Uniontown’s Honor Society performs good works
With care and concern, Uniontown Area High School’s National Honor Society is performing good works that make a difference. “They’re a great group of kids,’ said sponsor Pam Howarth. “We’ve been successful in trying to get them to understand there are people in need.’
Each year, the National Honor Society at Uniontown Area High School takes on a number of projects. This year, they included American Red Cross blood drive, Caring Team, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Flight 93 Memorial and Hurricane Katrina victims.
“This is pretty typical of what goes on,’ Howarth said of the range and depth of projects.
And these students don’t neglect their studies to perform these acts of charity. To belong to the National Honor Society, members must have maintained a cumulative 3.5 or higher grade-point average since they started high school and maintain a 3.5 average. They must complete an application that demonstrates school and community involvement.
This year’s officers include Devon Grote, president; K.C. Klein, vice president; Jami Williams, secretary; Leslie VanSickle, corresponding secretary; and Dave Bobish, treasurer.
“The Caring Team we do every year,’ said Grote of the project that is operated in conjunction with Highmark Insurance and the Pittsburgh Steelers. “We do different activities each year.’
Howarth explained the project provides insurance, medical and dental, and recently added death grievance classes to any person in need.
“Whatever we raise, they will match,’ Howarth said of Highmark and the Steelers. “In the last year, Uniontown High School’s efforts have reached out to 17 families. This has grown since our involvement 19 years ago.’
Working all school year, the students worked at their goal of raising $3,000. They tagged at football games, raffled off baskets and operated a new venture in a calendar party. Brianne Kyle designed both the ticket, poster and program for the calendar party. Other students helped the National Honor Society provide entertainment for the calendar party, including the Steel Drum Ensemble under the direction of Michelle Hudock, excerpts from the school musical “Cinderella,’ which was directed by Joel Hudock and Michelle Hudock, as well as dance, piano and vocal solos.
“It’s wonderful because it really shows the hidden talents a lot of people don’t know the kids have,’ said Howarth.
The National Honor Society students also operated their annual blood drive on Oct. 17, collecting 48 units of blood for the American Red Cross.
Klein, a first-time donor, said, “We had a lot of people coming in and out all day. We brought in cookies and orange juice and helped people back to their seats.’
The students also collected pennies for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, raising $449.
“We distributed canisters in February per room and we had to extend it because of snow days. We had a battle between Mrs. Dina Kriebel and Miss Andrea Sholtis’ rooms with Mrs. Kreibel’s classes winning,’ said Howarth.
“Their classes raised a lot of money,’ noted Klein.
The students were also involved with efforts for the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville.
Kate Monaghan said, “Mrs. Howarth visited the site and came back and told us about the experience. We were trying to think of ways to find donations and came up with the idea of selling shamrocks.’
In March, the students sold $181 worth of paper shamrocks, cut out by Kristen Handy and Jen Tandarich. They worked with the students of art teacher Beverly DeMotte, who created a memorial wish/statement wallboard.
DeMotte wrote of the project, “As 9-11-06 approached, it occurred to me that I was just 9 years old when President Kennedy was assassinated. My recollection of the assassination is now a mix of a child’s view of that day and many years of educated recall. It struck me that most high school students would have been 9 to 13 years old when commercial jets commandeered by terrorists crashed into three American sites. These acts of terrorism changed our outlook as a nation. This event would have a similar effect on my students as the assassination had on me. I thought how inspiring and perhaps cathartic if, just five years later, the students could reflect on that tragic day. This became the creative idea for the 9-11 Memorial Flag Project.
“The collage flags of mid-20th century American artist Jasper Johns inspired the artistic approach of our flag. While our process differed from Johns’, the end result is a flag broken into many pieces and reassembled into a proper American flag. The reconstructed flag symbolizes the brutal nature of the event and the American grit to survive. Thoughts are written on the many pieces. As the border around the flag indicates, the 9-11 Flag Project was initially limited to the UAHS art classes. Interest grew in the project as we opened the project up to anyone in the school who wanted to commemorate 9-11.
“In March, the UAHS Honor Society sold shamrocks to raise money for the Shanksville memorial. They used the flag as a backdrop for their sales table. This is a collective statement by the UAHS Honor Society of the flag as well. The flag will be delivered to Shanksville sometime this spring.’
In addition, teachers contributed to this cause by paying money to have a Jeans Day. In all, the student raised close to $200 for the Flight 93 Memorial.
The National Honor Society’s involvement with Hurricane Katrina victims began last year.
Howarth explained, “My aunt’s daughter-in-law’s school was wiped out in New Orleans – John Quincy Adams Junior High School.’
Led by the National Honor Society students, the entire Uniontown Area School District helped by sending pencils, tablets, colored pencils, markers, glue, notebooks and backpacks as well as T-shirts for the students to use as uniforms in a shipment in November 2005.
Later, the students raised money to pay for three picnic tables and Beanie Babies for each enrolled student for the start of the 2006-07 school year.
This year, the Uniontown students continue to give support to John Quincy Adams. They plan to raise funds to provide books for the school library. Anyone interested in contributing to this project can contact Howarth at the Uniontown Area High School at 724-439-5000.
Talking about the different projects, Kyle said, “It keeps us busy. It does help a lot of people.’
Klein commented, “I know it wasn’t fun to count the pennies but it definitely was worth it.’
Marissa Thomas said, “Everyone needs to help people and it gives you a feeling you can’t get any other way.’
Howarth said, “The students were most cooperative once they understood the necessity of each of these activities. Hopefully, I wish to initiate these students to want to continue to give to others less fortunate than themselves. Because in life it is better to give than to receive.’