April 2016
Greenhouse Garden Party
Under the advisement of teacher Mrs. Lisa Chillot, theIntroduction to Horticulture students hosted a Garden Party on Mon Mar 21 to showcase and sell their spring collection. The students determined plant prices and designed and implementedthe advertising for the sale. While hosting the event, students displayed their knowledge of their plants and flowers and provided refreshments and favors for the attendees. The money raised from the sale goes toward purchasing seeds and supplies for the greenhouse.
Student-Athlete College Planning Night
Athletic Director, Miss Steph Deibler, will host an informational session on Wed Apr 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The purpose of the session will be to acquaint students and their parents the with NCAA guidelines regarding participation in college sports.
Science Olympiad
On Wed Mar 9, Mr. Dave Smith escorted seventeen students to Kutztown University to participate in the 2016 Science Olympiad. With 29 teams participating, Schuylkill Valley High School placed 12th overall and 5th among Berks County schools and brought home several top prizes.
First Prize / Cell Biology / ThonecaAkhter (11) and Kevin Cook (12)First Prize / Game On / Michael Rinehart (12) and Daniel Tetreault (12)
Second Prize / Write It Do It / ThonecaAkhter (11) and Sophie Goad (12)
Third Prize / Forensics / Daniel Tetreault (12) and Sophie Goad (12)
BCTC – HOSA Conference
Mrs. Lois Bachrach reported that senior Kaitlin Valentine won 1st prize at the state HOSA Conference with her speech about dental technology. Kaitlin will be heading to Nashville, Tennessee for the finals which will include winners from Canada. Good work Kaitlin!
Alumni News – March Madness
Mr. Jeff Chillot reported that one of our Schuylkill Valley alum and former Panther football, basketball, and baseball player, accompanied the Oklahoma Sooner basketball team to the NCAA final four game in Houston.
Jese Downs (2012 graduate) is a member of the Oklahoma cheer squad for football and basketball. Jese had to try out in order to be selected for the squad. Mr. Chillot had written a recommendation letter for Jese and had to verify that Jese had been a varsity athlete in high school. The application process is so rigorous that Mr. Chillot had to vouch that Jese would be able to make it through the weight room workouts and off-season conditioning programs that being on thesquad requires.Jese will graduation from Oklahoma University this spring.
YMCA Short Course Nationals Competition
Colin Gwiazdowski (10) made qualifying times in several individual swimming and relay events and was invited to participate in the YMCA Short Course Nationals Competition in April. Best of luck Colin!
Women in Mathematics and Science Conference
Mrs. Lisa Chillot escorted Daisy Grace (12), Sophie Goad (12), and Kylie Brown (11) to Millersville University on Tue Apr 5 for the Women in Mathematics and Science Conference. The students had an opportunity to hear a variety of women scientists speak about their careers and the paths they took to get there.
Summer Engineering Institute – Lehigh University
Steven HuyPhan (11) has been accepted into the 2016 Summer Engineering Institute Program at Lehigh University. Alyssa Clapp, Operations Director of the SEI program at Lehigh University, conveyed her appreciation to Steven’s math and science teachers for this wonderful achievement. Congratulations Steven!
Reading Public Library’s Young Poet’s Contest
Mrs. Patricia Kramer (advisor of the SV Lit Magazine) reports that Bethany Schlott (11) won first place in the Reading Public Library’s Young Poet’s Contest with her entry “Societal Pressures.” Bethany’s poem was judged among poems submitted by 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students across the county. She and the other winners will be honored at the annual Poetry Celebration on Thu Apr 28.
National Honor Society
On Thu Apr 7and Sat Apr 9, students from the National Honor Society volunteered at the Schuylkill Valley Community Library Book Sale. Students helped set-up and also cleaned up after the event. Proceeds from the sale will help the library continue to operate various literacy programs. The advisor for NHS is Mrs. Lisa Chillot.
NHS Student Volunteers at the Schuylkill Valley Community Book SaleSeniors: / Juniors:
MaddieBrzostek
Kevin Cook
Skye Douglas
Daisy Grace / Riley Horning
Kevin McGinley
Michael Rinehart / ThonecaAkhter
Daniel Behler
Lydia Forsythe
Nicole Frank
AnnabellaKolasa / Jacqueline Marusiak
Jenna Phillips
Bethany Schlott
Tristan Weller
PYEA Family Fun Night
On Fri Apr 5, more thanfiftyhigh school students helped out with the second annual PYEA Family Fun Night. Students from the PYEA Club, along with members of the football, girls’ basketball, girls’ soccer, and Mock Trial teams hosted a night of fun and games to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The event was a huge success with over $1,500 raised for St. Jude’s.
The evening concluded with a “Dunk the Teacher” event. Four fearless high school teachers (Mr. Jason Bagenstose, Mr. Bryan Binkley, Mrs. Lisa Chillot, and Mr. Jeff Chillot) braved the forty-degree weather and volunteered to be dunked. Mrs. Sarah Reed is the advisor for the PYEA Club.
Mock Trial
Schuylkill Valley’s Mock Trial team placed in the top four in last February’s competition. This qualifies the team for the county competition on Thu Apr 28. The advisor for Mock Trial is Mrs. Jen Boyer. Congratulations Mock Trial and good luck at the county competition!
Fall Drama Program
On Tue Apr 19, a group of students from Schuylkill Valley will be participating in the Bucks County Playhouse Schools' Theatre Festival in New Hope, PA. They will be performing a play called "Escape to Cancel" written by Mr. Tim Mogford.
Staff News
Mr. Tim Mogford’s play "Sam and Beck's Last Post" was selected for performance at the Bucks County Playhouse’s New Voices Short Play Festival on Fri Apr 15 and Sat Apr 16. In addition to participating in the writing workshops, Mr. Mogford was also invited to direct a piece written by New Jersey playwright Tony Tomaine for performance in the festival. Another of his plays was recently selected for publication by JD Drama Publishing in Texas. Currently, 18 of Mr. Mogford’s plays have been published and have been performed by schools and colleges all over the US, Canada, Japan, and Finland.
Agriculture Club/Horticulture Class
A group of students from the Agriculture Club and Horticulture class participated in the Paint the Rain Barrel Competition sponsored by the Berks County Conservation District. These barrels will be auctioned off to raise funds for scholarships offered by the conservation district. The project was led by seniors Samantha Haag and Tylor Phillips. Mrs. Lisa Chillot in the advisor for the Agriculture Club and teaches the Horticulture class.
American Association for University Women
Senior Daisy Grace received an award from the American Association for University Women for being the highest-ranked female student in her class. Representing the AAUW, Mrs. Victoria E. Troutman visited the high school on Thu Apr 14 to present Daisy with her award.
Daisy plans to continue her studies as a dual major at Lafayette College where she received a $50,000 per year scholarship.
Congratulations Daisy!
Honor Roll – 3rd Marking Period
Congratulations to the 320 high school students who made honor roll for the 3rd marking period!
Principal’s ListGPA 3.750 + / Honor Roll
GPA 3.500-3.749 / Merit Roll
GPA 3.000-3.499 / Total
Grade 9 / 23 / 24 / 32 / 79
Grade 10 / 24 / 14 / 37 / 75
Grade 11 / 22 / 15 / 35 / 72
Grade 12 / 37 / 21 / 36 / 94
Total / 106 / 74 / 140 / 320
Student Leadership Meeting
Principal Patrick Sasse will host a lunch with all class officers, as well as student council officers, on Mon Apr 18. Students will be discussing school climate and will be encouraged to express their ideas for improving peer relationships.
National Merit Scholarship Program
Schuylkill Valley HS had two students qualify for the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. Current juniors, Daniel L. Behler and Kylie R. Brown were selected based on their academic performance on the PSAT. Congratulations Dan and Kylie!
BCTC – Students of the Quarter
Congratulations to our BCTC students!The following students were named Students of the Quarter:
Anthony Simko (10) - Automotive Technology
Olivia Velgara (12) - Cosmetology
Victoria Calleja (10) - Protective Services / Kaitlin Valentine (12) - Dental Occupations
Takoda Hartman (10) - Diesel Technology
Brianna Perez (12) - Health Related Technology
Charles Orr (12) - Heavy Equipment
Samantha Haag (12) - Horticulture
Congratulations POP50!
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Shrek: The Musical for another fabulous POP performance. The shows on Fri Apr 15 and Sat Apr 16 played to a packed auditorium. A special thanks to Miss Katie Heffner, Mrs. Crystal Cammauf, Mr. Jason Bagenstose, Mrs. Evie Braun, Mr. Kurt Schneiderhan, Mr. Ben Bucks, and Mr. Gary Auker for their tireless efforts in making the very special 50th anniversary of POP a huge success.
Berks Agricultural Resource Network (B.A.R.N.) Career Fair
Several SVHS students attended the Berks Agricultural Resource Network (B.A.R.N.) 2016 Career Fair on Fri Mar 18 at the Berks Ag Center in Leesport. There were dozens of exhibitors including colleges, conservation services, veterinary services, and landscaping businesses. Mrs. Lisa Chillot accompanied the following students to the event:
12th Grade: Samantha Haag, Tabitha Stoudt, and JustinaStubblebine
11th Grade: Nick Hanson and Parker Rost
9th Grade: Mikayla Davis and Sam Schreffler
SVHS Eagle Scouts
Three Schuylkill Valley High School students have earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Dylan Haas (11) refurbished and improved the play set at Mohrsville Playground; Nicholas Hanson (11) painted the doors in the social hall of Salem (Bellemans) Church, Centre Township; and Parker Rost (11) installed bat boxes at Penn State Berks for habitat awareness. All three students are members of Troop 154, sponsored by Salem (Bellemans Church), Centre Township and students at the Berks Career and Technology Center.
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