Summer Newsletter 2017

Forest Hills

Ranger Review

Vol. XXXVII
No 4

Summer 2016-2017

Forest Hills High School Celebrates First Graduating Class from the new
Junior-Senior High School Building

On Friday evening, June 2, 2017, one hundred sixty seniors of the Forest Hills High School participated in
the school’s 51st Annual Commencement Exercises held at the Mount Aloysius College Wellness and Con-
vocation Center. Approximately 1700 family, relatives, and friends were on hand to help celebrate the mo-
mentous occasion. Included in the participants for the evening were Mr. Edwin Bowser, Superintendent of
Schools, Mrs. Vanessa Sral, Director of Education, Mr. Curt Vasas, Senior High School Principal, Mr. Brian
Kostan, Senior High School Assistant Principal, Mr. Ed Alexander, Junior High School Principal, Dr. Laura
Miller, Junior High School Dean of Students, Mr. Lucas Jacobs, Elementary Principal and Mr. Larry Celmer,
Elementary Assistant Principal. Also present were Directors of the School Board, Mr. Fred Russell, Mrs.
Tracy Helsel, Mr. John Bopp, Mrs. Corina Long, Mr. Robert MacTavish, Dr. Richard Knavel and Dr. Timothy
Ondrejek. Representing the District faculty and staff of the District were Mrs. Patrice Stiffler, Mr. David
Satka, and Mrs. Becky Wehner.

Claudia Shrefler, President of the Class of 2017 and Co-Valedictorian, was the first student to speak and
gave the welcoming address adding humor and substance to her message discussing the many adjectives
used to describe her generation. Claudia stated that although her generation is sometimes viewed as
“lazy, entitled, or technology dependent,” she believes that they should be viewed as a symbol of advance-
ment, adaptability, and hope. The other student speakers were Co-Valedictorian, Jared Wehner, and the
Salutatorian of the class, Trevor Smith. Others offering remarks and words of advice and appreciation to
the Class of 2017 were Mr. Edwin Bowser, Mrs. Vanessa Sral, and Mr. Curt Vasas. Mrs. Sral spoke of the
importance of the word “time.” She stated “the concept of time runs through our every thought and action.
Sometimes we don’t realize how much time we’ve spent and how much time has passed because time is so
elusive.” She encouraged each graduate to make to most of the time they have been given. Jared spoke
using the idea of Cinderella and how struggle, hard work, and a sense of hope can shape your life. When
making reference to Cinderella’s fairy godmother, Jared stated “Everyone is differ-

ent, but we all need to find those people in our lives to
whom we can always go.” Trevor talked about finding
one’s passion in life. He stated “finding your passion
isn’t easy. The hardest part is exploring the many differ-
ent options. But you must never give up searching.” Mr.
Vasas, High School Principal conferred the diplomas
with Mr. Kostan, Assistant High School Principal, read-
ing the names of each graduate as they received their
diplomas from Board of Education President, Mr. Fred
Russell. (Continued on Page 4)

Co-Valedictorian Co-Valedictorian
Claudia Shrefler Jared Wehner

~ SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE ~

As I conclude my Hills community. The new building with Mrs. Sral over the past 36

sixth year as Su- will serve the educational needs of years can attest to the instrumen-

perintendent of generations of children to come tal role she played in providing

the Forest Hills and also function as the epicenter guidance and direction to faculty,

School District, I of our great community. The Class staff, and students in the Forest

am pleased to pre- of 2017 serves as the first genera- Hills School District. She possess-

sent the final edi- tion to benefit from our effort. es a unique ability to address even

tion of the Forest Hills Ranger Re- More importantly, however, this the most difficult situation with
view for the 2016-2017 school class will be remembered for the tact, common sense, and compas-
year. As I reflect back on this following: Academically, a total of sion. She is a woman who has sin-
school year, I believe the students 24 seniors achieved grade point gle-handedly touched the lives of
and staff continued the philosophy averages over 4.0, and approxi- thousands of students in her illus-
that physical plant aesthetics are mately 68% of the class of 2017 trious career. This year, I want to
important, but it is the people with- will move on to higher education at conclude my message with some
in the system that make up the colleges such as Bucknell Univer- sentiments that Mrs. Vanessa Sral,
heart and soul of a school district. sity, Juniata, Pitt and Penn State. Director of Education, shared with
Over 45 seniors were awarded the graduates at this year’s com-
Community members have asked scholarships that have a monetary mencement ceremony.
me what the one particular aspect

I will remember about this year’s value of over 1.1 million dollars. The District’s “influence has been

graduating class – just a few Some might argue that this class woven into the time you’ve spent

words that accurately describe was the most scholarly group to learning, how well you’ve learned,

this class and makes the class of grace the halls of Forest Hills who you’ve learned with, and how

2017 special. Is it “most athletic, School District in a long time. you will apply what you’ve learned

most studious, or most talented?” The “Tradition of Excellence” at in the future. I believe the aca-
Forest Hills is cultivated early and demic knowledge you’ve gained,
Actually this class will have a very begins at the elementary level. the vocational skills you’ve honed,
special distinction that no other The 137 kindergarten students the problem-solving strategies
graduating class in the history of who were promoted to 1st grade in you’ve studied, the communication
Forest Hills can claim. On January ceremonies held at the elementary skills you’ve mastered, and the
9, 2017 the new Forest Hills Junior school will continue the legacy. sense of community and ac-
-Senior High School officially ceptance you’ve felt will stand the
opened housing students in The Board of Education approved test of time. You have invested
grades 7-12. The Class of 2017 is a $25,680,000 General Fund Budg- time and effort into earning your
the first graduating class from the et for the 2017-2018 school year, diploma and that diploma is evi-
new state-of-the-art building. the 23rd consecutive year that dence you are ready to spread
property taxes have not increased your wings. The time is ripe for
At the May 26, 2017 Dedication for property owners. Property you to use what you’ve experi-
Ceremony I explained that no one owners again qualified for a tax enced at the Forest Hills School
person, no single group of individ- reduction through the Homestead/ District and move forward to big-
uals, no specific organization can Farmstead Act. ger and better things.” Choose to
take credit for this achievement. use what you’ve gained and con-
As a result of countless individuals As I reflect on the 2016-2017 tinue to strive for excellence in all
spending thousands of hours school year and look forward to that you do.
working to create a one-of-a-kind the 2017-2018 school year, it is my
structure, our children’s future is hope that the Forest Hills School “Your time is limited, so don’t
cemented in a tradition of excel- District created a place students waste it living someone else’s life.
lence. Every student, every staff want to be and are welcomed. Don’t let the noise of others’ opin-
member, every individual can ions drown out your own inner
share in the accomplishment. After 36 years of dedication and voice. And most important, have
What began as a vision of a few, commitment to the students of the the courage to follow your heart
will now, with the help of many, Forest Hills School District, Mrs. and intuition.” ~ Steve Jobs
become a reality for the Forest Vanessa Sral will be retiring this
summer. Anyone who has worked

2

Eleven Staff Members Retire from the District

The Forest Hills School District proudly recognizes eleven staff members who retired during the 2016-2017
school year. June 2, 2017 marked the end of a journey for these staff members who together accumulated
295 years of service in the Forest Hills School District. The Board of School Directors, administrators, staff,
and students thank each for taking the time to make a difference in the lives of our young people.

Not Pictured: William Gabany– Custodian—28 years of service

Shirley Allison Barbara Berk Matthew Hautz Barbara Hite-Irons Annette Kestermont
Paraprofessional Teacher Teacher Teacher Teacher
16 Years of Service 38 Years of Service 26 Years of Service 30 Years of Service 37 Years of Service

Margaret Klein Lynne McCall Milton Rosey Patrice Stiffler Judy Wadsworth
Teacher Teacher Secretary
26 Years of Service Teacher Custodian 34 Years of Service 22 Years of Service
20 Years of Service 18 Years of Service

New Immunization Regulations and white card signed by a health care provider) to

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has adopt- complete the vaccine schedule or risk exclusion
ed new immunization regulations effective August from school; some risk exclusion if the vaccines are
2017. The new law is to ensure students are safe- not given by the first day of the 2017-2018 school
guarded from outbreaks of vaccine preventable dis- year.

eases. New vaccination requirements include: A student may still obtain medical, religious or phil-

 combination form for diphtheria and tetanus; osophical exemption from meeting the immunization

 pertussis vaccination; requirements. Even if a child is exempt from immun-
izations, he/she may be excluded from school dur-
 combination form for measles, mumps and ru- ing an outbreak of vaccine preventable disease.
bella;
Flyers with the new immunization guidelines have
 meningococcal conjugate vaccine for entry into been provided to all the parents of the district and
12th grade, or in an ungraded school, in the
information placed on the district website. For more
school year the child turns 18;
information contact your child’s health care provid-

 change in number of polio doses required for er, your child’s school nurse, or 1-877-PA-Health.

school attendance. Please provide your child’s updated vaccine docu-

Prior to the new regulations student had 8 months mentation to the school nurses.

to get the required shots before they were not per- (Information taken from School Vaccination Infor-

mitted to attend school. Now a child must have the mation for Parents flyers and fact sheets from the

required vaccines, or a medical plan (specific red Pennsylvania Department of Health 2017).

3

Forest Hills High School Graduation—(continued from page 1)

Special thanks and acknowledgement to a number of district personnel who were responsible for the
evening’s celebration: Mrs. Laurie Fessler, high school guidance secretary, for completing the major por-
tion of the graduation responsibilities and Mr. Pat Kovalsky, senior class advisor, Mr. Jim Bowser and Mrs.
Chris Valko, high school guidance counselors as well as Mr. Mitch Custer and Mr. Philip Parlock for the
band and choral selections. Several other faculty and staff members assisted with the ceremony and all
were instrumental in the success of this year’s graduation activities.

The Senior Class President and Co-Valedictorian was Claudia Shrefler. Claudia is the daughter of Bob and
Karen Shrefler of New Germany. Claudia is an active member of Student Council, National Honor Society,
Spanish Honor Society, Spirit Club, Forensics, and Drama Club. She has also participated in volleyball and
track and field. She received the School Director’s Award, the President’s Education Award, the Rotary
Club Academic Excellence Award, the Senior Awards for Spanish and Forensics as well as the Superinten-
dent’s Award. Claudia earned the Bucknell Dean’s Scholarship and the AAUW Outstanding Woman Schol-
arship.

Claudia will be attending Bucknell University to study applied mathematics with a statistics concentration.
She has the aspiration of becoming a data scientist.

The other Co-Valedictorian of the Class of 2017 is Mr. Jared Wehner. Jared is the son of Jim and Becky
Wehner of New Germany. Jared was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, me-
dia club, and Future Business Leaders of America. Athletically, Jared participated in basketball, soccer,
swimming and was a member of our District 6 Championship baseball team.

Jared received the School Director’s Award, the President’s Education Award, the Rotary Club Academic
Excellence Award, the Tribune-Democrat Academic All-Star Award, the District 6 Sportsmanship Award
and the senior awards for basketball and baseball. Jared earned the University of Pittsburgh Merit and
Study Abroad scholarships and the Brandon Baxter Scholarship.

Jared will attend the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Business with the goal of attending Law School to
have a career in the business of sports.

Our Salutatorian of the Class of 2017 is Mr. Trevor Smith. Trevor is the son of Ken and Mandi Smith of Sum-
merhill. He was captain of the VEX robotics club, a member of National Honor Society, the Scholastic Quiz
team, the Future Business Leaders of America and Spirit Club. Trevor was a 4-year letter winner on our
soccer and volleyball teams and a member of this year’s District 6 Championship boys’ volleyball team.

Trevor received the School Director’s Award, the President’s Education Award, the Rotary Club Academic
Excellence award and scholarship, the Pittsburgh Positive Athlete Award for volleyball and soccer and the
Senior Awards for Physics, Engineering Technology and CADD. He also received the West Virginia Engi-
neering Achievement Scholarship, the West Virginia Scholarship of Distinction, the Paul Keeney Scholar-
ship, and the American Legion Post 748 Scholarship.

Trevor will be attending West Virginia University pursuing a dual major in mechanical and aerospace engi-
neering with a minor in computer science. He has aspirations of working for NASA creating rovers for new
space missions.

~ SENIOR AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS ~

Seniors were honored at the annual Awards Night Ceremony on May 30, 2017 for their academic achieve-
ment, athletic prowess, citizenship and extra-curricular activities. A total of over $1,149,500 was presented
to individual students who excelled in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and in the community. Students
receiving awards/scholarships were:

CHRISTINA BAILEY - Senior Scholarship Award, Outstanding Vocational-Technical Cosmetology Award,
Governor’s Skills Certificate – Cosmetology, National Technical Honor Society; SARA BARCLAY - Senior So-
cial Studies Award, Senior Computerized Reading Award, Juniata College Elizabeth Baker and Community
Scholarships; SAMANTHA BEAR - Senior Girls Band Award; RYAN BEDONT - School Directors Award, Presi-
dent’s Education Award, Senior Boys Physical Education Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence Award,
Erin Hostetler Memorial Scholarship, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; SIMON BERNECKY -
Governor’s Skills Certificate – Culinary Arts; MEGAN BLOCK – Triangle Tech Scholarship, Spanish Honor So-
ciety, Artists of the 21st Century Certificate of Participation; MADISON BREWER - Senior Scholarship Award;
ALEXIS BRIGGS - School Directors Award, Walter Wood Scholarship, Westminster College Titan Scholarship,
National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; (continued on page 5)

4

~ SENIOR AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (continued) ~

GRACE BROMLEY - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior Girls Physical Educa-
tion Award, Senior Girls Soccer Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence and Service Above Self Awards,
Wendy’s Heisman 2016 School Winner, Helene & Robert Krantzler Scholarship, Johnson and Wales Uni-
versity Presidential and Dietetics Program Scholarships, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society;
WYATT BROMLEY - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Rotary Club Academic Excel-
lence Award, Juniata College Calvert Ellis and Community Scholarships, National Honor Society, Spanish
Honor Society; ELIZABETH BURKARDT - Mount Aloysius Mercy Scholarship, St. Michael REACH Scholar-
ship; LAKIN BURKETT - Senior Scholarship Award, President’s Education Award; COURTNEY CECERE -
School Directors Award, Senior Girls Basketball Award, Senior Girls Volleyball Award, District VI Sports-
manship Award, Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete, Seton Hill Academic and Basketball Scholar-
ships, Pennsylvania Moose Chapter Kids Talk Scholarship, Arthur Burkett Memorial Scholarship, National
Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; ALYSSA CHESNUTWOOD - Senior Scholarship Award, Forest Hills
Education Endowment Scholarship, Artists of the 21st Century Certificate of Participation, Indiana Univer-
sity Sutton Scholarship; AUBRIE CHRIST - Alicia Lynn Richardson Memorial Scholarship, Heather Alt
Reininger Scholarship, Carl & Anna Sherbine Scholarship; DERVIN CLAYCOMB - PA Skills Certificate –
Diesel; JOHN CLAYCOMB - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Welding; ASHLEY COOK - Senior Scholarship
Award, President’s Education Award, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; HALEY COOK -
School Directors Award, Artists of the 21st Century Certificate of Participation; TRISTAN CORRENTE - Sen-
ior Boys Cross Country Award, Senior Boys Track Award; KAITLYN CRAIG - School Directors Award,
President’s Education Award, UPJ Real World Achievement Scholarship, National Honor Society; KYLIE
DEBIAS - UPJ Real World Nursing and Academic Scholarships; JULIA DELIC - President’s Education
Award, Point Park University Merit Scholarship; DAWSON DIBERT - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Culinary
Arts; JAYTHAN DIMOND - PA Skills Certificate – Culinary Arts; GARRETT DONOUGHE - Senior Boys Vol-
leyball Award; ABBEY EPPLEY - Mount Aloysius Merit Scholarship; CASSIA GARGON - Governor’s Skills
Certificate – Cosmetology, National Technical Honor Society, Challenge Program Community Service
Award; TANNER GAVLAK - Senior Football Award, Point Park Vice Presidential Scholarship; JASON
GRAFFIUS - Outstanding Vocational-Technical Collision Repair Award, Governor’s Skills Certificate – Colli-
sion Repair; OLIVIA GREGORICH - Senior Softball Award; MIKALA HAMARA - Governor’s Skills Certificate
– Cosmetology; ZACHARY HAUGER - Outstanding Co-op Student, Governor’s Skills Certificate – Construc-
tion Tech; LUKE HELSEL - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior Forensics
Award, Senior Mathematics Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence Award, Forest Hills Education En-
dowment Scholarship, Forest Hills Alumni Scholarship, Cape & Garanich Sapphire Scholarship, Robert
Morris Liberty and Honors College Scholarships, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; KAYLEE
HILL - President’s Education Award; MORGAN HOMZA - Mount Aloysius Merit Scholarship; COREY
HORNER - Senior Manufacturing Technology Award; CONNOR HUDSON - School Directors Award, Presi-
dent’s Education Award, Jaycees/Jayceettes Service Award, Waynesburg University Presidential Honor
Scholarship, National Honor Society; GRIFFIN JENNINGS - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Construction
Tech; DEVON KAKABAR – Rangers Becoming Rangers Scholarship, Brad Wess Memorial Scholarship;
COREY KATRANCHA - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Rotary Club Academic Ex-
cellence Award, UPJ Real World Engineering and Leadership Scholarships, National Honor Society, Span-
ish Honor Society; TYLER KISH - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Welding; TROY KRUPA - Senior Scholar-
ship Award, President’s Education Award, Forest Hills Educational Endowment Scholarship, UPJ Real
World Engineering Scholarship; TAYLOR KULKA - Senior Scholarship Award, Senior Cheerleader Award,
Senior Mock Trial Award, Jaycees/Jayceettes Service Award, FH Distinguished Alumni Class of 2014
Scholarship, IUP Sutton Scholarship, National Honor Society; NATHAN KUNDROD - School Directors
Award, Senior Computer Applications Award, Donald & Ronald Bailey Memorial Award, UPJ Real World
Engineering and Achievement Scholarships, PA Firemen’s Association Scholarship, St. Michael Catholic
Church REACH Service Award and Program Award, National Honor Society; JOSEPH LaROCCA - Senior
Scholarship Award, Walter Wood Scholarship; DEVIN MARTIN - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Auto Tech;

(continued on page 9)

5

~ SENIOR AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (continued) ~

Christina Sara Samantha Ryan Simon Megan
Bailey Barclay Bear Bedont Bernecky Block

Madison Alexis Grace Wyatt Laken Courtney
Brewer Briggs Bromley Bromley Burkett Cecere

Alyssa Aubrie Ashley Haley Tristan Kaitlyn
Cook Cook Corrente Craig
Chesnutwood Christ

Kylie Julia Jaythan Garrett Abbey Cassia
Debias Delic Dimond Donoughe Eppley Gargon

Tanner Jason Olivia Mikala Zachary Luke
Gavlak Graffius Gregorich Hamara Hauger Helsel

6

~ SENIOR AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (continued) ~

Kaylee Morgan Corey Connor Griffin Devon
Hill Homza Horner Hudson Jennings Kakabar

Corey Troy Taylor Nathan Joseph Angela
Katrancha Krupa Kulka Kundrod LaRocca Maticic

Marissa Lakin Jordan Jared Brock Caitlyn
Matlin McCall McIntosh McNeal Miller Miller

Dakota Rachel Slade Alyssa Megan Trenton
Miller Miller Miller Minor Minor Mock

Mary Jessica Madison Sara Nicole Emily
Mognet New Novotny Pavlosky Pisarski Platt

7

~ SENIOR AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (continued) ~

Brady Rebecca Brinnah Kylie Jennifer Claudia
Plaza Poole Porada Richardson Roxby Shrefler

Sierra Toni Carl Josie Nicole Nathan
Skrout Smay Smith Smith St. Clair Valko

Tricia Dyamond Jared Nathan Julianna Nicole
Varner Wagner Wehner Wingard Wright Wright

Sara Joseph Nathan Jacquilyn Bridget
Wright Yacobacci Yoder Zangaglia Zevorich

Not Pictured: Elizabeth Burkardt, Dervin Claycomb, John Claycomb, Dawson Dibert, Tyler Kish,
Devin Martin, Jared Montaque, Meghan Myers, Andrew Noel, Luke Plummer, Gabriel Rager, Nathan Sabo,
Trevor Smith, Brianna Wellwood.

8

~ SENIOR AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (continued) ~

ANGELA MATICIC - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior Biology/Life Sciences
Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence Award, UPJ Real World Achievement Scholarship, Sara Jane
Torquato Scholarship, Forest Hills Education Endowment Scholarship, Artists of the 21st Century Certifi-
cate of Participation, National Honor Society; MARISA MATLIN - Senior Scholarship Award, President’s
Education Award, Wilmington College Achievement and Gateway Scholarships, National Honor Society;
LAKIN McCALL - Senior Scholarship Award, First United Methodist Church Scholarship, National Honor
Society; JORDAN McINTOSH - Senior Girls Track Award, Barbara Ann Peters Memorial Award, Ship-
pensburg University Track Scholarship; JARED McNEAL - Senior Rifle Award, UPJ Real World Engineer-
ing and Mountain Cat Scholarships; BROCK MILLER - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Construction Tech;
CAITLYN MILLER - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Early Childhood Education; DAKOTA MILLER - Gover-
nor’s Skills Certificate – Construction Tech; RACHEL MILLER - School Directors Award, President’s Edu-
cation Award, Senior Chemistry Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence Award, National Honor Socie-
ty, Spanish Honor Society; SLADE MILLER - PA Skills Certificate – Diesel; ALYSSA MINOR - Outstanding
Vocational-Technical Health Assistant Award, Governor’s Skills Certificate – Health Assistant; MEGAN
MINOR - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Early Childhood Education, National Technical Honor Society;
TRENTON MOCK - PA Skills Certificate – Construction Tech; MARY MOGNET – AUCP Scholarship;
JARED MONTAGUE - Senior Boys Band Award; MEGHAN MYERS - Senior Majorette Award; JESSICA
NEW - School Directors Award, Senior Accounting Award, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Soci-
ety; ANDREW NOEL - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Culinary Arts, Sullivan University culinary competi-
tion : 1st place team award, Overall team gold medal, 3rd place bronze individual; MADISON NOVOTNY -
Westminster College Blue & White Award; SARA PAVLOSKY - Senior Media Award, Jaycees/Jayceettes
Service Award; NICOLE PISARSKI - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior Girls
Tennis Award, Challenge Program Attendance Award, UPJ Real World Achievement Scholarship, Ad-
ams Township Lions/Merlin Woodring Scholarship, AmeriServ Financial Scholarship, National Honor So-
ciety, Spanish Honor Society; EMILY PLATT - School Directors Award, IUP Eberly Business Honors Col-
lege and College of Business and Information Technology Scholarships; National Honor Society; BRADY
PLAZA - Senior Golf Award; LUKE PLUMMER - PA Skills Certificate – Construction Tech; REBECCA
POOLE – Penny Matlin Memorial Scholarship; BRINNAH PORADA - School Directors Award, President’s
Education Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence Award, Jaycees/Jayceettes Service Award, Forest
Hills Alumni Scholarship, Robert Morris Independence Scholarship, National Honor Society;GABRIEL
RAGER - Senior Boys Chorus Award; KYLIE RICHARDSON - Bradford FBLA Scholarship; JENNIFER
ROXBY - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Challenge Program STEM Award,
Juniata College M.G. Brumbaugh, Community and Academic Scholarships, Artists of the 21st Century
Certificate of Participation, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; NATHAN SABO – Challenge
Program Academic Improvement Award; CLAUDIA SHREFLER - School Directors Award, President’s
Education Award, Senior Forensics Award, Senior Spanish Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence
Award, Superintendent’s Award, Bucknell University Dean’s Scholarship, American Association of Uni-
versity Women Scholarship, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; SIERRA SKROUT - Senior
Scholarship Award, Mount Aloysius Merit Scholarship; TONI SMAY - School Directors Award, Presi-
dent’s Education Award, IUP Sutton Scholarship, Boilermaker National Scholarship, Forest Hills Educa-
tion Endowment Scholarship, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society; CARL SMITH - School Di-
rectors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior Boys Soccer Award, Rotary Club Academic Excel-
lence Award, Challenge Program Academic Excellence Award, Superintendent’s Award, Army ROTC
Scholarship, USSCO Johnstown Federal Credit Union Community Scholarship, National Honor Society,
Spanish Honor Society; JOSIE SMITH - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Artists of
the 21st Century Certificate of Participation, National Honor Society; (continued on page 10)

9

~ SENIOR AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS (continued) ~

TREVOR SMITH - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior CADD Award, Senior En-
gineering Technology Award, Senior Physics Award, Rotary Club Academic Excellence Award and Schol-
arship, Paul Keeney Scholarship, West Virginia University Academic Scholarship of Distinction and Engi-
neering Achievement Excellence Scholarships, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 748 Scholarship, West Vir-
ginia University Distinguished Scholar Award, Wendy’s Heisman 2016 School Winner, Pittsburgh Positive
Athlete Winner for Boys Volleyball, National Honor Society; NICOLE ST. CLAIR - School Directors Award,
Knights of Columbus Scholarship, IUP Sutton Scholarship, National Honor Society; NATHAN VALKO -
School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior Hockey Award, National Honor Society,
Spanish Honor Society; TRICIA VARNER - School Directors Award, Senior Girls Cross Country Award,
IUP Sutton, Cook Honors College and Cross Country and Track Scholarships, National Honor Society,
Spanish Honor Society; DYAMOND WAGNER - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Culinary Arts, Financial Lit-
eracy Contest; JARED WEHNER - School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Rotary Club Ac-
ademic Excellence Award, Senior Baseball Award, Senior Boys Basketball Award, Tribune-Democrat Ac-
ademic All-Star, District VI Sportsmanship Award, Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete, University of
Pittsburgh Merit and Study Abroad Scholarships, Brandon Baxter Scholarship, National Honor Society,
Spanish Honor Society; BRIANNA WELLWOOD - School Directors Award, Penny Matlin Memorial Scholar-
ship; NATHAN WINGARD - Senior Boys Tennis Award, Senior Wrestling Award; JULIANNA WRIGHT -
School Directors Award, President’s Education Award, Senior English Award, Mount Aloysius Mercy
Presidential Scholarship, Sacred Heart Ushers Club Scholarship, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor
Society; NICOLE WRIGHT - Senior Color Guard Award, Senior Family & Consumer Science Award; SARA
WRIGHT - Senior Scholarship Award, Senior Art Award, Senior Girls Chorus Award, Artists of the 21st
Century Certificate of Participation, Allied Artists Scholarship, Ms. Sally C. Fink Scholarship, Erin M. Bos-
worth Scholarship, National Honor Society; JOSEPH YACOBACCI - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Weld-
ing; NATHAN YODER - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Welding; JACQUILYN ZANGAGLIA - UPJ Mountain
Cat Scholarship; BRIDGET ZEVORICH - Governor’s Skills Certificate – Early Childhood Education

Principal’s Corner ~ Mr. Curt Vasas

Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation. The summer months bring a well-deserved
break for our students and staff. However, it’s important to always be preparing for what lies ahead.
The summer can be a great time for recharging your batteries to gear up for the next school year. I
would encourage all students to take advantage of our summer library hours. All students should invest
the time to read at least one book over the summer months.

Some time devoted to college and career planning would also be beneficial. Students should consider
summer employment, job shadowing, or college visits. All of these options can help students decide
where their interests lie and assist them in scheduling classes throughout their high school careers.

As always, we encourage you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Please also visit our
website for valuable information including the link for the “High School Years” newsletter under the Ad-
ministration link within the Our School tab of the High School homepage. We continue to strive to pro-
vide a quality education so our students develop into life-long learners and understand their importance
in a democratic society. Thank you for continued support and assistance towards this end.

10

The Forest Hills FBLA had a very successful FBLA
year at Regional and State Competi-
tion. Our FBLA also enjoyed the use of the The FBLA enjoyed a two-day trip to Hersheypark at
new Junior-Senior High School Concession the end of the school year. A wing feast at Arrogas
Stand. Each member is looking forward to a highlighted our trip. Students also enjoyed the park
new year in the new building. We plan to rides, and a getaway at the Comfort Suites in Hummel-
put our business skills to good use next stown. Funds for the trip came from the concession
year. As an added accomplishment, Nathan stand and candy sales. Thanks to the community sup-
Long placed in Business Calculations; and port we received, FBLA is able to plan great activities.
best of all Luke Helsel placed at State FBLA
in Help Desk. Luke will be attending the Na-
tional Competition in Anaheim, Califor-
nia. Good Luck to all our senior members
and Luke at the NLC. Watch for us next
school year as we enjoy the new building!

High School Music

The High School Band, Girls Quartet, and Chorus pre-

sented their annual Spring Concert on May 15th. This

year’s concert was very well attended by family and

friends. The art department decorated the lobby and

hallways with some of our students’ best work. On

May 19, 2017 we debuted the first annual Small En-

semble concert featuring Jazz Band, and

the Boys Ensemble. This concert show-

cased our students in band and chorus,

from 7th through 12th grade, in small

groups of 2 to 4 students. They worked

through the semester on their music and

presented a very diverse selection of

Boys Ensemble songs. The Jazz Band and High School
Chorus also performed at the Elementary

Art Show on May 11. High School Chorus

gave additional performances this spring at Trinity

Lutheran in Sid-

man and at an ad- District

judication at Indi-

ana University of

Pennsylvania,

where they re-

ceived excellent

rating remarks

from the judges.

11

This year Forest Hills was well represented at all the PMEA festivals. Five students auditioned success-
fully for District Band, held at Westmont High School. They were Courtney Cecere, Mackenzie Sarka,
Mandi Bearjar, Haley Cook, and Jared Montague. Three of those students advanced to Region Band,
held at Richland High School. They were Courtney Cecere, Mandi Bearjar, and Mackenzie Sarka.
Mandi Bearjar placed 1st at Regional Band and advanced on to All-State Band held in Erie. Four stu-
dents successfully auditioned for District Jazz Band, held at Hollidaysburg High School. They were
Mandi Bearjar, Samantha Bear, Lynsey Kowalczyk, and Alexus Bobak.

Forest Hills also had students participate in the Susquehanna Honors Band in February. They were
Mandi Bearjar, Sidney Kakabar, RaeLynn Hammond, and Mackenzie Sarka. Five students also per-
formed throughout the year with the Johnstown Symphony Youth Orchestra. They were Mandi Bearjar,
Daniel Velasquez, Julie Douglas, Rebecca Williamson, and Baylee Frampton.

All-State Band

District Regional

Susquehanna

All State
Chorus

Students In Chorus made all available festivals this year as well. Sidney
Kakabar, Winter Ehrhart, Sara Zatek, Shelby Hostetler, Summer Kepple,
Haley Cook, Gabriel Rager, and Chet Middleton represented Forest Hills at
District Chorus this Year. Sara Zatek and Haley Cook also made District
Vocal Jazz as well. Chet Middleton and Sidney Kakabar advanced to Region
Chorus, and Sidney advanced yet again to be only the 5th student
in Forest Hills history to make All-State Chorus.

12

Junior High Music

The Junior High School Bands and Choruses presented their annual Spring Concert on May 17th. The con-
cert was very well attended and the audience was treated to music by the 7th Grade Chorus, 8/9th Grade

Chorus, The Boys Ensemble, 7th Grade Band, 9th
Grade Percussion Ensemble, and the 8/9th Grade
Band. 8/9th Band and Chorus also performed for the
elementary students, and 8/9th Grade Chorus sang
at the Forest Hills Personal Care Home in May.

7th Grade

PROM 2017

The Junior-Senior Prom was held at the Pasquerilla Conference Center in Johnstown on Saturday, May
6, 2017. Glitz and glamour prevailed with the theme “A Night in the Spot Light.” Adorned in gorgeous
gowns and dashing tuxedos, guests enjoyed having their pictures taken in the limousine that was

parked in the dining room as well as tweeting and posting
images on the Media Wall. The excitement of Hollywood
filled the air and hundreds of photos were snapped in the
photo booth. Strolling along
the senior walk of fame and
dancing to the beats of DJ
Labarko kept the 325 stu-
dents in attendance mov-
ing. All photos from Prom
and After Prom may be
viewed at labar-
kodjs.smugmug.com/
FHPROM2017 using the
password “Rangers.” Josie Smith and Ryan Stohon were voted Prom
Queen and King. Members of the Prom Court are (pictured left to
right): Julianna Wright, Nathan Wingard, Kylie Debias, Nathan Sabo,
Courtney Cecere, Wyatt Bromley, Tiera Smith, Tanner Gavlak, Kaylee
Hill, Dalton Silko, Toni Smay, Carl Smith, Aubrie Christ, and Luke
Helsel, Queen Josie Smith and King Ryan Stohon (center). For those
looking forward to next year’s event, Prom is scheduled for Saturday,
May 5, 2018.

13

~ JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL ~

Principal’s Corner ~ Mr. Ed Alexander

The 2016-2017 school year was filled with many challenges and successes. Our mid-year move into
the new Junior-Senior High School was met with great anticipation, a little confusion and most im-
portantly, great excitement! Our staff and students made this transition a very smooth process by
working together and remaining positive, as we worked out the kinks. In January, we all hit the
ground running and picked up where we left off in December. I am very proud and honored to be
the Junior High Principal and am committed to making our initial “first day” a success this August.
We are working hard this summer to put together a solid schedule, which will maximize learning
opportunities for all students. Our grade 7 and new student orientation will take place on August 8
at 9:00 am in the auditorium. We hope to see you there! Thank you all for another great school
year! Enjoy the summer break and be safe!

NASA Class Studies South Fork Run as it proceeded from the source

The Nasa class spent most of the year studying wa- through Beaverdale was discussed. Several Brook
ter quality, types of trout were “observed.”

pollutants, Benthic Last fall the class

macroinvertebrates, went on a bike trip

and environmental down the Ghost

issues. The class Town Trail. Many

learned how to per- indigenous and inva-

form chemical, bio- sive species of

logical, and physical plants were ob-

tests. They utilized served. Discussions

these tests during a of local customs and

field trip to several mining heritage en-

local streams … the sued with stops at

South Fork of the the “AMD to ART”

Little Conemaugh remediation location

and Sandy Run. They in Vintondale and

were then asked to give an assessment of the qual- the mining monument (Mine #6 portal) near-by. The
ity of the streams. The gradual degradation of the students also got a close-up inspection of the
Elizabeth Furnace.

Poetry Power

If you walk into Mrs. Shrift’s eighth grade class, you will be
amongst a room full of poets! Students started the school
year by having monthly poetry celebrations, where they
used a variety of poems to help them learn about authors,
time periods, and the art of language. Listening to music
and analyzing lyrics allowed students to understand the
power of words and images to create meaning and emo-
tion. Students celebrated National Poetry Month by enter-
ing a contest held by The American Library of Poets. In ad-
dition to this national contest, teachers and students voted
on the best poems in 8th grade. Congratulations to the final-
ists: Isabella Colbert, Haley Croyle, Paige Debias, Julia
Shima, and Somer Silvis. Claire Bawiec captured the first
place win with her poem “Names.” The poem contemplates
the privileges and problems that are produced because of
labels given by names.

14

Research Scholars Award for 9th Grade Students

The Research Scholar Award in Language and Letters is awarded to exemplary student research pro-
jects in the English Composition 9 courses. There is an individual award and a group award for the top
scoring projects in the grade. This year for the individual award students self-selected a poem of their
choosing, researched it for critical theories and literary merit, and formulated a research paper. The stu-
dents then presented a 10-15 minute, conference-style presentation of their papers with a questioning
forum by classmates. The quality of the research paper composition, use of research skills, critical
thinking, and professionalism of the research presentation are taken into consideration as criteria to win
the award. For the group award, students selected a significant literary period and formulated research
groups in a project-based learning experience culminating in top group presentations across the grade
competing in a symposium for the award. The award is then awarded to the group for the top-scoring
presentation and research paper in the entire grade. Students were required to integrate interactive
technology into their presentations and created everything from trading cards to word clouds and some
even created their own songs.

This year Rosalie DiPaola received the individual award for her paper entitled “A Powerful Performer,” in
which she formulated a thesis on poetess Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus.” On her win, Rosalie says: “It
was such an honor to win this award especially because it was a project I
was so passionate about. Winning the award definitely makes me feel like
all of the hours of work paid off. Hopefully I can continue to have this pas-
sion for writing and can win more awards such as this in the future.” The
group award was awarded to Haylee Christ, Garet Connor, Corrine Hill,
David Nastase, Jacob Rok, and Caleb Sorchilla for their presentation and
paper on “The Contemporary Era" which adeptly covered both fiction and
non-fiction writings and the cultural time period surrounding author
Stephen King. Haylee Christ and Jacob Rok said that the most challeng-
ing part of the project was “matching all of the pieces together” and that
in the end it was “a good feeling to know that our group’s hard work paid
off.” Congratulations to these students on a job well done!

Inaugural Student Literary Magazine

This year, Ms. Mock’s Composition & Honors Composition 9 classes participated in the creation and dis-
tribution of an electronic literary magazine, created with the platform Joomag.com, which captured a
collection of original student literary work from the 2016-2017 school year. The reason behind the maga-
zine’s creation is evident in the student-written mission statement: “We the students of the Forest Hills
Junior High School know that at this age, we all have many opinions & talents that we would like to share
with the world, but may not know how. Therefore, with this magazine, we aim to provide young aspiring
authors with a forum to present their voices through writing, and to help express themselves & their opin-
ions.” The theme of this year’s magazine was chosen based on the concept of Journeys: Finding your
Hope & Passion along the way. This was inspired by the students moving from the middle school build-
ing to the new junior-senior high school building. The vision for the magazine, as written by the students,
states: “We hope this magazine will grow to become an engaging, accepting place for writers to feel free
to write & display their creativity on a blank canvas for students to not only present their work but to in-
spire the footprints of future generations of young Forest Hills student writers to follow. We see this mag-
azine becoming a legacy in our district and creating a space for future generations of writers to show
their work.” The magazine’s core values include: student centered writing, fairness, creativity, originality
and progressive writing.

Submissions from all grade 9 students were accepted in the following categories and are featured in the
literary magazine: poetry, 6 word stories, short stories, essays, artwork, blackout poetry, and plays. The
students were responsible for editing and laying out the magazine as well. Please check out the literary
magazine at the following link: https://www.joomag.com/magazine/fhjhs-literary-magazine/
M0172487001484931028

15

SuperConference

Students from the Forest Hills School District attended the 24th annual “SuperConference” for student
leaders on Thursday, May 4, 2017, at Mount Aloysius College.
The conference provided student leaders from middle and high schools in the county an opportunity to
enhance leadership traits, develop leadership skills, and foster pride and spirit in their schools. At the
conference, students had the opportunity to attend multiple workshops on various topics on finance, di-
versity, chasing dreams, and many more. Each workshop and speaker reinforced the importance of
leadership within our schools and how leadership ideas and traits can translate into their academic and
personal futures.
Only two students from each grade, 7th through
11th grades, were eligible to attend the confer-
ence. Based upon teacher recommendations,
the students were selected to attend the
“SuperConference”. The student leaders are
the pride of our school and we would once
again like to congratulate them on this honor.
(Students delegates: Natalya Teno, Payton
McGough, Carley McGough, Eva Spangler,
Courtney Roxby, Mackenzie Toth, Alexis Miller,
Luke Docherty, Griffin Christ, and Jason
Wissinger.)

Math-a-Thon at Forest Hills Junior High
The Math-a-Thon is a charity that was started by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to fund their re-
search and fund the pediatric hospital. Students participate in the fundraiser for St. Jude’s by complet-
ing a booklet of math problems and getting sponsors. Each year, the junior high math department uses
this fundraiser for St. Jude’s as an optional part of their fourth marking period bonus.
The booklet, called the Funbook, is filled with math curriculum according to the student participant’s
grade. The curriculum in the Funbook is for a great cause, and it helps students prepare for standard-
ized tests at the end of the year, which includes the PSSA and the Keystone Exams.
This year, students, along with a donation from student council, sent $583 to aid in St. Jude’s cause of

beating pediatric cancer. Awesome!!!
Thank you to all the students and fami-
lies that participated and aided St.
Jude’s in this worthy cause.
Students that participated in our fund-
raising event: Sierra Plummer, Travis
Neff, Blaze Maher, Colton Fiffick, Anna
Wingard, Eric Schmidt, Ashton
Cobaugh, Thomas Hockensmith, Kelsey
Josephson, Jon Chaney, and Brevin
Michuk.

16

~ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ~

Principal’s Corner ~ Mr. Lucas Jacobs is ignored over the summer. Summer setback is

As we reflect on the 2016-17 school year, please real, and it is important for parents to encourage

summer reading. Reading over the summer will as-
join the Forest Hills Elementary staff and me in ac- sist in preventing the summer slide and help stu-
knowledging and celebrating the many exciting
dents continue to grow academically.
learning experiences and educational opportunities
that have taken place for our students at Forest Hills Summer is a very special time for children and is the
Elementary. Together we have planned and execut- source of many happy memories. On behalf of the
ed best teaching practices and held students to high faculty and staff of Forest Hills Elementary School,
standards and expectations. I want to take a mo- we hope that you and your children enjoy many op-
ment to express my sincere appreciation to the portunities to have fun as a family in the weeks
teachers, staff, students, and families for their dedi- ahead. It has been an honor to be the principal of
cation and efforts this year. Forest Hills Elementary School. Thank you for your
continued cooperation and support of our elemen-
When students leave school in May, they are leaving tary students. I am thankful to have the opportunity
with a wealth of knowledge, skills, and abilities that to serve as the Forest Hills School District Director
comes from daily learning and practice. This sum- of Education. I look forward to working with all fac-
mer, I encourage you to set aside time to read with ulty, support staff, and administration while working
your children. We must work together to prevent
collaboratively with the board of directors and dis-
the “summer slide.” The summer slide refers to the trict stakeholders. It is my hope to have a continued
summer months when students “forget” what they partnership devoted to the success of our students.
have learned in school. Many students are at risk Have a wonderful and safe summer!
for summer reading loss. In fact, students can lose

up to two months of academic growth when reading

Student Council Members Place Flags At Mt. Hope Cemetery

The fifth and sixth grade Student Council Members had the privilege of assisting the St. Michael VFW
with Memorial Day preparations this year. On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 the students traveled with the vet-
erans to the Mt. Hope Cemetery and helped place 270 flags on the graves of brave men and women who
have served our country. Along with placing the flags, the students had the opportunity to talk with the
veterans and learn about their experience during their time of service. The students really enjoyed find-
ing the oldest grave markers for the men who served during the Civil War.

17

Elementary Music Department Had an Eventful Year

The fifth and sixth grade bands and the sixth grade Rockin’ Rangers, comprised of over 150 fourth, fifth,
and sixth grade students, demonstrated their superior musical abilities at their concert on April 27th. The
bands demonstrated what they have learned over the course of the school year with wind band music,
and well-known songs like the theme from Ghostbusters and “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark,”
by Fall Out Boy. The Rockin’ Rangers, under the direction of Mrs. Tully, sang a variety of songs including
“Old Time Rock and Roll” and “Lean on Me/Don’t Stop Believin.” Over 600 people were in attendance for
the spring concert held in the new Junior-Senior High School auditorium.
The elementary music program has been very eventful over the past few months! In addition to the con-
cert, 6 sixth grade students were selected to represent Forest Hills at PMEA’s annual Band Fest at
Hollidaysburg Middle School on March 31st. Aiden Carr, Colten Danel, Claire Daubert, Rebecca Do-
cherty, Hailey Hampton and Makenna Konchan practiced very hard and put on an excellent performance
with students from Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset Counties. Six fifth grade students also repre-
sented Forest Hills at Song Fest at Hollidaysburg High School on May 5th. These students included Doran
Faith, Malachi Feeney, Alexis Henderson, Emily Myers, Colton Sparrow, and Melanie Troy. 126 third
grade students have also been trying out instruments since March to make an informed decision to play
flute, clarinet, or trumpet as fourth graders during the next school year. They also did a wonderful job in
the first performance during our in-school concert for the elementary students. It has been a fantastic
year of learning, growing, new experiences, and musicality!

4th Grade Tri-a-rama Scene

This spring, the 4th grade had a fun time reading the novel, Phineas L. MacGuire Gets Slimed. It is about a
4th grade boy who loves science. Mrs. Yahner’s reading students chose a scene from the book to recre-
ate as a “tri-a-rama”. Students had to be creative and patient in order to figure out how to make their
scene come alive with 3D objects using only paper and glue. To accompany their scene, students also
had to write a scene summary. These projects decorated the 4th grade hallway for the last weeks of
school.

18

CAREER RESEARCH

What would you like to be when you grow up? While reading the novel, The Giver, Mrs. Hostetler’s 5th and
6th grade students pondered this question. You see, in The Giver, the children of this dystopian society
didn’t have the opportunity to choose a career for themselves; a career was chosen for each child by the
elders of the community. This story event spurred a lot of discussion among Mrs. Hostetler’s students,
which led to a research project that really got her students thinking about a possible career for them-
selves….and how fortunate they are to be able to choose something so important for themselves.

As the students finished the novel, they were given the assignment of researching a career they would be
interested in pursuing. They had to present, to their peers, the information they learned in the form of a
Google Slides presentation, and, if at all possible, invite someone in to speak to their class about a particu-
lar profession.

Over the course of two months, the students invited a variety of people to speak to their classmates. Mr.
John Cobaugh, a police officer, EMT, and prosthetic technician was the first to visit. He was followed by
Mrs. Sue Andrykovitch, a tax collector, Mr. Shawn Faith, a construction quality assurance technician, and
Dr. Brady Hamady, the owner of Forest Hills Veterinary. In addition, Mr. Lance McGough visited the 5th and
6th graders and spoke about his career in the education field.

One fifth grader, Doran Faith, is interested in becoming a surgeon. Therefore, with encouragement from
his mom, he contacted Dr. Sciortino, a heart transplant surgeon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center. And late in the month of March, Dr. Sciortino, a physician’s assistant named Aaron, and Shelley
Zomak, the director of the Cardiothoracic Transplant Unit of UPMC, visited Mrs. Hostetler’s class. He
brought with him two real hearts! The students had an opportunity to get an up-close look at all the work-
ings of the heart as Dr. Sciortino dissected one of the hearts, and they were able to hold and examine an-
other real heart (with gloves, of course)! What an opportunity this was for everyone!

The students learned a lot from this research assignment and each of the visitors that spoke to Mrs.
Hostetler’s class. It’s never too early to start thinking about a career and setting goals for oneself.

2016-2017 Grade 6 Spelling Bee Winners

Sixth grade held their annual spelling bee on May 12, 2017 in the elementary school cafeteria. The entire
sixth grade student body attended the competition to watch the bee and support their fellow classmates.
All 24 contestants did a fantastic job and went through several rounds of spelling before the final 3 places
were decided.

The first place winner was Makenna Konchan. Second place went to Olivia Colbert and the 3rd place win-
ner was Audrey Peretin. The winners each received a Books-A-Million gift card and a cash prize from the
PTO. Congratulations to all three!!!

Little Bits

Mrs. Gibson, a second grade teacher, was invited this winter to attend a STEM training on Little Bits. This
training was provided to show teachers how to use a STEM kit on basic electrical circuits and ways to in-
corporate it into their classrooms. After the training, Mrs. Gibson’s
class had the opportunity to use the kit called Little Bits in their
classroom. The kit gave the students a hands-on experience in mak-
ing basic electrical circuits. It provided an opportunity for the stu-
dents to experiment and discover how electricity really works. After
using the kit for 4 days, Mrs. Gibson’s class then taught all of the
other 2nd grade classes how to create basic electrical circuits. The
knowledge they gained from the hands-on STEM kit was evident as
the students explained to their peers how to create the circuits. The
2nd grade teachers would like to thank the IU8 for lending them Little
Bits and giving them such a great opportunity to learn!

19

~ JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ~

Junior High Boys Track & Field

With only five returning athletes from the previ-
ous campaign, the 2017 Junior High Boys Track
& Field team entered the season with much un-
certainty and inexperience in many events. The
team quickly rallied behind its leasers, collecting
6 wins against its first 7 opponents. The young
Rangers finished the season with an overall rec-
ord of 7-3. Several athletes qualified for the
Laurel Mountain Meet in Loretto, and the follow-
ing secured a place on the podium: Riley Gyuk-
ery (2nd place-400m & 3rd place-200m), Dylan
Wechtenhiser (8th place-800m), the 4x400m relay team (5th place), and the 4x800m relay team (7th
place). Riley also captured another 3rd place finish in the 400m amidst a very competitive field at the
Altoona Middle School Championships. Overall, the team saw many successes, achieved numerous
personal goals, and did its part to continue the tradition of excellence.

Junior High Girls Track & Field

The Junior High Girls Track and Field team fin-
ished their season with a winning record of 9-1.
The girls placed 2nd as a team at Laurel Mountain
Championships with 14 out of 20 competitors
making it to the podium. 1st place finishers: 200m
Alyssa Caddy and high jump Nikki Rorar. 2nd
place finishers: 4x800 Relay Katie Beyer, Lexi
Koeck, Paige Greathouse, Payton McGough;
4x100 Relay Alyssa Caddy, Olivia Guillarmod,
Macie Poborski, Paige Debias; high jump Katey Kurtz. 3rd place finishers: 100m Alyssa Caddy, 4x400 Re-
lay Remi Smith, Paige Debias, Katey Kurtz, Julia Shima. Nikki Rorar was named Female Jumper of the
Meet. Then on to the Altoona Middle School Championships, in a tough field of AA and AAA schools,12 out
of 17 competitors reached the podium, placing 6th as a team out of 36 schools (2nd AA). 1st place finish-
er: 200m Alyssa Caddy. 2nd place finishers: 4x800 Relay Katie Beyer, Remi Smith, Paige Greathouse,
Payton McGough; high jump Nikki Rorar. New junior high school record holders: high jump tie Katey Kurtz
and Nikki Rorar, 100m Alyssa Caddy, 200m Alyssa Caddy. Another successful season of athletes dedicat-
ed to reaching their goals!

Forest Hills Junior High Girls’ Volleyball

The Forest Hills junior high girls’ volleyball team finished the sea-
son with a record of 16-1 and capturing the Laurel Highlands
Athletic Conference Championship. The level of competition this
season was steep, and having our team prove to be the best was
an outstanding accomplishment that we are very proud of.

This year’s squad was comprised of one freshman, Baylee
Snedden; eleven eighth graders: Claire Bawiec, Emma Bier,
Taylor Burda, Madeline Cecere, Kenzie Colosimo, Savannah
Miller, Jade Nastase, Maddiesyn Simmons, Kirstyn Vitez, Josilyn
Wehner, Anna Wingard; and seven seventh graders: Emma
Bawiec, Bre Clifford, Madison Gdula, Karlie Ondrejik, Sophie
Poborski, Gracie Ray, and Paje Yochimowitz.

Next spring we look to have another successful season and hopefully compete for the LHAC title again. We
wish our freshman, Baylee Snedden the best of luck in the fall.

20

~ JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ~

Forest Hills Lady Rangers Crowned Laurel Highlands Champions!

The Junior High Forest Hills Lady Rangers had an outstanding 2016-2017 season! The Lady Rangers end-
ed their season in February with an astounding 20 wins. The girls accomplished many of their preseason
goals by playing a stifling defense, pushing the ball in
a quick moving offense, and dedicating themselves
to improving as individuals, as well as a team mem-
bers each and every practice! The Junior High Lady
Rangers were led by 8th graders Madeline Cecere,
Paige Debias, Kirstyn Vitez, Julia Shima, Taylor
Burda, Haley Croyle, and Josilyn Wehner. Other key
contributors to the team were freshman Lacey
Greathouse and 7th graders Remingtyn Smith and
Lexington Koeck.

The 7th and 8th grade Lady Rangers also notched a
winning season, setting up next year to be another
successful winter at Forest Hills.

Junior High Boys’ Basketball

The Junior High Basketball team made great progress throughout the 2016-2017 season under coach Alan
Myers. The team finished with a 5-17 record. The Junior High Boys Basketball team went 1-1 in the Jerry
Smith Memorial Tournament beating Ligonier Valley and losing to Somerset in the championship game.

The team put an emphasis on improving while learning what it means to be a team player and to display
sportsmanship. Hard work, tough defense and unselfish play were the trademarks of this team. Zach Myers
led the team with 164 points.

The 7th and 8th grade team also enjoyed great improvement as their season progressed. Under Coach Eric
Stone, the team’s continued improvement was evident as the season went on. Players learned to appreciate
the hard work that makes a successful basketball team while focusing on the fundamentals of the game.
These traits will help these young men succeed at the next level.

2016-2017 Forest Hills second place finish at the Penn Cambria Individual
Junior High Wrestling Tournament. The Jr. High team became champions
at the Meyersdale Dual Tournament and finished the
The Forest Hills Jr. High Wrestling team had an out- season as runner-up at the Bellwood-Antis Dual
standing season, finishing with a record of 21-2 and Tournament and Mountain Conference Tourna-
the Laurel Highland Championship. The team com- ment. Forest Hills was well represented at the Moun-
peted in four tournaments, placing first or second at tain Conference tournament with 6 individuals wres-
each tournament. They started the year off with a tling in the finals. Individual winners included:

Easton Toth, 80 pound weight class - 1st place;
Jackson Arringtion, 85 pound weight class - 1st
place; Tye Templeton, 90 pound weight class -
4th place; Noah Teeter, 95 pound weight class -
1st place; Ryan Shaw, 110 pound weight class -
7th place; Ryan Weyandt, 115 pound weight
class - 5th place; Garet Connor, 122 pound
weight class- 1st place; Erik Gibson, 130 pound
weight class - 1st place; Matt Kelley, 165 pound
weight class - 2nd place; Bryce Rearick, 185
pound weight class - 6th place; Kodey Mickolick
250 pound weight class -6th place.

21

~ VARSITY SPORTS ~

Lady Rangers Reload

Every year questions arise about upcoming seasons.
The same can be said for the Lady Rangers as they
have competed for the District Championship consist-
ently since 2010.

The line-up boasted two sophomores, two juniors and a
senior with two juniors stepping off the bench as a ma-
jor contributing sixth woman. The annual FH Tip-Off
Tournament was quite competitive with Conemaugh
Valley, North Star and Bellwood-Antis all returning to
strong seasons. The Lady Rangers won their first
game with ease but Bellwood-Antis would not be so
easy. Both teams looked as if they were play-off bound
by this second game of the season and the Lady Rang-
ers would once again claim their crown in an exciting, tightly played game.

The season would see the Lady Rangers fall only once in the regular season, on the road to the perennial
Altoona power, Bishop Guilfoyle. The Lady Rangers would not falter again in their season until the PIAA
Sweet Sixteen and finished with a 24-2 season. Included in their run would be the champions of the annu-
al holiday tournament in Boswell, LHAC Section 1 champions and LHAC champions and their third District
6 championship in three years.

The girls have not competed in the Laurel Highlands championship game since 2012 and faced the LHAC
Section 2 champion, Bishop McCort in a heated, competitive atmosphere at Greater Johnstown High
School. Although a close game, during the second half the Lady Rangers’ defense held the two top scor-
ers in check to claim the crown that has been elusive for the last couple of years.

In January, the girls enjoyed three home games in one week, and during that span, they were challenged
to finish playing in the old gym with a clean record. They wanted to give the old gym an “undefeated” final
season. The girls had record-breaking games. They won all three games in an incredible fashion. They
broke the individual game scoring record on Wednesday then broke their own record on Friday. Also,
Carly Stigers tied the record for most three-pointers in a game with 7. With these three wins, the girls
closed the gym with an undefeated season and on the last game, celebrated the close with a few special
moments including cutting down the net, a final huddle in which alumni were invited to participate and the
final dimming of the lights. It was a special night but was equaled to the next week where the girls would
open the new gym against an aggressive Penn Cambria team. The girls once again met the challenge to
give the new christening of the gym a positive outcome when they defeated the Panthers to continue their
winning season.

Ranked first in the District 6 AAAA division, the Rangers would meet their nemesis, the Lady Bisons of
Bedford once again. The Rangers defeated the Bisons early in December but this game would not be
quite so lopsided. At Mount Aloysius College, the Rangers and Bisons took each other into a double over-
time game that held everyone in the gym locked in their seats. The game saw seniors Courtney Cecere
and Allison Shuke from Bedford go toe to toe. The game winning shot was made when Courtney was dou-
bled on the baseline and found Cassi Smith diving through the lane to the basket and she hit a floating lay-
up to give the Rangers their third straight District 6 championship.

The girls would make a run into the PIAA state playoffs with a win in the first round but would fall by 7 to
Lancaster Catholic in the Elite Eight game.

The team had an incredible season and enjoyed this due to the #Together belief that they could accom-
plish anything as long as all were in TOGETHER!

22

~ VARSITY SPORTS ~

Varsity Boys Basketball Gets to the Playoffs

This year’s Varsity Boys Basketball team was a young team that used skill and hustle to make up for lack
of experience on the court. Replacing a mostly senior line-up from last year the Rangers were able to fin-
ish with an 11-11 record and make the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Most of the success from this year’s team can be attributed to hard work and extra time that players put
in working on their skills during practice and also on their own time, often giving up sleep on a Saturday
morning to voluntarily come and work on their game.
This year’s team featured two seniors: Taylor Cornman and Jared Wehner who instilled leadership and
accountability into every practice. These two players will be sorely missed, but their presence will be
remembered. Looking to the future, the Rangers will return a large number of letter winners who will
look to build on this season’s accomplishments.

RIFLE TEAM

This year’s rifle team started the season
with two new coaches, Head Coach
Dianna Hupkovich and Assistant Coach
Julia Kehn. These coaches had large
shoes to fill with the resignation of both
successful long standing coaches from
the past several years. However, the
team took on this challenge and pre-
vailed with maintaining an end of the sea-
son score that was close to last year’s
record. Varsity ended the season with a
5-8 record and JV finished 10-3. The
team was realigned with the assigning of
a captain, Jared McNeal and a co-
captain, Marisa Matlin. Along with the junior coaches, the team was able to strengthen the varsity and
junior varsity shooters.
The team improved at the State competition and placed 7th over last year’s 8th place finish. This was
accomplished with the team’s State Shooters, Jared McNeal, Abby Jordan, Sara Wright, and Marisa
Matlin. Senior Jared McNeal set a new Forest Hills record with a score of 564, earning him 5th place
overall.

23

~ VARSITY SPORTS ~

Varsity Boys Track

The varsity boys track team completed another winning season. The boys compiled a 10-1 overall record
which included wins against Bedford, Bishop Carroll, Bishop Guilfoyle, Bishop McCort, Cambria Heights,
Johnstown, Richland, Somerset, and Westmont. The team added a 5nd place finish at the United Invita-
tional, a 10th place finish at the West Central
Coaches’ meet, a 2nd place finish at the Laurel
Highlands Conference meet, and a 6th place
finish at the District VI Championships. Over-
all, 16 boys qualified for the district meet with
10 placing in their events, including Garrett
Donoughe as the District VI High Jump cham-
pion. Additionally, the 4x100m relay team, Jon
Long (200m dash), Garrett Donoughe (high
jump), and Bob Krug (pole vault) qualified for
the PIAA Championship meet. The 4x100 team,
composed of Jon Long, Eric Elgin, Garrett
Donoughe, and Carl Smith, broke the school record. Individually, Jon Long broke the 100m dash record
and Bob Krug broke the pole vault record. Overall, the team took tremendous strides from last year and
competed hard in every meet. The team was coached by Robert Petrunak and Shannon Petrunak.

Girls Track Team Wins 3rd Straight District Title

The Forest Hills Varsity Girls Track and Field team won the District 6 AA championship at Mansion Park
in Altoona on May 16th . This was the teams 3rd straight district title and their 6th in the past 7 years. The
team scored 82 ½ points and just edged out 2nd place Bishop Carroll by 1 ½ points.

The Lady Rangers went undefeated during the regular season (11-0) and won the Laurel Highlands Ath-
letic Conference title for the 8th year in a row. They also won the Bedford Invitational, The Northern Bed-
ford Invitational, the West Central Coaches Meet, and the Laurel Highlands Conference Meet.

The team qualified 10 girls for the PIAA Sate Meet in Shippensburg in 7 different events - Jordan McIn-
tosh (100 hurdles & 4x100 relay), Zoe Roush (100, 4x100 relay, long jump), Josie McKendree (4x100 re-
lay), Shayla Kanuch (4x100 relay), Emily Montag (3200 & 4x800 relay), Kelsy Valko (4x800 relay), Cassi
Smith (4x800 relay), Lacey Greathouse (4x800 relay), Victoria Koeck (high jump), and Courtney Cecere
(discus).

Zoe Roush, Victoria Koeck and the 4X800 relay team earned medals at the state meet by placing in the
top 8. Victoria Koeck was 5th in the high jump with a clearing 5 feet 4 inches. Zoe Roush was 4th in the
long jump with a jump of 18 feet 2 inches. The 4X800 relay team of Kelsy Valko, Cassi Smith, Lacey
Greathouse, and Emily Montag finished 7th with a time of 9:41.51.

Zoe Roush set new school records in the 100 meter
dash and long jump and tied the school record in the
triple jump. Her time of :12.54 in the 100 meter dash
bettered the old mark of :12.60 set by Robin Wagner in
1994. Her long jump of 18-4 bettered the old mark of 17
-5 ½ by Tammy Malfer in 1982 and her triple jump of 36-
9 equaled that of Brooke Smay in 2013. The 4X800 me-
ter relay team of Kelsy Valko, Cassi Smith, Lacey
Greathouse, and Emily Montag also set a school record
with a time of 9:41.51 bettering the old mark of 9:42.62
set in 2010 by Wirfel, Chizmar, Kostan, and Gallaher.

The Varsity Girls Track & Field team is coached by Tom
Hunter and Scott Krise.

24

~ VARSITY SPORTS ~

Varsity Boys Volleyball

The Rangers were excited for the 2017 season to begin as they had high expectations for the season,
again hoping to return to the District VI Championship for the fourth straight year. The Rangers faced
some stiff competition throughout the year and overcame some obstacles due to injuries, however
they still made it to the District VI Championship game as the #2 seed after defeating #3 Huntingdon in
the District VI semifinal match

The season started out with a tournament at Norwin, in which the Rangers finished 7 out of 18 teams.
The first regular season game was against their rival and was a potential District VI Championship
preview match, Bishop Guilfoyle. The Rangers fell 3-1 to Guilfoyle in a hard fought and exciting match.
The Rangers then went on to put together a 6 game winning streak before falling to District VII rival
Derry, 3-1. The regular season included highlights such as a win over AAA rival Altoona, and finishing
in 4th place at the OLSH tournament at the end of the season. The Varsity team ended up with an over-
all regular season record of 9-4

Senior Garrett Donoughe led the team in kills (455), kill percentage (56%), hitting percentage (0.313),
and serving aces (91). He set the single season record for kills along with the all-time school record
for kills (1068). Garrett was also selected for the Mid-State Boys Volleyball All-Star Team for the third
year in a row and was also selected for the District 6 All-District AA First Team for the second year in
a row. Senior Ryan Stohon surpassed the 500 kill milestone, fishing the year with 541 kills. Ryan also
led the team in blocks with 65, and was selected for the Mid-State Boys Volleyball All-Star Team as
well as the District 6 All-District AA First Team. Senior Nate Valko lead the team with 672 assists and
set a new school record with 1312 career assists. Senior Garrett Kundrod led the team with 297 digs
and surpassed the 500 digs milestone, compiling 553 career digs. He also led the team with a 2.64
Passer Rating. Garrett’s 553 career digs set a new school record.

The Rangers earned a spot in the District VI playoffs for the 7th straight year in a row. In the first round
the Rangers hosted the #3 seed Huntingdon. The Rangers rolled through Huntingdon with a 3-0 victo-
ry and headed to the District VI Championship game for the 4th straight year and 6th time in 7 years.
The Rangers were up against the
#1 seed, Bishop Guilfoyle, who had
beaten the Rangers twice in regular
season. The Rangers battled hard,
and pulled off the upset, defeating
Guilfoyle 3-2! The Rangers over-
came a 7-3 deficit in an exciting
game 5, to finish the set off with a
15-12 win.

For the first time in school history,
the Rangers were headed to the
State playoffs. They faced the #2
team from District VII, Deer Lakes
in the first round. However, the
Rangers fell short against Deer
Lakes, falling 3-0. Even though they
did not advance beyond round 1 of
the State playoffs, it was the most
successful season the team has
had since it started. Forest Hills is
the only “local” school that still has
a boy’s volleyball program, and that
is something to be proud!

25

~ VARSITY SPORTS ~

Baseball District VI 4A Champions and omore class was led by Adam Cecere who was
named the LHAC All-Conference selection for his
LHAC Tri-Champions
efforts at the plate and on the mound. Adam had
The 2017 season was one for the ages, this group of a .431 batting average, with a .608 on base percent-
young men brought back championships to Forest
Hills Baseball. The group had 18 wins and 6 losses, age, along with 28 total hits and 26 walks. He won 6
while sharing the LHAC title and winning the District games pitching, including the D6 championship
game. Jake Shope had a .317 batting average and
title with a convincing 11-1 win over Somerset. The led the team in total runs with 28, and had 2 pitching
team also won a PIAA playoff game vs, Kennard-
Dale before falling to Blackhawk. The four Seniors victories. Other sophomores contributing to the
varsity team were Forrest Wolfhope and Chase Hud-
provided leadership to the team and finished their son. Freshman Brycen Rearick had a solid varsity
careers with 59 wins and 28 losses. Jared Wehner
was the Senior Award winner and batted .312, while campaign hitting .286 and winning 2 games on the
winning 4 games on the mound, including a D6 mound. Brycen saved the best for last by getting 3
hits and 3 RBI’s in the D6 final. Seth Richardson al-
playoff game vs, Bedford, yielding just 1 hit. He also so lettered in varsity as a freshman and will be
led the team in strikeouts with 45. Nathan Kundrod
hit close to .300 and was instrumental in the district counted on more in the years to come.
championship game victory, securing 3 hits. He al-
so laid down a perfect squeeze play in the PIAA The
playoff game against Kennard-Dale, which gave the Junior
team a slim 4-3 victory. Matt Norton started in right Varsity
field and had 1 win on the mound. Conner Hudson team
was a leader and contributed to the teams’ success had 4
in many ways. Juniors contributed heavily to the victo-
teams’ success. Brian Bernard hit .300, and had a ries and
win pitching during the season. His catch in the D6 5 loss-
finals will be remembered for years to come. Nick es. The
Peretin became an outstanding catcher, and led the team
team in runs batted in with 26. Ryan Richardson was a
hit .338 and was a top of the lineup run producer. victim
He played the entire year with an injured shoulder of the bad spring weather this year. The team con-
and had to have surgery the day before the second ducted the youth league clinic and also visited PNC
round PIAA playoff loss to Blackhawk. Evan Park to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates play. The 2017
Kundrod made positive contributions as a junior and team certainly lived up to the “excellence is the tra-
should be an everyday starter next year. The soph- dition” mantra that makes us all proud to be from
Forest Hills.

Varsity Wrestling tling program. The team is very talented and will be
ready to compete next season.
The varsity wrestling team finished the season with
a 10-7 record. The team was faced with injuries The individual season came with some success as
during the season, but showed resilience to still fin- well. Four wrestlers placed at the District 6 tourna-
ment and advanced to the PIAA SW Regional tour-
ish with ten nament. Those wrestlers were: Byron Daubert (3rd
wins. The Place), Nathan Wingard (5th Place), Trey Templeton
team was (5th Place), and Conner Law (5th place). Though, no
led by three wrestler was able to advance to the state tourna-
seniors: Na- ment, it was still a successful individual season.
than The team will look to continue to improve next sea-
Wingard, son. The future is very bright for the program, and
Hayden will be exciting to see what success is to come. The
Block, and varsity wrestling team would also like the thank all
Jared Mon- of our wonderful local businesses who supported
tague. The our program this season!
entire team worked extremely hard all season long,
and improved from last season. The expectations
for next season will be as high as ever for the wres-

26

~ VARSITY SPORTS ~

Forest Hills Boys Tennis 2017

Our boys’ tennis team had plenty of participants who
were mainly 1st year seniors. These seniors brought
with them the wisdom of being older and eagerly paid
attention and worked hard at practice as well as on
their own to improve as the season progressed. Our
team was competitive and the players graduating will
continue to play this lifetime sport.

Media Day

Pictured below are this year’s seniors intending to play sports at the college level. Media day was held in
June at the Forest Hills School District Field House.

(Left to Right): Wyatt Bromley – Soccer @ Juniata, Connor Hudson – Football @ Waynesburg, Olivia
Gregorich – Softball @ IUP, Jen Roxby – Track @ Juniata; Tricia Varner – Cross Country & Track @ IUP;
(Not pictured) Jordan McIntosh – Track @ Shippensburg

Courtney Cecere was the lone senior on the Var-
sity Girls’ Basketball team this year and was hon-
ored to have competed in the Ameriserv Hoops
Classic held by the Tribune-Democrat where she
was named MVP of the game. Courtney also was
chosen to the Altoona Mirror Classic held at
Mount Aloysius College and was Best in the West
as she was the first Lady Ranger to play in The
Roundball Classic held at Geneva College in
Beaver Falls.
Courtney was awarded a basketball scholarship
and will attend Seton Hill University and become
a member of the Lady Griffins who compete in the
PSAC.
27

Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit #5
Johnstown, PA

“BTohaerdmoifsSsciohnooolfDtihreecFtoorrsest HilDlsisStrcihctoAodl mDiisntisrtircattiiosnto

provide the best student-centered education so all
Fred Russell, President Edwin Bowser, Superintendent

studeGTarnlaectnysGHeeaolsrcgeleq,,11ussttiVrViciecee-P-aPrrenessiddideenanttpply the kVanneosswa Slreald, DgireectoarnofdEdusckatiiolnls to

Deborah Pestruuncakc, 2ened Vdicei-nPreasindenet ver-chaClnaugdiianMgehawll, oScrholdol .P”sychologist

John Bopp, SecrePtuabrliyshed by the Office of the SupCeruinrteVndaesnatso,f HthiegFhoSrecsht HooilllsPSrcihnocoilpDaisltrict

Robert MacTavish, Treasurer Brian Kostan, HS Assistant Principal

Rick DanielTsr,aAcsysiHsetalsnetlS, Mecermetbaerry/Treasurer Edward Alexander, Middle School Principal

JRaicrehdarCdrKonnaauverl,, MMeemmbbeerr Laura Miller, Dean of Students

GCaolerinnaGeLorngge, ,MMeemmbbeerr Lucas Jacobs, Elementary School Principal

Timothy Ondrejik, Member Larry Celmer, ES Assistant Principal

GilCbeartl BE.eCaradr,oSffo, lSicoiltiocritor Chris Reighard, Business Manager

Marian Boyer, Food Service Director

“The mission of the Forest Hills School District is to
provide the best student-centered education so all

students acquire and apply the knowledge and skills to
succeed in an ever-changing world.”

Published by the Office of the Superintendent of the Forest Hills School District
28