TyronePA.com

On the afternoon of Thursday, February 21, at Juniata Valley High School in nearby Alexandria, sophomore track athlete Nathan Kruis won first place in the winter competition of the Central Pennsylvania Speech League.
Kruis scored 60 points out of 60 points in two separate rounds of oratorical competition to walk away with the contest nomination of best overall speaker among the four competing schools – Juniata Valley, Southern Huntingdon, Tyrone, and Williamsburg.
A catered chicken and pork dinner and an awards ceremony in the Juniata Valley cafeteria followed the speech league’s winter competition.
Speech judges evaluated the students in four separate categories including: speaker’s introduction, speaker’s content, speaker’s voice, and speaker’s appearance. In front of two different judges, Kruis scored perfectly in all four categories. In commemoration of Black History Month, this Tyrone sophomore and cross country athlete performed excerpts from Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Forty-five years ago in 1963, King delivered that speech to 50,000 Civil Rights advocates in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
In addition to Kruis, four other students from the Tyrone Speech Team competed in the 2008 winter competition at Juniata Valley. These students included Charlene Adams, Ryan Bressler, Grant Gonder, and Marah Hawes. Each of these students received a rating of excellent for their oral interpretations of poetry. Tyrone sophomore David Cherry also accompanied the Tyrone Speech Team to Juniata as a first time observer. Cherry plans to perform at the spring competition in April at Southern Huntingdon High School.
Tyrone speech coach and ninth grade English teacher Richard Merryman congratulated Kruis on his perfect score, as well as the other students on their star speech performances. Commented Merryman, “Nathan won a first place, because he selected King’s solid speech to perform and because he practiced regularly.”
“Nathan’s athletic prowess also assisted him in winning on the speech team. As one of Tyrone’s champion cross country runners, across the past several seasons, Nathan has developed the lung power which will allow him to triumph in track competition and also to project his voice with power and with confidence in speech team performances,” continued Merryman.
Concluded Merryman, “Reflecting on Nathan’s victory at the winter speech competition at Juniata Valley last Thursday evening, our minds flash back to Tyrone’s 1916 yearbook. In that 1916 Tyrone yearbook, called The Falcon, the reporter noted that on April 16, 1916, before hundreds of cheering spectators in Tyrone’s Y.M.C.A. auditorium, the three-year-old Tyrone Speech Team defeated the Huntingdon Speech Team on this debate question – ‘Should the military forces of the United States be increased?’”
“The 1916 Tyrone yearbook reporter concluded by saying that ‘it is hoped that Tyrone students never will let speaking and debating disappear from Tyrone High School as a real school sport,’” stated Merryman.
“With the assistance and encouragement of our present outstanding athletic coaches like Mr. Mark Mitchell and Mr. Thomas Coleman, many members of Tyrone’s 95-year-old speech team will continue to excel in oratory because of the lung power that athletics affords our student speakers, and because Tyrone’s athletic coaches encourage Tyrone students to view speech as a real sport,” ended Merryman.

Last week, the previous Student of the Month winners at Tyrone Area High School were honored at a luncheon at the Eagle Inn. Previous winners include ninth graders: Liz Ditty, Laiken Replogle, Danielle Barto, Hannah Biddle, Dillon Watters, Kyle Ripka, Derrick Emigh and Jesse Shaffer; 10th graders: Marah Hawes, Shelby Luke, Kali Gray, Katie Spangler, RJ Beck, Ben Feller, Tyler Vasbinder and Levi Reihart; 11th graders: Salena Bradigan, Kayla Patton, Crystal Waite, Amy Lewis, Chad Smith, Allen Hosko, Denis Thompson and Derik Cruz and 12th graders: Courtney O’Rourke, Katie Brinkman, Amanda Conrad, Alexi Murray, Alan Swann, Dudley McNitt, Shane Tate and Josh Bradley. (The Daily Herald/Amanda Golden)

Wesley United Methodist Church and the Tyrone Community Partnership have teamed up to serve a special St. Patrick’s dinner on Thursday, March 13. The meal will be served at Wesley UM Church from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
The menu includes Mrs. O’Leary’s salad, Irish stew, colcannon, corned beef and cabbage, Paddy O’Punch, soda bread, scones with lemon curd, oat cake with berries and Irish coffee.
The finale of the great meal will be music by the Michael O’Brian Band performing authentic Irish songs.
Tickets are available at the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce office, G & P Dollar Stretcher, Alice’s Garden and the office at Wesley United Methodist Church.
Everyone is invited to eat in or take out.

Doris M. McNitt, age 81, of 21 West Market Street, Mount Union, Pa. died at 9:16 p.m. on Monday, February 25, 2008 at Valley View Haven, Belleville, Pa. She had been in failing health.
She was born November 15, 1926 in Hopewell Twp., Cumberland County, a daughter of the late Walter B. and Ruth (Sperow) Barnhart.
She married Ogleby “O.J.” J. McNitt, on August 6, 1949 at the First Church of God, Shippensburg, Pa. by Rev. M. C. Manning. Mr. McNitt preceded her in death on December 20, 1991.
She is survived by the following children: Rhoda M. McNitt and husband Robert Reitz of West Chester, Pa.; Alice V. Smith and husband Jed of Belleville, Pa.; Andrew McNitt and wife Candace of Mount Union and R. Cummins McNitt and wife Margaret of Tyrone.
Also, grandchildren: Alex Gardner, Dudley McNitt, Michael Ayers, Eric Hileman, Sarah Smith, John Alexander and Lisa Alexander; great-grandchildren Derek, Zachary and Cassidy and two brothers, W. Elden Barnhart of Marquette, GA and Donald R. Barnhart of Cape Coral, Fl.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Lydia R. Gardner, brother Leonard A. Barnhart, sister Marguerite Gunnet and infant brother Wendel Barnhart.
Mrs. McNitt was an active member of the Presbyterian Church of Mount Union where she had served as an elder, deacon and trustee. She also taught Sunday school for many years and was a member of the Presbyterian Women’s Assn.
She graduated from Shippensburg High School in 1944 and Shippensburg State Teachers College in 1948.
She retired after teaching for over 29 years, mostly in the Mount Union Area School District, at both junior and senior high levels, and also at both Juniata Joint H.S. and Southern Huntingdon County H.S.
Early in her married life she and her husband operated a small country store in Cross Keys, Juniata County for several years. They moved to Mount Union in 1961.
Mrs. McNitt was also a member of the Women’s 20th Century Club and the Shakespeare Club, both in Mount Union.
She will be remembered for her love of gardening and especially for taking care of the violets she grew at her home.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2008 at the Presbyterian Church, Mount Union, with Rev. J. Franklin Moist officiating. A private interment service will be held at the Mount Union Cemetery.
Friends may call at the Robert D. Heath Funeral Home, Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m.
Memorials can be made to: Presbyterian Church of Mount Union, c/o Judy Streightiff, 2512 Cold Springs Rd., Mount Union, Pa. 17066.