Raider Pride Newsletter - Seneca Valley School District · Raider Pride Newsletter ... Alto Sax -...

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.


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


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

http://keystonestatemusictheater.org/academy.html


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

http://www.laroche.edu/


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

http://www.theschoolnewslettercompany.com/


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.


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:


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:


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.


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.”


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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]

or at SVSD, 124 Seneca School

Rd., Harmony, Pa. 16037. The

annual fall deadline is Dec. 1,

and the spring deadline is

May 1.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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).


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

https://twitter.com/SV_Sports

http://www.svsd.net/SVHallOfFame


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

http://www.poolspanews.com/find-articles.aspx?byline=Nate%20Traylor

http://www.svsd.net/Page/13267

https://twitter.com/SVSchoolSuper

https://twitter.com/SVSchoolSuper

https://twitter.com/Seneca_Valley

https://twitter.com/Seneca_Valley

https://twitter.com/SVSDFoundation

https://twitter.com/SVSDFoundation

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Seneca-Valley-School-District-Official-District-Site/133105866727178






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/

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsvhs74.wix.com%2Fsenecavalley1974&h=cAQHH4KM_&s=1

http://www.JustDrivePA.com

http://www.justdrivepa.org/Traffic-Safety-Information-Center/Distracted-Driving/



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