Times - mca.k12.pa.usUltimate Frisbee 2019 Senior High Winners Junior High Winners MCA & Southern 3rd Kickball Tournament ... the sophomore class of 2022, and coming in third place

Tornado Times

A Mount Carmel Area Student Publication Fall-Winter 2019—2020

Issue 1, Volume 1

The Mount Carmel Area High School community is dedicated to helping others in need by providing food and

clothing to donations to pay for cancer related expenses. In October, MCA ThinkBig held its annual dance marathon at the Mount Carmel Area School District. Student leaders and advisers work all year round fundraising and planning to raise money to help families with children effected with pediatric cancer. Behind the scenes over three hundred volunteers, advisers, students and others work to help people in need. More than fifty individuals donated food, items and decorations. This year the

amount totaled to an amazing $52,101.73, shown at the dance’s conclusion.

The Mount Carmel Area Interact Club held a coal bucket food drive in October and is once again holding its Angel Care Tree program. This wintertime tradition of Christmas gift tags on a Christmas tree in the school helps children receive presents for Christmas. Students, staff, and Interact members purchase gifts for the children and return

them just in time for the holiday, so more can enjoy Christmas.

The Tornado Buddy Bag program is another of the wonderful pro-grams here at MCA. Families in need receive a bag of food for the weekends and the holidays; such as turkey and sides for Thanksgiving. This program is

aided by donations and events such as the Coal Bucket food raising event.

During the school year all students receive free breakfast and lunch. The summer months are a time to take a break and enjoy some time off of school. But what about the children that dread the days they will have to go without meals? The Mount Carmel Area School District holds free lunches every day in the summer in the Elementary school. Students can simply ar-

rive every day at the designated times for lunch.

For students in need of winter supplies such as a new coat, gloves or a hat, the school offers these items to those who

ask. Students can get brand new coats and other winter essentials as the

season gets colder.

Upcoming events that will help others in our area is a blood drive hosted by the Future Nurses of America through the American Red Cross. This event with the theme “The Greatest Gift You Can Give” will be held January 17 in the MCA gymnasium from 8:00 a.m.—1:00 p. m. This great service gives back to the community with something that can save a life. These are just some of many of the events that our school district does to help those in need. These programs are the things that give MCA its good name and that

holds us together as a community. –Mackenzie Zerbe ‘21

Adviser:

Mrs. Diane Rumbel

Editors:

Mackenzie Zerbe

Olivia Bellve

Copy Editors:

Cloey Heim

Contributors:

Olivia Bellve

Matt Mannion

Gabby McGinley

Nick Nestico

DaniRae Renno

Julien Stellar

Elijah Watkins

Mackenzie Zerbe

Thank You:

David McFee

Studio Photographers

Michele Stellar

MCA CARES

Spring Musical

Hunchback

Of Notre

Dame Friday and Saturday

March 20th-21st

Starting at 7:30

MCA’s finest Frisbee players took to the field to show what they were made of in the annual Ultimate

Frisbee tournament sponsored by Student Council. Four teams participated in the high school bracket and

four in the junior high bracket. The senior high teams were The Lunch C Club, The Real Ones, Disc-heads,

and the Roman Discs.

The junior high teams were The Fighting Tornadoes, The Floppy Discs, The Air Rippers, and The Raging

Red. The teams battled fiercely in a double elimination bracket. The Junior high championship came down

to The Air Rippers and The Floppy Discs, with The Floppy Discs coming out on top. The champs were

Chase and Matt Balichik, Hunter Boblick, Brody and Brayden Brinkash, Ava Chapman, Abby Klokis, Ella

O’Neil, Noah Shimko, and Justin Weidner. On the senior high side, The Real Ones beat The Roman Discs

in the championship game. The Real Ones were composed of , Bryson Zvonchek, Christian

Feliciano, Gabe Klembara, Nate Long, Eddie Montanez, Claudia Morris, Dustin Blessing, Garrett Timco,

Gabby Trocki, and Zane Zlockie. Congratulations to the winning teams! -DaniRae Renno ‘21

Ultimate Frisbee 2019

Senior High Winners Junior High Winners

MCA & Southern 3rd Kickball Tournament

On October 15, 2019 the Mount Carmel Area High School Faculty PSEA members hosted Southern staff

in a kickball tournament to collect non-perishable food items. Due to a lack of players for Southern, the

MCA Elementary and the Southern Elementary teamed up against the MCA and Southern high school.

The MCA and Southern Elementary won the tournament with a score of 7-2. The tournament raised

about four boxes of non-perishable food items. This was a fun day for a good cause! –Matt Manion ‘23

Fun Times at MCA

The Annual homecoming festivities took place Friday September 27 at the Silver Bowl! Congratu-

lations go out to senior, Eliza Nevis who was crowned the 2019 homecoming queen! Eliza is the

daughter of Joe and Tammy Nevis of Mount Carmel. Eliza was escorted onto the field by Nick

Troutman and was crowned by Mike Makowski and presented gifts by Noah Berkoski. The home-

coming court was made up of: Seniors Josi Adams, and Maddy Sosky, juniors Claudia Morris and

DaniRae Renno and sophomore Madeline Forte. All candidates were presented flowers and gifts

by Senior members of the football team: Shane Weidener, Joey Bendas, Brad Shurock, Dylan

Pupo, and Ben Hindlay.

The Homecoming Banners with this year’s theme: “Through the Decades.” The senior class and their

advisor, Mrs. Nestico chose the 1920’s with its love for jazz and flappers. The 1980’s was chosen by

the junior class and their advisors Miss. Seliga and Miss. Krevinas. This era was known for big hair

and Rubik’s cubes. The sophomore class and their advisors Mrs. Giles and Mrs. Ryan chose the

1970’s which was known for bell bottoms, and platform shoes. The freshman class is bringing back

the 1990’s with the backstreet boys, and “The Macarena”. Their advisors are Mr. Monger and Ms.

Danilovech. The 7th and 8th grade class and their advisors Mrs. Monger and Mr. Brown chose the

1950’s known for poodle skirts and bobby socks. The halftime festivities at the game awarded the

winners of the banner contest. Coming in first place was the senior class of 2020, second place was

the sophomore class of 2022, and coming in third place was the freshmen class of 2023.– Olivia

Bellve ‘23

MCA Homecoming 2019

Freshman– 3rd Place Sophomore– 2nd Place Senior– 1st Place

Eliza Nevis:

Homecoming queen

The Crowning of the Homecoming Queen

2019 MCA Homecoming Banners

Miss Kacy Lewis is the Physical Education

teacher here at MCA. Miss Lewis attended

Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she

got her Masters and Bachelors degree in Sports

Administration with a minor in Economics and

Business Administration. Some of her hobbies

are power lifting and hiking and some of her

interests are watching Netflix and Bath & Body Work’s candles. During

her high school years she was the kicker for her high school football

team.

Mr. Andrew Monger is a teacher in

the alternative education room. He

has previously worked at Enterprise

Holding and at Toby Hill Security

Contracting. Mr. Monger got his

teaching degree at Clarion Univer-

sity of Pennsylvania. His interests

are sports, power lifting, video

games, and the outdoors. A fun fact is that he lived in

Iowa City, Iowa for 12 years. His favorite quote by Martin

Luther King Jr. is “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run

then walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you don’t

have to keep moving forward.”

Ms. Andrea Guffey teaches seventh and eighth grade ELA

and communications. Ms. Guffey

has a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Bloomsburg University in English

Literature and a masters of

education degree in curriculum and

instruction. She enjoys reading and

writing, yoga, spinning, and

spending time with her kids Ava

and Andy. Ms. Guffey considers teaching to be an honor

and is grateful for the opportunity to teach here at MCA

Mr. Michael Tanney is the new eighth

grade geography teacher in room 121. He

graduated from Bloomsburg University

with a bachelor’s degree in citizenship and

a master’s degree in curricular and

instruction. He previously worked at the

Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit

and his hobbies include sports, trivia, and

poker. Mr. Tanney’s says, “Who a teacher is, is more important than

what he teaches.”

Mr. Mark Schlegal teaches science to sev-

enth and eight grade students. He

recently graduated from Bloomsburg

University and earned a Bachelor of

Science degree in Secondary Education

and a Bachelor of Arts in History. He

previously worked at his family’s produce

farm and worked a forklift at M-I Windows and doors. He enjoys

camping and hiking, playing video games, reading books, and spending

time with friends. Mr. Schlegel was in a documentary called “Full

Measure of Devotion” and is published author. His favorite quote is “You

may be whatever you resolve to be,” by General Thomas J. Jackson.

Welcome New MCA Staff 2019

Mrs. Kelly Lesko has taught at Mount

Carmel Area in the past and last year

was at Pine Grove area. She has a

bachelor degree in psychology and a

master’s degree in special education

with a duel certification in elementary

education from Bloomsburg University.

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family,

and playing outside with her two children. Mrs. Lesko is

excited to be back at MCA because it’s her home and she

Mr. Mowery is a graduate of Central Columbia high school in 2011

and graduated college from Bloomsburg University in 2015. He previ-

ously worked in several substitute positions and at Our Lady of

Lourdes. His interests include music, football, and hockey. Mr.

Mowery said that he is very excited to be here and is very eager to

begin making music!

Mount Carmel VFW Post 2110 announced the winners of their patriotic essay contest during the Mount Carmel Area Veteran’s Day Assembly on November 11. The Patriot’s Pen contest is open to students in grades 6th-8th and Voice of Democracy is an audio essay open to grades 9th-12th. The theme for both contests was What Makes America Great. All winners received certificates, medals, and a monetary prize and the top three entries will advance to the state level. Voice of Democracy Winners: From left Kathryn Schauer, coordinator; Barbara Stief, president of the Mount Carmel VFW Auxiliary; Lauren Shedleski, third place; Garrett Varano, second place; Tyler Barnhardt, first place; John Minnig, VFW commander. Honorary mention was Erin Bossler. Patriot’s Pen winners from left Kathryn Schauer, coordinator; Barbara Stief, president of the Mount Carmel VFW Auxiliary; Kelly Karycki, third place; AnaGrace Renno, second place; Izabela Duda, first place; John Minnig, VFW commander. Honorary

mentions were Guy Longenberger and Brendan Fletcher.

Voice of Democracy and Patriot Pen Winners 2019

Voice of Democracy Winners Patriot's Pen Winners

Spelling Bee 2019

from left: Dave Rompolski, Amy Rarrick, English teachers; Sugar Bolam, 1st place; Jacob Landspurg 2nd place; Tori DeFrancesco, 3rd place; Mrs. Kathryn Schauer, Bee Coordina-

tor; Matt Cuttic, English teacher.

Junior High Pride Award:

Sept: Emily Morris (7) Samantha Szatny (8)

Oct: Katelyn Elgin (7) Zoe Siko (8)

Nov: Alexa Maher (7) Aiden Klinger (8)

Dec: Ana Grace Renno (7) Orville Fesniak (8)

Rotary Student of the Month:

Sept: Erin Bossler

Oct: Ryan Green

Nov: Cierra Clayton (12)

Eagles Student of the Month:

Sept: Tyler Barnhardt (12) Student of the Month

Reed Witkoski (11) Jr. Student of the Month

Morgan Kaleta (9) Teen of the Month

Drew Yagodzinskie (7) Jr. Teen of the Month

Oct: Mackenzie Pyle (12) Student of the Month

Dani Rae Renno (11) Jr. Student of the Month

Ryan Weidner (8) Teen of the Month

Alexa Maher (7) Jr. Teen of the Month

Nov: Andrew Rooney (12) Student of the Month

Claudia Morris (11) Jr. Student of the Month

Garret Varano (9) Teen of the Month

Jessa Robert (7) Jr. Teen of the Month

Merit Award:

Sept: Tyler Barhardt (HS) Emily Dent (ES)

Oct: Emily Szatny (HS) Neveah Katalinas (ES)

700 & 1300 Club:

Jay Patrick, Dani Rae Renno, Nick Troutman

Upcoming:

12/20 Act 80 - Early Dismissal students

1/6 Christmas Break Ends

1/15 Last Day 2nd Marking Period

1/17 American Red Cross/FNA Blood Drive

1/20 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - Schools Closed

1/24 NMS Honors Band Concert

1/28 PTA Meeting

1/31Lebanon Valley College Honors Band

2/3 Teacher in-Service (Trade Day)

2/25 PTA Meeting

3/3 Family Forum- Open to all

3/7 SAT testing @ MCA

3/10 Band Parent Meeting

3/13 Early Dismissal

3/19 School Board Meeting

3/20- 23/21 School Musical

3/24 PTA Meeting

3/25 First Day 4th Marking Period

3/39 Mahoney Brothers Concert

4/6 Spring Break Starts

4/7 Family Forum

4/15 Spring Concert Gr. 1&2

4/16 School Board Meeting

4/20—4/24 PSSA Start ELA

4/27—5/8 PSSA Start Math & Science

4/28 PTA Meeting

5/5 Family Forum

5/11—5/27 Spring Keystone Test Window

5/20 ES- Kindergarten Graduation

5/21 School Board Meeting

5/25 Memorial Day- School Closed

5/26 School Safety and PTA Meeting

5/30 MCA Prom

6/2 Family Forum

6/3 Teacher in Service

6/4 Last Day of School for Students

6/9 Band Parent Meeting

6/18 School Board Meeting

The Varsity Football Team had a great season finishing 10-3. This came from a strong senior class which will graduate eight starters on offense and defense. Jack Chapman started linebacker and tight end for the Tornadoes this year, and had a huge year on the offensive side. He had 28 receptions for 563 yards and four touchdowns. Throwing to him was Tommy Reisinger, who also had strong senior season throwing for 1200 yards, rushing for another 300 and having a total of 15 touchdowns. Shane Weidner led the running attack for MCA, having a 1000 season and having fourteen rushing touchdowns. On the defensive side junior linebacker Reed Witkoski led them in tackles with 126. Leading the team in sacks with 8.5 was defensive end Damon Dowkus. Handling the kicking duties was Julien Stellar, he had an amazing year making 41 extra points and three field goals. He was 80 percent for extra points and will be returning for the next two years. Even though they came up short for a district championship this year, they’ll still

have a great year next year. - Nick Nestico ’23

This year the Lady Red Girls Soccer team had a great season winning seven games and missing playoffs by one win. The team has a new group of amazing freshman lead by a group of strong seniors proceeding to fight hard every game. They played phe-nomenally with one of their key play-ers Mia Chapman scoring up to 29 goals. One of their most important games was against Southern Colom-bia taking the previous state champi-ons into overtime and losing in a close match up of 2-3. The girls are coached by Emily Lloyd, who helped the team reach all of their wins during the season. Some standout players recognized as PHAC all-stars include Mia Chapman, Talia Mazzatesta, Brooke Bernini, and Erin Bossler with the honorable mentions Lexi Kane and Gabby McGinley. Coach Lloyd also was mentioned as the PHAC division three coach of the year. Even though the girls are losing some key seniors, they look forward to improv-ing their record next year, and making

it to playoffs.– Gabby McGinley ‘23

Fall Sports Wrap Up

The Cross Country team had a big year making it to the District 4 meet at Bloomsburg University. The girls team came in third place and the boys finished in tenth. Junior Caro-line Fletcher came in first and senior Krysoff Lapotsky came in fifth they both qualified for the state meet in

Hershey.– Julien Stellar ‘22

This fall marked the second year for the boy’s Varsity Soccer co-op team with Our Lady of Lourdes. The boys had a rough year after losing some key senior players from last season. Aside from the wins and loss columns, some of the players made history this year. Lourdes senior Adam Sandri scored his 50th career goal and was the top voted all-star in the Schuylkill League. Mount Carmel Freshman Layth Kanafani secured the top nomination in second team all stars, along with several other Lourdes players. This year’s group finished with an overall record of 3-10 and look to improve next year with their new head coach.

—Elijah Watkins ’20

Good Luck Winter Sports Teams!