Twirlers around
the schools
Twenty members of the Double “R” Twirlettes twirl with six different high school band fronts at games, pep rallies and other events throughout the region.
Meghan Murray is Miss Trojan, Alexandra Taffera is a feature twirler, Autumn Major is captain, and Jordan Gioupis, Lily Lucsky, Olivia Major and Lauren Zajaczkowski are twirlers on the North Pocono Twirling Team; Natalie Buchinski is Miss Spartan and Jocelyn Bringhurst, Madison Doyle, Lindsey Kausmeyer, Sahara Searfoss, Tiana Searfoss, Sadie Solensky and Morgan Tullio make up Mid Valley’s twirling team; Nina Sampogne is Miss Comet at Abington Heights High School; Eliyana Kubelis and Sara Swavola are feature twirlers at Scranton High School; Natalie Nareski is feature twirler at Old Forge High School; and Madison Waltz twirls for Dunmore High School.
The performers are all students of Kathleen Y. Mercatili, who is director of the Double “R” Twirlettes.
Super students
Marywood University’s Taylor Troiani attended the X-Culture Global Symposium in Calgary, Canada.
Troiani, a junior business management student from Jessup, was introduced to X-Culture in Christopher Speicher’s, Ph.D., International Management course. X-Culture connects business students from all over the world to collaborate and understand working with other cultures.
Of more than 4,000 global applicants, Troiani was one of 150 participants selected to attend. She worked on a team with students from Brazil,
Florida and the Netherlands to develop a project to present
to the Calgary Municipal Land Corp.
“Marywood University has provided me with so many opportunities to learn and grow,” said Troiani. “X-Culture was certainly the opportunity of a lifetime—learning how to work toward a solution for a real business, meeting new amazing people with a passion for learning, and understanding different cultures by collaborating with students from all over the globe.”
Troiani also attended lectures and panels.
“The X-Culture Program is the best way for students to participate in international business in a real-life experimental program with real world companies and outcomes,” said Speicher, associate professor in the School of Business and Global Innovation.
Since Marywood University students began participating in the X-Culture Challenge, five of its students have been selected to the top one percent of all students worldwide.
Troiani is also a commuter representative for the Student Government Association, member of the Accounting and Finance Club and volunteers at the Jessup Hose Company 2.
Charitable children
For the past four weeks, 60 kindergarten through fourth graders who attend the weekly Awana Program at Heritage Baptist Church in South Abington Twp. have been gathering diapers, baby bottles and formula as part of the program’s annual Bring a Blessing Campaign.
The donations will benefit Care Net of Scranton.
“Our Awana Club themes over the past few years have centered on service and putting others before ourselves. These children have demonstrated that through their kindness and generosity to these moms in need,” said John Antolick, Awana Ministry director. “Helping helpless babies seems to have resonated with these kids.”
Care Net of Scranton is a nonprofit pregnancy crisis center. The club also helped the organization last November.
The Bring a Blessing Season culminates today during the church’s Bring a Blessing Night.
The students will present the items to Care Net Director Patricia Kelly in the church’s auditorium.
The church holds its Awana program, which is an international ministry for children, for children in kindergarten through fourth grade every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at Heritage Baptist Church, 415 Venard Road, Clarks Summit.