Change Effect Improve Change Effect Improve

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River Rock Gator
April/May/June 2012
Volume 7 Issue 4
A newsletter for the students, families and friends of River Rock
2012 Graduation
On May 31st, friends, families, staff and school district representatives came
together with seniors from the Day Treatment, Hellam, Red Lion and Spring Grove
Campuses for an afternoon of celebration. River Rock Academy’s Graduation was
held at Living Word Community Church in Red Lion where 33 students
participated. On June 6th, a second River Rock Academy Graduation was held for
seniors from the Carlisle, Newville, Shiremanstown and West Perry Campuses.
Celebrated at West Shore Evangelical Church in Mechanicsburg, 25 students
participated in this ceremony.
Patti Shatto-Young welcomed guests and expressed gratitude to all who
attended. She shared, “At River Rock Academy, we believe that we have a
uniquely important obligation and opportunity to change, effect and improve the
life of every student we meet. This graduation ceremony provides us with a chance
to celebrate and recognize the changes, no matter how big or small, these students
have made. Thank you for entrusting your student in our care.”
During the ceremony, each student bravely came to the microphone to speak
about someone who has made a big difference in his or her life and present that
person with an engraved Impact Award. While River Rock recognizes that it takes
many people to help students make positive changes in their lives, this Impact
Award empowered the students to select someone they wanted to honor on this
special occasion.
Quotes such as “you pushed me to do
better,” “if it weren’t for you I would have given
up” and “you stood by me even when I made
mistakes” were just a few of the touching words
heard from the graduates.
Representatives from the student’s home
school districts joined the campus directors and
counselors on stage to present diplomas and
River Rock Academy certificates.
(Continued on page 2)
NHL Greats Judge Chili Cook-Off
Change
Effect
Improve
Money and fame…too often we think that will solve our problems and put us
on ‘easy street.’ But more often than not, sports celebrities have difficult pasts and
struggles that create challenges throughout their lives.
In May, two NHL greats came to share their stories with students at the
Hellam Campus. Stéphane Matteau, a former standout member of the 1994
Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers and Ian Laperrière, a current member
of the Philadelphia Flyers who has been unable to play since the Stanley Cup
Playoffs in April of 2010 due to post-concussion
syndrome visited. First they circled up in the classroom along with York Judge Ronald Haskell for
small group discussion. The athletes told stories of
their struggles and encouraged the students to set
goals and remain positive during tough times.
When asked why they would take the time to
visit with the students at Hellam Campus, Laperrière said, “We all have our struggles. It’s good to
(Continued on page 3)
Page 2
River Rock Gator
(Continued from page 1)
Pianist and vocalist, Toni Phillips
presented meaningful songs at the
York ceremony and Leah Holmes,
wife of Carlisle Campus teacher Nate
Holmes, treated the Cumberland area
crowd to beautiful violin music. A
video sharing photographs from the
year was shown. Each student
received a copy of this DVD as well
as a framed photograph of him or
herself in cap and gown.
Steve Capoferri and Bob Howard
also recognized staff that completed
the school year with perfect
attendance. See page 5 for a complete
list of those honored.
As the students turned their
tassels, they officially left the
ceremony as high school graduates.
River Rock Academy is proud of
each individual and honored to have
served him or her in our programs.
We look forward to hearing how
future goals are accomplished and
wish each graduate the very best.
Graduate
Referring School District
Award Recipient
Carlisle Campus
Amanda Beitler
Michael E. Detwiler
Seth E. Lynch
Michael J. Sullivan
Shakur A. Tennant
Middletown Area School District
Big Spring School District
South Middleton School District
Cumberland Valley School District
Mechanicsburg Area School District
Kelly Leib
Mr. & Mrs. Neidigh
Adrian Lantz
J ennifer Long
Paul Bigham
School District of the City of York
South Western School District
South Eastern School District
Dover Area School District
Northeastern School District
School District of the City of York
Shontae Balls
Darlene Fearson
Deborah Shade
Stachia Crall
Amy Moody
Sam Torres
Day Treatment
Jaquane M. Balls
Jeffrey Bentz
Ashley Cornett
Tia Garrett
Blake Hallett
Ryan Small-Conn
Hellam Campus
Chris James Anderson Eastern York School District
Rachelle Marie Banks York Suburban School District
Dylan Godfrey
Codi Hibbard
Margarita Maldonado
Andrew Ritz
James Swartz
Red Lion Area School District
Eastern York School District
York Suburban School District
Eastern York School District
Eastern York School District
James Waltemyer
York Suburban School District
Laryssa Hertel
Rachel Wherley & Robert
Banks
Michael & Michelle Godfrey
Amanda Burt
Jen Meyers
Chris Ritz, Sr.
Jennifer Reichard & Karl
Munscher
Lisa Waltemyer
Newville Campus
Joshua Blessing
Dedra Brought
Jacob Shank
Andrew Teats
Kevin Wardecker
Big Spring School District
Juniata School District
Carlisle Area School District
Big Spring School District
Carlisle Area School District
Emandalee Whitcomb Big Spring School District
Mike Blessing
Macie Baumgardner
Bonnie Shank
Chester Teats
Sue Karichner & Monica
Bradshaw
Teresa Markham
Red Lion Campus
Brandon S. Ashley
Yaelimar Caraballo
Sarah Ewing
Troy Hall
Robert E. Korte, Jr.
Daniel Paul Loder
Benjamin Lutz
Hannah Miller
Andrew Pepler
Douglas E. Rhoads
Red Lion Area School District
Dallastown Area School District
Red Lion Area School District
Red Lion Area School District
Red Lion Area School District
South Eastern School District
Red Lion Area School District
South Eastern School District
Dallastown Area School District
Dallastown Area School District
Amy Robinson
Dolores Arzola
Heather Ewing
Malinda Miller
Robert Korte, Sr.
Pamela Loder
Stephanie Lutz
Kathy Mensinger
Wes Franklin
River Rock Academy
Your schooling may be over, but remember
that your education still continues.
~Author Unknown
River Rock Gator
Graduate
Page 3
Referring School District
Award Recipient
Shiremanstown Campus
Kody Bahn
Adaam Ben Ezra
Bethani Curry
Kristen Kellison
Mariah Kroh-Pulcher
Javontay Newton
Nicholas Oneufer
Emmanuel Rameau
Jordan Rohrbaugh
Shawn Strahosky
Northern York County School District
Derry Township School District
Camp Hill School District
Northern York County School District
East Pennsboro Area School District
Carlisle Area School District
Northern York County School District
Central Dauphin School District
Mechanicsburg Area School District
East Pennsboro Area School District
Joshua Stum
Mechanicsburg Area School District
Tasha Wicks-Forman South Middleton School District
Adam Wiestling
Middletown Area School Distinct
Shelly Thomas
John Tantala
Julie Vallati
Tasha Wicks-Forman
Lorena Kroh
Jennifer Long
Dan Oneufer
River Rock Academy
Nicole McCloskey
Robert & Carol
Strahosky
Paul Bigham
Audrey Wicks
Elliot Singer
Spring Grove Campus
Shawn Hawk
Kyle Hershey
Donald Linton
Donald Mennapace
Aaron Mummert
Kayla Seaks
Justin Shelleman
Dylan Standridge
Ryan Vance
Littlestown Area School District
West York Area School District
Hanover Public School District
Gettysburg Area School District
Spring Grove Area School District
Dover Area School District
South Western School District
Spring Grove Area School District
Spring Grove Area School District
Belinda Hawk
Ryan Wall
Edithe Nalley
Tony Brady
Christine Kenney
Jennifer Wall
Pamela Shelleman
Leslie & Carol Bowser
Shirley Thomas
West Perry Campus
Adam E. Norman, Jr. West Perry School District
Adam Hardesty
The following students also graduated but did not take part in the graduation
ceremony:
Carlisle Campus– Jacob Bell, Cumberland Valley School District; Lucas E.
Chacon, Carlisle Area School District; Gabriel J. Zeigler, Mechanicsburg Area
School District; Day Treatment– Chelsey Lynn Frock, Conewago Valley
School District; Shaquan Olds, West York Area School District; David Powell,
Conewago Valley School District; Jade Mykol Jones, Dallastown Area School
District; Joshua Rexroth, South Western School District; Ronald Whittaker,
Southern York County School District; Hellam Campus– Kyle Gerlitzki,
Dallastown Area School District; Zachary Perry, York Suburban School District;
Chris Ritz, Eastern York School District; Red Lion Campus– Justin Dubbs,
Eastern York School District; Nickolas Leal, South Eastern School District;
Newville Campus– Jean Luc Gelinas, Big Spring School District; Chance
Johnson, Shippensburg School District; Shiremanstown Campus– Alexander
Markham, Middletown Area School District; Zachary Speraw, Mechanicsburg
Area School District; Spring Grove Campus–William Bowles, South Western
School District; Jason Gibson, Littlestown Area School District; Kyle Iriarte,
Gettysburg Area School District; Martin Manzo-Madrigal, Spring Grove Area
School District; Molly Schue, Dallastown Area School District; Michael Shorb,
South Western School District; Na’Quan Wintermyers, Dover Area School
District; West Perry Campus– Malena K. Cassel, West Perry School District
(Continued from page 1)
be able to open up and talk to each
other and share those struggles. It
makes me feel good knowing I might
help someone find their dream.”
Matteau also benefitted from listening to the students and said, “I enjoyed the interaction with the kids
and liked how they felt comfortable
talking with us.”
All three visitors were then kind
enough to judge a Chili Cook-Off
held between the four York area
River Rock Campuses. Each recipe
was unique and the judges enjoyed
something about each bowl of chili.
In the end, Spring Grove students
Dustin Sentz, Kyle Iriarte and Dakota Wagner were awarded first
prize for their chili full of peppers,
onions and what they called the key
ingredient—Penn State University
hot sauce.
Also creating delicious recipes
for the Chili Cook-Off were Jeffrey
Bentz, Katelynn Reyes and Ricardo
Rios from Day Treatment, Chelsea
Roschel, Brian Middleton and James
Waltemyer from Hellam and Daniel
Loder, Hannah Miller and Joshua
Raivel from Red Lion.
Danielle Peters from the Columbia Food Bank brought a cake to
thank the Hellam Campus students
for all their hard work volunteering
at the Food Bank during the school
year. “We are really going to miss
them this summer. The kids work so
hard,” she said.
Thanks so much to all of our
visitors for taking the time to make
this a special day!
Page 4
River Rock Gator
Campus Highlights of the Year
What a school year it has been! Weather made the
headlines with extreme flooding in September, snow in
October, virtually no snow in the winter and record high
spring temperatures. Thousands of combined hours of
community service among the River Rock campuses
made for many memorable and rewarding experiences for
students and staff alike. Countless educational trips
broadened our students’ perspectives and taught them
things they couldn’t learn in the classroom. Many guest
speakers on topics ranging from abstinence to dangers of
drugs to post-graduate opportunities to bullying gave of
their time to help make a difference.
So you can only imagine how difficult it was to have
each campus director name a highlight from the school
year when there were so many to choose from. Here is
just a glimpse of some memories and highlights of the
2011-12 school year.
Carlisle Campus Director Steve Cutia
Relationships were built and lessons learned by the
students who participated in a two-day camping trip
in the fall. The trip to the Flight 93 Memorial where
lives were sacrificed on September 11th was meaningful and emotional. The dedication of those who participated
in the Dickinson College Art Show was a tremendous way to
wrap up the year.
Day Treatment Program Director Brian Billman
The Day Treatment program assisted the Jackson
Township community in constructing the first
recreational facility in the township, Stone Ledge
Park. Students assisted community volunteers in
assembling the playground equipment and landscaping the area.
The park is a beautiful addition to the area and the student’s
hard work was recognized in the local paper.
Hellam Campus Director Brian Link
The students overall work with the Veterans in the
Tri-County area throughout the school year has
enlightened and shown them the values of America’s
freedoms. It has driven our students in many ways
towards taking advantage of our rights of being Americans.
Red Lion Campus Director Jill Crouse-Wolf
Our students completed many community service
hours at various sites including the Red Lion Food
Bank, Red Lion Youth Center and Shady Pine
Farms. We had the privilege of listening to many
guest speakers from K-Pets, Human Life Services, Rulon Gardner, Army War College and many more. A wide variety of field
trips and special activities were also enjoyed throughout the year.
Shiremanstown Campus Director John Dechert
We are very pleased to have played a part in the
successful graduation of 15 of our students, many of
whom we have worked with and developed relationships with for several years. Winning the recent debate
championship for the first time was one highlight of many this
year.
Spring Grove Campus Director Brandon Hoff
Visiting and helping at Cross Keys Brethren Home
monthly was a great way for students to develop
relationships with their residents. Assisting with the
United Way Toy Drive again this year was very
rewarding for our staff and students alike. Helping House of
Hope with a fundraiser and visiting the Holocaust Museum in
Washington D.C. were also highlights this year.
Newville Campus Director Shawn Witmer
Our successful Novel Challenge that led to our students
reading 175 novels was part of our phenomenal year.
We also had a wonderful parent advisory meeting in
which 21 parents participated. I also would like to
mention the continuous growth of our program with both staff and
student enrollment while maintaining high quality outcomes for
those we serve.
West Perry Campus Director Austin Myers
Our biggest highlights of the year were how well our
kids did bringing in items for the student council
canned food drive and the relationships built through
our community partnership with Generations Day
Care. Both of these inspired our kids to do really well and push
forward through many different situations.
River Rock Gator
Page 5
River Rock Students of the Month
The Students of the Month for April and May have been announced.
Students are selected based on their behavior, grades, attendance and positive
attitude. Congratulations and keep up the great work!
May
April
Carlisle Campus
Shawn Bucher &
Kyle Shindel
Carlisle Campus
Austin Stambaugh
& Robert Kelley
Day Treatment
Campus
Day Treatment
Campus
Rosa Pagan-Martinez
Terrence Davis &
Raymond BrunoCarrasquillo
Hellam Campus
Hellam Campus
Kyle Gerlitzki &
Michael Meinl (not
pictured)
Angel Frey &
Austin Anderson
Newville Campus
Newville Campus
Michael Deihl &
Mikael Bigler
Red Lion Campus
Joshua Raivel
Lacey Crenshaw
Red Lion Campus
Keturah Robinson &
Edward Hilferty
Shiremanstown
Campus
Shiremanstown Campus
Ieisha Hughes &
Colton Mattus
Tasha Wicks-Forman
& Bethani Curry
Spring Grove Campus
Spring Grove
Campus
James McKee
West Perry Campus
Adam Norman
Abrielle Stafford &
Tyler Daugherty
West Perry Campus
Taylor Smith
Staff Perfect
Attendance
River Rock Academy recently
honored 32 staff members who
achieved perfect attendance during
the 2011-12 school year with a special dinner and an engraved award.
Thank you for your dedication and
congratulations on this accomplishment!
Carlisle Campus: Andre Anderson, Jon Fritz, Nate Holmes, Kelly
Leib, Jennifer Long, John Walton,
Stephen Young
Day Treatment: Kip Aldinger,
Terry Choate, Tracy McClintock
Hellam Campus: Eden Barbush,
Karl Munscher, Stacy Williams
Newville Campus: Monica Bradshaw, Jason Creek, Donna Gano,
Mike Hiles, Kaitlin Kasper, Troy
Snyder
Red Lion Campus: Charlie Jacobs, Janice Thoman
Shiremanstown Campus: Rob
Bozart, Kari Cover, Brad Gilmore,
John Tantala
Spring Grove Campus: Lora Billet, Pat Craig, Kevin Deane, Dave
Neumayer, Ryan Wall
West Perry Campus: Justin
Mattes, Joe O’Toole
Looking Ahead
Our first day of school is
August 27.
Have a safe and enjoyable
summer!
Page 6
River Rock Gator
River Rock Perfect Attendance
The students listed below had perfect attendance for
April and May. They were rewarded with a River Rock
snack gift card.
Students who had perfect monthly attendance and
spent no time in the resource room were entered into a
Carlisle Campus
April
contest. One student from each campus was selected at
random. April’s winners received Rita’s Ice gift cards and
May’s winners received Starbucks Coffee gift cards.
Contest winners have a * next to their name.
Congratulations to all the students!
Shank, Joshua; Sterling, Damien;
Stine, Tyler; Thissen, Tyler
Clark, Stephanie; Daugherty, Tyler;
Franklin, Kyle; Guthrie, Sydney;
Kutsch, Tyler; Mejia, Diego; Myers,
Tristan; Simpson, Kyle*; Spangler,
Shandom
Barrick, Austin; Bechtel, Deni*;
Evans, Mason Donald; Ross, David
Red Lion Campus
May
Bechtel, Deni; Detwiler, Michael;
Evans, Mason Donald; Fanzo,
Jeremiah; Jimenez, Tyler; Kelley,
Robert*; Shindel, Kyle
Dettinger, Kyle; Enfield, Dylan;
Evans, Tracy*; Fields, Tay-Quan;
Gaskill, Courtney; McEowen, Dylan;
Miller, Laken; Myers, Alyssa; Noon,
Cody; Palmer, Gabriel; Pitman, Clay
West Perry Campus
Day Treatment
May
May
April
Crippen, Derrick; Mendoza, Angel;
Pough, Shavar; Rivera, Wilhen
May
Mendoza, Angel; Page, Joshua;
Pough, Shavar; Reyes, Katelynn*;
Sills, Edjzahnae
Hellam Campus
April
Balmos, Jefferson; Frey, Angel*;
Graffious, Ryan; Harris, Dashan;
Lindon, Tyler; Manees, Bryan;
Pietrusza, Joseph; Smith, Kai;
Waltemyer, James
April
Clark, Elijah; Craft, Jeremiah;
Dettinger, Kyle; Evans, Tracy;
Gaskill, Courtney; Holzer, Kyle;
Lewis, Justin*; Lighty, Jason;
McEowen, Dylan
Shiremanstown Campus
Spring Grove Campus
May
Burdge, Joshua; Crider, Dillon*;
Diaz, Stevenlee; Graham, Joseph;
Hoffman, Cody; Marsico, Kobe;
McGeehan, Justin; Perry, John;
Serving
the Community
May
April
Crider, Dillon; Deihl, Michael;
Helman, Joseph; Hoffman, Cody;
Perry, John*; Sterling, Damien;
Stoner, Dalton; Strait, Brittany;
Thissen, Tyler; Waldon, Michael;
Yeomans, Aaron
Arndt, Gauge; Garvey, Eric; Kenny,
Joseph; Smith, Bryson*
Becker, Christopher; Brookin, Jayni;
Burkey, Zachary; Fish, Christopher;
Hughes, Ieisha; Sterner, Joseph;
Stum, Joshua; Thomas, Dan; WicksForman, Tasha*
Newville Campus
Dodson, Marvin; Frey, Angel; Harris,
Dashan; Holtzinger, Elijah; Lindon,
Tyler; Manees, Bryan
Garvey, Eric; Groce, Zachery;
McKeehan, Michael*; Smith, Bryson
April
Allard, Ryan; Anderson, Lucas; Bahn,
Kody; Becker, Christopher; Burkey,
Zachary; Curry, Bethani*; Fife,
Hunter; Lombardo, Jeremy; Mattus,
Colton; Smith, Brittanie; Snell,
Blayke; Sterner, Joseph; Stum,
Joshua; Wicks-Forman, Tasha;
Wiestling, Adam
May
April
Students at the Spring Grove Campus
participated in games with the residents
of Windy Hill Senior Center
April
Daugherty, Tyler*; Eckert, Dalton;
Fox, Zane; Kutsch, Tyler; McKee,
James; Moody, Justin; Mundy III,
Harry; Myers, Tristan; Ness, Ricky;
Sentz, Dustin; Shahan, Ian; Spangler,
Shandom
May
Biddulph, Katlynn; Brownson,
Jordan; Castro-Sweeney, NaQuaj;
Shiremanstown Campus students timed
runners at the track events for the Special
Olympics held at Dickinson College
River Rock Gator
Page 7
Two Debates Held in Spring
Lively debate competitions took place this spring with two separate events
and four River Rock Campuses participating in each event.
First, the Hellam, Red Lion and Spring Grove Campuses met at Day
Treatment where the topics were lowering the drinking age to 18 and abortion.
An impressed group of judges said selecting a winner was an extremely tough
decision. Ultimately, Spring Grove won by one point.
Organizer and Spring Grove Campus Teacher Dave Neumayer thought
this was the best debate ever and said, “I personally thought it was an excellent display of talent by all of the students. I agreed with the judges that the
time, effort and research by the students showed tremendously during the
competition.”
Thank you to Mary Jane’s Restaurant and owner Mr. Kale for preparing a
delicious lunch enjoyed after the debates. Also, thank you to Sue Burkholder,
Mary Anne Ragland and Lois Gunnet for judging.
The Spring Grove champions were Anna Bell, Stephanie Clark, Shoneci
Collins and Jared Graham. Runners up from Hellam were Faith Grove, Sierra
Paden, Joseph Pietrusza and James Waltemyer. Participants from Day Treatment were Brad Greene and Katelynn Reyes and from Red Lion, Austin
Birley, Kyle Dettinger, Hannah Miller and Clay Pitman.
Students from the Carlisle Campus hosted a tournament held between
their students, and those from the Newville, Shiremanstown and West Perry
Campuses. Much effort was also put into this event by organizer Andre
Anderson, Carlisle Campus Counselor and all of the students who prepared
material for their debate. Thank you to Amy Brown and Tom Harrier from
NHS for judging.
Topics at the debate competition included cuts to federal government military spending, cuts in spending for education in Pennsylvania and the firing of
Penn State legend Joe Paterno.
The Shiremanstown team of Adaam Ben Ezra, Alexander Markham and
Tasha Wicks-Forman claimed victory by defeating the West Perry team of
Gauge Arndt, Malena Cassel, Eric Garvey and Dakota Mills in the final round.
Julia Diffenbaugh, Tyler Morris and David Ross from Carlisle participated as
well as Kobe Marsico, Arianna Ott and Johnathan Shunk from Newville.
All students are commended for their fine work and participation!
Shiremanstown Campus winners
Adaam Ben Ezra, Tasha WicksForman, and Alexander Markham
Spring Grove Campus winners
Stephanie Clark, Shoneci Collins,
Jared Graham, and Anna Bell
Professional artist Elva Hurst visited
the Shiremanstown Campus to speak
to students about her upbringing in
the Amish community and how she
came to discover her love of art. She
presented her ‘Chalk Talk’ complete
with music, special lighting and narration as she created a beautiful piece
of artwork illustrating American patriotism.
Students who successfully earned an
A on their dinner etiquette and table
manners test in Todd Roberts Social
Skills class earned a trip to the Accomac Inn. They received a tour of the
building and a behind the scenes look
at what it takes to run a successful
restaurant. Teri Hotzinger, Assistant
to the President of the Accomac and
Andre Ebert, Executive Chef took
time to explain the business and careers in the restaurant industry. They
explained the importance of teamwork, flexibility, problem solving
and taking pride in ones work to be
successful.
Page 8
River Rock Gator
Art Project with Dickinson College is a Great Experience For All
As part of a special project with Dickinson College, four students from River Rock Academy’s Carlisle Campus
spent months working with four college students to develop personal art projects. Their creations were designed to express the positive and negative influences in their lives.
Both the River Rock and Dickinson College students found this to be an enriching and rewarding experience. Alexander Andrews, Jeremiah Fanzo, Cheyenne Hill and Mary Staggs were the students from River Rock who participated.
Dickinson College students Nataleigh Kohn, Ziann Lee, Melissa Osborn and Michael Tucker were their mentors
throughout the project.
A special Art Show displaying the designs created by the students was held on the evening of April 18th on the Dickinson College campus. It was a memorable evening full of smiles and satisfaction in seeing the creative ways the students expressed various aspects of their lives.
Thank you to the Dickinson College students who worked so hard to help Alexander, Jeremiah, Cheyenne and Mary
achieve this accomplishment. Here is what they had to say about their experiences in working with the River Rock students.
Nataleigh Kohn
“This experience was extremely rewarding and eye-opening. The project's grand finale, the art show, served as a
meaningful testament to the thought and hard work that was put in by all parties involved. I will never forget the smiles
on the kids' faces as they got the chance to proudly display and explain their own work to a roomful of eager and listening observers.”
Michael Tucker
“Working at River Rock this semester has been an awesome experience. The students we worked with were great. I
believe they learned a lot about themselves through the artwork they completed. It was a great opportunity for them to
reflect back on the positive and negative decisions they have made in their lives. The self-reflection process shows them
that they can be successful and do anything they put their mind to.”
Melissa Osborn
“The process of getting to the art show was most exciting for me. The kids started out very shy and unsure of us but
by the end they were talkative and excited about seeing us every week. I'll never forget Mary standing in the front office
one of the final weeks of the project. She had all her supplies ready and was waiting for me to arrive because she was so
anxious to get another part of her project completed. The kids were so wonderful to work with and I would love to have
another opportunity to volunteer at River Rock.”
Ziann Lee
“I am so sad that the art show is over! This experience has definitely exceeded my expectations. Every week, I was
surprised by the students' enthusiasm and by how much they had achieved within the hour. Not only was I surprised by
their progress, I was also surprised by how much the eight of us bonded as a group. I think this project was a great success and we are all so proud of their hard work and their final pieces. I feel extremely grateful that I had the opportunity
to participate in this experience!”
River Rock Gator
Page 9
River Rock Reaches Out 5k Benefits
Children’s Home of York
The 2nd Annual River Rock Reaches Out 5k and Fun Run was held in
April at John Rudy Park and was a great success with 122 participants running
in the race. This year, River Rock was committed to donating 100% of the
money raised to the Children’s Home of York. As the oldest existing child and
family centered social service agency in York County, Children's Home of
York provides comprehensive, accredited, community-based services to stabilize and strengthen children and families in need.
Over $8000 was presented to Children’s Home of York President Laurie
Anne Spagnola the day of the event. She remarked, “The weather was fantastic
for the Run and the support from River Rock Academy made all of the kids
and staff from Children's Home of York feel like we had winged
feet! Children's Home borrowed the wings from the River Rock angels who
demonstrated a great commitment to our cause! Thanks to all of the young
people, staff, friends and family members who made this event an amazing
success. A special shout out to Jennifer Long for coordinating the Run!”
Ms. Long, Carlisle Campus Counselor, also had assistance from committee members Jordan Rickert, Spring Grove Counselor, and Karl Munscher,
Hellam Campus Behavior Manager, as well as many other staff and student
volunteers.
Carlisle Campus students Akira Bastiany, Nygel Jenkins, David Ross, Jayson Staggs and Mary Staggs helped the day of the event in various ways. One
rewarding job they had was placing medals around the necks of the more than
50 children who participated in the Fun Run. Many River Rock Academy staff
members as well as Spring Grove Campus students Kyle Hershey and Katlynn
Biddulph ran in the 5k—great job Kyle and Katlynn!
Michael Schab and Amy Doll were the overall top male and female finishers. Prizes were also awarded to the top three place winners in seven age categories. Staff members from each River Rock Campus donated items that were
put into themed baskets and given away as door prizes after the race.
A special thank you goes out to the sponsors of River Rock Reaches Out
5k and Fun Run: Utility Keystone Trailer Sales, IB Abel Inc., Flying Feet
Sport Shoes, KBM Industries, Metro Bank, Ricke Bros. Auto Group, Trout,
Ebersole & Groff LLP and Skechers.
Schmoyer Named Coach of the Year
The River Rock Gator is written,
compiled, edited and designed by
Wendy Capoferri and Barbara Rodgers
in the interest of RRA students, parents
and Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin,
Franklin, Perry and York County
School Districts.
RRA Administrators
Steve Capoferri – CEO
Patti Shatto-Young – CBO
Bob Howard – COO
Following his most successful season as Dover High School’s Varsity Basketball Coach, Brian Schmoyer was recently named YAIAA Coach of the
Year. Schmoyer, a Behavior Counselor at River Rock Academy’s Red Lion
Campus, led his team to a YAIAA Division II title and the program’s first state
playoff appearance in 22 years.
The York Daily Record reported that as Coach of the Year, Schmoyer’s
Eagles excelled with solid leadership, discipline and consistency. So it’s no
surprise that he exhibits the same qualities at River Rock with an additional
twist of comedy. Jill Crouse-Wolf, Campus Director, says,
“All of the students and staff love Brian’s comical personality and when they are having a bad day Brian is there to
make them laugh. Brian does a great job building positive
relationships with the students, which is evident in his
every day interactions with them. His hard work and dedication to River Rock Academy is greatly appreciated and
we are very proud of his Coach of the Year award.”
River Rock Academy
Administration
268 West Beaver Street
Suite 109B
Hellam, PA 17406
Three basic behavioral norms that are the foundation of River Rock Academy are:
• No student has the right to hurt, intimidate, or ridicule another student.
• Education and the classroom are sacred.
• Our school is sacred and we will always protect its property and belongings.
April/May/June 2012
Campus Happenings
Carlisle Campus students
had an enjoyable day
exploring and learning at the
Philadelphia Zoo
Tiffanie Falkenstein from ITT
Technical Institute shares
different career options with Red
Lion Campus students
Day Treatment students posed
with mascot Down Town and
had fun cheering for the York
Revolution baseball team
Looking strong as the
Shiremanstown Campus
students take part in a team
building activity
Hellam Campus students learned
about the Amish culture while
touring a farm and home in
Lancaster
Spring Grove Campus students
spread mulch at the playground
and picnic area for the North
Hanover YMCA
Students from the Newville
Campus interested in the
fields of engineering or
mechanical work toured
HACC Midtown
Eighteen students from
the West Perry Campus
earned a trip to a
Harrisburg Senators
baseball game