards at
Northeast Middle School and the
Nitschmann MS Jazz
Festival for her
outstanding sax solos.
Christian Wadsworth won Outstanding
Trumpet Soloist at the Northeast MS
Jazz Festival.
Sean Micca won Outstanding Trumpet
Soloist at the Southern Lehigh MS
Jazz Festival.
BAND AWARD FOR MOST IMPROVED
Kristen Keck (6th Grade), Morgan Humphreys (7th
Grade), Taylor Blasko (8th Grade) won awards for
improving the most over the course of the year.
20
OREFIELD
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SPRINGHOUSE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
COMPUTER FAIR
Twenty-six schools and more
than 200 middle school
students competed at the 5th
Annual PA Computer Fair.
Springhouse Middle School
student Peter Constantine
scored a 2nd place in the Web
Page Design category at the
state-wide fair.
MATHCOUNTS
The Springhouse MathCounts team won first place
honors in the Regional
Competition. Marcus
Spiegel, Jeffrey Miller and
Luke Kim placed in the top
10. The team is pictured left
from left to right: MathCounts
Rep, Marcus Spiegel, Luke
Kim, Jeffrey Miller, Joy Wang, and coaches Rick Clee
and Marge Evans.
SPELLING BEE
Kristie Budihardjo, 7th grader, won
the opportunity to represent SMS at
the Express-Times Regional Spelling
Bee where she competed against
sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in
the regional bee.
PJAS SCIENCE FAIR 1ST PLACE STATE WINNERS
First Place winners at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy
of Science State Competition are pictured from left to
right: Stephanie Panny (also obtained a perfect score),
Hannah Kim, Jyotsna Soundararajan, Alisha Ghosh,
Ryan Heydt, Shubhangi Maheshwari, William WIlkinson,
Alisha Rege, Alan Johnson, Vikas Gupta, Jinyoung Kim,
Tori Seto, Joy Wang (also obtained a perfect score) and
Shweta Sen.
HISTORY DAY WINNER
Leah Wenhold won first place in the
Junior Division for her historical paper,
“Dread Ignorance More Than Taxation:
Thaddeus Stevens and the Defense of
the Pennsylvania Common School Law
of 1834” at the Pennsylvania State
competition. She then went on to win
7th place at Nationals at the University
of Maryland. She is pictured at right
with history teacher, Mr. Abrams. Civics
teacher, Mr. Eakins, also guided her on her project.
SMS TOP READERS
6th grader Meehan Rahman,
7th grader Rebecca Walton
and 8th grader Mohammad
Saeed are pictured left for
reading the most books in
their grade in the annual
Accelerated Readers
Program.
ENVIROTHON
7th grade students who
showed outstanding attitude
and achievement in science
were selected to participate
in this year’s Lehigh County
Envirothon. They are from left
to right, front row: Sophia
Dao, Kyle Heicklen, Kristie Budihardjo, Amiya Kalra,
Hannah Kim, Robert Oncheck, and 2nd row: Weston
Conner, Rahul Deshpande, Aditya Govande (Missing
from photo is Elizabeth Rodriguez).
IRON PIGS PERFORMANCE
The Springhouse Middle School 7th/8th Grade Band
performed the National Anthem at an Iron Pigs game.
21
SPRINGHOUSE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SAFE AND DRUG FREE SCHOOLS
Springhouse Middle School celebrated
“Safe and Drug Free School Week” with a poster
contest. The winners
are pictured from left to
right with their posters
and Assistant Principal,
Rob Holmes as follows:
Taylor Parker (2nd
Place Finisher), Mikaela
Krim (3rd Place
Finisher), and Patrick Johnson (1st Place Finisher).
PLAYS
Springhouse students performed “Hospital” for the fall
play and “The Wizard of Oz” for the spring musical this
year.
PMEA* ELEMENTARY ALL STAR ORCHESTRA
Pictured from left to right
are: Michael Wu, Faye Ko,
Chanyang Wang, Saagar
Asnani. Missing from the
photo is Esther Han.
Michael Wu was also
selected to play for the
Junior String Philharmonic
and won a $300 scholarship to attend a chamber music
camp in North Carolina.
PMEA* INTERMEDIATE ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL
Pictured in the
front row from left
to right are:
Marcus Spiegel,
Joy Wang, Kristie
Budihardjo,
Angela Wang,
Jyotsna
Soundararajan, and
TuQuyen Pham. 2nd row: Yi-Tong Tseo, Jeffrey Miller,
Colleen Manjarrez, and Lamont Kaiser.
PMEA* ORCHESTRA
FESTIVAL - JANUARY 2009
Two advanced students,
Marcus Spiegel and Joy
Wang, were selected to
perform at this high
school level festival
from Springhouse Middle
School.
ALLENTOWN SYMPHONY BRAHMS FESTIVAL
6th grade string students
were selected to
participate in the
Allentown Symphony
Orchestra Festival and
worked with Diane Wittry,
the conductor of Allentown
Symphony to play short
excerpts from each of the
movements of Brahms Symphony #1. SMS students
who were a part of this prestigious performance group
are pictured above from left to right: Michael Wu, Faye
Ko, and Chanyang Wang. Esther Han is missing.
PMEA* DISTRICT 10 ELEMENTARY SONGFEST (6TH GRADE)
Pictured from left to right are: Harrison Eckert, Matthew
Kiser, Meghan Lees, Julia Walsh and Chelsea Winick.
PMEA* DISTRICT 10 INTERMEDIATE SONGFEST
Pictured from left to right are 8th graders: Ryan Allsop,
Michael Crossen, Christina Mahurin and Codey Seidel.
Missing is Ajay Gandhi. 7th graders who were chosen
to participate include Gabriel Carrero, Halle Nelson,
and Margaret Newell.
* PMEA stands for Pennsylvania Music Educator’s
Association. Students selected to perform in the
various groups above showed outstanding talent and
commitment to their musical studies.
22
SPRINGHOUSE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
COMMUNITY SERVICE
OMS MS READ-A-THON
7th graders at OMS
participated in the
Multiple Sclerosis
Read-a-thon in October.
$962 was raised by
reading a total of 90
books. The top reader
was Kristen Wiedemann
and the top fundraiser
was Zach Bartman.
SMS STUDENT COUNCIL
Springhouse Student Council collected toys for Lehigh
County’s Children and Youth Services. Their teacher
advisor is Karen Guellich. The members of student
council also became holiday angels to 10 children
through the Salvation Army by fulfilling holiday wishes
with gift deliveries.
OMS CASUAL DAYS
Casual days at OMS raised $4,318 that was used for
various charitable donations and families in need
throughout the year.
OMS FRIGHT DAY
Teachers and staff
dressed up on Halloween
and used penny jars in the
cafeteria to get students to
vote for their favorite
costume. The jar with the
most cash won the contest
and all of the money was
donated to charity.
This year, OMS Fright Day
raised $612.15 for the
American Cancer Society.
A neighborhood dog who
lives near OMS is always
a top winner.
23
HOLIDAY STAFF DONATION
The OMS and SMS staff held a jewelry collection during
the holidays. The schools were able to donate 30 pins, 4
watches, 35 bracelets, 67 necklaces, 87 pairs of earrings,
9 rings and 15 pendants to Perfect Fit for Working
Women. Their generosity will help low income women as
they enter the workforce. The drive was coordinated by
Speech/Language Pathologist Peggy Goll.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
CETRONIA
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Cetronia helped former
principal Viola Wert
celebrate her 100th birthday
during a school-wide
celebration of songs, art
projects and photographs.
PSSA PREP WITH THE PHS BASKETBALL TEAM
The seniors on the PHS basketball team helped make Cetronia’s
basketball theme come to life for fourth graders who earned paper
basketballs for doing well on practice drills
designed to help them prepare for upcoming
PSSA standardized tests. Mike Miorelli,
captain of the team, spoke to the children
about a goal: Practice hard and work hard in
school to produce winning results!
At left: Mike Miorelli
WORLD AUTISM DAY
Cetronia students celebrated
World Autism Awareness Day by
holding a penny war that raised
money for Autism Speaks.
Puzzle piece pins and a basket
raffle also took place to raise
awareness for autism.
EXXON/MOBIL GRANT
Cetronia Elementary School received a $500 grant from the
Exxon/Mobil Educational Alliance program to
support a school program. Tami Frank,
manager of Top Star Inc., worked with school
officials to secure the grant which is one of
4,000 available to schools across the country
served by Exxon or Mobil stations. The grants
were made possible by funding from the
Exxon Mobil Corporation. Pictured is Cetronia
Principal Diana Schantz with Tami Frank.
SONGFEST
The following fifth graders were chosen to represent Cetronia in the
PMEA District 10 Songfest which was held in February: Stephanie
Hawk, Andrew Hillman, Annika Fagerstrom, and Liam Gallagher.
HOLIDAY DONATION
The Cetronia student body participated in the Morning Call’s Angel
Campaign by collecting personal care items and snacks for the
elderly who are homebound and receive services from Homemaker
Health Aide.
FOGELSVILLE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
GO RED DAY
On February 6th, Fogelsville Student
Council celebrated GO RED DAY in
support of the American Heart
Association by wearing red. Staff
donated $5 each and Student
Government donated $1 to the Heart Association for every student
who wore red. The result was a $748 donation!
THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW…
Doug Seip received an award from Representative Doug Reichley
at Fogelsville Elementary School where his fifth grade teacher, Ms.
Christie Nolan, encouraged her class to submit entries to Reichley’s
“There Ought to Be a Law” contest. Doug’s essay
was chosen as the first place essay out of 391
entries from school districts throughout the
region. His law suggestion was to make it
mandatory for careless drivers to adorn a caution sticker on their
car when they reach a certain number of driving tickets for illegal
behavior behind the wheel. As part of his award, Doug Seip
proposed the bill at a House session in Harrisburg. Representative
Reichley also spent time teaching Doug’s fellow 5th grade students
how a bill becomes a law and passed out certificates of
achievement to the entire class. Doug is pictured with Rep.
Reichley.
CETRONIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
FOGELSVILLE24ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PSSA PEP RALLY
Fogelsville Student
Government sponsored a
PSSA Pep Rally in the school
gym to get students excited
about and ready for the PSSA
tests. Kim Trumbauer is the
Student Government advisor and teacher at the school.
MULTIPLICATION TOURNAMENT
Fogelsville’s Third Grade held their 10th Annual Multiplication Travel
Tournament whereby five representatives from each of four classes
competed against the clock to see who could travel the farthest.
Each student had to beat their neighbor at a flashed fact in order to
move ahead. At the end of the timed session, Nishant Chitluru
from Mrs. Zellner’s class was in first place, Andrea Maghacot from
Miss Richard’s class placed second, and Aryaman Khandelwal from
Mrs. Lehman’s class finished third.
MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL
Fogelsville held a Multicultural Festival in June. Food, games,
crafts, and performances representing the many cultures that make
up the Fogelsville Community were enjoyed by all who attended.
EARTH DAY
Teacher Judy Kelly helped to organize
every student in the school to decorate a
grocery bag from Giant or Redner’s in
Trexlertown with Earth Day slogans and
pictures. She took the bags back to the
grocery stores and they used them for shoppers on Earth Day.
HOLIDAY DONATION
In addition to collecting money through the Fogelsville Angel Fund
to brighten a needy family’s holiday, the Fogelsville student
government, under the supervision of Christie Nolan and Kim
Trumbauer, collected hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves for needy
children in the community. Partner school Donegan Elementary
School in Bethlehem was the recipient of many items.
IRONTON
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
RACE FOR EDUCATION/NEW WALKING TRAIL
In 2009, the Ironton PTO, staff, and
students celebrated the opening of a new
walking trail. Once open, students in
grades K-5 spent one hour walking laps
around their new walking trail as part of a
PTO fundraiser called THE RACE FOR
EDUCATION. Last year’s fundraiser raised $30,000 for the PTO
which in turn installed the walking trail, DVD players in all
classrooms, and purchased part of a new playground program.
CAPS FOR KIDS
Ironton Elementary students
raised $517 for CAPS FOR KIDS
in honor of a 4th grade student
there who was terminally ill with
the goal of getting a signed
Ravens cap by his favorite player,
Willis McGahee. Pictured is Mrs.
McKelley’s Class who organized the event for their classmate.
PI DAY
Ironton students participated in various math
activities that related to the number Pi (3.14).
Those who memorized the most numbers in
Pi got to “pie” their teachers and Principal
Smith in the face with cream pies.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB DONATION
The Ironton PTO, students and staff donated gifts to benefit the
Boys and Girls Club of Allentown during the holidays. The gifts were
displayed below a tree in the lobby that was decorated by Ironton
students’ hand-made ornaments. A student from each grade helped
load the Club’s truck with holiday gifts.
COMPUTER FAIR
Area elementary schools submitted a total of 22 projects in 4
categories (Desktop Publishing, Logo Design, Digital Movie, and
Multimedia) for the Elementary Computer Fair. Ironton won a 1st
place award for their Digital Movie and Multimedia projects. Mrs.
Bell’s 5th grade students did a PowerPoint on the solar system.
TURKEY TROT
Ironton celebrated fitness with a
Turkey Trot event that challenged
students to improve their time
during a mile run after several
weeks of training during gym class.
DRAMA CLUB
Ironton started a new Drama Club this year and performed The
Wizard of Oz for the community in June. The club was led by
teacher Megan Barry.
DISTRICT 10 SONGFEST
Samantha Saffron, Abigail Kern, Megan Cara and Tyra Burton were
Songfest participants this past year.
FOGELSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
IRONTON25ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
KERNSVILLE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
WAX MUSEUM
Fourth grade students in
Chanin Yeahl’s class
researched famous people
by writing a biography on
their famous person and
preparing costumes,
scenery, and props to
showcase the life of that person. The students then dressed in
costumes and posed as a wax model of their person to present a
“wax museum” to their Kernsville classmates.
VETS DAY PROGRAM
On November 7, 2008, Parkland School District
welcomed community veterans to Kernsville Elementary School with
a special Veterans Day luncheon and tour. A community-wide
program that honored the
veterans ended the Vets
Day program which has
become a tradition at
Kernsville. Parkland
Elementary students
honored veterans with
songs, poetry and individual sentiments during the program. The
program was organized by Chris Hankee, first grade teacher of the
school, along with help from Erich Joella, music teacher.
HARLEM WIZARDS EVENT
A favorite event, the PTO once again
sponsored a Kernsville Staff vs. Harlem
Wizards game at the Parkland High
School gym for families to enjoy. More
than $6,000 was generated for the
PTO by this hugely successful fundraiser.
YOUNG WRITER
Dana Emswiler, a fourth grade student at Kernsville, won
the grand prize for 4th & 5th grade Penn State/Lehigh
Valley Writing Project. Her essay is about what she
would do if she was in charge of the world and can be
viewed on the district’s web site at www.parklandsd.org.
She is a student in Joan Krem’s class.
FINE ARTS WEEK
Students in all grades participated in the tradition of Kernsville’s
Fine Arts Week by creating art projects and viewing all types of arts
performances that were organized by the school’s PTO.
HOLIDAY DONATION
The Random Acts of Kindness
Club held a holiday gift drive
donation for needy families.
A favorite tradition, the club
also decorates the boxes that
the gifts are delivered in.
KRATZER
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
WALKATHON
Kratzer’s first Annual
Community
Walk-a-thon was a huge
success. Students and
families walked,
participated in yoga,
karate, and healthy living
demonstrations. Nearly
$2,000 was collected and was donated to the American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT
Several stations were set up
throughout the school so that the
5th graders could witness a Civil
War Re-enactment. The stations
depicted the life of a Civil War
soldier as well as what life was like
for the women and children who
stayed home and worked as
laborers when the men were sent to fight. Fashion and etiquette of
the time period was also showcased.
KERNSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
KRATZER26ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PARKWAY MANOR
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
EXXON/MOBIL GRANT
Parkway Manor Elementary School
received a $500 grant from the
Exxon/Mobil Educational Alliance program
to support a school program. Tami Frank,
manager of Top Star Inc., worked with
school officials to secure the grant which
is one of 4,000 available to schools
across the country served by Exxon or
Mobil stations. The grants were made possible by funding from the
Exxon Mobil Corporation. Pictured is Parkway Manor’s Dean of
Students, Chris Becker, with Tami Frank.
THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW…
State Representative Doug Reichly presented an award to 5th
grader, Natalie Trachtman, in the school cafeteria. She was a
runner-up after 19 other schools submitted essays about laws that
they felt should be introduced to the House. She was in Wendy
DiPasquale’s class.
WALKATHON/CARING PLACE CHECK PRESENTATION
The Parkway Manor PTO presented a “big” check
at the last day of school assembly to the director
of The Caring Place in Allentown. The school
raised $1,260 during a walkathon for The Caring
Place, a youth development center that reaches
out to youths in the inner city who may be in
jeopardy of being entangled in the everyday life of
drugs, violence, unemployment and hopelessness
by providing programs and activities designed to
enable young people to overcome the pressures and
disadvantages of their environment.
PEN PALS IN AFGHANISTAN
Mr. Fedorak’s and Mrs. DiPasquale’s fifth grade classes at Parkway
Manor started a letter writing campaign with soldiers in Afghanistan.
After receiving several
correspondences
back, a fifth grader
had an idea to send
the troop a care
package in addition to
the letters. The
classes collected
needed items from a
wish list such as, books, DVDs, games, magazines, blankets,
towels, and food. This activity contained both aspects of writing
and good citizenship.
The following fifth graders had poems published in the
2008 YOUNG AMERICAN POETRY DIGEST: MADISON Oliver’s “Poetry,”
Sophia Beese’s “Speck,” Anushka Madwesh’s “What A Gloomy
Day,” and Douglas Trachtman’s “Poem by Douglas Trachtman.”
COPS N KIDS BOOK DONATION FOR SHERIDAN
Students from Parkway Manor purchased new books for all 700
Sheridan Elementary (Allentown) students during a holiday
fundraising drive arranged by Parkway Manor Student Council and
the Cops N Kids organization. Assemblies at Sheridan Elementary
introduced Parkway Manor student ambassadors to the
student body before a book distribution that also allowed Parkland
students to visit with some new friends in Sheridan’s classrooms.
SCIENCE & INVENTION FAIR
Every year, the PTO at Parkway Manor
sponsors a Science Fair that
encourages exploration and projects
and celebrates the world of science.
HOLIDAY GIFT DRIVE
A favorite tradition, students and families collect gifts that are
distributed to needy
children around Parkland
School District every
holiday.
PARKWAY MANOR27ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SCHNECKSVILLE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
EARTH DAY PARADE
Students and staff celebrated
Earth Day with a parade.
Classes held signs stating what
they had learned about
preserving the earth and the
school celebrated with a
drumming and educational
assembly.
VOLLEYBALL FOR A CAUSE
Schnecksville staff took on the parents in a volleyball match to
raise money for Down Syndrome research. Schnecksville
Elementary’s fundraising efforts throughout the month of April
totaled $2,876.14 and benefited the Eastern PA Down
Syndrome Center and the Down Syndrome Research and
Treatment Foundation.
ANGEL 34/ST. JUDE’S DONATIONS
APPLE CRUNCH DAY
Sponsored by the Pennsylvania
Advocates for Nutrition and Activity,
Apple Crunch Day is designed to
encourage youth, families, schools
and communities to make the apple,
and other fruits and vegetables, a
regular part of a nutritious diet, with an emphasis on snacking.
To celebrate, Schnecksville passed out apples to all students,
taught lessons about various kinds of apples grown in
Pennsylvania, and enjoyed teacher Mr. O’Brien, who dressed up
as an apple.
SCHNECKSVILLE TURKEY TROT
Parents stood by to encourage the 4th
and 5th grade students at
Schnecksville who trained in Phys Ed
class to run one mile. The Turkey Trot
celebrated improvements in running
times as children enjoyed a
competitive race just before Thanksgiving.
STOCKING STUFFERS DONATION TO CLEVELAND ELEMENTARY
Schnecksville Elementary students gathered stocking stuffers to
benefit children at Cleveland Elementary School in Allentown.
Members of the PTO, Schnecksville’s principal, mascot and a
group of students made the delivery during a Cleveland
Elementary assembly. This project was designed to create a
connection with the neighboring school who has already been
communicating as pen pals with Schnecksville students.
The Schnecksville Student Council raised $942 through a
Valentine sale for two organizations that deal with childhood
illnesses: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Angel
34, a local organization that helps provide ICEE machines to
hospitals, aid children and families financially, provide
scholarships and help with the continuing search for a cure.
Doug Sheriff from Angel 34 accepted their donation in person
and brought his therapy dog, Hope, to Schnecksville for the
students to meet.
COMPUTER FAIR
Area elementary schools submitted a total of 22
projects in 4 categories (Desktop Publishing, Logo Design,
Digital Movie, and Multimedia) for the Elementary Computer
Fair. Schnecksville students won in the following categories:
Multimedia
2nd place - Andrew Micheletti
3rd place - Tilman Guenther
Desktop Publishing
3rd place - Jackie Klatz
SCHNECKSVILLE28ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ALEX’S LEMONADE STAND
Schnecksville Elementary School’s Community Outreach
Committee held an Alex’s Lemonade Stand benefit. Alex’s
mom, Liz Scott, visited Schnecksville and read the book that
Alex wrote which is all about the Lemonade Stand Effort.
The whole school gathered in the gym to listen to the inspiring
tale and ask questions about her daughter. Student Council, led
by Mrs. Cathy Sweeney together with fundraiser Chairwoman
Joyce Smith, held a lemonade stand in the cafeteria during all
lunch periods. They collected $414.38. A Lemonade Stand was
also set up during the PTO’s Spring Carnival bringing in another
$305. The PTO decided to dedicate a portion of the carnival
proceeds to Alex’s Lemonade Stand with a donation of $280.62
for a grand total of a $1,000 donation to Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
SCHNECKSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ELEMENTARY ALL STAR BAND
AND ORCHESTRA FESTIVALS
ELEMENTARY ALL STAR BAND AND ORCHESTRA
Parkland School District participated in the Pennsylvania Music
Educator Association’s Annual District 10 Elementary Band and
Orchestra Festival in April. Two hundred students representing
Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe and Pike counties came together
to present a concert for the public. Chosen for this honor are
band and string members pictured below.
Back row: Olivia Snover, James Franke, Nicolette Chuss,
Kimberlee Montgomery, Kyle Nichols, Zachary Williams, Sachi
Belwal. Third row: Daniel Szewczak, Corey Barats, Jacob
Wilkinson, Brice Messenger, Richard Wang, Joshua Harman.
Second row: Megan Spangler, Sean Maritch, Emily Lundeen,
Sarah Zakin, Shannon Kruczek, Jennifer Ondry, Benjamin
Albertson. First row: Noah Dorman, Aleksander Gulkewicz, Kelly
Micca, Abigail Machay, Rebecca Kosar, Jayde Abruzzese,
Andrew Collier.
Back row: Saagar Asnani, Changyan Wang, Brian Cummings,
Samuel Lin, Elizabeth Kates, Ellen McCauley, Ashleigh Albert,
Rasleen Grewal. Middle row: Kerby Ivory, Taylor Brown, Zach
Shaff, Michael Wu, Faye Ko, Jesse Huang, Jeff Strisovsky,
Marlene Schuster. Front row: Alex Cross, Bethany Smith,
Jessica Snyder, Leesa Brown, Michaela Boyer, Alexis Dongvort ,
Isabela Gnasso, Kristina Shum. Not in picture: Ester Han.
29
DISTRICT- WIDE
ACHIEVEMENTS
PARKLAND STUDENTS AND STAFF RAISED MORE THAN $4000
in a raffle basket campaign to raise money for Zach
Kraus and his family to attend a national award
ceremony in Seattle in April. Zach, an 8th grade
student struggling to overcome cancer, who gives back
to his community in many wonderful ways, won a
Community Service “Yes I Can! Award” from the
Council for Exceptional Children. The campaign was
coordinated by Zach’s Orefield Middle School teachers
Stephanie Shirk and Brian Fulmer.
The 3rd Annual District-wide food drive was held this
past spring resulting in an 8,400 POUND FOOD DONATION AND
A CASH DONATION THAT EXCEEDED $1800 FOR SECOND HARVEST
FOOD BANK. Remembering that every $1 donated to
Second Harvest provides 15 pounds of food, Parkland’s
donation equated to a grand total of more than 35,000
pounds of food! Selected students from every building
helped load the large donation onto Second Harvest
Food Trucks and toured the food bank, learning how
the organization operates as well as the hunger that
exists in the Lehigh Valley and Northeast PA.
SCHOOL BOARD AWARD:
Tom Gentzel, Executive Director of
the Pennsylvania School Boards
Association, presented Roberta
Marcus, Parkland School Board
Director, with the PSBA Master School
Board Member Award. This newly
developed award program recognizes
individual board members who have
demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in attaining
the goals of effective governance and meeting the
needs of students for the 21st century through
educational excellence and equity of all students.
A panel of PSBA past presidents reviewed the
anonymous applications to evaluate compliance with
the requirements for accreditation. Only 9 school
board members from across the state of Pennsylvania
received the prestigious award. Roberta Marcus is
currently president-elect of the state-wide PSBA
organization.
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATIONAL
LEADERSHIP AWARD
Dr. Debra Miller, Director of
Curriculum & Instruction &
Professional Development at
Parkland, won the University
Council for Educational
Administration’s Excellence
in Educational Leadership
Award from the faculty and
Dean of Lehigh University.
This national recognition
awards Dr. Miller for the generous and
varied professional contributions she has given to
improve and support school administration.
30
Nondiscrimination in Programs and
Employment Policy
In accordance with Title VI, Title IX, Section 504
and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the
Parkland School District does not discriminate
either in the educational or vocational programs
and activities which it operates or in the
employment of personnel, on the basis of sex,
handicap, race, color, national origin, age or
religion. If you are physically or mentally disabled,
or visually or hearing impaired, you may qualify
for special services/instruction/equipment
modifications so you can successfully complete
the education program or participate in activities.
All inquires concerning this policy/questions
regarding specific programs, services and
facilities for the handicapped should be directed
to the district equal rights officer, Assistant
Superintendent, Parkland School District, 1210
Springhouse Rd., Allentown, PA at (610) 351-5505.
NONPROFITORG.
US. POSTAGE
PAID
OREFIELD, PA
PERMIT NO. 5
PARKLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT
www.parklandsd.org
EDUCATING FOR SUCCESS, INSPIRING EXCELLENCE
Board of Directors
Robert E. Bold, President
Jayne R. Bartlett, Vice President
Robert M. Cohen
Debra Young Evans
Von T. George
David M. Kennedy
Gabriel A. Khalife
Roberta M. Marcus
Rebecca L. Orloski
Dr. Louise E. Donohue, Superintendent
Mr. Richard Sniscak, Assistant Superintendent
John A. Vignone, Board Secretary/Director of Business Administration
Nicole Mehta McGalla, Editor/Director of Community and PR