Boone Celebrates Homecoming - Daniel Boone Area School District

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Fall 2009 Daniel Boone Area School District Newsletter Volume 30, No. 1
Boone Celebrates Homecoming
Daniel Boone homecoming ceremonies were held on Friday, Oct 2. Two new
members of the high school varsity club’s Wall of Fame were inducted and a new
homecoming court was introduced.
SARAH ROHLFING was named the 2009 Homecoming Queen, and JOEL KUTZ
accompanied her as this year’s king. They were introduced at halftime of the football
game against Blue Mountain.
Also during halftime, MR. JOHN KARAS (Class of 1962) and MISS CRISTA
RICKETTS (Class of 2002) were added to Daniel Boone’s Wall of Fame. Karas
was Daniel Boone’s first state champion. He won the 1962 state discus championship
with a record throw in a county meet that lasted
10 years. Karas wrestled at 225 pounds in the unlimited
weight class and won the Berks County tournament by
pinning every opponent. He was also a three-year starter
in football at fullback and middle linebacker.
After graduation Karas spent 10 years as the general
manager of a Papa John’s store in
Pinellas County, Florida. The store
was the only one in the county to
ever pass one million in sales, and Karas’ store did it five times. For his efforts,
Karas was named GM of the Year twice by Papa John’s.
Karas is very active in schools and community work in Florida.
Ricketts, after an outstanding basketball career at Daniel Boone, forged one
Daniel Boone’s
in college and in the professional ranks in Europe. She finished her career at
Wall of Fame
LaSalle University in the all-time top 10 in 12 categories and was in the top
Inductees:
five in eight of those. She is the school’s third all-time scorer (1,645 points)
John Karas and
and its sixth all-time leading rebounder with 725 boards.
Crista Ricketts
Ricketts also became only the fourth player at LaSalle to record a 500-point,
200-rebound season, and is the only player to be selected to the Atlantic 10
postseason team four straight years.
After college Ricketts continued her basketball career in Portugal and is currently
on a professional team in Austria. She has won awards in both countries
for her play. Her grandmother, MS. DIANA RICKETTS, accepted the award on Crista’s behalf.
Daniel Boone homecoming ceremonies began with the annual convertible parade around the football field introducing the
…continued on page 3
What’s Inside
Marching Blazers Take Title 3 School District Goes Green 4
1

Mission Statement
The Daniel Boone Area School District, in partnership with students,
parents and the community, is committed to empower all students as
self-directed, creative life-long learners and responsible citizens who
flourish in a diverse and dynamic world, by providing them with a
strong foundation of knowledge, skills and experience in a safe learning
environment.
Belief Statement
• Contributing members of both our local and global society.
• Self-directed life-long learners.
• Able to view individual talents and cultural diversity as assets.
• Sufficiently skilled to function at a post-secondary level.
• Able to think critically.
• Resilient and adaptive to change.
• Effective and efficient users of technology.
• Effective and resourceful problem solvers.
• Involved in the community.
• Able to function cooperatively as productive team members.
• Risk takers toward accomplishing their goals.
• Able to meet and exceed national and state academic standards.
• Able to communicate effectively.
BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Kevin McCullough
President
Walter P. Sheehan
Vice President
Margaret M. Fiset
Secretary
Alan D. Ross
Treasurer
Andrew Basile
Richard C. Fidler
Grant A. Gagnon
JoAnn M. Hartzell
Michael D. Sheerer
Linda L. Neiman
Recording Secretary (non-member)
Dr. Gary L. Otto
Superintendent
Blazing Trails, the official publication of Daniel Boone Schools, is
published periodically by the school district for all residents of the
Daniel Boone Area School District.
Todd Sherman
Editor
The Daniel Boone Area School District, an equal opportunity employer, will not
discriminate in employment, educational programs or activities, based on race,
sex, handicap or because a person is a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam
Era. This policy of non-discrimination extends to all other legally protected
classifications. Publication of this policy in this document is in
accordance with State and Federal laws including Title IX
of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title Vl and
Vll of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We further affirm
that all curriculum offering and student enrollment
practices will be handled without discrimination
based on sex, race, religion, national origin, or
nonjob related handicaps or disabilities. Inquiries
to be directed to Superintendent, Daniel Boone Area
School District, Matthew Brooke Bldg – Suite 200,
321 N. Furnace Street, Box 490, Birdsboro, PA 19508.
Website: http://www.dboone.org
Superintendent’s Corner
With the 2009-2010 school year well
underway, I want to take this opportunity
to share with you some general
information about our plans at the district
level for this academic year. When
I met with our staff on our opening day
this year, I shared with them several
specific areas that we will be targeting
as our priorities for the coming year. I would like to summarize
each of those priorities for you:
Student Learning/Achievement: While we are pleased with
our academic results, we will be putting a renewed emphasis
on academic growth.
Instructional Leadership: At all levels of the district, from
the central office level to the classroom level, we will be
using student achievement data to drive our instructional
efforts.
Focus on Achievement Data: We will be meeting monthly
building by building to monitor and review our student
achievement data as a way to guide instructional activities.
Continuous Improvement: All of our efforts this year are
focused on ongoing improvement in student learning and
enhanced communication with the community.
Facilities Management: In terms of our district facilities,
we are well into the renovation of our Amity Primary Center
and we are progressing in the planning process of our high
school stadium renovations. We also are continuing to
explore ways to operate our facilities as cost effectively as
possible.
Fiscal Planning: As part of our continuous improvement
efforts, we will continue to examine cost savings and revenue
enhancement opportunities in all aspects of our district
operations.
We look forward to a year of opportunity and growth for
our students and the Blazer community. As always, we continue
to welcome your feedback and appreciate your support
in our efforts to provide our children with the educational
foundations they will need to be successful today and in the
years ahead.
Sincerely,
High School Students
Sam Eigenbrot ▪ Jana Mahon ▪ Kayla Rivoli ▪ Molly Seasholtz
2

Fall 2009
Marching Blazers Cap Championship Season
The Daniel Boone Marching Blazers
capped a remarkable season by winning
their first-ever Atlantic Coast
Championship under the lights at
HersheyPark Stadium on the first weekend
in November.
The 120 members of the high school
marching band won the event over
two weekends in Hershey in an event
that drew more than 70 bands from
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland,
Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and
New York.
High School Band Director MR.
JUSTIN MCADAMS said the competition,
held annually since 1973, is the
season-ending event for the largest
competitive marching circuit in the
Northeast.
Bands are divided into groups, or
classes, by size, and 13 other bands
were in Daniel Boone’s class this year.
The Marching Blazers scored a schoolrecord
97.75, winning the title by 0.15
points.
In addition, the DB Marching Blazers
won the event’s award for overall visual
performance.
The victory capped a memorable
season for the Blazers. The highlights
of the band’s season include:
Several honors in two competitions on
the weekend of Oct. 24-25. The Blazers
earned several awards in regional and
local events.
The Blazers placed second in class
AA and won an award for overall
general effect at the Bands of America
Regional Championship held at
West Chester University on Oct. 25.
Considered the “national standard”
for high school bands, the Blazers had
a great opportunity to be compared
against 22 bands—some of the top
groups on the eastern seaboard. At
this level, bands are grouped into
classifications based on their school
size, not band size. In addition to
high schools from Pennsylvania, there
were marching bands from New York,
Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina,
and Georgia.
The Blazers returned to local competition
the next day and repeated
as the 2009 Tournament of Bands
Chapter 2 Champions. This qualifying
event earned them the overall
third spot in the season-ending ACC
competition, which was held Nov. 8
at HersheyPark Arena. The champion
Blazers also earned top honors in several
categories, including color guard,
percussion, high visual, high music,
and high drum major.
The Tournament of Bands Chapter
2 Championships were held at Blue
Mountain High School. Daniel Boone
competed against marching bands from
Schuylkill Haven, Northern Lehigh,
Northwest Lehigh, Blue Mountain,
Parkland, and Wilson.
A first-place trophy at the Wilson
High School Tournament of Bands on
Sept. 26.
The color guard’s 82.1 score edged
Spring-Ford and host school Wilson.
The three schools were in the largest
group at the Wilson Sound Panorama,
which featured 10 high school groups
in one of the first competitive events
of the season. Schools were divided by
size in the competition.
Daniel Boone High School Celebrates Homecoming
Continued from page 1…
2009 Homecoming Court: SARAH ROHLFING, CODY
HOHL, EMILY LOPUSKI, AMANDA CHILDS, EMMA
GIBBONS, JOEL KUTZ, BRETT SIMMONS, TYLER
BROOKS, JUSTIN SOWERS, and JOHNNY NGUYEN.
Homecoming activities were originally scheduled for
Saturday, Oct. 3, but inclement weather forced the football
game to be moved to Friday. The annual bonfire and
the Powder Puff flag football game were rescheduled for
Thursday, Nov. 5.
A spaghetti dinner sponsored by the Daniel Boone
Sports Boosters was held in the high school cafeteria on
Saturday, and it was followed by the homecoming dance
in the high school gym.
The football team blanked Blue Mountain 28-0 behind
191 yards passing and four touchdown tosses from quarterback
JON MONTEIRO. RANDY VANHORN caught two TD passes, and the Blazers rushed for 148 yards against a stout
Blue Mountain defense.
Homecoming activities are sponsored by the DB Varsity Club. The organization’s advisor is MRS. JILL MENTZER.
3

Recycling Program Has School District Going Green
By Molly Seasholtz
Blazing Trails staff writer
A recycling program in the Daniel
Boone Area School District has begun,
and is off to a great start. So
far, students and staff have been very
cooperative and are very accepting
of the new program, according to a
district official.
“The program is of no cost to the
district,” said MR. KEN SMITH,
Buildings and Grounds Supervisor for
the district.
Eighth-grader NICOLE MCNERNEY
unloads paper from a classroom recycling
bin at Daniel Boone Middle School.
McNerney is one of the many student
volunteers across the district helping
Boone go green. Photo by eighth-grader Sydney Stone
Smith said the district did not have
to pay for the 253 recycling bins located
throughout its five buildings. He
said MRS. KATHY BENSON of Amity
Township wrote the grant that paid
for the recycling bins. MRS. LAURI
BARR in Daniel Boone’s district office
was also instrumental in getting the
program up and running, Smith said.
Benson and two district maintenance
workers picked up the containers in
August from the Alcoa company in
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
“The principals in each building were
instrumental in helping with the program,”
Smith said. MRS. BEVERLY
DENGLER and her ecology club are
in charge of gathering recycling items
at Daniel Boone High School. Sixthgrade
teacher MR. TOM VOELKER and
his student volunteers collect recycling
at Daniel Boone Middle School, and
teacher MR. DAVE MOSTOW does the
same at Amity Intermediate Center.
Principal MRS. MELANIE HEFTER is
in charge of the program at Monocacy
Elementary Center, and Principal MRS.
MARY BETH KIESEL is the head of
the program at Birdsboro Elementary
Center. The students and staff in each
of these buildings collect recycling from
each classroom at least once a week.
Smith said the program is based
mainly on paper, but cans, plastic,
and aluminum are also being recycled.
Custodians at each building collect cans,
plastic, and aluminum along with cardboard
and place these recyclables in the
comingled Dumpsters at each building.
There are two Dumpsters per building,
excluding Birdsboro Elementary
Center. Abitibi Consolidated Recycling
Division, located in Philadelphia, removes
the items from the Dumpsters
every six weeks.
Buildings in the district are expected
to profit slightly from the recycling
program. The price paid per ton depends
on how many tons of recycling
Eighth-graders KIMBERLEE CHER–
NESKY and EMILEE DURSO help collect
recycling in the Daniel Boone Middle
School. Chernesky and Durso are part of
the student volunteer effort to collect
classroom recycling directed by teacher
TOM VOELKER. Photo by eighth-grader Sydney Stone
the district collects, Smith said (anywhere
from $5 to $20 per ton). Smith
said community involvement in the
program is highly encouraged. Each
building principal will use any profits
for his or her building, Smith said.
Molly Seasholtz is a ninth-grade student
at Daniel Boone High School.
School Board Opposes New Exams
The Daniel Boone School Board voted against making new statewide exams
a curriculum requirement during a board meeting in October. The 8-1
vote was a formal opposition to the Keystone Exams, which are expected to
be phased in to state school districts beginning next fall.
The state Department of Education will not make the exams a graduation
requirement, but the agency does want local school districts to count the
exam scores as one-third of a student’s final grade in those courses.
The Keystone Exams were approved by the state in September. The exams
will replace the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests for
high school juniors. The tests will be given to eleventh-graders at the end of
10 high-school level courses by 2017.
Board members said they oppose the exams because of the weight they
will be given to final grades.
Another Berks County school board, Wyomissing, also voted in October
to oppose the state exams. At least one county superintendent and a board
member in two additional Berks County districts have expressed their opposition
to the exams.
4

Fall 2009
Three Seniors Receive National Commendations
Daniel Boone High School students
JOEL KUTZ, BRIAN TRACEY, and
HANNAH JONES have earned letters
of commendation from the high school
and the National Merit Scholarship
Corporation for their performance on
the Preliminary SAT/National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/
NMSQT®) last October.
Kutz has entered the National Merit
Program, a nationwide competition
for recognition and awards conducted
by NMSC. Fifty-thousand of the
highest scorers were offered College
Plans Reporting service through their
schools. Some 16,000 of those high
performers were recently designated
semifinalists on a state representational
basis. Semifinalists have an op-
portunity to continue in the Merit
Scholarship competition and advance
to finalist standing by meeting a number
of additional requirements.
Jones and Tracey are among the
34,000 high performers nationwide
that have been named Commended
Students on the basis of a national
Selection Index score of 201. Although
they will not continue in the 2010
competition for National Merit
Scholarships, Commended Students
placed among the top five percent or
more than 1.5 million students.
Jones has also been named a semifinalist
for a National Achievement
Scholarship, an NMSC program that
recognizes academically promising
black students throughout the nation
Commended students Brian Tracey,
Hannah Jones, Joel Kutz
and provides scholarships to the most
outstanding participants. More than
1,600 black high school seniors have
been designated as semifinalists in the
46th annual program.
Volunteer Workshop
MRS. JANET EBNER, Reading Specialist at Birdsboro
Elementary Center, met with MRS. DANA BURBANK,
MRS. MIA FRANTZ, MRS. MARTHA SILVERMAN, MRS.
MELISSA MATZ, and approximately 20 other parents and
grandparents on September 28 and 29. She conducted a
workshop about being a volunteer in the classroom. The
group reviewed guidelines and procedures.
BEC Holiday Bazaar
The student council at Birdsboro Elementary Center
hosted a holiday bazaar on Saturday, November 21. More
than 30 vendors made the event a success. Money raised
is donated by BEC Student Council to various charities
throughout the year, including Berks Women in Crisis and
the Animal Rescue League. MRS. MICHELE VARGO is the
student council advisor.
5
DB High School Performs
Shakespeare In Hollywood
The fall play at Daniel Boone High School was a comedy in
two acts by Ken Ludwig called “Shakespeare in Hollywood.”
The following students participated in the play, which was
held at the high school Nov. 20-21:
Seniors
AJ SIMMONS, JOEL KUTZ, HANNAH JONES,
NIKI RUTKOWSKI, BRIAN TRACEY, TIFF WHEELER,
ALEX O’BRIAN, TYLER NOTARIO, JOHN JANDA,
GEOFFREY TALAMANTES, ALEX MORSE,
SAMI-JO LACEK
Juniors
GRACE PORTER, KYLE SCHUERGER,
MIRIAM MEALAND, ELISE LERARIO
Sophomores
RILEIGH GERHART, ABBY MOSS
Freshmen
RACHEL GANS, JOHN WILLIAMS, KEVIN TRACEY
Stage Crew
HEATHER LASALLE, stage manager;
EMILY JANSSEN, stage crew and artistic consultant;
EMMA BeiDLER, lighting designer;
JORDAN KIJAK, sound;
MELANIE SALEMNO, JORDAN ZUBER,
WESLEY STARNeS, crew members

These are a few of the sixth-grade students who participated in
the sports\jersey day sponsored by the Daniel Boone Middle School
Student Council: From left to right, NICK MORTON, JAMES
GAGLIARDI, JACK ORENDORFF, BRANDON
LEHR, TAYLOR CARROLL, CARLY LARIVIERE, JANNETTE
BANOS, KIERSTIN MOSER, and AARON TEMPLIN.
Spirit Week At DBMS
The Daniel Boone Middle School Student Council sponsored
a spirit week Sept. 29-Oct. 2. Each day had a theme
designed to involve students in the school. The week kicked
off Tuesday, when students were directed to wear sports shirts
or jerseys. Many students wore Phillies shirts in support of the
Phillies’ run to the World Series. Wednesday was designated
Crazy Hair and Sock day. Thursday was Hawaiian day, and
Friday was Blazer Spirit Day. The middle school football team
and members of other sports teams wore their uniforms, while
many students and staff wore Daniel Boone shirts.
Photo by eighth-grader Mackenzie Giunta
photo by eighth-grader Alex Troyan
These are just a few of the seventh-graders who participated in
sports/jersey day at DBMS: SHANNON ROTHHARPT, KAYLA
SCHAEFFER, KELLY ROBINSON, CONNOR RICCI, ERIC
SCHWEITZER, DEHILA WILSON, SHELBY VANDERSLICE,
STEPHANIE SIEVERS.
Recent Grads Earn
AP Scholar Awards
Six students from the Daniel Boone High School Class
of 2009 have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition
of their exceptional achievement on AP Exams.
DBHS graduates JEFFREY KLINE, GARRETT
COATNEY, HANNAH CHRIST, ALLISON HILOVSKY,
SAMANTHA MERCER, and NICKOLAS RECK earned
the prestigious award.
Kline qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction
Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all
AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or
more of these exams.
Coatney qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor
Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on
all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four
or more of these exams.
Christ, Hilovsky, Mercer, and Reck qualified for the
AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP
Exams with grades of 3 or higher.
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program ®
(AP ® ) provides motivated and academically prepared
students with the opportunity to take rigorous collegelevel
courses while still in high school, and to earn college
credit, advanced placement, or both for successful
performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of
the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP
Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn
an AP Scholar Award.
The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement
based on students’ performance on AP Exams.
Soldier Of The Quarter
Daniel Boone High School
graduate SGT. MARTIN
GREENE was named Soldier of
the Quarter at the U.S. Army
Aviation Center of Excellence at
Fort Rucker, Alabama, in July.
Greene is an Air Traffic Control
Specialist in the army, and is
currently stationed in Iraq. He
graduated from Daniel Boone in
2004, and is the son of Matthew
and Micki Greene. He enlisted in the army in 2006.
Before his deployment in Iraq, Sgt. Greene served
as the Tower Training Supervisor and Shift Leader for
several months at the South Alabama Regional Airport.
He was also the only dual-rated controller at the airport,
and served as the facility chief for ground control.
6

Fall 2009
Always Be Prepared
BEC Students Review Fire Safety
Being prepared and safe are
important goals of the district’s
transportation department.
At the beginning of
this school year, kindergarten
and first-grade students at
Birdsboro Elementary Center
learned about bus safety. MRS.
MELISSA HOHL and MRS.
JANET KATKOWSKI demonstrated
bus rules.
Pictured right, NATALIE
BROWN, a student in MS.
MICHELE MYERS’ kindergarten
class, and Mrs. Hohl
model the emergency exiting
procedure.
Students in kindergarten and
grade three at Birdsboro Elementary
Center learned about fire safety
and rescue during Fire Prevention
Month in October. Members of
the Birdsboro Fire Company visited
BEC to review important rules
about fire safety. The kindergarten
class of MRS. LOIS WENZEL
enjoyed seeing one of the fire
trucks and MR. DONALD BOYER,
Birdsboro Fire Co. fireman. Thirdgrade
students learned how
to exit a burning building
by practicing with the fire
company’s Smoke House.
At left, the third-grade class
of MRS. TERRI ANNE
FRITZ is seen with Mr.
TOBY BONSAL, Birdsboro
firefighter.
Kindergarteners Learn Bus Safety
News Briefs
2010
Relay
For Life
The 2010 Relay For Life of Daniel
Boone will be held May 22-23 from
noon to 6 a.m. at the Amity AC track.
The goal is to raise $62,200 for cancer
research, said MRS. TRACY DRIEHAUS,
event chair, junior class advisor, and
high school math teacher.
Last year’s event raised $48,900.
More than 21 teams of participants
walked the track at Daniel Boone High
School for twelve hours last year to
raise funds. This year, the event is
18 hours, and funds will be raised
throughout the school year.
Students from the Class of 2010
and 2011 make up the majority of the
Relay Committee. The next fundraising
event is scheduled for Dec. 12, when
the Class of 2011 will host a Breakfast
with Santa at the high school.
The Relay is held in honor of the
late LORI KEMP, an English teacher at
DBHS who lost her battle with cancer
in October 2008.
Anyone interested in forming a team
should log on to www.relayforlife.org/
padanielboone. For more information
contact Mrs. Driehaus at 610-582-6100
or driehaus@dboone.org.
Middle School
To Stage Aladdin
The Daniel Boone Middle School
will present musical Aladdin on March
18, 19, 20, and 21. The showtimes
are 7 p.m. on all days but the 21st
(2 p.m.).
Aladdin will be held in the auditorium
of DBMS at 1845 Weavertown
Road, Douglassville. Tickets will go
on sale mid-January and may be purchased
from cast members or by visiting
the middle school office.
7

NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
BIRDSBORO, PA
PERMIT NO. 27
H1N1 Flu • Swine Flu
What are the signs and symptoms of
swine flu in people? The symptoms of
swine flu in people are similar to the
symptoms of regular human flu.
• Fever • Cough • Sore Throat
• Body Aches • Headache
• Chills and Fatigue
• Diarrhea and Vomiting
Photo by eighth-grader
Mackenzie Giunta
Blazer Day...
DBMS Student Council sponsored Blazer Day on Friday, Oct. 2. Pictured
are DBMS Assistant Coach MR. BO SHAPPELL, and eighth-grade football
team members DANIEL BABIARZ, DANIEL DOWNS, EVAN ALLEN, and
BRANDON BURKHART (at bottom).
What should I do to keep from getting
the flu? First and most importantly:
• Wash your hands
• Cover your cough and sneeze
• Get plenty of sleep
• Be physically active
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Eat nutritious food
• Try not touch surfaces that may
be contaminated with the flu virus
• Avoid close contact with people
who are sick
Any Questions?? Ask your school nurse.
8