Abington Heights
An aspiring health care provider, Paige Basalyga has spent hours over the past month shadowing nurses at Geisinger Community Medical Center.
Through a class offered at Abington Heights High School, the senior has had the opportunity to learn from health-care professionals and watch them handle emergencies.
"It helped me realize this is something I wanted to do," Paige said. "It's such a great learning experience."
Paige said she plans to continue shadowing nurses at the hospital even after she graduates. She is also a volunteer at Clarks Summit Fire Company.
Blue Ridge
Students in second grade at Blue Ridge took a trip around the world.
In Brian Woodruff's class, the students learned about the different places where people live, including continents, countries, states, counties, cities and towns.
As part of the social studies unit, students also learned about locations, population, language, weather, sports, food, plants, animals and trade. The students used the Internet and books to gather information about the different ways in which the world is broken up. They were asked to choose a country to research. They created a book of their research which was shared with their other classmates at an open house.
kbolus@timesshamrock.com
Carbondale Area
There are three types of distracted driving: manual, visual and cognitive.
Natasha Gillott doesn't plan to let any of them affect her driving.
The sophomore attended a presentation on safe driving, which included videos about lives lost due to distracted behavior.
"It really opened my eyes," she said. "I will definitely think twice before using the cellphone when driving. I never realized just how much I could ruin my own life as well as the lives of others by practicing distracted driving."
rbrown@timesshamrock.com
Delaware Valley
Katie Hammond takes advantage of club memberships and volunteer opportunities in her community.
The senior isn't just an AP scholar with honors and a member of National Honor Society, she is also the director of debates for the political awareness club and a peer tutor. Katie runs track and field. Also, she participated in the PA Junior Academy of Science and Humanities Symposium.
"Participating in school activities has given me the opportunity to be more involved in school events and it has helped to strengthen friendships with people from different groups," said Katie.
Outside the classroom, Katie is a volunteer for Country Arc Farms. She gives her time to the United Way, YMCA, Future Lady Warrior basketball camp and the veterans shelter.
"Volunteering has given me the honor to work with diverse and inspiring individuals who remind me of the impacts that good deeds have on others' lives," she said.
This fall, Katie will attend Clarion University.
kbolus@timesshamrock.com
Dunmore
Kaitlin Ahern was captain of a sixth-grade team that recently won first place in the middle school division of Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit's reading competition.
The competition is an annual contest where students from many local school districts read books from a given list and answer comprehension questions.
As captain, Kaitlin read 25 books from the list of 45 to help her team in the contest, which was hosted by Western Wayne High School. The team won bragging rights and T-shirts.
"It's a fun escape from reality," Kaitlin said of her love of reading. "Even though I will read anything, I truly enjoy fantasy."
kwind@timesshamrock.com
Elk Lake
Dan Mills, a senior, is joining the Marine Corps after graduation.
"I live with my grandparents, and my grandfather has a big role in me going into the Marine Corps," Dan said. "A lot of my family has been in the military. My grandfather was a Marine and he just had a big role on my enlistment."
Dan will be shipping out on June 17 for Parris Island, S.C. After graduation from basic training, Dan will go to the school of infantry, training to be a rifleman.
lzaccagnino@ timesshamrock.com
Lackawanna Trail
Just a kindergartener, Sophie Haus already has been recognized for her writing skills.
The Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center kindergartner won the PBS Go! Young Writers and Illustrators contest. Sponsored by Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA-TV, the event provides students in kindergarten through third grade an opportunity to write and illustrate their own stories.
Sophie was honored for her work, titled "Sophie and Emma to the Rescue," at the 2013 WVIA Scholastic Achievement Awards ceremony on May 8.
miorfino@timesshamrock.com
Lakeland
Three Lakeland Elementary School students were recognized for essays that detailed the dangers of drug abuse.
Fifth-graders Izabella Chmil, Aiden Gill and John Anzelmi were named 2013 Drug Abuse Resistance Education essay winners.
miorfino@timesshamrock.com
Mid Valley
He was apprehensive at the outset of the yearlong project, but when the wooden painting was hung on the wall of the Dickson City Borough Building, he was proud.
Senior James Yzkanin spent his entire junior year working on the 8-foot by 8-foot project, which detailed the history of the borough. He worked on the project in sections and didn't see the final work until a borough council meeting last month.
"I never saw it all put together," he said. "That night was just as much of a surprise for me."
After graduation, James plans to attend Temple University and study business and photography.
rbrown@timesshamrock.com
Montrose
Kelsey Brink was voted the prom queen by her peers.
"It was exciting to find out. It was shocking, I didn't think I would be named queen," she said. "My mom was more excited than me, though."
Kelsey likes to focus on her studies. She said she would like to be successful not only in high school but also in the future.
kbolus@timesshamrock.com
Mountain View
From a blank slab of white plaster, Jessica Bostjancic created a landscape.
For Mountain View's annual Arts Alive, Jessica took what was once a blank canvas and built a mountain from cardboard, adding beads to symbolize water flowing down the mountain's side. Jessica was instructed to choose an element and symbolize it through abstract movement. The project was then placed on display at the high school.
The aquatic artwork is also being submitted for possible display at the Harford Fair.
Jessica has been running track since seventh grade and last month participated in vocal jazz.
kbolus@timesshamrock.com
North Pocono
Jesse Buxton excels academically and athletically and is involved in his community.
The senior is in the top 20 of his class, has been a high honors student every quarter while in high school and is a member of the National Honor Society, student council and Future Business Leaders of America.
He is also a member the soccer and track teams and said his most memorable moments in school came when the soccer team beat Valley View in double overtime in both his junior and senior years.
Outside of school, Jesse works as a lifeguard at Indian Rocks, shovels snow at Moscow United Methodist Church, volunteers at the special needs camp at Sky Lake and last summer went on a mission trip to Kentucky.
kwind@timesshamrock.com
Riverside
Juniors Corey Allen and Jake Torba recently graduated from the Tomorrow's Leaders Today program.
Tomorrow's Leaders Today is a program sponsored through Skills in Scranton that brings together area high school students to build leadership skills while working for a good cause. Each year, selected students develop and execute a community service project while learning skills to prepare them for the working world.
This year, the students coordinated a bowl-a-thon to raise money for Arc of Scranton. In addition, the students worked closely with the Scranton Foundation to give out thousands of dollars in grants to local agencies. This year the group selected St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, the Boys and Girls Club and Friends of the Poor as grant recipients.
Scranton
West Scranton High School students raised $700 for the Lackawanna County Heart Walk, sponsored by the American Heart Association.
About 30 students walked in memory of Diane Marinchak, an environmental science teacher who died in February after suffering a massive heart attack. Walk participants included Eryn Sullivan, Alaina Evans, Jane Baranowski, Jessi Purawic, Adeline O'Brien, Amanda O'Brien, Isabelle O'Brien, Katie Cantafio, Marissa Pazzaglia, Emily O'Malley, Meghan Gaughan, Sara Tesluk, Jaime Niemiec, Katie Langan, Kayla Maters, Abby Frasier, Jocelyn Valencia, Alex Matay, Erin Lawless, Jorge Guevera, Ian Evans, Jeremy Wassil, Tim Merkel, John Waltman, Stephen Bendowski, Christian Luciano and Ryan Temsamrit.
shofius@timesshamrock.com
Valley View
Anthony Galantini's inspirational fifth-grade teacher helped him earn recognition in a recent essay contest.
The senior tied for third in the WVIA-TV Making a Difference: Great Teachers 2013 essay contest, writing about Mr. Weston.
"Mr. Weston stepped in when I needed him," Anthony said. "My mom just was diagnosed with cancer and he helped me deal with the situation. He is a great person with a big heart."
Anthony is also involved in football, wrestling, track and field, the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, student council, history club and health and physical education club.
rbrown@timesshamrock.com
Western Wayne
Senior Roberta Swingle was recognized as an outstanding senior at the May school board meeting.
The daughter of John and Lisa Swingle of Lake Ariel, Roberta is a member of the National Art Honor Society and an American Red Cross blood donor since the 10th grade. She also is a blood drive volunteer and often helps at the canteen at the blood drives.
Roberta's strongest aptitudes are in the mathematics fields; she has taken three honors and an Advanced Placement math course. Roberta plans to attend the University of Scranton to major in secondary education mathematics.
Wyoming Seminary
The play's the thing for Siobhan Brier of Scranton.
A senior, Siobhan has been cast in every spring play and fall musical at Sem for the past four years and played one of two female leads two summers ago in the Performing Arts Institute's production of the musical "Two Gentlemen of Verona." She appeared in the April production of "The Tempest," portraying the invisible spirit Ariel.
"I had fun playing Ariel, one of my favorite roles so far. She is a force of nature," Siobhan said.
Siobhan also enjoys reading movie scripts and writing short plays. One of her works was featured in the school's February winter theater workshop. She will be considering a major in theater when she attends Pennsylvania State University's Schreyers Honors College in the fall.