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Presentations at the KC School Board meeting highlight Veterans

RENOVO – Amidst an otherwise fairly uneventful meeting of the Keystone Central School Board, four presentations highlighting students and programs at Bucktail High rose to the top.

The first presentation was given by Sue Ellen Wagner on the Interact Club, a club which is focused on “community and how important it is for students to learn what it is to be part of a community,” Wagner began.

The Interact Club is a community service organization, Wagner explained, which does a variety of services which included trash pick-ups after Flaming Foliage and the Hyner Challenge.

Students involved with the club also participate in four RedCross blood drives throughout the year, in which “20 to 25 students participate,” Wagner said.

At these blood drives, members of the club “Learn a lot of life lessons from the elderly, who are usually our biggest donors,” according to Wagner.

The final service the Interact Club is involved with, Wagner said, is a flag drive where students “place flags on hundreds of Veterans’ graves in our area, through connection with American Legion, every May.”

The next presentation was by Elliot Probst, a senior at Bucktail High who spoke about his senior project, entitled “Wreaths for Warriors.”

He came up with the idea after a Dec. 2017 trip with his family to Arlington National Cemetery, where the same thing is done.

“This project is about nationalism, honor, and respect,” Probst stated soberly.

“The wreaths will be placed on Veterans’ graves about a week and a half before Christmas,” he said, thanking Alice Tarr “for permission to place the wreaths at North Bend.”

Tarr was “really excited about the project and got us a map showing all the Veterans’ graves,” Probst added.

The scope of Probst’s project is quite large, and he expects to need close to $1100 to purchase supplies.

To help with that, he wrote a letter asking for donations from the community.

Probst also thanked people from his church, who “have offered their private property for harvesting greens.”

A lot of greens will be needed for his project, too, as he is planning to make 470 wreaths.

Currently, he has scheduled Saturday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Dec. 1 for making the wreaths at the South Renovo Fire Hall.

The wreaths will be placed on Saturday, Dec. 15, with a yet to be determined clean-up date.

Probst plans to donate “any leftover money to a Veterans organization, possibly one which helps with post-combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The project was met with praise by board member Roger Elling: “As a veteran myself, I want you to know that I appreciate what you’re doing.”

He also had a recommendation for some assistance for Probst.

“Have you been in contact with Clinton County Veteran Affairs office? Bill Bechdel is involved with a group called Team Red, White, and Blue, which is community and veteran affiliated. They might be able to lend a hand or help you with funding,” Elling provided.

After Probst, Clinton County Youth Leadership gave a short presentation, with various members alternating turns at the microphone talking about the various trips they have been on or are planning to go on. So far, their members have traveled to Loganton and Lamar, with trips to Lock Haven, Harrisburg, and more planned for the rest of the school year.

The students said that their first visit was to the Schrack Dairy Farm and a small Amish farm, comparing the pros and cons of technology vs. a more hands-on approach.

They also visited David Fisher’s repair shop for buggies, where they were “amazed at the options that you wouldn’t think of,” such as the colors of upholstery available for the interior or the various lights installed throughout the buggy.

Their latest visit was to the fish hatchery in Lamar, where students in the Youth Leadership program learned about the hatchery’s various current projects.

The students added that they are planning to complete a service project: a plaque for alumni veterans from Bucktail High. Other members are planning to “clean up and re-paint the football field’s bathrooms.”

Students in the program agreed that they have “Learned about how stepping up and being a leader is important.”

The final presentation of the evening was a short video and recognition of the Lady Bucks Tennis team, given by Dan Heiser, one of the two coaches of the team. The other, his wife Alison, was unable to attend.

Heiser expressed a lot of pride in his team, noting that they achieved a “10-3 record this year, making it their 12th straight winning season.”

The team now has 11 straight playoff appearances, as well.

The current team consists of Sarah Rathmell, Myka Poorman, Sara Kepler, Danni Green, Carlie Gentzyl, Angela Inallura, Christina Delatorre, Emma Poorman, Dakota Werts, Zoe Resto, and Mariah Kepler.

“Our team is 141-44 in 12 years, with 3 league titles. We are 5th in district 4, out of 28 teams,” Heiser said.

“If you want to see what’s going right in Keystone Central School District, look no further,” he added with pride.

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