From the Principal’s Desk

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Commencement practice will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 8:30 AM at the PPL Center. Please be prompt! Practice is mandatory if you wish to participate in Commencement. Shuttle buses will be provided for students needing transportation to graduation practice. The shuttle buses will depart from the circle at 7:40 AM. Students must sign up for the shuttle with the receptionist by Thursday, June 6. Students are permitted to use their own means of transportation to commencement practice but, will need to pay for parking. If utilizing your own transportation arrive promptly and enter at the Air Products gate at 7th and Linden Streets. All graduation requirements must be fulfilled to participate in the graduation ceremony. All fines or money due to the Parkland School District must be paid in full to receive your diploma. Expect graduation practice to last until 12:00 PM. Commencement tickets will be distributed after commencement practice. National Honor Society stoles will also be handed out at graduation practice to those students fulfilling all NHS requirements.

The Class of 2019 Commencement Ceremony will begin at 7 PM on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at the PPL Center. Students should arrive at the PPL Center by 5:45 PM, and enter at the Air Products gate at 7th and Linden Streets. Parents will not be permitted to enter at this gate. Parents should utilize the WFMZ gate (7th and Hamilton), LVHN gate (8th and Hamilton), or Northwest gate (8th and Linden). If you have not ordered a cap and gown for graduation, please call Jostens at 1-800-Jostens. You must have a cap and gown to participate in graduation. Graduation is a formal ceremony and the Parkland School District will be treating this evening with the respect and dignity it deserves. This is the final moment of your high school education, so dress your best. Gentlemen are expected to wear slacks, a dress shirt and preferably a tie. Ladies are expected to wear dresses, skirts or dress slacks and appropriate footwear.  Sunglasses or defaced caps and gowns will not be permitted. If you are not dressed appropriately as noted above, you will not participate in the graduation ceremony.

A special message to the Seniors…

Commencement is a special ceremony marking the culmination of your high school education and it requires appropriate behavior. Most recently your class had an extremely enjoyable Senior Prom that was held without incident or distraction. The administration and faculty were extremely proud of your conduct and decision-making during the prom. It was an incredibly enjoyable evening that we expect to see duplicated at commencement. To be clear, beach balls, silly string or anything else that detracts from the ceremony are not permitted. Inappropriate behavior during the graduation ceremony could lead to your dismissal from the PPL Center. My recommendation is to celebrate in your own way during private parties with family and friends once the graduation ceremony has concluded. Your four years at PHS will always be remembered for students enjoying incredible success while also displaying tremendous dignity. I expect the Class of 2019 to carry on that tradition at commencement!

Sincerely,

James E. Moniz II

Principal

E-Mail:  monizj@parklandsd.org

Athletic News

 

Awards

Track

EPC Champions: Jada Mangahas – Pole Vault, Maddie Zaun – 3200m, Mustapha Salau – 400m, Riley Williamson – 1600m 

District XI Champions: Shelby Staib – Javelin, Maddie Zaun – 3200m, Mustapha Salau – 400m, Riley Williamson – 1600m, Mustapha Salau, Nate Reimer, Ben Esquieres, Riley Williamson – 4X800m Relay, Jada Mangahas school record in the pole vault with a jump of 11’6” 

Baseball

1^st Team EPC: Adam Smith, Matt Ervolina

Softball

1^st Team EPC: Kelly Dulaney (MVP), Kylie Hlay

Volleyball

1^st Team EPC: Seth Fine

Girls Lacrosse

1^st Team All EPC: Morgan Hurd, Lydia Lisetski, Mackenzie Roth, Mackenzie Galucy, Jill Bushinsky 

Boys Lacrosse

1^st Team All EPC: James Cipolla (MVP), Greg Santa-Anna, Alex Albertson, Dylan Rahm, James McLaughlin

 

Spring Sports

Here are the records of our spring sports and championships to date:

Baseball 15-5

Boys Lacrosse 20-0, EPC Champions

Girls Lacrosse 16-6, EPC and District XI Champions

Softball 22-2, EPC Champions

Boys Track 6-2

Girls Track 6-2

Tennis 12-3

Volleyball 16-4

Good luck the rest of the way to our spring sports teams!

 

MARK YOUR SPORTS CALENDAR!

Fall 2019-2020 sports physicals will be held Saturday, June 8, 2019 at Parkland High School. 

Boys 8 AM – 10 AM, Girls 10 AM – 12 noon. They are free. 

No student can participate in a fall sport without a full PIAA physical that they received after June 1, 2019. The Parkland Athletic Department understands that it may not be convenient to come to our scheduled free physical event, however those who miss must get a PIAA physical on their own prior to August 12, 2019. Paperwork can be found on the https://www.parklandsd.org/ website under Departments - Athletics - Forms. 

ImPACT Test Requirements

All Parkland High School athletes must get an ImPACT test once during their four years at PHS, prior to trying out for their first sport. 

The PHS Athletic Department will hold two more ImPACT testing dates before the start of fall sports. Please mark your calendars. 

Wednesday, July 24 from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM in the High School Library

Monday, August 5 from 8 AM - 11 AM in the High School Library

 

The first day of fall sports is Monday, August 12. 

CONGRATULATIONS!

 

Scholastic Scrimmage Success

Parkland High School's Scholastic Scrimmage Varsity and JV teams competed the first weekend in June in the National Academic Championship tournament in Washington, DC. 

Competing against more than 100 teams from as far away as Guam, our Varsity team played eleven matches in quick succession, beating one opponent after the other to win the whole thing! Members of the Varsity team are as follows:

Sahil Inaganti - MVP

Jack Blizard - sports, humanities, and math specialist

Arjun Vedantham - expert in science and computer programming, among many other subjects

Nikhil Sunder - knows things that no one else knows 

Hasun Noh - music and religion expert

Valmiki Kothare - tasked with developing Parkland's JV squad 

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4.0 GPA Achievement

	Seniors who achieved a GPA of 4.0 for Seven Consecutive Semesters at Parkland High School:
Thwisha Anantasagar	Nicholas Furry	Victoria Maybruck
John Angelella	Mackenzie Galucy	Rachel McLeod
Abigail Bartynski	Ryan Gaspar	Brandon Miskanic
Nathan Berger	Adriana Goetz Morales	Saniya Pangare
Austin Bilous	Louise Gottwald	John Panny
Julianna Bilski	Nehali Gupta	Ritu Patel
John Blizard	Priyanka Hanumaihgari	Evan Poremsky
Timothy Boyer	Ethan Holub	Rayhan Rahman
Minahil Chaudhry	Christine Hutchinson	Theodore Reinhard
Jackie Cheng	Austin Imler	Kaitlyn Rothwell
Sarah Clapham	Seana Isaac	August Schwartz
Amanda Clewell	Rhea Kadakia	Shelby Staib
Carolyn Cohen	Aanika Kapoor	Katie Steckel
Danielle Colapietro	Saad Khan	Savannah Stern
Coltrane Conner	Hani Kitabwalla	Kassidy Stout
Claire Courter	Adam Klinger	Sriyaa Suresh
William Dacey	Grace Knauss	Michael Toland
Ava Del Rio	Christopher Konya	Sabrina Toland
Jason Dratch	Valmiki Kothare	Mia Wanyo
Madison Dugan	Jenna Kshatri	Daniel Wilcox
Kelly Dulaney	Aidan LaPenta	Riley Williamson
Alison Fang	Olivia Latshaw	Emily Wolff
Katelyn Faust	Conrad Lee	Murong Yao
Jason Feichtel	Mark Leiby	Julia Young
Megan Fenstermaker	Giavanna Litz	Matthew Zager
Seth Fine	Matthew Liu	Madison Zaun
Jenna Folk	Teagan Mangahas	Kaylea Zhang

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Poster Contest

Two Parkland High School students won the Lehigh Valley Ambassadors for Organ and Tissue Donation and Gift of Life Program's Poster Contest for middle school and high school students.

Kyleigh Haas - 1st place and Delilah Jabbour - 3rd place

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Essay Contest

One Parkland High School student placed in the 14th annual Gift of Life Essay Contest for the Lehigh Valley Ambassadors for Organ and Tissue Donation. 

Gabriel Ramirez - 2nd place

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National History Day in PA State Contest

Parkland High School participated in the National History Day state-level competition at Carlisle High School in Carlisle.

The following group won 1st place and will be going to the National History Day National Competition in College Park, Maryland in June.

Students: Ankhitha Manjunatha and Akshatha Manjunatha (10th grade)

Title: Save Yourself, or Save Thousands?: How the Tragedy of One led to the Triumph over Persecution

Project: Group Website

Another Parkland student, Jacob Roth (11th grade), won the Irwin M. Marcus Award from The Pennsylvania Historical Association for his senior paper about Pennsylvania history titled Bethlehem Steel: The Rise and Fall of an Industrial Titan. He received a certificate, a monetary gift, and his paper will be published in a future edition of Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 

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Fitness Team National Competition

Parkland High School's Fitness Team participated in the Marine Corps National Youth Physical Fitness Competition in Fort Indiantown Gap in May. The entire team performed admirably and had its best showing all season. 

The Parkland Boys team placed 3rd with individual medals going to seniors Joe Smith, Anthony DeLeon, Michael DeLeon, and Neil Melcher.

On the Girls team freshman Rysha Jimenez also earned an individual medal for her performance. 

 

Parkland's Nationals Team included: Danielle Colapietro, Georgi Butch, Brooke Penrod, Rysha Jimenez, Marie Danks, Allison Carr, Neka Lewis, Sahaira Martinez, Charlize Cuadrado, Lexi Sayegh, Joe Smith, Michael DeLeon, Anthony DeLeon, Neil Melcher, Ansh Patel, Greg Muniz-Rodriguez, Joerick Fuentes, and Abdiel Hernandez-Luciano

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State Science Fair Competition

Parkland students presented at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science on May 20 at Penn State University. Parkland High School had nineteen 1st place awards, and the following 1st-place winners had perfect scores:  

Prathysha Kothare, Ankhitha Manjunatha, Tanya Mehta, Sohaib Nauman

 

Counseling Corner

 

Requests for Course Changes

All requests for course changes must be submitted to the Counseling Office by June 28, 2019. No schedule change requests will  be accepted throughout the summer months. Students interested in making a change to their schedule after June 28, 2019 may pick up the request form in the Counseling Office during the first six days of the 2019-2020 school year.

 

Summer School

Summer school information will be forwarded will be forwarded to eligible students shortly after final grades are received. Please contact your child’s school counselor if you have any questions about your son or daughter’s academic standing.

 

Moving?

Please contact the Counseling Office this summer if your family will be moving within the Parkland School District or outside of the district. Two documents are required to confirm a change of residence within the district by the end of July in order for new transportation information to be issued on time. If you plan to move outside of the district, please contact the Counseling Office to withdraw your child from the school district. At that time, we will provide you with the academic and medical documents necessary to ensure a smooth transition to your new school.

 

SAT Testing

The remaining test dates for this school year are June 1, 2019 for the SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests, and June 8, 2019 for the ACT. Parkland High School is a test center for the June administration of the SAT.

Online registration for the 2019-2020 SAT tests will be available throughout the summer months at www.sat.org/register. August 24, 2019 and October 5, 2019 are the first two SAT test dates scheduled for next school year.

 

PSAT Testing

The PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test) will be administered this fall to sophomores and juniors on Saturday, October 19, 2019 at Parkland High School. The College Board allows for this test to be administered only once every school year. Please mark this date on your calendar for future reference. Information about the PSAT can be found on www.collegeboard.com/psat. Registration for the PSAT will take place at Parkland High School in mid-September. Fee waivers are available to students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Please contact Mrs. McGarr in the Counseling Office with any questions regarding the PSAT.

 

Driver's Education 

 

Is your child turning 16 soon?   

Permit applications and online Pennsylvania Driver's Manuals can be found online on the PA Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website at https://www.dmv.pa.gov. When applying for a Learner's Permit, please remember that a doctor's physical is needed to complete the application and the DMV is CLOSED on Mondays. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  An appointment is NOT needed to take the permit test, but is necessary for the DMV Behind-the-Wheel licensing test.

 

Behind-the-Wheel Training 

The Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 (CLIU) Behind-the-Wheel program is available to all students once they have obtained their valid PA Learner's Permit. Register online at www.cliu.org/driversed. If you have questions regarding the Behind-the-Wheel lessons, please call 610-769-4111 x1299 or e-mail driversed@cliu.org.

Health Room Information

 

As the end of the school year approaches, here are a few reminders from the Health Room:

Class of 2019 Seniors

Seniors should have received their immunization record in the mail with their Health Report Card. Please keep this in a secure place as this information may be requested for college or employment.

Rising Seniors 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has changed the requirements for your child’s immunization schedule.  All seniors during the 2019-2020 school year must have a SECOND DOSE of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV). This vaccination must be given at age 16 or older and prior to the first day of school in September, the student will be excluded from school.

When your student receives this immunization, please forward a copy to the Health Room.

Rising Juniors

All students who will be in 11th grade in the 2019-2020 school year will need a physical exam. This is a State requirement. Forms were mailed home in February. Forms are also available on the PHS Website under Health Room at https://www.parklandsd.org/departments/student-services/health-services/health-forms. Please return these completed forms to the Health Room.

Medication Reminders

All medication currently in the Health Room must be picked up by a parent before the last day of school. Any medication remaining at the end of the school day on the last day of school will be discarded in an appropriate manner. Please contact the Health Room to arrange to pick up medication.

If your student requires medication next school year, please complete both sections of the Medication Administration Consent and Licensed Prescriber Order form over the summer. 

New paperwork is required each school year for medication administration in school. If you had medication in the Health Room this year, paperwork will be e-mailed to you at the end of this school year.

All Health Forms are available on the PHS Website under Health Services at https://www.parklandsd.org/departments/student-services/health-services/health-forms.

This Summer

The Health Room staff are available during the summer months, but on a limited basis. If you have any medical concerns about your child to discuss with them, please leave a message and they will contact you when they are in the office. 

The Health Room’s contact information is as follows: 

Phone:  610-351-5616

Fax:      610-351-5987

Email:   seremulad@parklandsd.org, applebym@parklandsd.org, zolotskyj@parklandsd.org

 

Library Lines

 

Important Reminders

Seniors must return books and clear fines prior to graduation.

 Underclassmen must return books and clear fines by June 5.

 

Summer Hours

The library remains open during the summer to both students and staff to borrow books or pick up summer assignments. The hours are Monday to Friday from 9 AM-noon, closed from 12 PM-1 PM, and open from 1 PM-3 PM. Mrs. DiCarlo, the library secretary, can be contacted at 610-351-5642 if you have any questions. 

 

Summer Reading List

Need some book recommendations?  Our summer reading list is posted on the Parkland High School website under the student tab.  You can also click here: https://www.parklandsd.org/departments/curriculum/summer-reading-lists

 

Spotlight on Students

 

Mari Adamson, Audrika Khondaker, Punya Bhasin, Nawal Afzal and Autumn Michels (left to right)

This group of hard-working students are regular library patrons. In talking with them about library use, they highlighted using the library every morning as part of their routine. They meet up, finish homework, see their friends, or exchange class notes. They say it gives them a good start to their day. They have also formed AP study groups, collaborated on projects and de-stressed in the Makerspace. 

Weekday	Date	PHS Upcoming Event
Saturday	6/1	SAT Exam
Monday	6/3	Senior Cabaret 7 PM (Auditorium)
		French NHS Meeting 3 PM (C220)
Tuesday	6/4	Last Day of Scheduled Classes for Seniors
		Senior Exams - World Language Periods 8 & 9
		Post Prom Committee Meeting 7 PM (Library Classroom)
Wednesday	6/5	LEO Club Meeting 7:15 AM (C200)
		Senior Exams - English / History
Thursday	6/6	Senior Exams - Mathematics / Science
Friday	6/7	Senior Exams - Makeup
		Last Day for Late Activity Bus
Saturday	6/8	ImPACT Test 8 AM (Library)
		Fall Sports Physicals 8 AM (Cafeteria)
Monday	6/10	Senior Slide Show 12 PM (Auditorium)
		Last Day to Notify Underclassmen of Exemptions
Tuesday	6/11	Commencement Practice 8:30 AM (PPL Center)
		Commencement 7 PM (PPL Center)
		Last Day of Scheduled Classes for Underclassmen
Wednesday	6/12	Life Skills Graduation 10:30 AM (Auditorium)
		Underclassmen Exams - English / History
Thursday	6/13	Underclassmen Exams - Science / Mathematics
Friday	6/14	Underclassmen Exams - World Language
		Early Dismissal at 9:20 AM
		Last Day of the 4th Marking Period
		Have a Great Summer!
Friday	6/28	Report Cards Go Home

 

 

Seniors - Class of 2019

The Parkland High School Prom for the class of 2019 was held May 11 at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

It was a packed dance floor with a special performance from the Mr. Parkland contestants. 

 

At 9:15 PM the prom court was announced, along with this year's King and Queen: Matthew DeStefon and Vanessa Krempasky.

 

 

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Juniors - Class of 2020

Student Assistance Program (SAP)

 

As we enter the final stages of the school year, the SAP team would like to thank you for all of your support. We hope that you continue to reach out to us for help and support for your child. Please keep in mind that you can contact the SAP team via email at fitchl@parklandsd.org if you are in need of a MARS evaluation for your child during the summer months. This can be set up for you through the SAP team and completed at Parkland High School. The MARS evaluation is a clinical interview completed by an employee of the Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Services to help locate a counselor for your child. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us throughout the summer.

Please review the tips below to keep your child safe and drug-free this summer:

• Set summertime rules. Make clear rules regarding unsupervised time spent with friends and expectations.
• Supervise. Be physically present when you can. Research shows that unsupervised young people are more likely to use alcohol or other drugs.
• Monitor. Randomly call and text your child to check in and follow-up with other parents.
• Stay involved. Take time to do some activities together. Make sure that you know who your child is spending time with.

Have a great summer!

 

Visual and Performing Arts

 

June is historically the month that we wrap things up here in the A-wing. Award programs are held and the last few performances take place, leading up to the band and chorale’s performances at graduation. This year is different. This year June is going to be a busy month for many of us in the Arts wing. Many groups and individuals were honored in May.

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Freddy Awards

Curtains received 12 Freddy nominations and the cast had the opportunity to perform “Show People” at the Freddy telecast. The Freddy awards took place on Thursday, May 23.  Congratulations to the individuals and groups who received nominations for their hard work.

Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra, Outstanding Use of Scenery, Outstanding Use of Costumes, Outstanding Use of Lighting, Outstanding Small Ensemble Performance: Olivia Behr, Matthew Melchior, Noah Erlemann and Robert Moore

Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Mackenzie Lynch

Outstanding Chorus, Vic Kumma Award for Outstanding Solo Vocal Performance: Matthew Melchior

Outstanding Production Number: “Show People”

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Olivia Behr

Outstanding Overall Production

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Shakespeare Competition

In early May, a number of students traveled to King’s College in Wilkes-Barre to compete in the annual Maffei Family High School Shakespeare Competition. The top three finishers in each category won cash prizes and a trophy. Please congratulate the following students on their achievements at the competition:

Students	Category Placement	Shakespeare play / character
Aubree Williams and Noah Erlemann	1st place in the Scene Competition	A Midsummer Night's Dream / Bottom and Titania
Olivia Behr and Daniel Stewart	2nd place in the Scene Competition	The Taming of the Shrew / Petruchio and Katharina
Olivia Behr	1st place in the Monologue Competition	Romeo and Juliet / Juliet
Mackenzie Lynch	2nd place in the Monologue Competition	Much Ado About Nothing / Beatrice
Nick Hausman	3rd place in the Monologue Competition	A Midsummer Night's Dream / Bottom

“Parkland’s Got Talent winners: left, Emily Bachl (junior division); right, Nicholas Hausman (senior division)”

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Festival of the Arts

After a year when the Parkland Festival of the Arts was forced inside because of monsoon-like weather, the 2019 edition was blessed with a perfect day and the crowds definitely came out in droves. The festival was busy from the opening sounds of the PHS Jazz Band until the final song by a costumed character. Plans are already in place for next year’s festival.

Congratulations to the 2019 winners of Parkland’s Got Talent: Emily Bachl (Junior Division) and Nicholas Hausman (Senior Division).

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Chorale Auditions

Auditions for the 2019-20 Parkland Chorale will take place in early June. Exact dates and times will be posted by the Chorus room.  

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Fall Play Auditions

Next year’s Fall Play, Museum, will also hold auditions during June. A cast of between 15 and 18 will be required and audition packets will be available June 10. Scripts are already available to sign out from Mr. Stutz’s office. This will be the first time that a full-scale play will be mounted in the black box theater. Look for more information when we return in the fall.

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Indoor Colorguard

The Indoor Colorguard had a fantastic year and will be looking for new members to compete next school year. They wrapped up the year by traveling to Wildwood, New Jersey and competing in the TIA Atlantic Coast Championships alongside the Indoor Percussion group.

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Dance Team

The Parkland Varsity Dance team for 2019-2020 has been selected and they will begin their year with a two-week intensive starting on August 12. The two-week training will include master classes and guest teaching artists.

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International Thespian Festival

Just when you thought we were finished for the year….

The cast and crew of 26 Pebbles is preparing the play and the set to travel to Lincoln, Nebraska as one of eleven schools invited to perform at the International Thespian Festival from June 24-29. It is a huge honor and a tremendous undertaking. We are still raising money for the trip and any donations would be greatly appreciated. To donate to this project please contact the Parkland Arts Office at 610-351-5667 or the Parkland Education Foundation. Donations are tax deductible and donations of $500 or more receive endorsements on the show shirts.

We welcome you to come out to our “Dine and Donate” event being held all day on June 4 at the Alburtis Tavern. Please present one of our fundraising flyers, and 10% of the food sales will be donated to the theatre troupe to support their fundraising efforts for their trip to Nebraska.

The A-wing will then take a deep breath and regroup itself for another incredibly active and successful school year. From Mr. Stutz, Mrs. Halbert, and Mr. Joella - have a safe and restful summer.