Bethel Park School District May 2014 Highlights Please enjoy reading about the

outstanding achievements of our students and staff!

BPHS Students Finish In Second Place At Big Data

Jam

By participating in this event, the BPHS students had an opportunity to visit several high tech Pittsburgh companies and were mentored by employees at General Dynamics. BPHS Teachers Lee Cristofano, Jill Simpson, Emily Smoller and Linda Broderick worked with the students.

Five teams of Bethel Park High School students competed at the first-ever Big Data Jam, with one team finishing in Second Place—Jason Harnack, Stephen Ervard, Dylan McKenna, Billy Ruschel, Logan Tuite, Liam Wolf and Brock Zekany. The students did extensive data research and presented their findings on the topic, “The Correlation between the Return on Investment vs. the Type of Investment” and looked at eight randomly selected Pittsburgh communities to determine the impact of issues such as residential property values vs. the number of parks, and property values vs. crime rate, to name two of their areas of research.

Hometown Hi-Q Team Wins First Round Playoff

Game

The Bethel Park High School Hometown Hi-Q Team—Jarrod Cingel, Hayley Lazzari and Jack Brownfield—defeated teams from Moon and Keystone Oaks High School in the First Playoff Round of KDKA TV’s Hometown Hi-Q quiz program, to advance to the Semifinals against North Allegheny and South Fayette.

The Semifinals will air on Saturday, June 14 at 11 AM and Saturday, June 21 at 11:30 AM on KDKA.

In the first Playoff game, Hayley Lazzari was lauded by the show’s producer for leaving her team at the end of the show to console an opposing team member at who was visibly distraught about her team’s loss. The producer said Hayley’s gesture was “an amazing act of kindness from one student to another.”

BPHS Music Department Has Successful Spring Trip

• Bethettes and Majorettes – Superior Rating, Gold Level Award and Best

Overall Auxiliary Award • Jazz Ensemble – Superior Rating and Gold Level Award • Drum Line – Superior Rating, Silver Level Award and Best Overall Drum Line

Award • Top 21 Choir – Superior Rating and Silver Level Award in the Jazz Choir

event; Superior Rating and Bronze Level Award in the Madrigal Choir event • Symphonic Band – Superior Rating and Silver Level Award • Percussion Ensemble – Superior Rating • Symphonic Orchestra – Excellent Rating • Concert Band – Excellent Rating • Jon Griffith – Outstanding Tenor Sax Solo Award in the Jazz Ensemble event • Mary Hannah Swaney – Outstanding Flute Solo Award in the Symphonic

Band event • Joe Serafini – Outstanding Accompanist Award for Top 21 • Michael Krut – Outstanding Accompanist Award for Top 21

The Bethel Park High School Music Department had a successful Spring Music Trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, bringing home seven Superior Ratings, two Excellent Ratings, two Gold Level Awards, three Silver Level Awards, one Bronze Level Award, two Best Overall Awards and four Individual Awards.

BPHS Students Earn Top Of The Shop Awards At Steel

Center

Three Bethel Park High School students received the Top of the Shop Award from the Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School in recognition of the outstanding work they performed during the second semester of the 2013-2014 school year.

• Matthew Barnes– Collision Repair and Refinishing

• Santino Dalessandro – Medium Heavy Truck

• Chris Wilson – Carpentry

The awards are given to those students who demonstrate outstanding conduct, attendance, course proficiency and professionalism.

Eight BPHS Students Earn Awards At DECA

International Conference

Eight BPHS students competed at the 2014 DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia and all students earned awards.

• Sean McClaine finished among the Top 10 students in the Marketing Management Event.

• Tara Nath and Amanda Stofesky were Top 20 Finalists in the Sports and Entertainment Promotion Plan Event and earned the Medallion Award for giving one of the top presentations.

• Eric Stack (Buying and Merchandising Operations Research), Emma Bruno and Justin Nath (Marketing Communications Team), and Tasha George and Carolyn Vona (Hospitality Services Team) earned Awards of Excellence for finishing among the top 30% of the competitors in their respective events.

60 BPHS Students Inducted Into French

National Honor Society

Sixty Bethel Park High School students were inducted into the newly-established French National Honor Society for maintaining a 90% average in all classes and demonstrating superior achievement in French.

FRENCH II: Benjamin Bertan, Katherine Bustamante, Erin Cavrak, Abigail Collavo, Kyle Coplan, Abigail Hartzell, Autumn Laird, Ryan Lynch, Sydney Misak, Jessica Morgan, Rebecca Najdzinski, Ryan Phelps, Sarah Shaheen, Katelyn Turoski, Emily Williams, Kevin Yost and Alexandria Zallo. FRENCH III: Katherine Bronco, Karissa Coffield, Emma Davin, Shannon Davis, Marie Dykstra, Anatasha George, Danielle Hinish, Morgan Hirsh, Amanda Hokaj, Emily Hurey, Nicholas Jeans, Madison Jonas, Megan Kennedy, Cailey Klink, Samantha Jensen, Carolyn Kerr, Joseph Kowalski, Samantha Mack, Macie McKitrick, Kayla Molzer, Zackary Sedor-Schiffhauer, Tyler Smith, Alexis Taylor, Brandon Thorsen, Rachel Wanamaker and Ashley Wentz. FRENCH IV: Taylor Andres, Kara Cunningham, Jocelyn Curley, Taylor Evans, Lucas Fondelier, Kristen Kohler, Juliana Leis, Hannah Lucchitti, Brendan Moorhead, Austin Smith and Mackenzie Stark. FRENCH V: Zachary Enick, Lauren Forsythe, Victoria Jakicic, Emily Mackowiak, Lydia Strickling and Stephanie Undereiner.

Steven Davis Earns $500 On Westinghouse

Science Exam

Bethel Park High School junior Steven Davis earned $500 for finishing in Fourth Place on the Westinghouse Science Honors Institute’s Final Exam.

Steven was one of 600 area juniors selected to participate in this prestigious program because of his interest in pursuing a career in science or engineering.

Congratulations, Patrick Gillece and Shelbi

Miller!

Bethel Park High School seniors Patrick Gillece and Shelbi Miller were selected to receive the SHASDA Award from the South Hills Area School Districts Association.

Each year SHASDA member high schools nominate two seniors who have overcome personal obstacles to succeed in school. The awards were presented at an event held at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe.

Zac Enick Named April Rotary Student Of The

Month

BPHS senior Zac Enick was named the April Bethel Park High School Student of the Month by the Rotary Club of Bethel Park.

Each month during the school year the Rotary Club recognizes an outstanding Bethel Park High School student for his or her contributions to school and/or community.

Zac was recognized for his leadership efforts the past three years with the Student Government Association, culminating in his election as Student Government President this school year.

Zac also is a member of the BPHS Football Team, Top 21 Choir, French Club and French National Honor Society.

Adaptive Phys Ed Students Run, Bike and Row

to San Diego!

A group of Bethel Park High School Adaptive Physical Education students have been working together since December to amass 2,500 collective miles on stationery bicycles, treadmills and rowing machines to travel the distance between Bethel Park and San Diego.

Participating in this endeavor were Brennan Carrozza, Alexa Danielson, Ellie McGregor, Hannah Dibble, Jeremy McDonough and Lucas White.

48 BPHS Student Athletes To Continue Their Athletic Careers

in College The Bethel Park Athletic Department held a reception for the 48 BPHS senior student athletes who will be continuing their athletic careers in college next year:

• Alyssa Ayres (Softball/CCAC) • Nina Barbano (Tennis/Slippery Rock) • Lindsay Boss (Softball/Edinboro) • Kevin Boyle (Football/Waynesburg) • Michael Brinker (Swimming /St. Vincent) • Allison Brinkhoff (Swimming/Toledo) • Matthew Carr (Football/West Virginia) • Daniel Christenson (Football/Youngstown) • Nicole Coccagno (Lacrosse/Otterbein) • Megan Douds (Swimming/Westminster) • Sean Doyle (Swimming/St. Vincent) • Matthew Dunlap (Football/W&J) • Brenna Erzen (Cheerleading/St. Francis) • Bailey Fertig (Baseball/Waynesburg) • Michael Grimm (Football/Pitt) • Jessica Hirsh (Swimming/Mt. Union) • Jessica Horgan (Soccer/Carlow) • Carmen Jansante (Baseball/LaRoche) • Luke Jansante (Baseball/LaRoche) • Anastasia Kazalas (Volleyball/Loyola)

• Quentin Keibler (Soccer/Eastern) • Danielle Konopelski (Track/Queens or Seton Hill)

• Margaret Kovalchick (Track/Edinboro) • Joshua Krafczynski (Basketball/LaRoche) • Emily Mackowiak (Cheerleading/St. Vincent) • Amanda Mafrici (Cheerleading/Thiel) • Megan Marecic (Basketball/Drexel) • Ross Martin (Cross Country/Track/John Carroll)

• Jacob Murphy (Football/Merchant Marines) • Elizabeth Neal (Basketball/Point Park) • Mitchel Nordstrom (Baseball/Alderson Broaddus)

• Laura Page (Softball/Westminster) • R.J. Pfeuffer (Football/John Carroll) • Victoria Planitzer (Lacrosse/W&J) • Kaileigh Poe (Volleyball/Denison) • Jennifer Rimmel (Softball/Edinboro) • Bill Ruschel (Track/MIT) • Tatiana Ruzzini (Softball and Track/W&J) • Casey Schreiner (Football/Michigan State) • Shannon Sestokas (Dance Team/Akron)

• Samantha Simpson (Basketball/Carlow)

• Jamie Smith (Softball/W&J)

• Ryan Sosnak (Football/New Hampshire)

• Mitchell Stahara (Swimming/Westminster)

• Jacob Svitek (Baseball/Grove City)

• Allison Vargo (Golf/W&J) • Cassmire Wisniewski (Basketball/PA College of Technology)

• Harper Zimmer (Basketball/Allegheny)

IMS Students Take Top Two Awards At Design

Contest

A team of four Independence Middle School eighth graders— Paige Davidson, Grace Evans, Kathryn Kimes and Casey Mack--won the “Design Lives Here” competition at Inventionland. They competed against teams from other schools in a series of engineering and design challenges.

IMS eighth grader Austin Carver won First Place in the Individual Invention Competition for his waterproof tarp that fits over a kayak and converts into a tent.

Memorial Receives $500 Grant From Target

Memorial Elementary School received a $500 grant from Target, which will be used to purchase books for the school Library.

The grant is part of Target’s ongoing efforts to build strong, safe and healthy communities across the country by giving five percent of the company’s profits back to the communities.

Director Of Special Education

Receives LEAF Award

Bethel Park Director of Special Education Lori Sutton received the 2014 LEAF Rowan Award from Leading Education and Advocacy for Families, Inc., in recognition of her more than 25 years of serving the special needs community at Bethel Park, and previously with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Western Instructional Support Center.

Lynne Surrena Receives STEPP

Award

Bethel Park High School and Independence Middle School Speech and Language Teacher Lynne Surrena was presented the Scott E. Folmer Memorial Student, Teacher and Exemplary Practice or Partnering (STEPP) Award in the Teacher category.

The award is given annually to those who provide outstanding support to those who provide services to children with special needs.

She is the third Bethel Park teacher to receive this award since 2010, joining retired NAMS Special Education Jean Harrington (2010) and Franklin Speech and Language Teacher, now BPHS Special Education Teacher Jennifer Kaminski Yeckel (2012) as a STEPP Award Winning Teacher.

BPHS student Alyssa Perkins received the award in the student category in 2007, and BPHS students Kaitlyn Wagner, Audrey Donnelly and Maggie Donnelly earned the STEPP student award in 2013.

The Mission of the Bethel Park School District is to lead an educational partnership with the community, maintaining an environment that challenges all students to reach their potential as lifelong learners and responsible members of

society.

The Bethel Park School

District Where Futures Begin