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Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 1
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Raider Pride Newsletter
Raider Pride Newsletter
SV All-School Musical ‘off to see The Wizard’
Congratulations to the cast, crew and orchestra of the Seneca Valley All-School Musical, “The Wizard
of Oz.” The 2014 production brought the house to its feet with each of its six performances. The show
was led by Stephen Santa, director; Aaron Magill, producer/vocal director; Bruce Smith, orchestra
director; and Devin Brown, choreographer.
CAST
Dorothy - Rachel Carmella
Scarecrow – Hunk - Jonathan
Baktay
Tinman – Hickory - Owen Fleming
Lion – Zeke - Lance Hahn
Glinda - Ellizabeth Lahm
Wicked Witch – Miss Gultch -
Hayley Hoss
Wizard – Prof Marvel - Michael
Trauman
Aunt Em - Madeleine Doyle
Uncle Henry - Alex Giddings
Guard - Jacob Holl
Trees
Madeleine Doyle
Rachel Noah
Lauren Ottaviani
Anna Schade
Kat Schulties
Amanda Wise
Crows
Cole Davis
Josh DePasquale
Alex Giddings
Ben Jamison
Alex Traverso
Bobby Vandrak
Winkies Gage Bitzer
Vinh Bright change matt gorog
Zachary Bryson
Cole Davis
Josh DePasquale
Alex Giddings
Josh Hahn
Ben Jamison
Mitchell Lachat
Alex Traverso
Bobby Vandrak
Featured
Dancers
Janessa Pretola
– Dance
Captain
Elise Harrison
Haylie Helbig
JoEllyn Hixson
Kelly Lawson
Erin Lipnicky
Claire Livingstone
Jenny Lynskey
Kelsie McElroy
Nikki Miller
Abby Vanwormer
Shelby Wilkinson
Monkeys
Haylie Helbig
Musical Fast Facts:
● More than 250 Seneca Valley
students participated in this
year's musical as either a
member of the cast, crew or
orchestra.
● In the Seneca Valley
production, all of the complex
costumes were hand-made by
a team of needlecraft experts.
● Seneca Valley was fortunate to
have two different, but similar
-looking, dogs on hand to play
the part of Toto.
● L. Frank Baum, author of the
“Wizard of Oz” book, thought
up the name for Oz when
looking at his filing cabinets,
organized A-N and O-Z.
● The film version was deemed
"culturally significant" by the
United States Library of
Congress, which selected it for
preservation in the National
Film Registry in 1989.
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 2
JoEllyn Hixson
Kelly Lawson
Nikki Miller
Kat Schulties
Brittany Steighner
Hailey Wehner
Abby Vanwormer
Ensemble - Women
Kay Baier
Annie Batista
Tayler English
Katherine Fronczak
Carinne Geil
Cassidy Glatz
Jordan Hazy
Kiersten Hepp
Laura Kiesling
Laura Killby
Madeleine Doyle
Karina Latsko
Madison Lopiccolo
Sam Magill
Allison Miller
Ava Minutello
Kyra Nelko
Rachel Noah
Lauren Ottaviani
Sara Panetta
Mary Romano
Anna Schade
Kat Schulties
Siona Sharma
Taylor Sheehy
Shea Standish
Katie Steele
Samantha Tedrow
Brooke Thomas
Hailey Wehner
Ashley Williams
Amanda Wise
Ensemble - Men
Alec Allison
Gage Bitzer
Vinh Bright
Joey Brinker
Zachary Bryson
Cole Davis
Brian Denny
Joshua DePasquale
Ryan Dillman
Payton Durbin
Alex Giddings
Matthew Gorog
Tom Grasso
Josh Hahn
Jacob Holl
Ben Jamison
Kevin Klobchar
Nate Kouns
Mitchell Lachat
Alex Traverso
Bobby Vandrak
Peter Wentz
Student Directors Faith Kraynik
Gabby Mayer
Olivia Spinelli
Munchkins – Middle School Cast
Lullaby League
Emma Krebs
Sasha Jantsch
Ella Pologruto
Lollipop Gang Caden Leighty
Giovanni Visone
Bryce White
Connor Anderson
Kate Chieppor
Tessa DeJeet
Ashlea Eaton
Nicholas Folino
Elisabeth Gallup
Victoria Hahn
Sarah Hinshaw
Catie Hohman
Madilynn Kerr
Grace Lopiccolo
Connor Schmidt
HS Munchkins Mayor - Samantha Magill
Coroner - Taylor Sheehy
Barrister - Carinne Geil
Teacher - Siona Sharma
Teacher - Brooke Thomas
City Fathers - Ryan Dillman
City Fathers - Kevin Klobchar
Jordan Hazy
Nate Kouns
Mitchell Lachat
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 3
CREW
Costume crew
2nd year
Maggie Baker
Allison Love
Sophia Mills
Ashley Trimble
1st year
Hannah Bork
Zofia Chrzanowska
Savanna Coffman
Abby Elias
Christi Eyler
Alexa Sims
Makeup crew Emily Sharp and Haley Habovick -
crew heads
Maggie Baker
Abby Bowen
Jenna Fetterman
Emily Hess
Sydney Huber
Danika Jones
Brooke Karasack
Sydney Long
Ellen Polite
Nicole Popp
Lauren Sauer
Emily Skamla
Kaitlyn Smith
Brenna Stubenbort
Hannah Swarts
Kirsten Walker
Set painting/building crew Christi Eyler - crew head
Zofia Chrzanowska
Savanna Coffman
Lucianne Ferraro
Margaret Fitzpatrick
Sam Kochis
Alex Lecce
Kim McGinnis
Lauren Sauer
Ashley Trimble
Katherine Winner
Stage & Props crew Alexis Hester and Kaleigh Ruiz –
Crew heads
*backstage crew
Quai Butler *
Margaret Fitzpatrick
Natalie Frund *
Savanna Grinder *
Melody Jones
Sam Kochis
Alex Lecce *
Kim McGinnis
Lauren Miller
Peyton Moriarity
Lexi Nelko
Logan Renshaw
Kenny Rochford
Emily Sharp *
Haley Slaughenhoupt *
Lauren Stanick *
Zachary Stoner *
Brenna Stubenbort
Hannah Swarts
Rachael Tollerton *
Kirsten Walker
McLean Walsh *
Katherine Winner
Tech crew Emily Bernd and Cory Nagel -
Crew Heads
Ashley Berman
Hannah Bork
Shannon Brickley
Zach Cene
Savanna Coffman
Trey Darak
Antonio Guilyard
Ray Hazenstab
Lizzie King
Jack Lachendro
Maggie Madey
Natalie McKinley
Emily Mitchell
Kenny Rochford
Tate Segafredo
Ushers
Trey Darak
Melody Jones
Logan Renshaw
Lauren Sauer
ORCHESTRA
Keyboard (piano) - Josh Baktay
Keyboard (harp) - Nataleigh Kerr
Percussion - Alex Steighner, Jake
Beck
Violin - Alex Park
Viola - Micah Hess
Cello - Sophia Salgado
Bass - Seth Beck
Trumpet - Matthew Ruwe, Mitchell
Weaver
French Horn - Christina Otteni
Trombone - Natalie Byers, Nikko
Passerba, Martin Chrzanowski
Flute - Jordan Harris, Rachel Kirsch
Oboe - Sarah Johanknecht
Clarinet - Sarah Kochis, Ariella
Meltzer, Daniella Ortiz
Bass Clarinet - Stefany Baron
Alto Sax - Austin Landgraf
Tenor Sax - Dan Singer
Baritone Sax - Rebecca Danik
Conductor/Keyboard - David Bruce
Smith
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 4
Exceptional Talent
SV students prove once again that art is alive and well at
Seneca Valley
One Seneca Valley student earned a national silver medal, and
more than 30 Seneca Valley students, were named regional
winners in the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Competition.
Cara Morgan, senior, was named a national silver medalist
in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Competition in
New York City. She advanced to the nationwide
competition after winning a regional gold medal last month
for her painting, “Toy Project.”
Regional gold and silver keys,
along with honorable
mentions, were awarded in the
categories of painting,
drawing, mixed media,
sculpture, printmaking,
ceramics and glass. Winners
were recognized during a program ceremony held on Feb. 23 at La
Roche College.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is
the longest running and one of the most
elite arts programs, providing
opportunities for recognition, exhibition,
publication and scholarships for its front
runners. Previous winners include famed
artist Andy Warhol and actor Robert Redford.
Seneca Valley students brought home 43 regional awards; nine gold key
winners, 15 silver key winners and 19 honorable mentions. Their art
teachers today include Jim Nagle, Jason Shorr and Megan Bonistalli, senior
high school art teachers.
Seneca Valley winners are:
Name – Award – Artwork – Artwork Name
Andrew Aluise-Gold Key-Mixed Media-Broadsided
Brooke Audino-Gold Key-Printmaking-The Golden Robot
Kristina Gorog-Gold Key-Drawing-The Crash
Mary Kelleher-Gold Key-Mixed Media-Boots & Typewriter Surrounded By Flowers
Cara Morgan-Gold Key-Painting-Toy Project
Emily Sharp-Gold Key-Drawing-Shannon
Laura Stewart-Gold Key-Drawing-Vase
Laura Stewart-Gold Key-Painting-Tree
Kimberly Toma-Gold Key-Drawing-3 Person
Andrew Aluise-Silver Key-Printmaking-The Harvest
Brooke Audino-Silver Key-Mixed Media-Alaskan
Beauty
Danielle Coyne-Silver Key-Drawing-Self-portrait
Catie Dillon-Silver Key-Painting-Through The Fire
Justin Graham-Silver Key-Painting-Bf-109 Vs. P-51
Megan Kasperski - Silver Key - Ceramics & Glass -
Modern Ruins
Brendan Kennelty-Silver Key-Drawing-Blue
Madison Shaffer - Silver Key - Ceramics & Glass -
Cubed Cubes
Emily Sharp-Silver Key-Drawing-Skull And Bottles
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 5
Kaitlyn Smith-Silver Key-Mixed Media-What Hand Is
Drawing?
Kyle Snyder-Silver Key-Drawing-Self Portrait Of
Matt
Kyle Snyder-Silver Key-Drawing-Self Portrait Of
Matt
Laura Stewart-Silver Key-Drawing-Contour Portrait
Laura Stewart-Silver Key-Drawing-Toy
Laura Stewart-Silver Key-Drawing-Pitcher
Brooke Audino-Honorable Mention-Mixed Media-
Robot Wax Resist
Eric Chatterjee-Honorable Mention-Painting-
Programming A Scroll
Trevor Eichelberger - Honorable Mention - Mixed
Media - Raw Footage
Kristina Gorog-Honorable Mention-Drawing-The
Live Book Of Lions
Madeline Kosinski-Honorable Mention-Mixed Media-
Teapot
Matthew Krause-Honorable Mention-Painting-
Industrial Heart
Meghan Mcnulty - Honorable Mention - Ceramics &
Glass - Hand built Vase with Black Slip and Vines
Angela Mignanelli-Honorable Mention-Painting-Space Gazin
Melissa Pallotti-Honorable Mention-Drawing-Skeleton On
Brown
Sarah Richard-Honorable Mention-Mixed Media-Flower Resist
Haley Ricketts-Honorable Mention-Painting-Self-portrait
Dana Sabol-Honorable Mention-Painting-Pschye Cessation
Natalie Salak - Honorable Mention - Ceramics & Glass - Parisian
Garden
Alexis Salvatore-Honorable Mention-Mixed Media-Holding Life
Emily Sharp-Honorable Mention- -Art Portfolio
Faith Simms-Honorable Mention-Painting-Dancing In The Rain
Kyle Snyder-Honorable Mention-Mixed Media-Lost In The
World
Laura Stewart-Honorable
Mention-Painting-Chicago
Lelaina Stowell-Honorable
Mention-Drawing-Skeleton
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 6
HMS students earn county art awards
Congratulations to the following Haine Middle School students who won awards at the 2014 Butler
County Elementary School Art Show:
Grade 6:
Lauren Boccardi -2nd place for her mixed media
mask “Backyard”
Chloe Roy -3rd place for her pastel/pen and ink
drawing “Tiger”
Sean Scott-Honorable mention for his mixed me-
dia mask “Once Upon a Time”
Jaylin Miller –honorable mention for her ceramic
3-d portrait
Lexi Troianos—Honorable Mention for her wheel
thrown ceramic bowl
Grade 5:
Emma Shearer-honorable mention for her painting
“Pink Landscape”
22 paintings by fifth grade students won the 2014
Best Project Award—a group award!
Group members include:
Sarah Wingard
Brandon Kaltenbaugh
Claire Reynolds
Cecelia Restauri
Kaitlyn Wolfe
Olivia Demettter
Megan Bablak
Rachel Dugan
Lauren Ehret
Allison Buchek
Connor Lyczek
Jocelyn McNany
Anna Hezlep
Cierra Denny
Emma Southwood
Alyssa Dunning
Carlie Henry
Kiersten Belt
Kate Dunaway
Anne Castagnero
Lauren Servello
Olivia Booth
Other students who had work in this show:
Ella Reynolds
Christy Frank
Ally Smith
Abby Carson
Ben Heinlein
Olivia Crunick
Riley Surratt
Maura Taylor
Mackenzie McIntyre
Kaitlyn Sybert
Page Wertheimer
Gloria Michael
Tara Schneider
Jeremy Love
Cailee Cheski
Grace McSwaney
Art fit for a superhero
Dilini Ranaweera, Haine Middle School fifth grader and art club stu-
dent, had her artwork chosen for The SuperHeroes Foundation 2014
visual campaign. Her artwork, pictured here, will be seen on the liter-
ature and campaign materials for the group’s annual walk/run fund-
raiser to be held next month.
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 7
The Seneca Valley Academic Games elementary
division returned from the Pennsylvania State
Academic Games Tournament, the TriBowl, with
three state championship teams. The event, held
March 3-4, at Grove City College, featured the
categories of LinguiSHTIKs, Propaganda,
Equations, and Presidents. Seneca Valley had 36
students who qualified at the local level and
competed in the statewide competition.
The following students are from Haine Middle
School unless otherwise noted as being from
Evans City Middle School:
LinguiSHTIK:
First Place Team and Pennsylvania State
Champions: Kate Scanlan, Cailee Cheski,
Sydney Bruns, Nailey Salameh, and Zoe
Stebbins
Third Place Team: Alex Stewart, Kevin
Karatassos, Matt Donaldson, Cam Martin, and
Emily Bobusci
Undefeated Individual Performances and National
Qualifiers: Kate Scanlan, Sydney Bruns, and
Zoe Stebbins
Other National Qualifiers: Bailey Salameh, Matt
Donaldson, Cam Martin, and Emily Bobusci
Propaganda:
First Place Team and Pennsylvania State
Champions: Kate Scanlan, Cailee Cheski, Jose
Ordonez, Dean Smith (Evans City MS), and
Gregory Mihalik (Evans City MS)
Second Place Team: Vinya Ponugoti, Sydney
Bruns, Evan August, Bailey Salameh, and
Kevin Karatassos
Fourth Place Team: Zoe Stebbins, Harry Foss,
Connor McDonald (Evans City MS), Adam
Corrigan (Evans City MS), and
RJ Wallace (Evans City MS)
Top 10 percent and National Qualifiers: Sydney
Bruns, Gregory Mihalik (Evans City), Vinya
Ponugoti, Cailee Cheski, Harry Foss, and
Connor McDonald (Evans City MS)
Equations:
Third Place Team: Harry Foss, Spencer Katzenell,
Evan August, Marc Amado, and Matt
Donaldson
Fourth Place Team: Derek Howe, Ty Thompson,
DJ Kovarik, Lindsey Hans, and Kevin
Karatassos
Fifth Place Team: Morgan Wehr, Alex Stewart,
Sydney Bruns, Vinya Ponugoti, and Rachel
Rafferty
Undefeated Individual Performances and National
Qualifiers: Morgan Wehr, Zoe Stebbins, and
Kevin Karatassos
Other National Qualifiers: Lindsey Hans, Mike
Beggy, Harry Foss, and Even August
Presidents:
First Place Team and Pennsylvania State
Champions: Ani Ponugoti, Zoe Stebbins, Kate
Scanlan, Sydney Bruns, and Vinya Ponugoti
Third Place Team: Morgan Wehr, Matt
Donaldson, Derek Howe, Bailey Salameh, and
Mike Beggy
Top 10 percent and National Qualifiers: Ani
Ponugoti, Kate Scanlan, Vinya Ponugoti,
Morgan Wehr, and Mike Beggy
SV students named state champions in TriBowl
Pajama round up
Seventh graders on Seneca Valley Middle School Bobcats Team
recently collected 41 pairs of pajamas, from newborn to adult
sizes, as part of this year’s National Pajama Program. All of the
PJs collected by SVMS were donated to the Crisis Shelter of
Lawrence County for those in need.
Pi Day
Teachers Megan Oldenski and Tracy Schultz created circle activities in
math classes at the Seneca Valley Middle School on March 17 to
celebrate “Pi” Day. Students used a string to find the circumference of
a circle and the diameter of a circle and then discovered that C/d =
pi. The students also celebrated with Pi Day songs and, of course, with
pie.
SV Junior named 2014 Carson Scholar
Junior Bailyn Bench has been named a 2014 Carson Scholar. She is among 6,200 gifted students from
across the country that has been named a Carson Scholar for academic achievements and service to
the community. With this honor, Miss Bench will receive a $1,000 scholarship, medal and certificate.
She will also be honored in front of family, peers, and educators at the Carson Scholars Fund Annual
Pittsburgh Awards Banquet on Sunday, April 13, 2014, in Pittsburgh.
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 8
Read Across America
In celebration of Read Across America Week 2014, and
in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Miss Ashley Legas, 2012
-2013 Miss Pennsylvania National American Miss,
visited Haine Elementary
School on Feb. 28 to share
her love of reading with the
students. She stopped by
Mrs. Laura Plocido’s first
grade room and Mrs. Sharon
McSwaney’s second grade
room before spending the
afternoon reading to students in grades K-3 in the library with Mrs.
Jacqueline Larson.
Miss Legas is currently a college student with many achievements and
honors. She recently returned from Australia where she studied marine
life, a trip funded through scholarship
money awarded for excellence in academic achievement. Miss Legas
spoke to students about her life-long love of reading and learning. She
also shared with some of the classes about her experience being
bullied and discussed the
importance of reporting bullying
to an adult. Coincidentally, Miss
Legas shares the same birthday
with Dr. Seuss and was more
than happy to read a selection of
his books to students.
Students at Rowan,
Connoquenessing Valley and
Evans City also celebrated with
guest readers (Dr. Tracy Vitale, Superintendent of Schools, is
seen here reading from her favorite “Cat in the Hat” book),
special dress up days, and even a reading celebration at the
Cranberry Township Barnes & Noble (as seen here) Bookstore.
Evans City Elementary students ‘on board’
Evans City Elementary third graders recently
completed a language arts and social studies
project as aligned with the District’s curriculum:
to research the communities in which we live
(interesting trivia: there are nine municipalities
within the Seneca Valley School District).
Students made and presented information on the
history, motto, population, recreational activities,
climates/seasons, landforms/water sources, famous
residents, etc. Ms. Sara Cassell, teacher, said she was
impressed by the student work and is “proud of their
accomplishments.”
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 9
The Seneca Valley Diversity Committee meets
several times a year and includes district
administrators, staff, students, parents and
community members.
The mission of the Seneca Valley Diversity
Committee is to join the school and community,
and serve as a culturally aware and diverse entity.
The group works to design, develop and
implement a comprehensive system of
responsibility, accountability, and recognition for
increasing diversity awareness. They provide a
knowledge base that sustains a community of
learners, teachers, administrators and families.
The goals, established by the group as part of their
mission, includes:
● Increasing global awareness within the school
community
● Impacting student identity development and
valuing diversity
● Providing continuous education around the
concept of diversity
The Seneca
Valley Core
Diversity
Committee comprises of
district
employees. These
are individuals
who are invested
in issues surrounding diversity and who are
passionate about advocating and supporting
diversity.
The Seneca Valley At-Large Committee includes
core committee members and community
members. Our community members offer a
different perspective and add valuable insight and
information to our discussions.
New members are always welcome! To join,
contact Ms. Kyra Bobak, Human Resources and
Pupil Services Director, at bobakka@svsd.net or
by calling (724) 452-6040, ext. 1760.
Seneca Valley Diversity Committee
New members welcome
Exploration
Students at Haine and Evans City participate in Multicultural Days
Over the past few weeks, Haine and Evans City Middle Schools hosted their respective buildings’
annual multicultural day activities. Students spent their morning taking in quite a bit through three
sessions, including learning through language, experiencing native dances
and dressing in the many different and colorful clothing that makes up our
rich nation.
Seneca Valley
Diversity
Committee
The Respect,
Education, Advocacy
and Love (REAL)
Diversity Recognition
Program
Aligned with our mission, the
Seneca Valley Diversity
Committee has developed a
recognition program called the
“Respect, Education, Advocacy
and Love” (REAL) Award that
recognizes staff who strive to
promote a positive respect for
diversity within the school
community. The REAL award
strengthens inclusiveness and
creates cultural awareness and
understanding among students
in the district.
Nominated individuals should
meet one or more of the
following criteria:
Cultivate and promote diversity
initiatives that establish and
foster a more inclusive and
equitable learning environment;
Implement best practices that
support diversity and inclusion;
Promote and facilitate equitable
and social engagement with and
between individuals of varying
ethnic or religious
backgrounds, socioeconomic
status and/or physical and
mental capabilities.
All nominee applications must
be submitted to Ms. Kyra
Bobak, Director of Human
Resources and Pupil Personnel
Services, at bobakka@svsd.net
or at SVSD, 124 Seneca School
Rd., Harmony, Pa. 16037. The
annual fall deadline is Dec. 1,
and the spring deadline is
May 1.
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 10
HMS project turns into public service effort
Haine Middle School Purpose (gifted) students were
recently studying water contamination when the
discussion turned to the recent West Virginia chemical
spill and California's exceptional 2014 drought.
Motivated by what they were learning and intrigued by
the current events, Teacher Allison Stebbins and her
students decided to turn their thoughts into action. The
class began exploring the ways in which they could be
proactive in the local community so as to prevent these
types of events from happening in Cranberry
Township. After discussing the matter with township water officials, as well as visiting with a
Pittsburgh water expert, the group decided to start an educational storm drain sign painting project.
The Cranberry Township Board of Supervisors recently gave the students their official thumbs up, and
Ms. Stebbins is in the beginning phases of planning the project.
“By painting signs at neighborhood street storm drains to not 'dump' into the drains, residents and
others would know that this water flows straight to a fresh water source without being cleaned,” said
Ms. Stebbins. “I couldn’t be happier that we can move forward with our storm drain project.”
Haine Middle School Purpose students have been recognized at the local and state level for years for
their well-performing conservation and recycling efforts, so we expect great things to come from this
new endeavor. Stay tuned!
Think spring!
Seneca Valley Middle School Bobcat students in Matt Durst’s classes annually conduct a unit on
plants, learning about the parts of a plant to plant requirements and everything in between. This year,
based on student feedback, Mr. Durst decided to mix things up a little and planted tomatoes and
peppers to grow the ingredients necessary for classes to make their own salsa. “I was very excited
about the idea of bringing some ‘spice’ to the plant unit,” Mr. Durst explained.
The culmination will come later in May when students harvest the crops and
make salsa from suggested
recipes. Until then, with all
winter has spread around this
season, the thrill has been to
simply watch something grow
and enjoy seeing a plant in any
color other than gray or brown.
“The project has breathed new
life into my students and me
during a winter that has been
far too cold to even consider
fresh vegetables or dare to hope
for spring,” he said.
As part of the project, Gardner’s
Greenhouses donated 100 - 12”
containers each filled with potting
soil, and Moe’s Southwest Grill in
Cranberry Twp., has pledged support
of the final salsa taste test by
providing the chips needed for the
event (and some salsa for the sake of
comparison).
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 11
What’s New in Raider Athletics – March 2014
Spring Sports Underway
Despite the wrath of Mother Nature our spring sport coaches have found a way to motivate their
student-athletes through the challenging weather and some have even had a chance for outside
competition in scrimmages. It has been a commendable effort on the part of our coaches for managing
a difficult start to their season and an unbelievable job by Bob Cook, Tommy McClelland, and Kurt
Ford for getting our fields close to playing condition. Now, we all hope for sustained temperatures
above 40 degrees and plenty of sunshine!
Michael Smith to attend
Georgetown University
Congratulations to Michael Smith for recently
signing his National Letter of Intent to attend
Georgetown University where he’ll play football
and pursue a degree in business. Michael is
targeted to play outside linebacker and/or tight
end. The District and community are very proud
of another Raider student-athlete advancing to
the collegiate level of competition.
Winter Sports Wrap-Up
The final two Raider winter sports wrapped up
their seasons recently in post-season competition.
In wrestling, Seneca Valley had its first section
champ since 2008 when Austin Leon took the
sectional title at 152 lbs. In addition to Leon, the
Raiders sent five other wrestlers to WPIAL
Individual finals including Ben Lynch, Alex
Lynch, Tyler Miller, Stephen Rudolph and Nick
Zoria. For swimming and diving, Seneca Valley
was represented in eight events at the recent
PIAA Championships. Spencer Tretter
competed in four events including the 200m,
500m, 200 free relay and 400 free relay. Jake
Fausti competed in the 50m, 200 free relay, 400
free relay and came home with a school record of
47:17 in the 100 free. Joining Tretter and Fausti
on the relay teams were Michael Palaski and
Michael Rhein. On the girls’ side, Ali Kozlina
swam in two events – the 50 free and 100 free –
and finished 15th in the state in the 100 free.
Finally, Carley Belsterling competed in the 100
breaststroke – a great finish to her senior season.
Tucker Van Dyke heads to Paris
Senior linebacker Tucker Van Dyke is off to Paris, France the week of
March 24 to compete in a game against the National U19 team of France in
Paris on Saturday, March 29. Van Dyke is one of 34 players chosen by
American Football Worldwide ELITE; the team is truly a coast to coast
make-up with 20 states from every corner and region of the country repre-
sented on the roster. The game brings together graduating high school sen-
iors of the United States to compete against the French team in what will be
a rematch of last year’s inaugural game. In addition to the football, Tucker
will have the opportunity to visit many historical French sites in Paris, Ver-
sailles and the Normandy coast. The team will also visit the D-day beaches,
the U.S. cemetery, and Peace Memorial on the bluffs overlooking the Eng-
lish Channel. “This is an amazing opportunity to see the world and the Normandy Beaches,” said Van
Dyke. “It gives me a chance to play football with other players from the US and I hope to make some
lifetime friendships.” Congratulations Tucker and we’ll look forward to hearing about the trip upon
your return.
Follow Seneca Valley Athletics on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SV_Sports
SV Sports
Hall of Fame
The Seneca Valley Sports Hall
of Fame is once again seeking
nominations for their next class
of inductees.
The SV Sports Hall of Fame
Class of 2014 will be inducted
during ceremonies held in the
fall.
This community-based
organization, which consists of
Seneca Valley alumni, teachers,
administrators, and community
members, is focused on creating
a lasting identity for the athletic
legacy of our school community.
Their mission is to recognize the
outstanding athletic
contributions of Seneca Valley
Alumni in their respective
athletic endeavors and to
promote pride in the athletic
heritage of the Seneca Valley
community as a whole.
If you would like to nominate
someone for this honor, you can
find more information and
nomination forms at the District
website by visiting
www.svsd.net/SVHallOfFame
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 12
Australian swim coach Laurie Lawrence was
part of a research project that surveyed 10,000
swimming students throughout Australia over
four years to determine whether swimming aids
children's cognitive physical and emotion
development.
Trying to sell a pool to a family that isn’t quite
convinced? Hit ’em with this fact: Kids who
swim are smarter.
According to a recent Australian study, children
who participate in swim lessons at an early age
reach significant developmental milestones
earlier than their non-swimming peers. They
score higher in tests and are generally better
coordinated.
The research was conducted over the course of
three years to validate or refute the popular belief
in the aquatics industry that young, competent
swimmers appear to be more confident,
articulate and intellectual.
Now data is available to back up those claims.
In the first international study of its kind,
researchers at Australia’s Griffith University
surveyed the parents of nearly 7,000 learning
swimmers under the age of 5 — including
samples from the United States — to determine
when their kids were reaching major physical,
cognitive and emotional milestones.
That information was compared against common
developmental indicators (counting, walking,
talking, playing make-believe and the like) of
nonswimming populations.
Knowing that parents have a tendency to
exaggerate, researchers put nearly 200 children
through a series of tests to validate the results.
The study yielded some surprising findings: Not
only did child swimmers achieve physical feats
faster, but they were more cognitively advanced.
Test results found that these kids are months,
even years, ahead intellectually. They’re able to
read, write, count and use building blocks better
than those without aquatics education.
One test group, with an average age of 3, was
ahead of the curve by more than 15 months in
understanding directions.
Children around the age of 4 were seven months
ahead in grasping, and 3.5 months ahead in
locomotion.
Kids just over the age of 4 were particularly
strong in language (10 months ahead), oral
expression (11 months) and math (6.5 months.)
A caveat: Young ones around 3 years old tended
to fall behind in spelling, and in all cases kids
weren’t as skilled in catching, throwing or
kicking balls.
Lead researcher, Professor Robyn Jorgensen,
theorizes that swim classes are stimulating
environments where kids are exposed to detailed
instructions, visual cues and rhyming songs,
among other experiences that they can connect to
the world outside the pool.
“Many of these differences will be of advantage
to children as they transition into school or
preschool settings,” Jorgensen concluded.
GET MOVING
Study Finds Swimming Grows Minds
By Nate Traylor, Pool & Spa News, Feb. 28, 2014
SV Academy of Choice wants you to dance
The Seneca Valley Academy of Choice’s Performing Arts Dance
Program, now in its third year, offers a strong and growing dance
program to our community. Held during the school day, dancers in our
performing arts program can utilize the classes to further their skills and
knowledge of dance.
To learn more about the program, dancers who are students in the Seneca
Valley School District, ages 10 years and older, are invited to attend the
Seneca Valley Performing Arts Dance Open Workshop on Saturday,
April 26, 2014, at the Seneca Valley Performing Arts Studio located in
the Seneca Valley Middle School. The workshop will be divided by age group and each group will
participate in ballet and modern dance. Dancers in age groups 10-13 (group 1) and 14-18 (group 2)
are invited to join us from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a fun and challenging day of dance.
There is limited space available; all payments must be received by Monday April 14. We will accept
the first 40 registrations for each age group. There will be a $25 charge for this wonderful
opportunity.
For more information and to register, visit: http://www.svsd.net/Page/13267
Follow us:
Twitter – Dr. Tracy Vitale,
Superintendent of Schools -
https://twitter.com/
SVSchoolSuper
Twitter – Seneca Valley
Official District Site - https://
twitter.com/Seneca_Valley
Twitter – Seneca Valley
Foundation – https://
twitter.com/SVSDFoundation
Facebook – Seneca Valley
Official District Site - https://
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/
Seneca-Valley-School-District-
Official-District-
Site/133105866727178
Seneca Valley School District | 124 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 | (724) 452-6040 | www.svsd.net page 13
SV freshman named Kean’s Quest semifinalist
Alexandria Veneziano wins Audience Choice Award
Twenty-three talented young vocalists performed in the fifth round of
the annual Kean Quest singing competition held Sunday, March 16 at
the Kean Theatre.
Based on scores from a panel of judges, 11 semifinals from the youth
preliminary round five competed on Sunday, March 30.
Alexandria Veneziano, Cranberry Twp. A freshman attending Seneca
Valley Intermediate High School, Alexandria performed Alisha Keys’
hit song “No One,” earning her the Audience Choice Award and a
coveted spot in the semifinals.
Contestants competed for a chance to win a recording package and professional head shots and be
named in two categories: overall Judges’ Choice and Audience Choice. The annual “Jackie Evancho
Award,” named for international singing sensation Jackie Evancho, will be presented by Jackie
herself April 11 during the Kean Quest Talent Search Youth Finals at 7 p.m. The “Jackie Evancho
Award” is presented to a contestant who, like Jackie, has competed in Kean Quest for two or more
years, works hard, never gives up and continues to follow his or her dreams no matter the outcome of
the competition.
40th Reunion Notice
The Seneca Valley High School Class of 1974 is looking for classmates for its 40th reunion.
The event will be held July 5-6, 2014. For more information and details, visit the class reunion
website at http://svhs74.wix.com/senecavalley1974
Reminder from
PA Dept of
Transportation
Underage drinking and driving
both carry serious consequences
for those under 21.
Pennsylvania´s Zero Tolerance
Law includes fines, license
suspensions and even jail time
for minors who drive impaired,
consume, possess or transport
alcohol, or lie about age to
purchase alcohol. Adults who
are convicted of knowingly and
intentionally supplying minors
with alcohol are also subject to
fines and jail. More about the
Zero Tolerance Law is available
at www.JustDrivePA.com.
April is also Distracted Driving
Awareness Month. Learn more
at http://www.justdrivepa.org/
Traffic-Safety-Information-
Center/Distracted-Driving/
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