Select students journey down the Path of the Warrior

“And as always…go Warriors!”

Superintendent of Montoursville Area School District, Mr. Daniel Taormina, ends the majority of his emails to parents and students with this phrase.

But what is a Warrior? What does it mean to be a Montoursville Warrior?

Well, Warrior PRIDE, stands for participation, respect, invest in your work, determination, and excellence.

But there is more to it than just that.

The Path of the Warrior award was given out to a number of juniors, seniors and sophomores here at the high school. Students were given these awards for numerous reasons, besides the classic ones listed in PRIDE.

Junior Lea Beishline was chosen by Vice Principal, Mrs. Susan Wise. “She thought I stepped up as a leader in the Mock Trial and have been working really hard this year,” said junior Lea Beishline when asked why Wise had chosen her.

MAHS’s Vice Principal, Mrs. Susan Wise, selects junior Lea Beishline as a recipient of one of the Path of the Warrior awards. Beishline has been in Mock Trial every year of her high school career, and Wise decided to recognize her for her hard work and dedication. Photo by Mrs. Cindy Wentzler

Spanish teacher, Mr. Alex Mazzante, nominated senior Leah Welty to receive an award.

“I chose Leah Welty because she has shown healthy growth-related risk taking,” Mazzante said. “Spanish is a subject that Leah works hard to become good at. Most students choose not to be in electives that are challenging, but not Leah. She is tough.”

Then there is junior, Teli Bobotas, who was picked for the award based on his performance in a particular class.

“The teacher that chose me was Mrs. Dangle and she chose me because I did well in her psychology class and showed lots of interest in the topic,” Bobotas said.

The students that were nominated for the award were called over the speakers to go to the cafeteria. It started with the senior class at the end of November, the junior class at the end of January, and the sophomore class in March.

Juniors Teli Bobotas and Lea Beishline talk to Mrs. Stacey Dangle at the celebratory brunch held in the school cafeteria. The two students were recognized for this award due to their outstanding performances in their classes and extracurriculars. Photo by Mrs. Cindy Wentzler

Senior Brenna Rosenbaum said she was surprised that she was called down to the ceremony because it was a new thing and nobody really knew what it was about.

The nominated students spent all third period in the cafeteria with the teacher that chose them, and were given a nice brunch provided by the school.

“It was fun,” Rosenbaum said, regarding the celebratory brunch. “We talked about what I was planning on doing after high school.”

Students make their way down the line at the table containing all sorts of brunch foods. After they got their food, students got the chance to chat with the teacher that nominated them and get pictures taken. Photo by Mrs. Cindy Wentzler

Ms. Jennifer Kimball and her students she selected, senior Sage Saul and junior Adam Shearer, also discussed future plans as well as the award itself.

“We discussed the award and why they received it,” Kimball said. “Additionally, we discussed how each others’ week is going and upcoming events and activities.”

Welty and Mazzante had something else important that they wanted to talk about during the brunch.

“[We] talked about which one of us would go up and get food first and then strategically planned our pose for the honorary picture,” said Mazzante.

Mr. Alex Mazzante and senior Leah Welty pose for a picture together. The two talked at the brunch about what their pose for the honorary photo would be. Photo by Mrs. Cindy Wentzler

As many already know, Bobotas is on the varsity wrestling team and is constantly moving up ranks, recently reaching his 100th win.

So it will come as no surprise that was the topic of discussion between Bobotas and Dangle.

“We talked about how wrestling was going and about Mock Trial,” he said.

Overall, the brunch and photo shoot following it were enjoyed by all who attended.

“I think this could become a nice tradition, and they should definitely do it again in the future,” said Beishline.

Bobotas’s and Rosenbaum’s opinions on the tradition, were also very similar to Beishline’s.

“I think this new school tradition is fantastic and should be kept going for many years,” said Bobotas.

“I really like it,” said Rosenbaum. “I think it’s a good motivator for students to work hard and do well in all aspects of school.”

The ceremonies are not over yet! The award is still going to be given out to the freshmen that will be selected by the staff, here in the dwindling months of the school year.

It turns out, Kimball has started thinking about her nominations for the next groups of students.

“I have it narrowed down to a couple of students,” she said. “I believe this is a valuable program to recognize students in a really engaging way.”

Ms. Jennifer Kimball and one of the junior recipients, Adam Shearer, get a picture taken with Adam’s certificate at the ceremony. Shearer was selected by Kimball for his growth in his academic and communication skills. Photo by Mrs. Cindy Wentzler

Mazzante on the other hand, has actually already decided on who he is going to nominate when it is time for the Path of the Warrior awards to be given to sophomores.

“Yes, I have my pick. I’m always curious and eager to see students’ reactions to being awarded an accolade.”

Featured photo (at top): The senior recipients of the Path of the Warrior awards stand with the teachers that nominated them. This was the first time the Path of the Warrior awards were given out to students at MAHS. Photo from Montoursville Area High School Facebook