The QCHS boys and girls swim team faced Central Bucks South in their last regular meet of the season.  The following swimmers earned first place in at least one of their events:  Victoria Travor, Ethan Fritch, and Sarah Renn.  Ethan Fritch also qualified for the District 1 Meet in the 500 Freestyle. 

The following football players were named to the All Intell Team: 1^st team: Tony Latronica, Kurt Roberts, Rob Basile; 2^nd team: Jake Swearingen; Honorable Mention: Ryan Tincknell, Seth Gray.

Nine students represented QCHS at the PMEA District 11 Chorus Festival this week. They were selected among  the top 20 singers in their section out of all the singers in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. They re-auditioned for a chance to perform in the PMEA Region VI State Chorus and 8 of the 9 were selected by being in the top 10 of 20.

The Region VI representatives are Maggie Montoney, Joshua Slabinski, Joel Bauman, Jay Stiles, Adam Lynn, Jon Bauman, Dan Laubach and Mike Smolinsky. Brenna Sullivan made the District 11 Chorus.

Maggie and Josh earned top honors, each by placing #1 out of 20 in their respective sections.

District Business Manager announces retirement

The QCSD Board of School Directors reluctantly accepted the retirement of Business Manager Sylvia Lenz at the January 28 meeting. She will prepare the 2010-2011 budget before her last day on July 31.

"It's time," said Ms. Lenz, who lives in Richland Township. "This has not been an easy decision to make. I'm very proud of the school district and proud to be part of it."

Ms. Lenz came to QCSD from Pottsgrove School District in August, 2001. Before that she worked in Business Administration for Cheltenham School District. She has worked in public education for more than 25 years.

Ms. Lenz is in charge of all business office operations, including facilities, food service, tax office, payroll, accounting and accounts payable. Her days are filled with construction project meetings, preparing the annual budget and many other business related duties.

School Board President Linda Martin praised Ms. Lenz as a “classy lady,” noting her dedication has included plenty of overtime on many evenings and weekends in the district offices.

Board member Kathy Mosley thanked Ms. Lenz, noting she explained the budget many times to district employees and the public because it can be difficult to understand.

The QCSD School Board and Administration honored seven teachers at the Jan. 28 Board Meeting. Two of the teachers, pictured above attended, Steve Wysocki and John Makoul.

The full list is in the chart below.

Daniella Ciccarone: Basking in the Quakertown record books

Photo by Shannon Smith, QCHS Senior

One thousand points is no easy feat for a high school basketball player, but Quakertown star senior Daniella Ciccarone surpassed that mark in her 2^nd game of the season. The numbers? Well, she is still racking them up. After breaking an 80-year-old Quakertown High School women’s basketball points record, Daniella now has her eyes set on the men’s points record, at 1,303.

Miriam Afflerbach scored 1,144 points between 1927 and 1930, when women still played the old 6-on-6 game in which the offense and defense did not cross half court. Daniella broke the record Jan. 12 in a game at North Penn. The overall school record of 1,303 points was set by Rob Gluck back in the 1980s.

For the rest of the story, click here.

Five runners qualify for state championships

Five Quakertown Community High School girls qualified for the indoor state track championships at a recent meet at Lehigh University. Jody Evans (the 60), Alicia Evans (200) and Megan Rhyner (800) qualified in individual events. Evans, Sara Linke, Jasmine Korr and Evans qualified for the 4 X 200 relay. The state meet will be held in early March at Penn State.

Robert Basile wrestled with his options: Go to Princeton on an ROTC scholarship or go to West Point.

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Nicole Soskin: Motivated, ambitious, dedicated student

For the rest of the story, click here.

Keystone Soldiers assembles care packages to send to all branches of the military and sends them to locations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Korea and any other troops who request help from home.

Families donated healthy snacks, candy, sunscreen, insect repellant, lip balm and toiletries.

The QCHS wrestling team finished 13^th out of 100 teams in the Beast of the East Wrestling Tournament held at the University of Delaware the weekend of Dec. 19. Robert Basile placed 4^th, Scott Wolfinger placed 7^th and Briar Malischewski placed 8^th. Every wrestler on the team won a match, which helped the team place 13^th in the team competition.

The girls track team competed Dec. 18 at Lehigh University. Jody Evans won the 60 meter dash. She qualified for the Meet of Champions meet at Lehigh and also the indoor state meet at Penn State in March.

The Strayer Military Kids Support Group, advised by counselor Maureen Cloonan, shipped out 7 boxes of candy to their family troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. In the picture, the sixth, seventh and eighth grade members of the group display their candy collection after Halloween.

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According to his teachers, Heath is top notch to the max! He is an excellent student with a heavy AP course load. Heath is always on task, always on time and his work is always of high quality. Heath is described as a very polite, kind and reliable individual with a great sense of humor. His classmates can always count on Heath for help and assistance.

Heath’s extracurricular activities include high school soccer team, Student Congress, National Honor Society, Band and group leader at East Swamp Church. Heath plans to attend college in the fall and pursue a degree in mathematics.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) awarded QCSD a $14,600 grant so that 9^th grade English department teachers can create standards based lessons utilizing the Verizon digital learning platform called Thinkfinity and upload these lesson plans to PDE’s new Standards Aligned System (SAS), which will make them available to teachers throughout the state.

PDE received $100,000 from Verizon to embed lessons utilizing their Thinkfinity database into SAS. PDE made up to $20,000 available to individual school districts, which then applied for the grant. QCSD was one of the 11 school districts that received the grant, written by Freshman Center librarian Bekci Kelly.

Teachers involved are Karen Sciarillo, Jen Stover, Nancy Nielsen, Sue Goodwin, Julie Pennabaker and Julie Saab. They will receive professional development in how to use Thinkfinity and SAS. Once their exemplary lessons are uploaded, they will hold an open house to showcase their work.

A committee of educational professionals from the Bucks County Intermediate # 22 (BCIU) in Doylestown will publish artwork by QCHS senior Robert Kienzle, a Graphics Communications student at the Upper Bucks County Technical School (UBCTS).

The BCIU offered an art contest that sought a design for a CD cover entitled “Moving On.” The CD is a directory for high school students and their parents to find contact information for community resources and governing agencies. The directory that will be printed in November will be distributed to local agencies and Bucks County District Transition Coordinators. They will then distribute it to families, teachers and professionals to use as a guide.

“Robert has done a tremendous job supporting this project. He has exceeded the level of persistence of most professionals through the hurdles,” said Elizabeth Swatsky, Program and Training Specialist of the BCIU.

The Graphic Communications program at UBCTS provides students instruction in the graphic arts industry as they produce various forms and displays. The PrintED National certified program prepares students for the changing technology in the industry and assists the students in preparing for additional study at a college or university. Students operate sheetfed offset printing presses, digital imaging equipment and various types of bindery machines.

QCHS junior Sarah “Boo” Hower was selected by opponent volleyball coaches to the Second Team All-League for the Suburban One League Continental Conference.

Sarah has been playing volleyball for three years and is the starting Libero (defensive specialist) for the 2009 Girls Varsity Volleyball Team. Despite a rough season for the team, Sarah earned the recognition for her steady play on defense and dependable serves. The selection means that Sarah is considered to be one of the top 12 players in the 7 team league. That’s quite an honor!

Dieter Klinkert, a QCHS senior, has been named the Student of the Month for October. Dieter has been enrolled in the Baking, Pastry and Gourmet Food program for three years. His reason for enrolling in this program is very clear cut and precise: He enjoys making food for other people to enjoy.

Early in his career training, the Baking teacher, Mrs. Elaine Gorman, noted his potential for excellence. As he nears the completion of this phase of his education, Dieter’s skills have dramatically increased and the quality of his workmanship has greatly excelled. He is consistently on the UBCTS First Honors list. Dieter was awarded the Outstanding Level-One Student award in tenth grade, and was selected as the Outstanding level-Two Student the following year.

Upon graduation, Dieter plans to attend a college to major in some aspect of the food industry. This will prepare him for this dream job, working in a FIVE STAR restaurant.

The UBCTS will hold an Open House Nov. 17 for 5th to 8th graders.

Megan Rhyner qualifies for state cross country meet

Congratulations to Megan Rhyner for qualifying for the PIAA State Cross Country Championship Meet by placing 17^th out of more than 400 runners at the District 1 Championship Meet. Megan will compete against the top girls in the state at Hershey.

QCHS sports teams enjoy recent successes

The girls cross country team placed 5^th overall at the Suburban 1 League Championships. The top finishers for the girls were Megan Rhyner, Bri Parsons, Liz Deming, Megan Renn, Sarah Renn, Shelly Cowan, and Emma Brown. A special congratulations goes to Megan Rhyner for placing 5^th overall in the varsity race. The girls next run at the District 1 Championships.

The QCHS football team posted a victory on Senior Night against Central Bucks East. Ryan Tincknell threw for a school record 4 touchdowns. Tony Latronica, Rob Basile, and Mike Potynski scored touchdowns while Geoff DeLan and Rachel Dolly added the PATs. The defense was solid in the second half. Kurtis Roberts picked off his 4^th interception of the season.

The JV Football team improved its record to 5-2 with an 18-14 win over CB East. Erik Jones threw two touchdown passes, one each to Dylan Gossler and Nick Nagele. Dylan also pulled in another touchdown pass from Nick Barndt. The defense was lead by T.J. Bartholomew, who had an interception. Dylan Gossler also had two sacks defensively and Alex Wu and Justin Wieder played great pass defense late in the game to preserve the win.

The Quakertown Ice Hockey team won 11-0 against Central/ Bethlehem Catholic. Zach Gower had four goals and two assists. Alex Coblentz had 2 goals and 3 assists. Matt Iskra had a goal and an assist. Matt Grant had 2 goals. Jake Ferrar and Joey Hooven each had a goal and Brandt Hale had an assist.

“They’re the reason I got the award,” Alaina said, indicating students in her classroom for a Spanish Heritage class.

Every Thursday night, eight to 10 students, plus friends who come , along to help, show up at the First UCC Church to play with babies and school aged children (25-30 of them) and to help them with their homework or simply keep them entertained while their parents take English lessons from Diane Blodgett.

QCHS junior Rosa Jimenez serves as the manager of the project and helps Alaina organize student help. The students are counting the volunteer hours toward their Graduation Project.

“Mrs. Wert helps a lot of people in the Spanish community,” Rosa said. “They come from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. I’ve been working with her since 9th grade. She’s always been there for me.”

Ten years ago, Alaina said, she discovered that the Hispanic Community needed help finding housing, filling out government forms and interpreting. She helped the people at Planned Parenthood and at the hospital and has served as the main interpreter for QCSD. She decided to create the evening program because she realized that the mothers needed babysitting help in order to learn English. Their husbands work at several jobs during the day and evening to support the families. <, P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none" class=MsoNormal>“Some of these moms have a third grade education in their home countries,” Alaina said. “They can’t read or write in English or Spanish. We want to help them now so that they can then help their children and become active in the community.”

For the past few years, Diane taught English to Spanish speaking adults during the evenings at QCHS, through the VITA ESL program. When funds ran out this year, Diane and Alaina connected with the Latino Leadership Alliance, which runs similar programs in Lower Bucks County. Toget, her they have created weekly classes that are offered free of charge to residents of the Quakertown community

This week, Alaina took nine students to a Latino Conference in center city Philadelphia. Students attended sessions about college, wellness and technology.

The Hispanic families appreciate Alaina’s efforts and occasionally, she and her family are invited to eat dinner at someone’s home. She and husband David, a Technology Education teacher at Neshaminy, love to take their children along so they learn about other cultures. Daughter Gabi, 8, helps on Thursday nights at the First UCC Church program and counts the volunteer time toward a Girl Scout service project. Son William, 6, spends a little time helping with the program then goes to Boy Scouts with dad on Thursday nights.

Alaina and David also took into their home a former student, now 20, currently in her third year of college. They are adopting a one-year-old girl, Cesia Maria, from Honduras, hopefully by the end of October. They learned about her after spending a week on a mission trip to Honduras last December when they built a school for a children’s home.

“All of this work has become very natural for me to do during my recreational time,” Alaina said. “It’s what I do. We need to help the people who are trying.”

Her father, Kevin, takes pictures of his Quakertown “mancave,” which is decked out in Phillies’ paraphenalia. He sends the fan photos to the media and posts them on websites. Several newspapers and Philadelphia TV stations have come to the house.

“I’m going to Game 1 if the game is the Yankees vs. Phillies at Yankee Stadium,” Amanda said. “My dad’s going to all the games, if it’s the Yankees, and to all the home games, no matter who they’re playing.”

About the media influx, Amanda said, “All the attention is a little embarrassing.”

The Upper Bucks County Technical School announced that its building trades programs for Carpentry, Construction Technology, and Electrical Technology have been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Builders Association.

Endorsement of a school’s trade programs involves a thorough review and evaluation by construction industry professionals using criteria established by the Pennsylvania Builders Association. Endorsement assures that those trades programs in the schools meet high standards of performance and will properly prepare students with foundational knowledge within the residential building industry.

Mr. David Abruzzi, Assistant Director/Principal, at UBCTS states “PBA sets very high standards for endorsement. When you obtain program certification you know it was well earned and most importantly recognized by many businesses that will be hiring your students.”

PBA is working with schools throughout the state to evaluate their various homebuilding programs. The instructors must integrate the Residential Construction Academy curriculum into their programs. The RCA curriculum follows specific national residential skill standards created by the National Association of Home Builders and their educational arm, the Home Builders Institute. The skill standards encompass core competencies as carpentry; plumbing; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and others.

Students who complete an endorsed course are tested by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI), an approved assessment through the PA Department of Education. When students score competent or advanced, they receive an official PBA Skill Certificate noting their accomplis, hment. Receiving a certificate provides reassurance to homebuilders that they are well prepared for work with a residential construction company.

To become endorsed by PBA, various components of a school’s trade programs are evaluated, including: facilities, tools and equipment, instructor qualifications, the curriculum, program support, and the establishment of an NAHB student chapter. PBA’s endorsed trade program is the only residential building certification program of its kind in the nation.

“Our endorsed trade program benefits schools by ensuring their homebuilding trades courses meet stringent criteria evaluating their educational value for students wanting to enter the homebuilding industry,” said Gene Kreitzer, PBA president. “It also is of great value to our members by creating a more skilled work force for our next generation of homebuilders.”

UBCTS is a public school serving the students in three Upper Bucks County School Districts, Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown. Students benefit from specialized career programs that give them a competitive edge in college and career. Approximately 700 students in grades 9-12 are enrolled in 19 Pennsylvani, a Department of Education approved technical programs. Students participate one half day at the career and technical school and one half day at their sending district where they receive the balance of their academic courses.

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Chartered in 1952, the Pennsylvania Builders Association is a nonprofit professional trade organization representing 8,500 member-companies from across the commonwealth. PBA members and their 528,000 employees include builders, remodelers, material suppliers, subcontractors, consultants, lending institutions, utilities and others involved in the housing industry.

PBA serves its membership by providing proactive leadership on state regulatory and legislative issues and by offering products and services to its 40 local associations and chapters that enhance the effectiveness and professionalism of its members. PBA serves Pennsylvania communities and consumers through its steadfast efforts to protect homeownership rights and advocate for affordable housing options. PBA is affiliate, d with the National Association of Home Builders.

The QCHS girls’ volleyball team raised more than $2,000 for breast cancer awareness through their first Dig Pink event, October 13. The girls hosted Pennridge, currently in first place in the conference. Coaches reported that the girls played great, keeping the scores close and winning one game (21-25, 25-16, 24-26, 10-25). Both teams wore pink uniforms. The Panthers also celebrated Senior Night in honor of Amber Kuestner and Taylor Batcsics as well as 6 seniors from Pennridge. Junior Sarah “Boo” Hower - Libero received the MVP for the game and received a game ball.

The team set a goal to raise $500 for its charity, The Side-Out Foundation. Instead, the girls and coaches - Wendy Mahler, Lisa Cravener and Andy Snyder - raised about $1,000 before the game and more than $1,000 at the event. The team sold pink-colored chocolate lollipops and pink t-shirts. They raffled the game ball, sold food at the match and charged admission. They totaled $2,145.

Coaches thanked administrators for their support, as well as Upper Perk Sportswear (t-shirts), Athletic Director Sylvia Kalazs, Valerie Lopes (lollipops), Marilyn Hower and parents of team members.

“My big thing was to raise money,” she said, noting that entrants needed to raise a minimum of $2,300. “I exceeded my goal. So I’m not putting pressure on myself.”

Money raised goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. QCHS students and staff raised $1,070 for Poulton’s efforts. Her family and friends also raised money, so her total is more than $3,700.

“It was a lot of word of mouth,” Sue said. “My gir, lfriend and I held a penny auction. We sold our junk jewelry and made over $300!”

Sue walks two miles a day, five days a week, for training. She and her colleagues also put on plenty of mileage while they buzz around the cafeteria setting up and cleaning up daily lunches. Participants in the 3-Day will start at Willow Grove Mall at 9 a.m. Oct. 16. They’ll sleep in pink tents in Tent City, somewhere in Philadelphia, where they will also be able to take hot showers, eat food and enjoy entertainment. Sue will walk with three women on a team called Awesome Adventure Walkers. She will first meet the Bucks County women at the starting line. The event will finish at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

“Some of the women walking have had cancer, many have not, but somehow everyone has a connection to cancer,” Sue said. “My cousin in Seattle has walked this event out there for five straight years and my other cousin joined her this year. There is a huge group of volunteers that organizes the events all over the country.”

Sue said she is praying for dry weather. No matter how many miles she winds up walking, she already feels like a winner. “When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t know if I would be here in five years. I’m so happy about this big milestone.”

PSBA received 210 entries, for c, alendars; employee communication; handbooks; finance publication and presentation; internet/intranet web site; parent information; print newsletter/newspapers; school board brochures; and special purpose publications. Judges gave the site 49 out of 50 possible points for general appearance and design; content; navigation; useability; and message makes appropriate use of media. PSBA recognized the QCSD weekly newsletter, QCommuniqué, with an Honorable Mention last spring.

Award of Excellence entries will be displayed at the 2009 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference, Oct. 13-16 in Hershey. QCSD redesigned its website when Community Relations Coordinator Ricki Stein joined the school district in the spring of 2008. Mrs. Stein coordinates the efforts of many people to maintain the website. Alice Bishop, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, and Todd Silvius, music teacher-turned-Lead Teacher, Educational Technology (, Cyber), work with her to keep the district home page current. She coordinates the photograp, hs and posts them on the website, along with the QCommun, iqué, Kudos, From the Inside Out and Who’s Who.

“This website is a team effort,” Mrs. Stein said. “Our goal is to make it a place for readers to know what’s going on in QCSD and to see the human side of the school district.”

Added Dr. Lisa Andrejko, Superintendent, “Improving communications is and has been a strategic plan goal given top priority by the school district. This award is affirmation of the hard work of Ms. Stein, Mr. Silvius, and Ms. Bishop.”

Photogenic QCHS junior Ashlynn Rice is featured as the cover story on the Healthy You magazine, published by Lehigh Valley Health Network. Now on her way to recovery, Ashlynn suffered a pulmonary embolism, or blocked artery to the lung. At Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, she underwent open-heart surgery to remove a 4-inch clot from her lung. She’s back in school and anxious to resume horseback riding and cheerleading lifts. Texting her friends on her cell phone helped Ashlynn during her hospital stay.

If you did not get the full color, glossy magazine in your home mailbox, you can go to http://www.lvh.org/healthyyou to read her full story and check out all the pictures.

Meghan Ackley, Life Skills teacher for grades 3-5 at Pfaff, earned a Master’s in Educational Development and Strategies at Wilkes University. Suzanne Altner, second grade teacher at Quakertown Elementary, earned a Master’s Degree for TESOL (Teaching Engli, sh as a Second Language), at DeSales University.

Michael Benning, fifth grade teacher at Neidig, completed his Master’s in Elementary Education at Kutztown University. Thomas Campion, 1^st grade teacher at Tohickon Valley finished a Master’s of Elementary Education from Lehigh University. Lisa Fortunato, ESL teacher at Richland, completed a Master’s Degree in Brain Based Teaching from Nova Southeastern University.

Melanie Hazelrigg, Elementary Vocal/General Music teacher at Pfaff and Tohickon Valley, earned a Master of Music in Music Education from Boston University. Mike Huber, 3^rd grade teacher at Richland Elementary, finalized a Master of Education (Elementary Education) from DeSales University.

JoAnn Klee, third grade teacher at Neidig, completed a degree in Educational Development and Strategies at Wilkes University.

Amy Migliore, who teaches Digital Design and Studio Art at the Freshman Center, earned a Master’s of Science in Classroom Technology at Wilkes University. Rhonda Moyer, second grade teacher at Pfaff, completed a Master of Science Degree at Wilkes University. Brad Mushrush, who teaches Introduction to Business & Introduction to Engineering Design at the Freshman Center, earned a Master of Science in Education, Classroom Technology at Wilkes University.

Jeff Palen, ESL Teacher/Coordinator at QE and Tohickon Valley, completed a Master’s of Elementary Education from Kutztown University. Bill Wess, 7^th grade science teacher at Strayer, earned a master’s degree in Classroom Technology at Wilkes.

Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th District) joined community leaders to announce two grants for the Drug Free Communities Support Program, which will help reduce youth substance abuse through school-based prevention programs.

Both the Council Rock Coalition for Healthy Youth (CRCHY) and the Upper Bucks Healthy Communities Healthy Youth, Coalition (UBHCHY) will receive a $125,000 federal grant this, year from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The grant will total $625,000 over five years. The highly competitive funding, which Congressman Murphy advocated for, will support drug use prevention and education efforts in the Council Rock School District and several school districts in Upper Bucks. In addition to Upper Bucks and Council Rock, two other communities in the 8^th District, Central Bucks and Pennsbury, will also receive Drug Free Communities funding.

“Advocating for funding like this grant is an important part of my job, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done to keep Bucks County families healthy and safe,” said Congressman Murphy. “Both the Upper Bucks Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Coalition and the Council Rock Coalition for Healthy Youth do the vital work of mentoring our youth and building stronger communities by preventing drug abuse. We’re proud of the great work that these groups can continue to do with these grants.”

“Efforts to keep our youth drug-free are critical in the Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown communities in Upper Bucks County”, said Lee Rush, UBHCHY Community Organizer and Executive Director of justCommunity, Inc. “This award from the DFC program also recognizes and supports our work to increase the level of the 40 Developmental Assets in all youth. These assets are the essential building blocks for healthy youth to thrive throughout their lives and make smart decisions.”

The Drug Free Communities program provides funding for community organizations that facilitate citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. Coalitions are comprised of community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, and the media.

“It was an incredible weekend,” Tanya said. “I can't even describe the intensity and excitement.”

In the women’s field, 75 women qualified from around the world. The top 5 males and top 5 females from last year’s world event had an automatic bid to this year’s games, so Tanya did not have to qualify for the 2009 edition.

“Last year was the most difficult experience I have ever gone through until this year,” Tanya said. “This year by far tested my physical and mental capacity to limits I didn't know I could handle. It was awful! I'm so happy it's over. I was scared to death because I knew what I was getting into and so that helped but it also hurt because I didn't have to qualify like the other athletes, which made me nervous about my own growth over the year, not seeing where I'd place even within my own region.”

Competitions require contestants to perform a series of Workouts of the Day (WOD) that combine strength and aerobic conditioning exercises. This year’s event included a hill climb.

“I worked as hard as I could when I'd do my workouts and I'd try to work out as often as possible, which really wasn't as often as I hoped between teaching full time and being an owner of a fitness business,” Tanya said. “It was hard to find time and energy to work out all the time, .”

Husband Josh, a teacher at Souderton, placed 40th out of 75 and ranked right around some big named competitors who were actually favored to win. The Wagners share ownership of CrossFit Apex, through which they train other athletes.

To watch a video of the competition and see plenty of pictures of the 2009 championships, go to http://www.crossfitapex.com/.

The trip is taking them through villages and towns, cities, rain forests, mountains and famous landmarks. Their site features all the educational videos, blogging and live feeds they produce as they travel and work in classrooms across the country. Their goal is to promote an awareness of South American culture, geography, issues, and economics in the American school system. They are working to engage support of districts and classrooms that would be interested in integrating their journey into their curriculums.

You can, send them messages! Kudos to Dan and his buddies. This site is worth the time!

Last week, Angelo was named an All-America selection for ESU when he was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) third team. He started 38 games at third base, 11 at first base and four at designated hitter during the 2009 season and was drafted by the Mariners as a left fielder. His uncle Jimmy Angelo, the brother of his dad Ed Angelo, played in the minor leagues for the Cincinnati Reds.

In addition to her 4.0 grade point average, Amanda has spent plenty of time in community service. She has worked with Student Government’s Blood Mobile and Senior Citizens Prom; the Penn State Emerging Leaders (building bat boxes); and Big Brothers Big Sisters. For three straight years, Amanda spent time with elementary children, playing board games with them once a week.

Ron Bernstein, , Director of Foundations, told Amanda that the award keeps on giving. The Foundation will contact her in 2010 so that she can get paid by a non-profit to gain work experience for a summer job. Amanda will be able to interview for a job with a non-profit that appeals to her. She plans to major in a science, but is not sure yet which field.

“The people who recommended you and the Foundation believe you are a good human being who can do something for the community,” Bernstein told Amanda.

Foundations will run Amanda’s picture in full page advertisements in several newspapers in the next several weeks.

Congratulations to QCSD Athletes of the Week

Senior Alicia Hughes was named the Suburban One League Softball Player of the Year by league coaches! She is the QCSD female athlete of the week.

Junior James Weiss finished 2^nd in the Pole Vault at the PIAA State Track and Field Championship last weekend at Shippensburg University. He was only one jump away from capturing the gold, but he will surely be the favorite to win it all next year d, uring his senior year. He was named the QCSD male athlete of the week.

The girls’ track team was named team of the week. Coached by Jack Sabol, the girls turned in numerous outstanding performances at the state track meet. The 3200-meter relay team, made up of Sarah Renn, Liz Deming, Megan Renn and Megan Rhyner qualified for the fina, ls, and placed 10^th in the state, while Alicia Evans earned a 6^th place medal in the 200m dash.

As a student, Shannon challenges herself by taking difficult class like AP Calculus. Ms. Byatt describes Shannon as, “a student who makes teachers wish they had a whole room full of students like her.” Shannon is also an extremely active member of the junior class and recently helped plan the Junior Prom at Lehigh University. According to Ms. Byatt, “Shannon is the sort of student who is always behind the scenes doing the work that no on, e else sees that make the class of 2010.” Shannon is a steady worker who can always be counted on. Shannon plans to attend college after graduation to study film.

Most of the competitors were older than George. Many entries were 3 person teams while George worked solo. He advanced to the state event after winning at the Bucks County event. He updated his blog management program that helps people manage a web log. You can scroll down to read about his first competition.

Experience the South Pacific without leaving QCHS auditorium!

South Pacific, a 1949 musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, is set during WWII in the South Pacific islands. The story tells the tale of Ensign Nellie Forbush, whose role is shared by senior Molly Jamison and junior Maggie Montoney. Forbush, a naive military nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, falls in love with a French planter Emile DeBecque, played by senior Chris Young and junior Jon Bauman. However, she later discovers secrets in their relationship which threaten to tear them apart. “A large part of the musical’s plot is the love story between Nellie and Emile,” explained Jamison.

Lechner, who has been directing musicals for 24 years at Quakertown, said he fell in love with the score and characterizations of South Pacific right away. After viewing the movie version, reading the script, and further investigations, Lechner knew South Pacific would be the perfect musical to perform this spring. “Everyone has something special,” said Lechner, referring to the various roles in the musical. The music is all live, including a live orchestra directed by music teacher Alan Shughart.

All age groups will enjoy South Pacific; however, the story intertwines some mature themes, like war, romance, and racial prejudice. Still, the musical’s dance numbers, singi, ng, and silliness will attract children of all ages.

Congratulations to Athletes of the Week

QCHS senior soccer goalie Taylor Diaz played an outstanding game against Souderton last week. She was named the female athlete of the week. The girls’ soccer team play, s at CB South in th, e district playoffs on Tuesday at 4p.m.

Senior pitcher Mike Utterback picked up the complete game in a 9-6 win over Pennridge on Saturday. Mike was helped by Jayson Rathjens 3 RBI’s and homerun. Utterback was named male athlete of the week.

Coach Andy Snyder and the boys’ volleyball team defeated CB South 3-0 last week. Angel Garcia had 11 kills, Chris Long 8 kills, Brian Stenson 8 kills and Donnie Thomas 30 assists. The team was named team of the week and hosts North Penn on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the district playoffs.

On the http://www.qcsd.org/ page, scroll down to Who’s Who and meet DottiAnne Edmonds, Food Services Bookkeeper.

Milford teachers Corey Beil and Laura Laudenslager, Strayer teacher Lynne Morgan and Pfaff teacher Beth Miller completed the Lehigh Valley Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) in Allentown. Each was satisfied about how long it took to run the event. Beil and Laudenslager said they came up with strong final kicks inside J. Birney Crum Stadium thanks to teacher Kathy Mease and her family, who cheered them to the finish line.

“Kathy gave me just the burst of energy I needed to sprint to the finish!” said Beil, who said the race was his first in about 10 years. His goal was to finish under 2 hours and he ran 1:52:43.

Laudenslager said the event was her 10th half-marathon. She finished in 1:59.31, four minutes short of her goal because she had not completely recovered from a foot injury. “But the race atmosphere was incredible. I had lots of fun. Runners represented 3, 5 states and 4 countries.”

Milford teacher Val Bauer ran the New Jersey Shore Marathon in Long Branch, N.J. She covered the 26.2 miles in the pouring rain in a personal best of 3:19:04. She paced herself evenly, which she considered a big accomplishment because “I always get too excited at the start and go too fast.” She plans to run the Lehigh Valley Marathon or the Atlantic City Marathon in the fall.

Pfaff teacher Kristen Swanson ran the Broad Street 10-miler in Philadelphia. She finished in 1 hour, 21 minutes and 59 seconds. Adrienne Tegge, Tohickon Valley fourth grade teacher, also ran the Broad Street event. She finished in 1 hour, 38 minutes.

Marsha Lockhoff, Assistant to the Business Administrator, completed the 100-mile Umstead race in Raleigh, North Ca, rolina. She finished in 22 hours, 16 minutes as the seventh woman and 39th overall among the 250 people who signed up. The “incredible event” followed a 12.5 mile loop in a state park with hills and cinder trails. Runners could drop at 50 miles if they wanted to.

“It was 75 degrees and clear all day, cool at night,” Lockhoff said. “It was the hardest thing I have ever done. If you did it under 24 hours you got an award!”

Teacher Kathy Dressel, Principal Cindy Lapinski and 7th grade student Kelsey Shaak and Emilio Chase attended the breakfast to accept the Live United award for Strayer Middle School. The school conducted a food drive as a building wide effort that reinforced the theme to “Live the Change…Make a Difference.” Each homeroom/team set a goal concerning the number of food items to be brought in for the food drive. Every goal was met or exceeded! One 7th grade student even spent his own money to purchase food items to help his team exceed its goal. Mrs. Dressel and her Student Council group helped to coordinate the effort.

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Teacher will perform as evil witch in dance performance

Ginger Woodbury, Milford Middle School science teacher, will transform into the evil witch in Sleeping Beauty when she performs May 9 with the Dance Theatre of Pennsylvania at Central Bucks High School South in Warrington. The Intelligencer prepared a full story about her for internet publication. You can read the full story by clicking here .

In the ballet, the wicked Carabosse is an outcast with a big grudge. In her science and RELA classroom, Mrs. Woodbury strives to be pleasant, fair and unde, rstanding. She said the wicked role is fun. She has been performing characters in the theatre’s productions for more than 20 years. In the company’s annual Nutcracker performances, Woodbury plays Clara’s elegant mother, Mrs. Silverhaus. The Dance Theatre includes pre-professional students from Bucks and Montgomery counties and brings in professionals to perform in productions.

Tickets for Sleeping Beauty are available by calling (215)345-7175 or by visiting www.dancetheatreofpa.com.

Sophomore Tyler Coleman helped lead the baseball team to an 11-8 comeback win over CB South last week. Tyler’s homerun ignited the Panthers’ of, fense. They were named the athletes of the week. ,

More than 22,000 high school, college and club athletes representing more than 60 countries compete in the annual event, which is considered the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States. More athletes compete at the Penn Relays than in the Olympics over its five-day schedule.

Click here to watch the video:

https://email.qcsd.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=66da040b0ca04b729aff069c90088684&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.flotrack.org%2fvideos%2ftrack_race%2fplay%2f173352-g-4x100-event-93-piaa-mid-sch .

The Mildred Biehn Johnson Award (named for a Quakertown harpist) is given to a student who displays exceptional talent and financial need. Maggie’s music teacher also submitted a, video of her playing her little Hummingbird harp. Patty Furlong, an Irish Music Teacher and Adjudicator, submitted a recommendation letter for Maggie that noted, “Irish music is based on timing, phrasing, ornamentation, choice of tune and feel for the music. The most difficult skill for any musician, regardless of age, is to appreciate the music and learn the feeling of what the composer was feeling while composing the tune. Margaret amazed me by her interpretation of both tunes she competed with. She played an air which was hauntingly beautiful. Her second selection was a jig which she played with the appropriate speed, correct phrasing and tasteful ornamentation. Margaret has enormous potential.”

Maggie has studied hard since age 6. She also studie, d violin for a year. And she has been an Irish dancer at the O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance since age 4. She has outgrown her 41-inch 29-string Faulkner lever harp. She has been saving money toward a new harp by shoveling snow and saving Christmas money. She has won several awards at competitions and she has performed at nursing homes. She hopes to go to Ireland some day and win all the age groups of the All Irelands Music Competitions while her sister Jess, 15, wins at All Irelands for dance. Maggie hopes to go to college for harp and music, teach harp and music to kids and sell her own CDs of her harp music.

In her essay, Maggie noted that she can only play F sharps on her little harp. “The so, o, ner I ge, t more sharps and a bigger harp, the sooner I go to Ireland. It would make me and my guardian Angel really happy harpers.”

Four QCHS groups won blue, first-place ribbons at the recent elementary level Reading Olympics event at Pennridge Middle School. Both Trumbauersville teams, one Pfaff team and one Strayer team won blue ribbons as 372 schools from Bucks County and more than 4,000 students participated. QCSD School Board member and parent Kathy Mosley noted, "Getting out of the event was like leaving a packed football game!"

To prepare, students read from a list of books included in the Olympics competition. Grade level teams competed, answering Jeopardy-style questions about the books. The more books each team member read, the better their chances of answering t, he questions correctly.

The middle and high school reading competition was scheduled for April 23 at New Hope Solebury. The seniors involved have been competing for 6 years.

At the high school, Kelsey is a member of the National Honor Society, and an excellent student with a good GPA. According to Ms. Byatt, “Kelsey is such a valuable asset to the junior class.” Kelsey recently was a member of the prom committee that organized a wonderful junior prom at Lehigh University. Kelsey is a terrific artist and enjoys making school spirit signs around the school.

In the fall Kelsey made incredible contributions to the junior class hall decorating. In the winter she was instrumental in organizing the junior class breakfast with Santa for children in Quakertown. Outside of school Kelsey enjoys volunteering with the Best Buddies Club, which pairs Quakertown students with students who have disabilities. Kelsey plans to attend college in the future to study art or education.

Tyler Burke finished 4th in the 200 meters and joined Aaron Zapf, Scott Zapf and Luke Rotenberger in the 4 by 100 meter relay, which finished 8th. Aaron also placed 5th in the triple jump and 10th in the long jump. Luke placed 6th in the 300 meter hurdles. Only six members of the team competed and they managed an impressive 10th place out of 43 teams.

Senior Janelle Carney was named QCHS female athlete of the week for an o, utstandi, ng performance at the girls’ track meet as the team tied Pennridge, 75-75.

The baseball team was named team of the week for an 8-3 victory over Hatboro. Jayson Rathgens and Kurt Roberts combined to hold Hatboro to 3 hits while striking out 13. Phil Bain led the Panthers’ hitting attack with 3 hits, Jake Neiman had 2 hits, and Jayson Rathgens had 2 hits, including a 2-run home run.

Lauren designed a “Lite-o-matic 5000." Second place went to Abigail Clark's design for "Make Your Breakfast." Third place went to Micah Jones for her "How to Ring a Bell" design. Keely Londino took 4th place for "How to Turn on a Lamp Without Getting Up." Jennifer Sterner's design, "How to Score a Goal in Soccer," placed her fifth.

Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was educated as an engineer but made his living as a cartoonist and sculptor, who drew newspaper comics. He was noted for his Boob McNutt character, editorial cartoons and incredibly complicated inventions. He created a humorous sculpture in 1967 for which the Rube Goldberg Award was named. Schools and colleges all over the country hold competitions in his honor. You can read more about the inventor and the competitions by going to http://mousetrapcontraptions.com/index.html.

Along with teacher Crystal Halleman, they helped to match, sort and box hundreds of shoes. The shoes will be shipped to places such as Haiti and Africa, where they are greatly needed. The Soup ‘n Shoes drive was featured in a QCommuniqué earlier this school year. The group donated 200 pounds of food to the Quakertown Food Pantry.

Juniors Ryan Bimes, Heath Detweiler, Jared Ely, Nicole Festa, Jesse Gehman, Jamie Juchniewicz, Melissa Marsala, Jake Neiman, Alyssa Nguyen, Grace Park, Kelsey Sevenski and Kristine Turner.

Sophomores Sean Basile, Jordan Besch, Ashley Caroff, Daniel Cornelius, Katelyn Donohue, Kendrick Fowler, Jacy Haekler, Wayne Hailstone, Lauren Long, Priscilla Marsala, Ryan Miller, Rebecca Nace, Rachael Owens, Justyna Pepkowski, Corday Selden, Colin Stephens, Christine Sterner, Lily Suh, Jacob Swearingen, Juanita Thompson-Quattlebaum, Jessica Thorn and Tara Wasserman.

The tour includes the Nixon Library, a cruise of the San Diego Harbor, a back lot tour at Universal Studios, a stop at Mission San Juan Capistrano, a tour of the Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood Walk of Fame. The students view the “Glory of Easter” Pageant at the Crystal Cathedral. In addition to participating in school and community events locally, QCSD students h, ave the opportunity to travel every other year.

On Saturday, nearly 200 music students who have met or exceeded the QCSD music performance standards in the district came together to perform for the community in the 7th annual Elementary Mus, ic Festival early in the day. Music teacher Todd Silvius recorded and uploaded the concert to a podcast page on his web site at Richland Elementary so that family members, who were not able to attend the concert, can hear the concert. Click here, ElementaryMusicFestival , and click on such songs as "Heroes of the Galaxy;” the Chorus call and response scat-singing in an advanced time signature in "5-4 Rhythm" or the combined Band and Chorus Finale of "America, the Beautiful."

QMPO Parents Ed Mathewson, Leslie Jonas and Christi Hetrick, played key roles in helping to set up the high school jazz festival as a fund raiser to help with transportation to scheduled events. Lewis and Son Music store owners Linda and Joe Lewis recruited professional jazz musicians to perform with the two QCHS jazz bands.

“Our music program is nationally recognized,” said Mathewson, president of QMPO. “Additionally, they are tops in the state, also having been selected by audition to perform at the PA Music Educators Association conference in April at Valley Forge. Mr. Gumble's 9th grade band was also selected by statewide audition to perform at the PMEA conference. This essentially validates that we have one of the very best programs in the state at all high school levels. More validation can be found in the sheer numbers of students who are selected to district, regional and all-state choirs, bands and orchestras. We even have two choir students selected this year for MENC All-Eastern choir ... an acco, mplishment that most schools never achieve!”

Seniors Justin Dechillo and Matt Striano won their doubles tennis match against CB West. The win helped lead the team to its third win of the season as the Panthers defeated CB West 4-3.

The boys’ track team, with Coach McFadden, defeated CB East. Senior Luke Rotenberger scored 20 points for the team by winning the 300m hurdles, 100m hurdles, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. The week before, junior Tyler Burke won the 100 and 200-meter hurdles at the Palisades Invitational. Alicia Evans set a new school record in the 100-meters at 12.4 seconds.

Congratulations to Coach Romig and the softball team on its win at home against Wissahickon. Senior pitcher Alicia Hughes picked up the win and started the offense for the Panthers by scoring the first run.

At the Buck Blast at CB West, the JV team finished first overall in pool play with a record of 8-2. The team then went on to defeat both Souderton in the semi finals and William Tennent in the finals, giving them an 11-2 overall record to capture the tournament championship. JV currently has a 6-0 record.

George created a blog management program that helps people manage a web log. He started making the program on his personal computer in December and worked through the holidays. Keith recreated an old Nintendo game, Bubble Barble, adding some projectiles to the platform base game. He said next time he will publish documents to show how he made the program, which would help the judges give him a higher rating. The judges came from industry, including one of the developers of a Facebook application and several business website writers.

QCHS computer programming teacher Prakash Patel accompanied the boys to the IU for the competition. As a first-year group, they did not have a formal club, but Patel recruited students from his AP Computer Science class. George is a freshman who goes to the 10-12 building for his Algebra 2 math class. When he heard about Patel’s group, he signed up.

Patel said that for the competition, students could create programming projects, digital movies, websites and graphics. Students from Centennial School District, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology,
New Hope-Solebury High School, Plumstead Christian School and William Tennet High School participated.

“We need to not get nervous, SELL IT, smile, show confidence and give spirit,” the 18 girls said before leaving for Florida, shouting out the ideas in a group discussion during a recent practice in the lower gym.

The team members are, in alphabetical roll call order (memorized by Coach Kim Oates): Junior Taryn Connolly, junior captain Ashley Dyer, junior Nicole Festa, sophomore Morgan Gawronski, junior Bryn Kandel, junior Shelby Krajcsir, junior Brianna Mangiaruga, junior Shana Moyer, junior Liz Powers, senior captain Samantha Powers, senior Jacqueline Richardson, sophomore Kelly Sally, sophomore Kelly Schlupp, sophomore Ashlyn Sterner, sophomore Courtney Taggart, junior Marta Weisel, sophomore Nikki Wicks and junior Kelly Wolfinger.

Last year the competition team placed fourth at the CanAm Nationals in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The girls said they had fun and it was a good learning experience. A look at their practice session, however, proved that they will not be satisfied with fun and experience. They’ve been fund raising since September, when they were training with the rest of the 37 girls on the football and basketball cheering squad. They have competed in 11 local competitions this winter, including events at Temple University and West Chester. They competed in Suburban I and District I championships. A videotape of a competition performance qualified them for this weekend’s national event. Co-coached by Kristen Funk and Kim Oates, the team hosted a competition and hosted a youth clinic for 57 little girls.

Four of the girls – Dyer, Liz Powers, Gawronski, Wolfinger – , also compete for Maximum All Stars cheerleading club, which won a competition at Virginia Beach, then finishe, d first in their division at the Orlando competit, ion. Dyer and Kandel compete on an Upper Bucks YMCA Level 8 gymnastics team, so those five girls compete every weekend for something! The schedules alone require STAMINA!

Practices require plenty of stamina and strength as the girls tumble, lift and toss each other and occasionally gouge each other, accidentally, with finger nails, elbows and teeth! Weisel has suffered the worst this season and takes an under-eye scar and huge arm bruise to Florida. The day she got elbowed in the eye, coaches and teammates were scooping and catching blood and offering kind words like, “You are gashed like a stuck pig!”

The Back Pass Program is an initiative to give back to the Quakertown communit, y and teach the game of soccer to young children, Zackon explained. This is the second year for the program and it serves as an opportunity for QCHS soccer players to give back to a local youth organization that helps children. It also helps high school students, with their college or job applications, helps them improve their own skills as soccer players by teaching the game, and serves as an opportunity for a senior project. Currently, many of the boys are using the sessions for their senior projects.

On a recent Wednesday, 14 high school kids worked with 10 little kids, including 4 tiny girls. They all wore shin guards and some wore fancy, too-large soccer uniforms, likely handed down by older siblings. The high school students were Jacob Barlow, Adam Blaisse, Chris Burnside, Josh Burnside, Seth Chandler, Heath Detweiler, Alex Diehl, Casey Fosbenner, Jeff Hippauf, Josh Lapinski, Taylor Leatherman, Chris Long, Marco Mendez, Tyler Munson, Mike Ramsden, Peter Russel, Mike Stover and Tyler Watson.

The big and little players added soccer balls to games like Red Light Green Light and Freeze Tag. They concentrated. They laughed. They sat on soccer balls. The big kids and little kids held soccer balls over their heads when they were frozen. It was a good look!

“I like to help little kids,” said junior Mike Ramsden. “It’s fun. I’m learning how to help people.”

The organization recently established the Connie Mack Jim Bowen Scholar Athlete Award. Jim was a player for Quakertown’s Connie Mack, Junior Legion and Quakertown High School’s bas, eball team. He is remembered by those who knew him best for his true love of the game of baseball and his never give up spirit.

Jake is a 5-season veteran of Connie Mack baseball. During his 2008 summer season, Jake played seven positions, mostly at catcher. He had a 2008 season batting average of .455 with 3 homeruns and 27 RBIs. During the year, Jake played for Connie Mack, his AAU team - the Upper Salford Diamond Dogs - and Quakertown Legion as well as for Quakertown High School. Jake volunteers at his church and will soon begin working at Habitat for Humanity.

Nate played 6 seasons with Connie Mack over the last 3 years. He is a member of the QHS Jazz and Marching Band, the National Honor Society and the Healthy Youth for Healthy Communities. He also volunteers for area nursing homes.

Both young men have demonstrated their scholastic abilities in the classroom as well, each with 4.0 GPAs, taking all Honors and AP classes.

Junior Tyler Burke finished 9th place in the 200m at the PIAA state indoor track championship on Saturday at Penn State. He was named the male, athlete of the week.

The wrestling team won its second consecutive District One title. T, he team qualified nine wrestlers for this weekend’s Regional tournament. First place finishers were Colin Bynum, Eric Koch and Nick Lubenetski. Coach Kurt Handel’s team was the QCHS team of the week.

Freshman Sarah Sch, licher took second place for German 1. Junior Jamie Juchniewicz took third place for German 4.

Brandon DeCicco reported that these were noteworthy achievements, as there were approximately 150 students at the competition from schools throughout Bucks County. Everyone who went to the event got a certificate of participation.

Lubenetski, a senior, was voted Most, Outstanding wrestler of the tournament, only the 4th Quakertown wrestler to win a District One Outstanding wrestler award. This weekend the team travels to Oxford HS, where the top four place winners will qualify for the State Tournament.

Congratulations to senior wrestler Nick Lubenetski on pinning his op, ponent in the finals t, o win the wrestling sectional title this past weekend at Upper Perk. He was named QCHS Male Athlete of the Week.

Congratulations to Coach Kurt Handel and the wrestling team for winning the sectional championship for the 2nd year in a row. Scott Wolfinger, Colin Bynum, Eric Koch and Lubenetski all won gold medals in their weight classes. The team wrestling at home on Saturday at 9:30am in the District Individuals Tournament.

This weekend the Panthers will begin their ques, t to qualify for the individual State tournament. The first of 4 qualifying tournaments will take place at Upper Perk HS this Saturday.

Congratulations to senior Jake Kandel on helping to lead the boys’ basketball team to a huge victory over Pennridge last week. The team plays at Lower Merion this weekend in the first round of the district playoffs.

Congratulations to Coaches Funk, and Oats and the cheerleading squad on being crowned the grand champions at the West Chester Competition this past Saturday. The team competes this Saturday at Hatboro for the league title.

At the high school, Kelsey is a member of the National Honor Society, and the Marching Band and Jazz Band. Kelsey is an outstanding tenor sax player. She has been selected as the first chair for District Band for three straight years and is a member of the Regional and State Bands. She has been the drum major for the past two years and helped lead the marching band to the State Title and third place national ranking. Outside of school Kelsey enjoys going to youth group at Quakertown United Methodist Church. Kelsey plans to attend college in the fall to study physical therapy.

A host of QCSD middle school students - 14 from Strayer and 9 from Milford - participated in t, he annual Bux-Mont Intermediate Honors Band. The band is comprised of more than 120 band students from 10 middle schools in Bucks Montgomery counties.

The students traveled to Penndale Middle School for three six-hour rehearsals, and the concert was held at Penndale January 31. More than 400 family members, fr, iends, and other audience members attended the concert to support the students and celebrate the arts. This was a major accomplishment for these very talented and hard working students!

The Strayer students were Isabella Sutton (clarinet); Jonathan Hickey (trumpet); Sara Donahue (clarinet); Max Claycomb (trombone); Julia Fosbenner (trombone); Derek Maseloff (French horn); Gordon Ridgeway (French horn); Jourdon Tribue (tenor sax); Ashley Leight (alto sax); Kyle Crouthamel (percussion); Pat Maxwell (trumpet); Tori Dager (mallet percussion); Sarah Post (flute); and Nathan Flath (bari sax).

The Milford students were Shelby Van den Berg (flute); Matt Basile (clarinet); Joshua Delk (bass, clarinet); Olivia Rutt (bari sax), Michele Cowan (trumpet); Rebecca Krown (bassoon); Christopher Jones (tuba); Jacob Prusch (tuba); and Nicholas Audiserk (battery).

Milford also received three outstanding soloist awards. The three soloists were Brent Leatherman (flugel horn), Brittny Buonnono Taylor (trombone) and Olivia Rutt (ba, ritone sax, ). This is the first time Milford has ever had three solo awards in one evening!

Angela won a gold medal in Basic Health Care Skill in the Health Care Careers competition. Steve won a gold medal for welding.

Quakertown seniors Nigel Jett and Brett Awckland won silver medals for Automotive Service Specialization. Nigel competed in auto technology and Brett in auto collision.
Junior Trevor Dietrich won a silver medal in Diesel Technology.

QCHS junior Wayne Whiteside took second place in Graphics Communications.

The QCHS Law Enforcement group of seniors Jeff Cadman, Allison Peck, Ashley Hinkle and sophomore Ashley Mat, thews , t, eamed with a Pennridge student to win a Quiz Bowl.

Juni, or carpentry student Derek, Roberts was part of a medal winning Team Works group in construction technology competition.