200 TAMAQUA, WEST PENN AND ST. JEROME STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM TAMAQUA D.A.R.E. PROGRAM

A total of 200 fifth grade students from Tamaqua Elementary School, West Penn Elementary School and St. Jerome School were recognized during a D.A.R.E. graduation program held Thursday evening (April 10, 2014) in the Tamaqua Area Auditorium.
Providing opening remarks was Mrs. Roberts of the St. Jerome School in Tamaqua.
Top D.A.R.E. essay winners were Molly Murphy (Mrs. Faust’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Terra Steigerwalt (Mrs. Bitter’s class, West Penn Elem.), Sophia Boyle (Mrs. Setser’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Page Gittens (Mrs. Faust’s class (Tamaqua Elem.), Alexus Warne (Mr. Gombar’s class, West Penn Elem.), Caitlin Smith (Mr. Peters’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Kayla Weiser (Ms. Parker’s class, Tamaqua Elem.) and Samuel Sterns (Mrs. Roberts’s class, St. Jerome School).
Closing remarks were given by Mr. Christopher Fasnacht, Assistant Principal, Tamaqua Elementary Schools.
The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program has been in the Tamaqua Area School District and St. Jerome’s Regional School since 1990. In 1992, the Tamaqua Area D.A.R.E. Steering Committee was formed to assist the Police officers with D.A.R.E. related activities. Since that time, the D.A.R.E. Program has expanded to include supplemental D.A.R.E. instruction at the 7th grade level.
This year, the committee sponsored the 20th annual D.A.R.E. Challenge for all 5th grade D.A.R.E. participants. This could not happen without all the wonderful parents who help.
The committee gave a special thank you to Air Products for being this year’s corporate sponsor for tonight’s graduation.
They also extended their appreciation to the Borough of Tamaqua and West Penn Township for providing the D.A.R.E. officers, to the Board of Education, and the administrators and teachers of our schools.
A final thank you was given to the Tamaqua Area High School student volunteers and Wes Konsavage.
Steering committee members consist of Michele Bittner, George Demetriades, Rochelle Evanousky, J.J. Fasnacht, Duane Frederick, Janet Greenberg, Mary Gurcsik, Dwayne Hacker, Mike Hobbs, Cathy Klingaman, Jason Lorah, Kerri Quick, Forrest Rolko, Lisa Shilko, Helen Walters and Olga Williams.

Pictured from front left are top D.A.R.E. essay winners Molly Murphy (Mrs. Faust's class, Tamaqua Elem.), Terra Steigerwalt (Mrs. Bitter's class, West Penn Elem.), Sophia Boyle (Mrs. Setser's class, Tamaqua Elem.), and Page Gittens (Mrs. Faust's class (Tamaqua Elem.). From back left are DARE officer Corporal Dwayne Hacker (Tamaqua Police Department), essay winners Alexus Warne (Mr. Gombar's class, West Penn Elem.), Caitlin Smith (Mr. Peters's class, Tamaqua Elem.) and Kayla Weiser (Ms. Parker's class, Tamaqua Elem.). Not pictured is Samuel Sterns (Mrs. Roberts's class, St. Jerome School). — Pictured from front left are top D.A.R.E. essay winners Molly Murphy (Mrs. Faust’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), Terra Steigerwalt (Mrs. Bitter’s class, West Penn Elem.), Sophia Boyle (Mrs. Setser’s class, Tamaqua Elem.), and Page Gittens (Mrs. Faust’s class (Tamaqua Elem.). From back left are DARE officer Corporal Dwayne Hacker (Tamaqua Police Department), essay winners Alexus Warne (Mr. Gombar’s class, West Penn Elem.), Caitlin Smith (Mr. Peters’s class, Tamaqua Elem.) and Kayla Weiser (Ms. Parker’s class, Tamaqua Elem.). Not pictured is Samuel Sterns (Mrs. Roberts’s class, St. Jerome School).

The following is a list of sponsors that have showed support for this year’s DARE Program:

Air Products and Chemicals (Corporate Sponsor)
South Tamaqua Coal Pockets
Lehigh Asphalt and Paving
Mark and Audrey Christ
Shafer Pharmacy
Banning Orthodontics
Klingaman’s Inc.
McDonalds-Hometown
West Penn Lions Club
Flexer Photography
Tamaqua Rescue Squad
Tamaqua Diner
Original Sounds Entertainment
Physical Therapy Specialists
M & S Hardware
Pieracini’s
Ed’s Sports Shop
Silberline Manufacturing
Dr. Sean McLaughlin
Boyer’s Food Markets
Heisler’s Dairy
Rita’s Italian Ice
Dr. Joseph Sabol
Northeast PA Abstract
Hometown Farmers Market
Christopher Columbus Society
The Gelatko Family
New Life Assembly of God-Tamaqua
Trinity U.C.C.-Tamaqua
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church-Tamaqua
St. Jerome’s School Association
Tamaqua Elementary PTO
West Penn Elementary PTO

Graduating were:

From Mrs. Ingraham’s Tamaqua Elementary class:
Jerome Balliet, Dakota Beaver, Juliana Bowman, Jacob Brode, Mercedes Brown, Pietro Conigliaro, Adriana Dalessio, Ian Davis, Brooke Dietrich, Shelby Eichlin, Jared Eickhoff, Dwight George, Jillian Hartranft, Rachel Hinkle, Natalie Hydro, Kelly Johnson, Makenna Kane, Julianna Liebsch, Courtney Loar, Molly Murphy, Joshua Napolitano, Anastasia Oertner, John Paceley, Jack Shuey. Ember Starr and Seara White.

From Mr. Parker’s Tamaqua Elementary class:
Alexander Barron, Gabrielle Beishline, Nyssa Calkins, Krystal Campos, Cierra Conahan, Kiyah Davis, Kevi Doblado, Cheyenne Edmonds, Alayna Eisenberg, Conner Fredericks, Ariel Frederickson, Daniel Hannon, Frances Kabana, Nathaniel Kalchick, Ta Lia McBride, Austin Messerschmidt, Angela Nortavage, Shane O’Neill, Esteban Perez, Quinton Reber, Lucas Schickram, Dominick Shemwell, Brianna Stackhouse, Daniel Stein, Joseph Toney and Kayla Weiser.

From Mr. Peter’s Tamaqua Elementary class:
Nicole Aguero-Ramirez, Caroline Balogach, Tressa Barron, Shane Brown, Sheridan Downing, Andrew Fiorilla, Matthew Greenzweig, Morgan Hadesty, Tyler Hazlett, David Hull, Jessica Koscak, Kendra Kunkel, Laya Lutz, Leah Mateyak, Kaleb Mushock, Nastassia Orach, Colin Pickford, Megan Rolko, Alexis Scott, Jedediah Seibel, Caitlin Smith, Dominic Stegemerten, Randolph Steigerwalt, Gabriel Thomas, Dominic Valentine and Nathan Wickersham.

From Mrs. Setser’s Tamaqua Elementary class:
Anjelika Bolletino, Sophia Boyle, Nami Choi, Aaron Coccio, Trystan Donmoyer, Nicholas Farber, Madison Feaser, Alexander Frederick, Logan Frye, Joshua Grim, Samantha Haldaman, McKenzie Hamm, Brayden Hess, Emma Hope, Madelyn Jones, Nathaniel Kovalchick, Carson Krell, Mackenza Kunkle, Justin Lewis, Elizabeth Miller, Logan Miller, Courtney Postupack, Kaytlyn Romig, Jasmine Sadusky, Eva Snyder, Alexsya Thomas and Katryna Williams.

From Mrs. Faust’s Tamaqua Elementary class:
Ryan Adams, Toby Berg, Mary Bynon, Zachary Campomizzi, Makenna Carroll, Nathaniel Curvey, Emma Edwards, Trisha Farber, Starr Gerber, Page Gittens, Donald Goho, Elisah Hartranft, Logan Hess, Jacob Irish, Aryel Jacobo, Haleigh Keiner, Alyssa Leone, Ella McLaughlin, Alexandria Napolitano, Brianna Paulo, Bryson Sadusky, Brielle Saukynas, Rozalie Smith, Annika Stahler and Nicholas Wall.

From Mr. Gombar’s West Penn Elementary class:
Mia Alicandri, Alexis Bauder, Emma Li Echevarria, Gretchen Epler, Desaray Frey, Bria Gigli, Zachary Groner, Nathan Hope, Aidan Jones, Logan Kromer, Emily Lawson, Clowie McKeever, Brady Miller, Makenna Miller, Madison Nicholls, Jovin Petritsch, Joel Schellhammer, Tyler Steigerwalt, Harry Swinehart, Hailey Toth, Alexus Warne, Dax Weller, Johanna Wolbach, Riley Zeigenfuss, Nathaniel Zeigler and Travis Zellner.

From Mrs. Bittner’s West Penn Elementary class:
James Akins, Ethan Amershek, Zachary Cerimele, Jordyn Cusick-Graves, Emma Elko, Jamie Fedele, Emily Frey, Shelly Goho, Haley Hamm, Michael Hegedus, Jessica Hollenbach, Erica Imbody, Riley Kraemer, Katie Kressley, Bryn Miller, Kiara Moser-MacDonald, Kayla Nunemacher, Anthony Ryan, Angel Shiner, Michael Shlanta, Letisha Snyder, Terra Steigerwalt, Dallas Sterling, Anya Stott, Reese Szabo, Luke Verta and Forrest Zellner.

From Mrs. Roberts’s St. Jerome School class:
Dante Agosti, Blake Bianco, Dylan Blashock, Emily Breslin, Rebecca Dzuranin, Erik Evans, Ryne Fisher, Caitlin Kernick, Alexis Mauer, Ethan Miller, Paige Pratt, Korrin Schmerfeld, Samuel Sterns, G. Robert Sunder, Gabrielle Tobias, Christina Walko and Kennedy Young.

(Click HERE to see all TamaquaArea.com photos.)