Mapletown High School to hold commencement Friday
Mapletown High School will hold its annual commencement at 7 p.m. Friday in the high school gymnasium. Guest speaker will be Dr. Bernard Imrich, a 1967 Mapletown High School graduate. Michael Caruso, superintendent of the Southeastern Greene School District, and Janet Pennington, teacher and senior class sponsor, will make remarks.
High school Principal Charles R. Brooks and Dr. Kimberly Tencer, the district’s coordinator of educational programs, will present the Class of 2009.
Kaitlyn Novak, senior class president, will deliver the welcome address. Valedictorian Kiley Dugan will deliver an address titled “Over the Years.” Salutatorian Brian Guritza will deliver an address titled “The Time has Come.”
Novak is a daughter of Leonard and Lisa Novak of Bobtown. She has served as president of the student council, vice president of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and the Interact Club. She was cheerleading captain and a four-year member of the Lady Maples basketball, softball and volleyball teams.
Novak received the 2009 Jim Moore Foundation Scholarship for $1,000 and has been named 2009 prom queen, ninth-grade Christmas Queen and a 2008 Homecoming Court attendant.
She participated as a volunteer for the Greene County Special Olympics and represented her school in a Relay for Life event. She also assisted the Youth Education Association’s blood drive and is a member of the St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church in Bobtown.
Novak plans to attend Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus, for two years, majoring in occupational therapy, and then continue her education at the main campus of Penn State University.
Dugan is a daughter of Jim and Linda Dugan of Cabbage Flats. She has served as president of the National Honor Society, editor of the school’s yearbook, a member of SADD and the Academic League and was the scorekeeper for the boys basketball team.
Dugan volunteered with American Red Cross blood drives, helping to acquire 70 pints of blood in two events. She also volunteered with Junior Achievement, where she taught elementary students about business and economics.
In the fall, she plans to attend Penn State University to major in chemical engineering.
Guritza is a son of Michael and Sandi Guritza and a member of the National Honor Society, the Academic League, the audio/video club and has participated in the BotsIQ event.
He twice won the Presidential Fitness Award. The Carmichaels Lions Club named him the September Student of Month. He is a member of the Holy Family and St. Ignatius Parish and is part of the church’s youth group.
He has helped the community by building bat houses in Greensboro and Carmichaels. He also assisted with the Art Blast on the Mon Festival.
In the fall, Gurtiza plans to attend the ITT Technical Institute in Richmond, Va., to study visual communications with a goal of becoming a video game designer.