DEFT DECATHLETES
enter these projects at the local and affiliate levels, with top
students advancing to the National Contest at the University of
Maryland at College Park.
SV STUDENT COUNCIL BENEFITS
VOICE
The Seneca Valley Academic Decathlon Team placed fifth
among eighteen other schools from western, central and eastern
Pennsylvania in the Academic Decathlon State Competition at
North Penn High School in Philadelphia, March 3 and 4.
Sophomore Rishin Sharma won in speech. Senior Kyle Cindrich
and juniors Caleb Newman and Sean Duncan all won in interview.
“For only our second year in the program, I am very proud of
these students,” says, Academic Decathlon Team Coach David
Reichard. “My goal is to build the program here at Seneca Valley
and be an even stronger competitor in the future!”
The students competed over two days in 10 events: Art,
Music, Literature, Science, Economics, Mathematics, History,
Interview, Speech and Essay. Each high school team consists of
nine students. The SV Academic Decathlon State Team includes
Rishin Sharma, Kyle Cindrich, Megan Neely, Matthew Beggy, Caleb
Newman, Caitlin Bliss, Rebecca Carlini, Colin Domowicz and Sean
Duncan.
TAKING A STAND: SV STUDENTS
RECOGNIZED AT NATIONAL HISTORY
DAY
Four Seneca Valley students won various awards in the
Regional Level of the 2017 National History Day competition at
Westminster College on March 2.
Seventh grade student Veronica Pimenova won second place
in the Junior Documentary Division. Eighth grade students
Benaifer Sepai won first place in the Junior Exhibit Division and
Annie Castagnero won second place in the Junior Exhibit Division.
Freshman Caelen Blakely won third place in the Senior Exhibit
Division.
These students will move on to attend the State Level National
History Day competition in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, May 12 and 13.
Several Seneca Valley students in grades 7 through 9
participated in this event where each student wrote process
papers and created visual exhibits depicting a specific person or
group who “Took a Stand” in history. Students had to be prepared
to answer judge’s questions about their subject during an
impromptu question and answer session.
National History Day® (NHD) is a non-profit education
organization based in College Park, Maryland. NHD offers
yearlong academic programs that engage over half a million
middle and high school students around the world annually in
conducting original research on historical topics of interest. The
largest NHD program is the National History Day Contest that
encourages more than half a million students around the world
to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice. Students
52 Cranberry
Seneca Valley Senior High School Student Council is continuing
a tradition to empower women.
Student Council recently held a Sadie Hawkins Dance that
benefitted the Victim Outreach Intervention Center (VOICe) in
Butler, Pa. This dance, and its support of the local center, is a
continued tradition that began several years ago at the senior
high school.
One hundred percent of ticket sales were donated directly to
VOICe totaling $3,150.
“Seneca Valley Senior High School Student Council understands
the importance of domestic violence awareness,” says Jessica
Herring, senior high school student council advisor.
VOICe is the sole provider of comprehensive domestic violence,
sexual assault and other crime victim services for the more than
180,000 people who call Butler County, home.
SEVENTEEN INSTRUMENTALISTS
MOVE ON TO REGIONALS
Seneca Valley
instrumentalists participated
in the Pennsylvania Music
Educators Association (PMEA)
District 5 Band Festival held at
Butler Intermediate High
School Feb. 9 through 11.
Based on these audition results, 17 SV students moved on to the
PMEA Region Band Festival held in March at Sharon High School.
Selected for participation in Region Band were Sam Kochis,
Hanna Behr, Sofia Salgado, Liz Winters, Mitch Topf, Liz Linton, Ben
Hess, Jessica Uhl, Brian Vogel, Miya Paserba, Jared Famiglietti.
Maddy Sinan, Aaron Wolf, Henry von Rintelen, Austin Treu, Emily
Scanlan and Jordan Bender.
Instrumental instructors on the secondary campus include
Robert Matchett, Varden Armstrong, Robert Babick and Sara
Snyder.
AWARDS ADD UP FOR SVMS
MATHCOUNTS TEAM
The Seneca Valley Middle School MATHCOUNTS team won the
2017 MATHCOUNTS Midwestern PA regional competition held
Feb. 4, at Grove City College.
In addition to the team placing first, Seneca Valley took six of
the top ten individual places, and the team qualifies to move on
to the state competition in Harrisburg next month.
David Choi, grade 8 – Team award, 1st place individual
Zach Garcia, grade 8 – Team award, 2nd place individual
Chris Helmsen, grade 7 – Team award, 3rd place individual
Rachel Spear, grade 7 – Team award, 4th place individual
Jackie Ko, grade 8 – 9th place individual
Nate Craig, Evans City Middle sixth grade student – 10th place
individual
MATHCOUNTS is a challenging competition series that requires
outstanding math knowledge and problem-solving skills.