EduBlog: 2011

Meghan Cunningham - December Student of the Month

December 22, 2011

Meghan Cunningham, daughter of Michael and Marsha Cunningham, has been recognized as Loyalsock's December Student of the Month. Meghan has been very active throughout her tenure as a student at Loyalsock. She is a member of the National Honor Society and a consistent achiever on the distinguished honor roll. A student who has a particularly fond interest in both biology and writing, Meghan is Loyalsock's nominee this year for the DAR Good Citizenship Scholarship Award and the nominee for the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship. She has held previous and current positions among several organizations and clubs, including: Student Government vice president, Key Club, SADD, Cross Age Teaching and Leader, Cultures of the World, and GSA. Of particular note is Meghan's participation in the National Youth Leadership forum on Medicine at Villanova University during the summer of 2011. Her post-secondary plans include attending the Pennsylvania College of Technology and then Penn State University to major in Biology and then attend medical school to become a physician. Meghan has participated in Odyssey of the Mind since fifth grade, and she has taken dance for the past eleven years. Meghan's involvement in the community is equally accomplished. She has been captain of teams associated with Relay for Life, volunteered as a teaching assistant at the Katie Benson School of Dance, volunteered at Southern Care Hospice, and is currently completing her Girl Scout Gold Award with a project at Donald E. Schick Elementary School. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys reading, writing, and photography. We are pleased to recognize Meghan Cunningham as Loyalsock's December Student of the Month!

Mrs. Brelsford - Highlights from PA Teacher of Year Awards

December 16, 2011

This past year, Loyalsock was privileged to learn that Mrs. Kindra Brelsford, a Biology and AP Biology teacher, was selected as one of twelve (12) finalists for the 2012 PA State Teacher of the Year. After being nominated by her principal, Dr. Matt Reitz, and a rigorous application, several essays, and video of one of her lessons, Mrs. Brelsford recently attended the annual Pennsylvania National Teacher of the Year program held in Hershey during the first week in December. Mrs. Brelsford follows has become the second finalist from Loyalsock who reached this level; in 2002, Miss Carol Johnson, high school mathematics teachers, was inducted into the PA TOY organization. While a teacher from Penns Valley School District was chosen as the Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Brelsford was in extremely good company. With over 140,000 teachers state-wide, Mrs. Brelsford is one of the best twelve. She represented just one of many other outstanding teachers in our school district, and her students’ achievements are the direct results of her labor and passion. We are very proud of her accomplishment, for her dedication and commitment to public education, and to providing Loyalsock’s young people with the highest possible quality education.

Hayley Steiger - November Student of the Month

Senior Hayley Steiger has been recognized by Loyalsock Township High School's math department as our November Student of the Month. The daughter of Gina Steiger, Hayley has been a consistent honor roll and high honor roll student throughout high school. Her favorite subject is mathematics, as evidenced by her strong SAT math score. Hayley is also very active in the school community and participates in the following: Leo Club (treasurer), Christian Club, Interact Club, and GSA. She has served as a math tutor for middle school students several times and is active in S.A.D.D. Hayley is a brass instrument player and has played since fourth grade. She has participated in the Lancer Marching Band and has played in District Band and Jazz Band as well on trumpet. Hayley's post-secondary plans are to attend Clarion University and major in molecular biology within the school's honors program. Hayley has contributed to various community service need projects within our community, including Daniel's closet, her church's youth group projects in Washington D.C. and New Orleans, Adopt a Highway, and various food drives. She enjoys writing poetry and short stories, playing video games, and playing trumpet. Congratulations to Hayley and her family on being recognized as Loyalsock's November Student of the Month!

Tessa Harris - Loyalsock's October Student of the Month

The music faculty of Loyalsock Township High School has recognized senior Tessa Harris as the October Student of the Month. Tessa is the daughter of Terry Robleski and Ken Harris. While she doesn't have a clear favorite content area, Tessa is extremely active in school. She is vice president of the school's Key Club, and has served countless hours of community service within our community. In addition she is editor of the school yearbook, Apalaco. Tessa is highly active in S.A.D.D. and is historian of both the Student Government Association and the Lancer Choir. Finally, Tessa have served as stage manager of various school musicals each year at Loyalsock. Tessa's post-secondary plans are to attend a four-year college or university with an undecided career path. When she is not in class or being very busy around school, she enjoys photography, spending time with close friends, and working at T.J. Maxx. Congratulations to Tessa and her parents on her recognition as Loyalsock's October Student of the Month!

Alexa Allen - September Student of the Month

Senior Alexa Allen has been recognized by the high school faculty as Loyalsock's September Student of the Month. The daughter of Matthew and Janelle Allen, Alexa has attained honor roll status throughout high school. Her favorite subject is Human Anatomy and Physiology. She spends much extra time around school participating in the Lancer Marching Band as vice president, a member of the color guard and color guard captain, the National Art Honor Society, and Drama Club. She plans on attending a four-year institution so she can attain her Bachelor's degree in Nursing. Alexa has also felt compelled to serve others in need with such efforts as assisting the recent flood victims around our area with clean-up efforts as well as shoveling sidewalks for the elderly in the winter. Alexa enjoys reading, drawing, and writing in her leisure time. Congratulations to Alexa on being recognized as Loyalsock's September Student of the Month!

Spanish Club Very Active This Fall!

December 9, 2011

Miss Becky Leid and members of our Spanish club have been very busy this fall on a variety of fronts. One of the events they sponsored and ran was a Spanish Day of Instruction for our elementary students. The children at Donald E. Schick and our students clearly had a blast and learned a ton about the Spanish language and culture. Nice job folks!

Red Ribbon Week A Success

Each year students from the high school visit every elementary classroom to reinforce making good decisions. Students did a lesson on refusal skills and all signed a commitment that they would be drug and alcohol free. Red ribbons were distributed to every student and staff member in our school district as a sign of solidarity against the pervasive issue of drug and alcohol abuse. Our high school students did a phenomenal job with working with our younger youth. Special thanks to each of them and Mrs. Diane Stanzione, their advisor, for their efforts!

Student Groups Aid Montoursville Residents

Days after the horrific flooding several weeks ago that has produced the most rain Pennsylvania as seen in over 100 years, several student groups from LTHS spent their evenings and weekends helping various communities in the Montoursville Area School District with cleaning up. Approximately 9.5 inches of rain fell, crippling much of the area. One organization that reaches out to the community to perform various volunteer projects was our newly established Interact Club, under the advisorship of Miss Ashley Argenta. The students in Interact were also able to accumulate hours of volunteer service through our new initiative, the Silver Cord Program. Kudos to all of the students who helped our neighbors to the east in getting through an extremely trying time.

Catching up! Our Blog Is Back!

November 28, 2011

For some unknown reason, our newsletter blog was not recognizing those individuals who complete posts on this newsletter blog - hence the reason why we have not posted anything Since mid October. I am happy to say that we are back and ready to catch up on all the recent activities and great things around our school!

A great place to begin is with a re-cap of our fall athletics and activities of various clubs and organizations. Although our football team struggled this year with a very trying schedule, we are fortunate to only lose 4 seniors. The off season looks bright as they continue to build their program. Congrats to our young men on tremendous effort each week! Our boys' and girls' soccer teams also had fantastic runs this fall deep into District and State playoffs. With new head coaches of both teams, our young men and women again showed dominance among other area schools. Unfortunately their season ran out recently, with our Lady Lancers losing in a controversial, hard-fought eastern final to Warrior Run that eventually won a second straight State title last Saturday Congrats to all of our soccer student athletes on another amazing season!

All of our other fall athletic teams did very well, capped off by three young ladies advancing in tennis to States held at Hershey - Kim Levy, Anna Newcomer, and Emily Niditch. The girls played outstanding matches to some pretty stiff competition. All three girls indicated the experience was well worth it and alot of fun! In addition, our inaugural girls' Cross Country team showed tremendous promise as they competed in stiff competition in the PHAC against such foes as perennial State contender Lewisburg. Coach Tina Remsnyder was quite proud of her young athletes! Although young, our boys' and ladies golf team had a solid year under the direction of Coach Jeff Whiteman. 2011 marked the first year in which our school entered into a co-op with Montoursville HS.

Another fall extra-curricular activity that had a fabulous season was our Lancer Marching Band. The band competed in five competitions around the region and placed first at Chapter Championships, earning them the right to compete in the Atlantic Coast Championships held at Hersheypark Stadium in late October. The band placed 17th out of 31 competing Group 1 bands with a score of 86.15. Congrats to Mr. Barrett and our talented musicians and our outstanding color guard on a great season! You can read more about ACC's and the band's success here. Our concert band and Lancer Choir also had a chance to show off some great talent at their annual fall preview concert, spot-lighting a variety of small ensemble groups under the direction of Mr. Barrett and Mr. Lee Saville-Andree. Beautiful, well-done music folks!

And behind all of our great fall sports' teams and other extra-curricular groups efforts are an inspiring and aspiring group of young, motivated students leading our newly established Spirit Club. Nicknamed the "Lunatics" some years ago, the missing link for a while was student leadership among the group. With the advisorship of Miss Becky Leid and student leaders Dan Hamm, Emily McMullen, Emily Dincher, and John Wehler, their efforts to date have definitely help to re-establish our Lancer pride and spirit. A successful fall campaign looks to gain even more anticipation as the winter sports season awaits. Congrats to all of our young folks for coming out and supporting our student athletes and groups so far this year!

Spirit Week and Homecoming 2011

October 14, 2011

Spirit week and Homecoming were exceptional this year at Loyalsock. Students, faculty, and staff all got into spirit of the week and an amazing pep rally and theme of the day resulted in a beautiful Friday evening homecoming for our students and community! Topped off by over 200 students attending our first 5th Quarter event after the game, the entire week was well done! Special thanks to the myriad of individuals who made the week come alive, including Mrs. Dana Williams, Ms. Jan Warren, Student Government officers, and our cheerleaders who worked very hard to produce a great week of appropriate fun and school spirit. From many accounts, school spirit is definitely on the rise at 'Sock, and our football team tried valiantly but still lost to perennial foe Hughesville. The video below provides a glimpse of the week's highlights.

Welcome Mr. Greevy!

With Mr. Hartmann's departure this school year, Mr. Charles "Chad" Greevy IV emerged as the candidate of choice for his new position as high school assistant principal. Previously the assistant principal of our elementary school for the past two years, Mr. Greevy hails originally from Williamsport. He was an English teacher at Curtin Middle School for ten years, after earning his B.A. in English from Allegheny College. He has a Master's degree in Educational Administration from Wilkes University and is currently pursuing doctoral studies through Immaculata University. We are pleased to welcome Mr. Greevy to our school and look forward to working with him in many endeavors! Welcome Mr. Greevy!

Updated 2011-12 Comprehensive School Profile

Each year, we provide a comprehensive school profile of our school. The most recent demographics, student achievement data, and other pertinent school information can be found on the high school's homepage under "Our School."

First Few Weeks of School A Success!

October 12, 2011

Although we are quite late in sharing, we have had experienced an overall great beginning to the 2011-12 school year! So, this newsletter post will be both a re-cap of some great news and information to share form this past summer as well as what has been occurring this school year thus far. Each year over the summer, we have a number of faculty, staff, and students who experience some pretty amazing and interesting experiences that we like to share with our Loyalsock school community.

To begin, Miss Jennifer Beck, one of our social studies teachers, traveled to China! Miss Beck spent time with other teachers and Chinese students in Hebei Province. She found that some are residential students and others commute each day as American students do. Most of them speak minimal English, love American music, and one even asked if high school in America resembled High School Musical. The school is called Hebei Oil Field High School (No. 1). Their principal, Mr. Bai, a day showing Miss Beck's group around and answered their questions. It was overall great opportunity for Miss Beck to compare and contrast teaching methodologies, culture, and of course how Chinese and American students earn their education.

Another very amazing opportunity was experienced by three of our current students, senior Dan H. and juniors, Rameez Z. and Ron R. when the applied for and were successfully admitted into a month-long summer experience at the University of Pittsburgh Health Career Scholars Academy held on campus of Pitt. A national program, Loyalsock was able to place three students at once in the program – more than any other high school across the country! Essentially, all three young men became college students, working and studying for sixteen hours a day and experiencing a broad range of health related topics, careers, and actual experiments. Recently, at our last school board meeting, each young man shared with everyone their experiences and what they took away. Each student indicated that this experience solidified what they want to do with their futures: become physicians. Ms. Karen Narkevic, the coordinator of the Health Careers Scholars Academy (previously known as the Governor’s School for the Sciences), was present t also speak with the board and present each student with their certificates of completion. One final point is that each student made mention of the coursework while here at Loyalsock that so well prepared them for this experience; they also indicated having courses here is likely what enabled their application to be set apart from so many other students. This experience is a tribute to these three young men’s work ethic as well as the dedication of our faculty to prepare students for their futures. Congratulations to Dan, Rameez, and Ron on representing Loyalsock in such fine fashion!

Back in the spring, 2011, Mr. Gerald Kaplan worked on a project with his art students on donating portraits of orphaned Rwandan children to an orphanage in Rwanda. A part of a nationwide effort, the Memory Project, the program’s emphasis is to enrich children’s lives in third world countries by exposing them to the arts and having American students reach out to them. Those portraits were delivered and just recently pictures were shared with us of the Rwandan children receiving them. Check out the video below. This is phenomenal stuff and a tribute to Mr. Kaplan and the work on his students!

Loyalsock's 50th Commencement - A Tribute

June 28, 2011

June 10, 2011 marked an important date in Loyalsock Township history – it represented Loyalsock Township High School’s 50th Commencement! For many years, Loyalsock has endeavored to hold very special commencements for the respective graduating class, and this year’s was no exception. With the assistance of a variety of sponsors, we were able to provide an extra special evening and ceremony. The evening concluded with a twenty minute laser show that lit up the sky like fireworks!

In addition, we began a new tradition of inviting back LTHS alumni from the past 50 years as well as retirees who taught at Loyalsock. We look forward to bringing back alumni each year in some capacity in future commencements.

Our guest speaker was Mr. Tom Dempsey, Jr., a 1968 LTHS graduate and president of Utz Quality Foods based in Hanover, PA. Mr. Dempsey provided our graduates and families with an outstanding message as they all ended a stage in their educational careers and also look to begin a new one.

Special thanks to all of the individuals who assisted in making this year’s commencement very meaningful and special. It was evening to remember! Enjoy the video below highlighting the evening’s 50th commencement exercises! (Be sure to increase the volume on your computer....)

End of Year Jam Session

Each year, we try to provide something speical to our students and staff near the last day of the school year for them to remember. This year's special event was spectacular, and we hope to have them back again for years to come! Thanks to Mr. Leidhecker, Mr. Palazzo, Mr. Saville-Andree, Mr. Johnson, and special solo guest Dylan Rockoff on performing in our lobby! Our faculty are quite impressive, and Dylan is quite a talent in the making! Great stuff folks!

Ray of Light Award Recipients

Congratulations to several LTHS students who were recently recognized at the annual Ray of Light Awards at the Community Arts Center! Among many talented area youth in the performing arts, Loyalsock students Tess Marshall, Michael Harrison and Alex Strohl were each nominated for lead and support roles. Overall, LTHS received the Spirit Award in recognition of outstanding performances of both of our productions this year, Taming of the Shrew and Seussical. Congrats to all of our students who were involved - we certainly have some very talented young people!

LTHS Art Students Make Lifelong Gifts for Children at Orphanage

Art students at Loyalsock Township High School have joined the Memory Project, a nationwide initiative in which art students create original portraits for children living in orphanages around the world (www.thememoryproject.org).

Given that children who have been abandoned, orphaned, abused, or neglected often have few personal keepsakes, the purpose of the portraits is to provide them with a special memory of their youth, to honor their heritage and identity, and to help them build a positive self-image. The project also provides an opportunity for young Americans to open their hearts to children who have endured many hardships, and to promote the value of sharing kindness with others.

The Memory Project has been featured on national television several times, most notably when Katie Couric concluded her very first broadcast of the CBS Evening News with a story about the project’s success at an orphanage in Nicaragua. The project has also been covered by major newspapers and magazines throughout the country, all telling the story of students who have participated.

Students at Loyalsock Township High School are participating as part of a course titled Drawing & Painting 2 with some additional smaller collaged portraits from the Digital Photography class. To do this, the students receive pictures of children who are waiting for portraits, and then work in their art classrooms to create the portraits. Once finished, the Memory Project delivers the portraits to the children. In total, the students will make portraits for four-teen children living at an orphanage in Rwanda.

The Memory Project is a program of the nonprofit organization My Class Cares based in Madison, Wisconsin. Since the project began in 2004, more than 25,000 portraits have been produced by high school art students around the country.

Resurrected Track & Field Has Outstanding Season

May 20, 2011

For the past few years, LTHS has had a few students participate in track and field with Montoursville Area HS on an occasional basis. For this year, however, a tremendous number of students expressed the desire and will to actually field our own Loyalsock team. Under the leadership of first year coach and middle school art teacher, Miss Ashley Argenta, and Miss Becky Leid, high school Spanish teacher, 94 students began pre-season conditioning after several planning meetings. Loyalsock was able to form its own team and competed in seven (7) meets away at other schools, primarily due to the fact that Loyalsock currently does not have the facilities to host home events.

Overall, 75 students were regularly active at weekly practices and meets. We had many students compete and qualify for the District 4 meet early in the season, competing against and doing very well against perennial track and field powers like Lewisburg, Montoursville, and Hughesville. The boys' team was 3-4 in the PHAC, and our girls' team was 4-3 in the PHAC. Thirteen (13) athletes have qualified and will compete at the District 4 championships to be held Saturday, May 21at Shikellemy Area HS. Top qualifiers there will move on to the PIAA state championships to be held next week. Congrats to Miss Argenta, Miss Leid, and all of our young men and women who made track and field this year an outstanding season! We look forward to growing the program even more next year!

Youth Leadership Lycoming Class of 2011 Holds Ceremony

Recently, the resurrected Youth Leadership Lycoming program, now hosted by the Pennsylvania College of Technology and facilitated by Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour and her staff, held its annual ceremony concluding the year-long training that area youths received. In all, 30 students were recognized from the area schools, and Loyalsock's Sarah Miller, Ali Malee, and Mike Dougherty each graduated from the program. Congratulations to Sarah, Ali, Mike and their families on such an outstanding showing and representing Loyalsock in such an excellent manner!

Mr. Kaplan's Art Classes Donate Art to Orphaned Rwandan Children

May 16, 2011

We recently received correspondence regarding the work of our high school art teacher, Mr. Gerry Kaplan, and his art students' work in conjunction with The Memory Project - a nationwide initiative in which art students create portraits for children around the world who have been orphaned, neglected, or disadvantaged. Such children have few, if any, keepsakes to call their own, and Mr. Kaplan's art students have been completing portraits for 14 youth in Rwanda, Africa. The portraits will be delivered to these children in early summer, 2011. Without a doubt, our students' and Mr. Kaplan's experience with such a nationwide project is rewarding for all, where our very own Loyalsock students have a chance to reach out across the world and demonstrate kindness, empathy, and service. Kudos to these students and Mr. Kaplan on the very profound impact they are having on children from a very distressed region of another continent. Well done!

LTHS Scholastic Scrimmage Team Does Well At States!

Mr. Kirk Bower's Scholastic Scrimmage team have historically performed well at the region and state level, and this year was no exception. Having received first place in last month's regional championship, sponsored by BLaST I.U. 17, Mr. Bower's team automatically advanced to the Pennsylvania Academic Competition at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on Friday, May 6. The team, comprised of Adam Kennedy, Jennie Verrastro, Keegan Scott, Bryan Eck, and Sam Walters. The competition was indeed stiff, but it was nonetheless an outstanding experience as the matches took place in the actual Senate and House chambers at the state capitol! Congrats to Mr. Bower and his team on such a fine showing!

Loyalsock Township Music Program Ranked One of Best in Country

Recently, Mr. Robert Barrett and the rest of our district's music staff, received word that our music program was ranked as one of the "Best Communities for Music Education in 2011" by the NAMM Foundation. 179 communities were recognized across the country. You can read much more about the recognition here. Congratulations to our music educators on this outstanding distinction!

Congratulations Niesha Williams - June Student of the Month!

Congratulations to Niesha Williams, daughter of John Williams and Kimberly Brown-Feay, on being recognized by the Physical Education department as the June Student of the Month! Niesha has been on the honor and high honor roll consistently throughout high school, and her favorite subjects inlcude math, Lancer Choir, English, Creative Writing, Jewelry and Textiles, Physical Education and Business math. Niesha has also been very active in school, participating in basketball, track and field, Spanish club, SNAC, and Christian club. Niesha plan on attending Penn College to study business and earn a bachelor's degree. In her spare time, Niesha volunteers in soup kitchens, youth basketball camps, and various food drives. She enjoys making jewelry and reading. Congratulations to Niesha and her family on being recognized as our June Student of the Month!

Jacob Dame - May Student of the Month!

Congratulations to Jake Dame, son of Laurie LeFever, on being nominated by our Visual Arts department as the May Student of the Month! Jake's favorite subject is art, and he has been a consistent member of the high school honor roll throughout high school. While Jake's post-secondary plans are uncertain, he certainly has a passion for life and looks to continue his hobbies of playing guitar and skateboarding. Jake was selected by his peers as the 2011 Mr. Sock candidate. Congrats Jake!

Kaitlyn Pellegrino - April Student of the Month!

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Pellegrino, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. John Pellegrino, for being recognized by Loyalsock's Social Studies department as the April Student of the Month!Kaitlyn enjoys English and social studies and has been consistently on the honor and high honor roll throughout high school. She is president of Key Club, a member of Christian club, Relay for Life, and Spanish club. In addition, she is quite active and has lettered in varsity girls' tennis. Kaitlyn is also involved in the Girl Scouts and quite active in dance, including ballet, pointe, modern, and modern jazz. She is also a lifeguard in the summer. Kaitlyn plans on attending Elizabethtown College and major in English and secondary education. She will be playing on the women's tennis team there. While in high school, Kaitlyn ha splayed varsity tennis all four years and was a District 4 champion as a sophomore, junior and senior. She was also the District 4 doubles champion in her junior and senior year. She reached the PIAA state quarterfinals for the team in her sophomore and senior years. Congratulations to Kaitlyn and her family on this well-deserved recognition!

Congratulations Megan Bloom - March Student of the Month!

Megan Bloom has been recognized by our World Language department as our March Student of the Month! A consistent member of the honor roll, Megan's favorite subjects include Spanish, AP English, and Social Studies. She is active in a variety of activities, including: Leo club, Lancer Choir, Drama club, and various musicals. When she has free time, Megan works at Wendy's. Her college plans are to major in journalism or Spanish and attend Messiah College. Megan also works on projects within her church and doing missionary work in other parts of the country. Megan enjoys playing the piano, acting, singing, writing, and hanging out with her friends in her youth group. Congratulations to Megan and her family on being recognized as Loyalsock's March student of the month!

Mrs. Kindra Brelsford - Finalist for 2012 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year

April 20, 2011

We were absolutely delighted to hear that Mrs. Kindra Brelsford, a Biology and AP Biology teacher, has officially been selected as one of twelve finalists for the 2012 PA State Teacher of the Year. After a rigorous application and essay process, Mrs. Brelsford joins the ranks of other notable teachers from across the Commonwealth. You can read more about this special opportunity by reading a recent Sun-Gazette article highlighting Mrs. Brelsford's accomplishments. From this point forward, Mrs. Brelsford must prepare and submit for review a video showing a classroom-teaching episode. The video will provide the selection committee with an opportunity to become more familiar with her as a teacher as well as how well she can communicate verbally.
The Teacher of the Year Selection Committee will meet in July 2011 to review and score the videos. Scores from both the video evaluation and the application packets will be combined to form a composite score. The names of the top scoring finalists and recommendations for final selection will be submitted to Department of Education. The Department of Education has reserved the right to make on-site classroom and school visitations to verify, gain, or clarify additional information regarding finalists.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education will announce the 2012 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in a special awards ceremony in late fall or early winter 2011. All finalists, including Mrs. Brelsford, will be invited to this prestigious recognition ceremony and will be honored for their dedication and commitment to providing Pennsylvania’s young people with the highest quality education.

Congratulations to Mrs. Brelsford on this outstanding recognition! We look forward to sharing more on Mrs. Brelsford's accomplishment in the future.

High School OM Teams Do Well at States!

April 11, 2011

Both of our high school OM teams did very well in stiff competition on Saturday and the Pennsylvania state tournament held at Williamsport Area High School. Not only did our students do well in front of a live audience, a couple of our students also had a chance to be interviewed on WNEP-TV 16. Congrats to all of our OMers on a fantastic showing!

World War II Vets Continue to Intrigue Us!

April 4, 2011

Residing within our community are many veterans who have valiantly served our country in every war as far back as WW II. Recently, Mr. Donald Koons, a Loyalsock resident and WWI veteran with the Eighth U.S. Air Force, set up a display in the high school lobby chronicling his experiences during WW II. Stationed out of England, Mr. Koons and crew flew 35 bombing missions over Germany, Africa, and other parts of Europe before returning home. Mr. Koons is still very active in the community along with his wife, Roberta. If you have a moment when visiting the high school, we encourage you to view the display. We are proud of our heritage of people serving our country and really appreciate Mr. Koon's ability to share his memorabilia with us!

Drugs Also Have Effects on Daphnia

As part of a very cool experiment in Mrs. Brelsford's Biology and AP Biology Courses, students analyzed the effects of alcohol on tiny pond organisms called Daphnia. Because of their transparency, especially under high-powered microscopes, students placed a small drop of alcohol on Daphnia and then observed the effects on their systems. Students then compared and contrasted the effects on human beings through this very interesting lab experience. Neat stuff!

Spring Open House a Success

March 22 marked the date of our second Open House at LTHS. While not as heavily attended as our fall Open House, many events were held along with parents having the chance to meet with teachers. Special thanks to Mrs. Stanzione and Mrs. McCarty for offering various career and college planning orientations in the library, and special thanks to members of our Key Club and Yearbook Media Journalism classes for being student hosts and guides for the evening!

Mrs. Mattie's Intro to Business Class Gets Some Visitors

Students in Mrs. Mattie's Introduction to Business class have been working hard for about 4 months, writing business plans for a chosen business. In the class, there were a variety of business ideas, from lawn care services to bakeries. Through this process the students learned how important it was to write a business plan, and how difficult it was as well! At the end of this project, in order to showcase everything the students have been working on, and to create an authentic learning experience for them as well, the class hosted several business men and women from our community. During this time, the students received one-on-one interaction with real entrepreneurs and persons involved with business in a real and exciting way. They got to hear about real experiences, get instruction regarding their specific business plans, and receive some personal advice. The class guests included: Ronald Frick, from M&T Bank; Rosann Pelleschi, from the United Way; Steve, Karen, and Brad Mattie, from Transport Designs; Tom Garber, from Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and I-TEC; and Dave Percy, from Brewed Awakenings. Overall, the students had a great time explaining their project, and they enjoyed hearing the ideas and advice from our guests. It was an overall great experience for the students and one we can hopefully do again in the future!

All-District Music Concerts Held at the CAC

March 16, 2011

On February 8 and March 8, respetively, the Loyalsock Township School District all-district vocal and instrumental concerts were held to showcase our youth and the large amount of talent among our students. A little over 300 students came together for the choral concert for their finale, and about 280 students came together on stage with their instruments to perform two pieces as one large emsemble, one of which being from the formerly popular film, Ghostbusters. Both events were spectcular, and the venue of the Community Arts Center was a phenomenal expereince for our students and their families. Kudos to our music folks, especially Mr. Saville-Andree and Mr. Barrett for facilitating such a great expereince for out students!

Youth Leadership Lycoming Students Present to School Board

March 15, 2011

Kudos to Ali Malee, Sarah Miller, and Mike Dougherty for presenting about their experiences as Loyalsock's representatives with Youth Leadership Lycoming this school year. A venture lead by Penn College and facilitated by Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour, these students shared their experiences with the school board and community members present about the type of leadership training and various concepts they are learning as a result of their exposure to Youth Leadership Lycoming. Great job folks!

Mrs. Kindra Brelsford - 2012 PA State Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist!

March 9, 2011

Mrs. Kindra Brelsford, a science (Bio and AP Bio) teacher at LTHS, was nominated back in the early winter for the 2012 Pennsylvania State Teacher of the Year. The process to determine each year's recipient of the award is extremely rigorous and requires much work on behalf of candidates. In late February, we learned that Mrs. Brelsford was named a Semi-Finalist! Meaning, she has made it to the level where she is recognized as being one of thirty (30) semi-finalists from across the Commonwealth. The competition has been rigorous. Mrs. Brelsford feels this has certainly been an honor and privilege. As a high school and school district, we couldn't be more proud of her!

The next step in the process is the identification of the Regional Finalists (top 12 teachers from the group of 30). Mrs. Brelsford has completed a variety of tasks to submit in order to perhaps make it to this level, and we are awaiting a response which will be forthcoming in early April. In the event that Mrs. Brelsford becomes a Regional Finalist, we will continue to report on her endeavor. Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Brelsford and her family on her much-deserved recognition and in wishing her the best of luck as she vies to potentially become the 2012 PA State Teacher of the Year recipient!

Mrs. Stanzione Receives Recognition

On March 8 at the annual SADD conference held at Penn College, our very own Mrs. Diane Stanzione, high school school counselor, was recognized for her 25 years' worth of work in serving in a variety of capacities around Lycoming County on the negative influences of drugs and alcohol on today's youth. You can read more here. Congratulations to Mrs. Stanzione on this most deserved recognition and to her work in the fight, in working with students, against the destructive decisions that confront youth each day!

Serving Others is KEY at Loyalsock

- By Miss Jennifer Beck

Key Club is a division of the Kiwanis club that raises money and provides service for those in need. While always helping others, students involved are very competitive with one another for leadership positions. A particular student at Loyalsock has always been involved with leading the club, but never truly held a leadership position. He was the unsung hero of the Loyalsock Key Club; always organizing and helping, but never taking the credit. This year at the Key Club annual convention in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Daniel Hamm decided to run for the office of Secretary/Treasurer. He was well aware that those who had served in high leadership positions prior usually got elected to office, but he wanted to attempt to gain the position anyhow. On Sunday, March 06, 2011, his efforts and years of service without recognition truly paid off. The Pennsylvania District of Key Club elected Dan and he will now serve as the Secretary/Treasurer for the entire state. There are only three state positions and he gained one of them. In addition to Dan’s achievement and new leadership position, another Loyalsock student was elected to an important leadership position. Gina Girio, the Loyalsock Key Club’s former vice president, ran and won the position of Lieutenant Governor of the local division. She will help organize Key Club’s in our area and facilitate communication amongst clubs to help with local and national service projects. Gongratulations to Dan Hamm and Gina Girio on their awesome accomplishment!

Mr. Peterman in the Press!

March 7, 2011

This past summer, Mr. Mark Peterman, high school science teacher, participated in (and continues to participate in) the Modeling Physics and Chemistry program through Mansfield University. A story about this program was recently released in a Mansfield U. publication, and our very own Mr. Peterman was pictured. Congrats to Mr. Peterman for putting Loyalsock on the map in yet another way!

High School OM Teams Advance to States!

Two of our OM teams did extremely well at the OM Regional Competition held this past Saturday at Berwick. Both teams will be competing at the State Competition held at Williamsport High School on Saturday, April 9th. As Gold as Gold-Berg Div III placed 2nd (Team Members: Meghan Cunningham, Samantha Scott, Nichole Lupo, Micaela Weber, Caryn Keller, Jeremiah Wilson), and Le Tour Guide Div III placed 1st (Team Members: Mikayla Born, Anastasia Komarnicki, Katherine Lupo, Lauren Lorf and Shelby Cochran, and Catherine Waltz and Sara Greenway, both Middle school students). Congrats to both teams and all of the students involved!

Senior Tyler Bogaczyk Recognized as Lycoming County’s Outstanding Student

Last week, the Williamsport-Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Education Celebration was held in which nine area seniors were recognized. After a thorough interview and selection process by the Chamber, a single senior is selected as the Outstanding Student. For the second year in a row, a Loyalsock student has been selected. Congratulations to senior Tyler Bogaczyk and his family on a true honor. Tyler accepted his award with humility as he spoke to the 150 individuals present at the Holiday Inn. You can read more about Tyler’s success and learning more about the Outstanding Student of the Year process. Congrats Tyler! (Pictured with Tyler is Miss Carol Johnson, Loyalsock’s 2011 Outstanding Educator.)

LTHS Teacher Carol Johnson Recognized as Outstanding Educator

Late last week the annual Education Celebration of the Williamsport-Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce was held at Holiday inn. Loyalsock Township High School’s Carol Johnson, a mathematics teacher, was one of nine local educators recognized as an Outstanding Educator. Miss Johnson has been also recognized several years ago when she became a finalist in the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year selection process. A calculus and geometry teacher, Carol has taught at Loyalsock for more than twenty years. She continues to serve on Pennsylvania’s mathematics committee that is largely responsible for designing the PSSA math problems seen each year. Further, Miss Johnson is extremely involved in the Williamsport area’s Relay for Life and has captained the Lancers Against Cancer team for the past several years. Congratulations to Miss Carol Johnson and her family on this outstanding recognition!

Spring Sports Begins This Week

Spring sports begins this week at Loyalsock. Over the past year, one program, Track and Field, has grown significantly in popularity. At this point in time, 94 students have signed up to participate. According to Mr. Insinger, this is the most interest in Track and Field in over 20 years at Loyalsock. The head coach is Ashley Argenta, a former Edinboro University Track standout and Loyalsock Township Middle School art teacher. Best of luck to all students who chosen to put Loyalsock back on the map – this time in Track & Field!

Bryan Eck - February Student of the Month

Bryan Eck, son Bob and Kathy Eck, has been recognized by the Science department as the February Student of the Month. A member of National Honor Society, Bryan regularly achieves the high honor roll and has taken several AP courses. His favorite subjects are chemistry and calculus. Bryan is a member of the Boy Scouts and has attained his Eagle Scout. Further, he enjoys taking part in various high school theater productions and musicals, is a member of the envirothon team, the Lancer marching band, Jazz band, and the TEAMS competition. Bryan also finds time for a part-time job at Burger King. Bryan plans on attending a four-year college in the field of chemistry and eventually obtain a Master’s and doctorate degree in the field. In addition, he enjoys playing ultimate frisbee with friends, golfing, and various outdoors activities, including rock climbing, fishing, hunting, and riding ATVs. Bryan is a member of St. Ann’s Church. Congratulations again to senior Bryan Eck and his parents as LTHS’s February student of the month!

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