SEAN CASTELLANI

Montrose Area track and field coach Sean Castellani was named Coach of the Year by the Scranton Times-Tribune for helping lead the Meteor girls’ track team through an undefeated season this past spring.
Castellani led the lady Meteors to the Lacakwanna Track Conference Division IV title and the Jordan Relays Class AA championship.

The Lady Meteors also earned all-star honors as three athletes, Myra Lattimore, Allison Lewis and Madelyn Pasteka, made the Times-Tribune’s team.

Elk Lake’s Meagan Bush, Taylor Watkins and Luke Jones were also named to the publication’s all-star team.

Lattimore, a junior sprinter from Montrose, earned a bronze at the Robert Spagna meet in the 200 at 26.59 and a fifth place in the 100 at 13.05.

At the District II Class AA championship, Lattimore took gold in the 200 at 26.63.

In the state meet, she was 15th of 25 in the 200 at 26.97.

Lattimore was also an LTC Division III-IV all-star, ran on the Jordan Relays championship 1600 relay team and District 2 Class AA 400 relay and 1600 relay title teams. She also won a seventh place medal at the PIAA championships as part of the 1600 relay team.

Lewis, a junior middle-distance runner from Montrose, earned a fourth place medal in the 400 at 1:00.78 at the Robert Spagna meet.

At the District 2 Class AA meet she took gold in the 400 at 59.56.

In the PIAA Class AA state meet she tied for 18th of 27 runners in the 400 at 1:01.31.

Lewis was also named an LTC Division III-IV all-star and ran on the championship Jordan Relays distance medley and 1600 relay teams and District 2 Class AA 1600 relay team. She also won a seventh place PIAA medal as part of the 1600 relay team.

Pasteka, a sophomore jumper from Montrose, won a bronze medal in the high jump at 5-0 at the Robert Spagna meet, and a 15th in the long jump at 14-8.75.

At the District II Class AA meet, Pasteka took silver in the high jump at 5-2 and fifth in the long jump at 15-7.

At the PIAA meet, Pasteka tied for 10th of 20 competitors in the high jump at 5-0.
Pasteka also helped lead her team to the LTC Division IV and Jordan Relays Class AA championships. She won a seventh-place medal at the PIAA Championships at part of the 1600 relay.

Elk Lake’s Meagan Bush, a senior thrower, took gold in the shot put at the Robert Spagna met at 36-8, and seventh in the discus at 88-11.

At the District II Class AA meet, Bush took gold in the shot put at 36-10.5, and 10th in the discus at 84-11.

At the PIAA Class AA meet, Bush finished in sixth place in the shot put at 38-10.

Bush was also named an LTC Division III-IV all-star. She was the first girl to win a state medal for Elk Lake in the throwing events. She broke her own school record in the shot put at 38-10.

Taylor Watkins, a junior thrower for Elk Lake, won gold at the Robert Spagna meet in the javelin at 110-2.

At the District II Class AA meet, Watkins took bronze in the javelin at 115-10.

Watkins was also named an LTC Division III-IV all-star and had the best distance in the javelin in the LTC during the regular season at 114-1. She finished sixth at the Wyalusing Invitational in the javelin.

Jones, a senior distance runner for Elk Lake, took a gold medal in the 3200 at the Robert Spagna meet, setting a record at 9:33.28.

At the District II Class AA meet, Jones took a silver medal in the 3200 at 9:35.03.

He went on to finish fourth place at the PIAA Class AA state meet with a time of 9:21.85.

Jones was also named an LTC Division III-IV all-star and had the best times of the year in the 800, 1600 and 3200 in Division IV. He set a school record in the 3200 at 9:21.85.

Kailey Davis, left, and Taegan Mills both earned gold medals at the USAIGC Pennsylvania State Championships held on June 1.

Kailey Davis and Taegan Mills represented United Sports Academy in the USAIGC Pennsylvania State Championships on June 1 scoring gold.

Competing in the Bronze Age 12 Division, Kailey, granddaughter of Dorothy and Robert Simons of Harford placed 1st on Vault, 4th on Uneven Bars, 1st on Beam, 2nd on Floor Exercise, and 1st All Around. Kailey received an award for the highest All Around score in the Bronze division with a total of 36.825 out of 40.

Taegan, daughter of John and Debbie Mills of Dimock, competed in the Bronze Age 10 group where she placed 10th on Vault, 4th on Uneven Bars, 3rd on Beam, 1st on Floor Exercise, and 2nd All Around.

United Sports Academy Bronze team placed 2nd (.2 points away from first place) among 16 other teams.

Both girls have qualified for the National USAIGC Championships in Palm Springs, California. Although their team may not attend the National Championships, their accomplishments are outstanding.

The Walter B. Tewksbury Committee will host a series of developmental track meets at Tunkhannock Memorial Stadium throughout the summer months.

The meets will be held on June 26, July 10, July 24 and Aug. 7 at 6 p.m.

They are open to anyone ages 0-100, with registration beginning at 5:15 p.m. before each meet.
The cost to participate in the meet is $1 per event registered.

Events being held include 3200 meter run, 1600 meter run, 800 meter run, 400 meter run, 200 meter run, 100 meter run, 40 yard dash, long jump, high jump, triple jump, 100/110 hurdles, 40 yard hurdles for ages eight and under, shot put, javelin (bring your own materials) and softball throw.

The events are a part of the Tewksbury Committee’s long-standing goal to promote the sport of track and field in the Tunkhannock community.

The meets benefit the Tunkhannock Area School District Track and Field and Cross Country programs.
For more information on the meets, contact 801-822-2069 or visit www.walterbtewksbury.org.

Blue Ridge Class of 13 mortar boards fly in the air at the closing of commencement exercises on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

BY STACI WILSON

“Things have gotten out of hand and honesty has gotten pretty cheap. It’s just a word. It shouldn’t be,” said science teacher Edward Price to the Blue Ridge Class of 2013 graduates.

In keeping with school tradition, the graduating class chose a teacher to deliver the commencement address. This year’s Raider class chose Price.

Price spoke directly to his now former students. “I’m not one for formal speeches so I didn’t write anything down,” he said.

But he said he did do a bit a research, and most graduation speech advice listed several popular subjects to speak on. Honesty was one of those suggestions, and it was the one that hit home with Price.
“Truthfully, I think you all know how much value I put on honesty,” he said.

“This is what I want you to do,” Price charged, “bring back the honesty in honesty and the integrity in integrity through your actions and deeds. Maybe it will go viral. And I know you can do it. How do I know? Because I know you. I know you have it in you to do that.”

Valedictorian Allison Coller passed along inspiration from the late comedian George Burns. “It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate,” she quoted.
“I plan to have plenty of failures,” she said.

Coller also acknowledged that this would be the last day many of those on the stage would see each other.

She said, “Remember, while you may be miles away from home, you are one step closer to achieving your dreams.”

Salutatorian Madison Button focused her attention on “being a decent person.”

“It’s not a very good goal,” Button said. “We remember greatness No one is looking for the average employee or average husband or wife.”

“Go out of your way to be extraordinary,” Button told her classmates and closed her remarks with a prayer.

Both Coller and Button referred to their fellow graduates as the “Legendary Class of 2013,” a sentiment echoed in remarks from Principal Matthew Nebzydoski.

Amanda Rucker is awarded her diploma at Montrose graduation on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO/PAT FARNELLI

BY PAT FARNELLI

Principal James Tallarico said that more than any other class in Montrose Area High School history, the one gathered Saturday was dedicated to service, and had overcome its share of adversity.

“One thing that defines this class is service,” he said, noting that senior projects and other endeavors by the class of 2013 have involved serving others, both nearby, in other states, and in some cases even abroad.

Salutatorian David Koloski told his classmates “never let the bitter taste of failure dull your appetite for success.”

Koloski, who as student technical worker for the past four years has been called “integral” to the school district, had also been individually selected for the Scholastic Bowl’s National Hall of Fame.
Valedictorian Mollie Host used an analogy of a twin compass from John Donne’s poem, “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning.”

She compared the fixed leg of the compass to the knowledge, confidence, service and character of the students’ families, teachers, and other school figures.

The movable leg represents the students, she said, who will swing gradually outward, but remain connected to their anchor.

“It is no secret that I have had a difficult medical adversity,” Host continued.

“Two years ago, I was re-diagnosed with Lyme disease, which in turn caused me to have Tourette’s like symptoms,” she said.

Host described the strange vocalizations her symptoms caused.

These outbursts caused her some embarrassment and missed opportunities during her high school years, but she earned a first chair ranking in the PMEA State Band her senior year.

“I do not reveal this information because I’m looking for others to treat me differently or to feel sorry for me, but rather to let all of you know how deeply grateful I am to the entire senior class, student body, faculty, staff and administration for adjusting so quickly, for acting so compassionately and kindly, for coming up alongside of me, for continuing to expect excellence for me and for never seeing me as the girl who has Tourette’s,” she said.

Host concluded, “Each of you will leave here and continue to bless others. I commend you and I congratulate each one of you of the class of 2013. God bless you!”

Members of the Mountain View High School Class of 2013 tossed their caps into the air following the graduation ceremony on Saturday. PHOTO/TOM FONTANA

BY TOM FONTANA
Correspondent

Defining the road to success, Mountain View Class of 2013 president Owen Flannery told his fellow graduates a parable of a drowning man trying to breathe.

In Flannery’s story, a guru holds a young man’s head under water, and when he pulls him out explains, “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.”

The Saturday morning commencement ceremony on Saturday morning, was opened with remarks by principal Robert Presley, who first met the class when he was hired last fall.

“Although I didn’t know you before that,” Presley said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed our year together, through getting teachers to duct tape themselves to a wall, seeing who could slide the farthest on Jello, or having the faculty dominate the class in a tug-of-war?”

Presley advised the students to “listen to your parents.”

“They’ve already gone over the same hurdles and made the same mistakes you will,” he explained. “The best thing is that there’s no charge for listening to their expertise, and you might even get a free meal out of it.”

Salutatorian Alicia Belch offered special thanks on behalf of the class to “our life-director,” guidance counselor Donna Porter.

“She gave me what is most important,” Belch stated. “The acceptance of myself and the things I cannot change.”

Valedictorian Stephanie Verbitsky repeated the words of a “wise old man,” a person very familiar to her fellow students.

“Defy mediocrity,” were the words she said history teacher Darin Bain divulged to them “a thousand times.”

“Reject mediocrity,” Verbitsky encouraged her classmates. “Live with an ‘all-in’ approach to your lives. Put all of your cards on the table in this game of life.”

Class vice president Caroline Miller sang a song, accompanied on guitar by classmate Logan Palmiter.

The Mountain View band, under the direction of teacher Eric Boylan, played processional and recessional music as the graduates entered and exited the school auditorium.

Presentation of diplomas was conducted by superintendent Francine Shea and school board president Elwood Williams.

The Class of 2013 gathered in front of the school following the ceremony for the traditional tossing of their caps, accepting the congratulations and well-wishes of their families and friends.

A 25-year-old all-terrain vehicle rider who collided with a pony in Springville Township Saturday night has died from injuries sustained in that accident.

Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland confirmed the death of Robert Kerr of Hop Bottom.

Kerr was riding his Suzuki ATV north on Route 3004 in Susquehanna County about 9:30 p.m. when he hit the pony in the road, state police at the Gibson barracks said.

Kerr was originally treated at Tyler Memorial Hospital but later transported to Scranton.

He was not wearing a helmet and died of traumatic brain injury, Rowland said.

The Springville Volunteer Fire Company also responded to the scene.

The pony’s condition was unknown.

The Susquehanna County Commissioners were asked at the June 12 if they had received any feedback about the resolution they passed in May regarding landowners who were being underpaid in royalties from natural gas development.

Hall said that while there was no “official” feedback, local representatives Sen. Lisa Baker, and Reps. Sandra Major and Tina Pickett were on board to having the royalty issue clarified by the legislature.
At the May 8 meeting the commissioners adopted the resolution because local landowners are receiving less than a twelve and one-half percent royalty from their natural gas as the gas industry utilizes the “net back” method which causes landowners to incur post-production costs.

In a March 2010 decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held (Kilmer v. Elexco Land Services) that the “net-back” method of royalty calculation was allowable under the GMRA, but noted that until the state legislature specified the point of valuation for royalties, the statute had to be interpreted as written.

Commissioner Michael Giangrieco said that he felt Harrisburg should be more “proactive rather than reactive.”

He said the Pa. Supreme Court Kilmer case decision has been on the books for three years. They could have addressed this immediately. They chose to ignore it,” Giangrieco said.

In the case opinion handed down in March 2010, the Pa. Supreme Court noted that the General Assembly was best suited “to weigh the public policies underlying the determination of the proper point of royalty valuation in the deregulated gas industry.”

According to the state’s Guaranteed Minimum Royalty Act which governs landowners and gas companies, requires landowners received at least a one-eighth royalty.

The term “royalty, however, has still not been defined by the state legislature.

Bradford County passed a similar resolution.

In response to a question posed by Vera Scroggins regarding underpayment of royalties, Giangrieco said some civil lawsuits are now in the works.

Managing emergency responses in times of disaster will be streamlined during future events in Susquehanna County.

The commissioners sign a proposal, Wednesday, June 12, with Grey Wall Software LLC which will enable the county to utilize the company’s Virtual Emergency Operations Center Software Program for critical incident management, team communication and collaboration.

The $12,000 one-year contract went into effect June 1 and was paid for out of Act 13 funds. The contract covers software maintenance, training and support.

The cloud-based VEOCI system will get rid of the paper copy system used during past emergency events in the EOC, allowing for virtual, real-time tracking of situations and responses.

Act 13 monies, along with wireless funding revenue – will also be used to cover the cost of implementing the county-wide Geographic Information Services (GIS) mapping system.

The $127,580 fee – paid to MCM Consulting Group – for the service will provide for the complete restructuring, oversight and implementation of the GIS program.

Commissioner Alan Hall said fire and ambulance companies will directly benefit from this mapping upgrade.

Stoney Mountain Tractor Parts Inc. will now handle mowing, as well as removing and chipping trees, from three county-owned dams. The dams will be mowed three times per year with the following cost paid for each mow: Springville dam, $1,095; Brooklyn dam, $1,435; and Kingsley dam, $2,025.

Tree removal and chipping from the dam areas will be paid at $45 per hour for labor and $125 for the tractor and chipper per hour.

Eco International will continue to handle the county’s electronics recycling program. The county will be paid 15 cents per pound for computers and laptops; and two cents per pound for monitors, printers, keyboards and mouse controllers.

All new county employees will undergo background checks, performed by KlinkCheck, of Pittsburgh. Pricing for the checks will vary with the services provided but will typically range between $32.50 and $41.50.

Hall explained the company had the capability to do background checks that encompassed all 50 states. He said the firm would be looking for felony arrests, etc., for the prospective employees.

The Tax Claim Bureau was exonerated from collecting $103.42 in delinquent taxes from a Liberty Twp. parcel consisting of a trailer, in the name of Arthur and Sandra Snyder Sr. County assessors exonerated the trailer from the rolls as razed.

Shawn Isby of New Milford was hired to the position of Roads & Bridges/Maintenance, per the recommendation of Dennis Landis, head of maintenance.

The commissioners acknowledged the hiring of Christine Jones by District Judge Jeffrey Hollister, effective May 28, to the position of clerk/typist in the magistrate’s office.

The commissioners also acknowledged the hiring of Sue Blaisure by President Judge Kenneth Seamans to the position of Finance Enforcement Officer, effective June 13.

The hiring of Betty Phillips by Register/Recorder Mary Evans for a temporary, summer, clerical position was acknowledged by the commissioners.

The resignation of Jeremy Bogdanovitch from 911, effective April 24, was accepted.

Reappointments for one-year terms to the Susquehanna County Tourism Committee were: Andy Auklakh, Gregg Confer, Sandy Conklin, Kim Ross and Michele Suchnick.

Edna Paskoff asked the commissioners what impact the county budget would feel with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act – widely referred to as “Obamacare.”

Hall said there could be a double digit impact in the insurance premiums of the union employees. “We will have to address it if it stays in place,” he said, adding, “I’m hoping it collapses by the end of the year.”

Hall warned that the effects would not just be felt at the county level, but all over – with government agencies experiencing a “big fall-out.”

Bruce Paskoff asked if the commissioners expected county taxpayers to pick up more of that burden. “I’m not in favor of that,” he said.

Going back to a question posed at a previous meeting about Drug & Alcohol Services provided in the county through the collaboration with Lackawanna County, Commissioner MaryAnn Warren said that in fiscal year 2011-12, Susquehanna County paid $13,000 and residents received about $375,000 in Drug and Alcohol treatment services.

Vera Scorggins told the commissioners that residents near the Williams Central Compressor in Brooklyn Twp. were not notified about the fire at the compressor station last month. She asked if the county had a notification system that could be used to alert residents of incidents.

Hall said that the fire at the Williams’ station was not life-threatening. He also said that each township is required to have an emergency actions plan and is responsible for making sure those plans are up to date.

Mt. View Elementary Principal Andrew Doster plunges into the dunk tank water, sunk with a shot by fifth-grader Nathan Rossey, pictured at right in a grey shirt. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

BY STACI WILSON

Mt. View Elementary Principal Andrew Doster made a splash with students on the last day of classes, Friday, June 14.

The principal braved the dunk tank as students, armed with dollar bills and baseballs, took turns trying to sink him in the murky water.

Fifth grader Nathan Rossey took the first shots, sinking Doster on his second throw.

For one dollar, a student was given two shots at the dunk tank target.

The event was used as a fundraiser for the Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS) program.
Maureen Beamish said the PBIS program reinforces and rewards the students’ positive behavior.

Each month a “blow-out celebration” is held for students who have not had serious infractions, Beamish said in the past year, a disc jockey was brought in on two occasions for the kids.

Funds raised at the “Doster Dunk” will be used to fund the PBIS monthly celebrations.