A small club with a huge impact, Leo Club has contributed a lot to the school and community over the years. The main goal is to raise money to help local charities and lend a hand to the less fortunate in the area.
The Leo Club officers this year are Andrew Gibout, treasurer; Laura Beyer, secretary; Ryan Repsher, vice-president; and Jill Rossnagle, president. Mrs. Rehrig has taken over this year as Leo Club advisor.
Leo Club gets together on activity days, with day E being the main meeting. At their meetings, they discuss ideas about what they would like to see happen. Then they make a plan and have a group vote.
One of their main money raising functions that continues to be a success over the years is the Silent Auction that is held in April. The members auction off donated gifts and gift certificates from local businesses. The money they make is then put into a group account and dispersed to different charities. President Jill Rossnagle said, “The auction was very successful, and brought in a large profit.”
A recent fund raiser that was done in December was the candy gram sale. Students could send candy canes with messages to their friends and have them delivered on the last day before Christmas break. This was a big hit for the students, leading to profit for the Leo Club.
The Leo Club also has been singing Christmas Carols to senior citizens at the Slate Belt Medical Center for the past five years. Senior Leo Club member Kayte Ljungquist said, “You could really tell that the senior citizens enjoyed it, they kept asking us to sing again after we were finished.”
Upcoming events that the Leo Club will be sponsoring are a dance in February with the proceeds going towards AIDS research, and a lollipop sale. These events are sure to be a success and grant the Leo Club many more opportunities to help those in need.
County Chorus is the chorus of Northampton County, with schools from Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Nazareth, Northampton, Bangor, Saucon Valley, Lehigh Valley School of Performing Arts, Moravian, Wilson, and Pen Argyl.
All these schools congregate at one of those local schools and practice for 8 hours straight with only a lunch break. It’s time consuming but totally worth it. Students from Pen Argyl have been attending county chorus for about 4 years now and it’s a great experience overall.
What most students enjoy is meeting all of the other kids from the other schools, “Many kids find dates for prom here.” Ms. Depew has said. “They’re all great kids.” All students participating in county chorus have a knack for singing and enjoy every second of it.
The students whom are participating in the 2005 Northampton County Chorus are, the super Sopranos Kristi Harrison, Alyssa Miller and Samantha Wilbert. The awesome Altos are Natasha Catino, Heather Hentschel, and Ashley Phelps. Terrific Tenors include, Ryan Repsher, Adam Rutt, and Steven Ryerson. Brazen Bass’s Andrew Gibout, Jarrett Ott, and Phil Viglione.
The Scholastic Scrimmage team embarked on their first competition against Pius X on Tuesday, December 14, 2004; a somewhat inexperienced team eagerly left Pen Argyl to put all their hard work and studying to the test. “It was an interesting experience. It’s not every day that you get to be on T.V, in a trivia contest nonetheless,” said Chris Luczkowiak.
Stephen Graf led as the team captain; Chris Luczkowiak, Phil Viglione, and Michael Baker completed the team. According to Mr. Snelling the team was a bit nervous, considering three of the four players had never been on television before; however, no one would know that by the way they performed. Pen Argyl walked away defeating Pius X, 175-120. “The Scholastic Scrimmage team performed well against Pius X in our first match of the tournament. We played as a team, which gives us an advantage over many schools who only have one or two outstanding participants. We look forward to our match against Northern Lehigh in March,” said Captain Stephen Graf.
Besides the team members, Mr. Snelling chose alternates to attend the competition and get comfortable with the setting. Sean Flynn, Chris Atkins, Erik Benson, and Brandon Bellis were chosen for the alternates and observers. In case one of the players couldn’t make it, an alternate would have to substitute for one of the main players.
“It was a tense competition because the score was close for most of the match, but we managed to pull away at the end and win,” said Michael Baker. Pen Argyl’s next match is against Northern Lehigh. According to Michael Baker, “Northern Lehigh is a good team, but if everyone plays well, we definitely have a shot of winning.”
At competitions, questions could be asked from any subject you could possibly think of, so the boys really need to be prepared. Most of the questions could be about history, math, sciences, literature, art, and even music in some cases.
Some people might be wondering how the team prepares for such a difficult event. These boys practice during every activity; they have practice questions, and even buzzers so they can really get the feel for the whole aspect of the game. “I would rather go down in flames, than regret not trying a question,” said Mr. Snelling. Trying and being aggressive is what Mr. Snelling tries to instill in the team, and by the way they’ve been performing, his advice seems to be working.
You will be able to see the competition on television on January 22 on WLVT-TV on channel 39 (PBS) at 9:30 a.m and on January 23 at 10:30 a.m.
Junior Jarret Ott will represent Pen Argyl in the District Chorus Concert at Hamburg High School on February 4 at 7 p.m. and February 5 at 2 p.m. Jarrett has been singing since he was a “little kid, but I actually started learning music in third grade,” says Jarrett.
Jarrett was ranked number 2 for District Chorus, an achievement which is almost impossible. “I didn’t think it was right,” Jarrett says about placing so high. “I couldn’t believe that I ranked so high out of all those good, male voices.” The song he won the judges over with was “He, watching over Israel” by Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
However, don’t mistake the music Jarrett sings with the music he listens to, which he’s not too picky about anyway. “I love every kind of music, except where all they do is scream, rap, or talk. I don’t consider any of that music.”
Although Jarrett may seem super confident, he gets nervous sometimes too, but he has a little trick to keep those pesky butterflies out of his stomach. “I always give myself a pep talk, basically just telling myself you’ll be fine.”
Jarrett also has a secret weapon, his family and friends. “My parents have never missed a performance, and my friends are really supportive. For example, once when I was singing at a competition, like American Idol at the Allentown Fair, I had a great bunch of friends screaming for me and holding up signs!”
You’d think with all this talent and support one might build quite an ego, but when asked if this may ever happen Jarrett joked, “Of Course!” That’s just the way Jarrett is, a funny, easy going guy.
But Jarrett isn’t just a singer; he’s working hard helping others. “I’m a junior volunteer at the Medic 9 Paramedic services in Bangor. I go on calls with Medic 9 and help with the paramedic or EMT and assist the patients.” With all this going on, you’d think Jarrett would take it easy after high school, slow down a little, but Jarrett is planning on attending “a four-year college or university, maybe more. I love the medical field and hope to one day work in a Trauma Unit.”
But Jarrett still wants to keep the music going. “I will most certainly keep up with music, because it is something you never lose. Who knows what the future can bring!” When we see him on TV either winning a Grammy or the Nobel Peace Prize for some medical discovery, we can all sit back and say we knew him when.
Senior Spotlight: John Feller and Tiffany Schreck
John Feller
Extracurricular activities: Cross Country, Winter Track, Track & Field, Class Officer (Vice President), Student Government, Literary Magazine, Jazz Band, Concert Band, Orchestra
Job: None
Awards and achievements: National Honor Society, Eagle Scout, Varsity Runner in Cross Country and Track
College choice and intended major: Arcadia University to major in European History
Favorite high school memory: German Class Quotable Quotes
Favorite quote: “I’ve never failed at anything in my life, but I have found about 15,000 ways not to do something.” – Albert Einstein
If you could be any animal, what would you be? “An owl.”
If you could meet any person who ever lived, who would it be? “William Wallace or Dennis Leary.”
Tiffany Schreck
Extracurricular activities: Student Government Secretary, SADD President, Chorus, Varsity Tennis, Big Buddy, Sunday School Teacher, Student Forum
Job: Cashier at Wegmans
Awards and achievements: National Honor Society, 90% Club, 93% or above award for first 3 quarters of grades 9-11, Who’s Who Among American High School Students
College choice and intended major: Drexel University to major in commerce and engineering
Favorite high school memory: “Being the blood drop last year! It was funny and a little embarrassing.”
Favorite quote: “Dream as you’ll live forever. Live as you’ll die today.” – James Dean
If you could be any animal, what would you be? “A lion! Because they rule the jungle.”
If you could meet any person who ever lived, who would it be? “Princess Diana because she was an amazing woman and she made an impact on so many lives.”
Invidivuals highlight wrestling team's performance
This year’s wrestling team has enough hard working, enthusiastic players to take it all the way. “We like to do things the old fashion way, work for it,” said Coach Kupec. That’s what the team does, and it shows by the way the team performs.
On December 3 and 4 at Brandywine Heights Tournament, some of Pen Argyl’s finest placed. Chris Merwine at 160 placed first; Ryan Heard at 152 and Ryan Hess at 140 placed third; Jay Sandt at 125 placed fifth; and Justin Arifaj at 215 placed sixth.
Pen Argyl continued to work hard at the Times Leader Tournament held at the Wachovia Center in Wilkes-Barre. On December 17 and 18 Eric DiFelice at 189 placed second, Hess at 135 placed fifth; and Merwine at 160 placed sixth. Trent Roberts did well in the tournament but didn’t place. Dirk Welsh came off an elbow injury and won at the Palisades and Salisbury matches.
According to Coach Kupec, moving on to states isn’t far fetched for this team. “I believe everyone has a chance to go to states. As long as they work hard, anything is possible; but I’ll let the wrestlers do the talking on the mat,” said Coach Kupec.
While the varsity team is experiencing the sweet smell of success, the JV team is absent this year. That’s right; there is no JV team this year, due to the lack of people and the vigorous sport wrestling tends to be.
This is not a stumbling block for the varsity. The team has placed as high as 8 th in tournaments, and many individuals have stepped up and placed. So far, Pen Argyl’s record is 3-3, with the team defeating Pocono Mt. East, Palisades, Salisbury and losing to Northern Lehigh, Northwestern, and Wilson.
During our winter break the wrestlers participated in the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic. Certain individuals placed. Merwine placed third at 160; Heard placed third at 152; DiFelice placed second at 141; and Richie Smith placed fourth at 275.
This season is looking bright. “If everyone remains healthy and we get a few guys off the injury list, we can surprise a lot of teams,” said Coach Kupec. “It was a great first half but I’m looking forward to a better second half,” said Merwine.Respectable season for Varsity girls
“I believe we have the ingredients to a pretty good team,” said Coach Mladosich when asked about the state of the girls’ varsity basketball team. The Lady Knights’ experienced coach of 15 years has seen many teams and is proud of the girls so far.
Coach Mladosich also said, “We have a good nucleus of returning players to build around: Holly Pinkerton, Chelsea Due, Anna Cinelli, Kacy Friend and Tiffany Taylor. It’s the other players, juniors, sophomores and freshmen who are needed to make the team complete and have it in the running for a playoff position.”
As of midseason the girls had a record of 3-4, and the players and coaches are optimistic about the future. Anna Cinelli shows the team’s positive attitude by saying, “After a rough start we’re going to work harder and have a winning season.”
Their first 4 games left them with a 2-2 record. They won their first game against East Stroudsburg North with a 40-20 score. Although this gave the team confidence, their second game didn’t build it up anymore with a loss to Northwestern, 50-32. Kacy Friend said, “We communicate well and although we’re not off to such a good start, we still work as a team.” The Lady Knights went on to beat Saucon Valley, 61-51. Pocono Mountain West proved to be another challenge for the varsity team, and they lost with a score of 49-27.
The next two games were losses to Palmerton, 42-33, and Southern Lehigh, 50-48. Coach Mladosich said, “I’m proud of the way our girls come to practice every day to compete, not just to participate.”
The girls went on to beat Palisades, 50-14. During the holidays while most of us were relaxing, the girls were working hard. They won third at the Holiday Hoops Classic.
In regard to the team, Coach Mladosich is proud. He said, “They deserve to be cheered, regardless of any final score.” With the support of their coach, the team will move on. Chelsea Due stated, “We didn’t start off as well as we all wished for. We could do better, and we will.” '
Girls' JV basketball team gets off to solid start
While they would have liked to have done better, the girls’ junior varsity basketball team got off to a respectable start with a record of 4-7. Under the guidance and instruction of new coach Mr. Marc Manerino, the team is sure to get better every game.
Some of the teams the girls have played so far are Northwestern, Notre Dame, Saucon Valley, Freedom and East Stroudsburg. The most challenging teams for them were Freedom and Northwestern. Even though these were challenging teams, the girls were able to take away a lot of skills to help them in the future.
A major tournament that the team has played in was the Holiday Hoops Classic. The girls played against Freedom and East Stroudsburg, and placed third out of four. Morgan Bonisese said, “Even though we placed third, we still had fun.”
Season looks good for freshman girls
Under the leadership of their coach, Mr. Corey, the girls’ freshmen basketball team has a pending record of 2-3. The teams’ wins came against the teams of Palmerton and East Stroudsburg North.
The team is composed of six 8 th graders and six freshmen. The six freshmen girls on the team are Jamie Bayard, Brianna Coughenour, Lauren Fedon, Nicole Grande, Samantha Hahn, and Anne Knorr.
The girls recently played in the Bangor-Pen Argyl Holiday Hoops Classic. They came in 3 rd out of the 4 teams. They played and lost to Freedom by 4 points, even though they were winning for most of the game. They did, however, win against the team of East Stroudsburg South, with a score of 30-16.
Strong season for varsity
The new boys’ varsity basketball head coach, Mr. George Hicks is doing a fantastic job in leading his team to victory; so far in the season the boys’ record is an outstanding 12-0. Mr. Hicks has coached middle school basketball for 7 years and decided to take the step up to high school. Coach Hicks’ goal for the season is to keep his players focused and make them work hard and play as a team.
The boys defeated the only team Mr. Hicks was worried about, Notre Dame. The Colonial League powerhouse is known for talent, aggressiveness, quickness, and coaching abilities. Notre Dame was undefeated before the Knights took them down. If the team is determined enough, they have the power and skills to conquer the Colonial League.
So far team captain Mike Bortz is successful is guiding the team to a record of 12-0. With returning varsity members and some new valuable assets, including Brad Feller, Josh Melhem, Steve Waring, Andrew D’Alessio, Tim Hicks, Ryan Melhem, Tim Biggs, Phil Gheller, and Adam Graham, the talent is widespread and their potential to work together is evident. Hopefully the team will keep up the good work and good attitude to make it to the championships.
The boys also came out victorious in this year’s Holiday Hoops Classic Tournament. They placed 1 st in their division, taking out their leading competitors Freedom and East Stroudsburg South.
JV's look to improve
Though the season has gotten off to a rocky start for the boys’ junior varsity basketball team, the future looks promising. With the guidance of the new coach, Mr. A.J. DePue, the boys look to improve the record.
The first two games yielded disappointing losses against Notre Dame East Stroudsburg, 54-23, and Northwestern Lehigh, 50-15. Their next game, on Friday, December 10 against Saucon Valley, was a close one. Although the boys played well, they lost, 40-28. “It was a close one,” commented Coach DePue, “but foul shots and turnovers prevented us from pulling out a win.”
Their first win came on against Palisades. The boys finished the game, 47-44, a close win. Nick Schleppy led the team with 16 points, and Paul Paluscio followed with 11.
The Bangor-Pen Argyl Holiday Hoops Classic produced two more disappointing losses for the boys against both Freedom and Bangor. The first half of the Bangor game looked promising for the team, with the score in their favor at the end of the first quarter. They were not able to pull out a win, however, and the game resulted in a 56- 32 loss.
The boys and their coaches insist that they are improving with every practice and working to accomplish more wins this year. “All guys on the team continue to work extremely hard at practices,” said Coach DePue. “That’s extremely gratifying to me.” Working well as a team is always on the minds of both the coach and the players. Dan Ruggiero, a sophomore, would like to work on “developing a lot more consistency in the way we play.”
Goals for the team this year are all about stepping up their game. Coach DePue wants “to improve in all aspects of the game, both mentally and physically,”
Freshman off to a good start
The freshmen boys’ basketball team has started out the season with an overall record of 5-3, as of January 3, 2005. The team has lost to Southern Lehigh, Nazareth, and Salisbury.
In the Bangor-Pen Argyl Holiday Hoops Classic, the boys came 4 th out of 4, losing to Freedom and Bangor. The boys lost to Bangor in overtime. They claim that the first half of the Bangor-Pen Argyl game was their best game because they, “did everything right,” according to Bobby Wenz. He also hopes for the team to have a winning season and for the players to achieve their personal goals.
The team is being coached by Mr. Piazza. This is Mr. Piazza’s first experience coaching. They hope to have individual improvement for each member and to attain a winning record. The team feels that outside shooting and playing hard are their strengths.
The team attributes their success to years of playing together.