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This year was the first year for the Middle School Students of the Month at Tyrone where the Tyrone Elks honored one student from September through May. Nine students were chosen overall.
Katrina Patton, daughter of Donald Patton and Anna Fink, was chosen for September and was the first ever Student of the Month in the Middle School program. Katrina is involved in the chorus, Vocal Attraction and County Chorus. She earned a spot in the National Junior Honor Society and received a Bronze Award in Girl Scouts in 2005. Katrina also likes to babysit for her work experience.
Markus Wagner, October Student of the Month, is the son of Jack and Anja Wagner. He achieved a 4.10 GPA and participates in football, baseball, track and ski club. Markus also enjoys Vacation Bible School as well as church. His special award was his perfect attendance and student of the month. Markus cuts the grass for his father and does chores around the house for his work experience.
For November, Stevie Franco received Student of the Month. John and Sue Franco are Stevie’s parents. He achieved a 4.00 GPA and is involved in football, basketball, track and field, Academic Academy and National Honor Society. Stevie enjoys going to church, playing in basketball leagues and was the waterboy for varsity football in the past. He also achieved the Presidential Physical Fitness Award that only a few can manage to receive for their athletic abilities.
December Student of the Month was awarded to Sierra Weight, daughter of Penny Weight. Sierra achieved a 4.33 GPA and is involved in Student Council, Yearbook Committee, Academic Academy and the National Honor Society. Her out-of-school activities include volunteer hours, babysitting, library assistant and is an instructor at Parent-Teacher conferences. Sierra was 2008 Soar Student of the Month and received academic excellence in World Cultures, Science, Pre-Algebra, Reading and English in 2006-07. She was in the academic spotlight in March 2007 and earned a Citizenship Award in June 2007. Sierra enjoys housecleaning, babysitting and repair work in her work field.
Macey Lucas earned Student of the Month in January and is the daughter of Joan and Steve Lucas. She achieved a 4.17 GPA. Macey is involved in Student Council, band, chorus, Vocal Attraction, Spirit Club and the National Honor Society. Her out-of-school activities include the church choir at the Tyrone Church of the Brethren, youth group, AYSO soccer, Dance Fusion and Bible School. She is the Student Council President and was the Section Leader in Vocal Attraction. She babysits, gives singing lessons and teaches pre-ballet to three year olds.
February’s Student of the Month was given to Kaleb Chronister, son of Jason Chronister and Shelly Carper. Kaleb achieved a 4.25 GPA and enjoys football and basketball for Tyrone. He is also involved in motocross and is in the National Honor Society. He babysits and tends to lawns around the neighborhood.
Nicholas Patton, son of Tom and Gia Patton, earned Student of the Month in March. Nicholas is involved in track, basketball and football and also enjoys going to church. He has taken care of lawns and babysat for previous work experience.
April’s Student of the Month was awarded to William Mills, son of Lisa and William Mills. He is involved in football, lifting and plans to be in the Academic Academy. He enjoys riding bikes, four-wheeling and hanging out with friends. He has perfect attendance, earned a 100 percent in English for an entire year and has High Honors. His previous work experience included running targets at shotgun shoots.
Lastly, May’s Student of the Month was awarded to Morgan Decker, daughter of James and Cherie Decker. Morgan earned a 4.33 GPA and is involved in Student Council, cheerleading, National Honor Society and in the Gifted Enrichment program. She does community service, tumbling and was in the ATOMS program. Her special awards are student of the month, high honors, National Honor Society and National History Day. She also babysits for her work experience.
The nine students listed were a part of the first Elks Middle School Students of the Month award and will continue to achieve excellence in the future. Remember, the award can be achieved with a little extra work put into your time at TAHS and TAMS.

With school coming to an end and summer heating up, many area churches are looking ahead to the vacation Bible school season.
Area kids are invited to join a trail ride through the desert southwest and experience a thrilling adventure with Grace Baptist Church Vacation Bible School Cactus Canyon.
Grace Church invites all children from three-years-old through sixth grade to join in this year’s vacation Bible school.
Participants will ride through trails of adventure – filled with Bible stories, create cool western crafts, enjoy refreshing snacks and gallop through the recreation activities.
VBS Cactus Canyon will be held at Grace Baptist Church from June 16 to 20.
Classes will be held from 6 to 8:15 p.m. each evening.
For more information, please call 684-5016 and ask for Nathan.
A preregistration party will be held on Sunday, June 15 between 6 and 8 p.m. at the church. All community children and parents are invited to come and register for the week of VBS and enjoy a huge blow-up bouncer, free cotton candy, cool slushies, popcorn, fun games and more.
Also, a closing celebration will be held on Saturday, June 21 at 3 p.m.
Share a wonderful time of the week at Lonnie and Lee Ann Focht’s on Decker Hollow Road. Horse demonstrations, great food and a fun bouncer for the children will be included.
Bible school at the Bald Eagle United Methodist Church will be held June 16 to 20 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
The theme and study will be “God’s Backyard.”
Classes will be held for children from three-years-old through high school age.
Students will earn money given for the missionary project and a picnic will follow Bible school on Friday, June 20.
The Bible school will feature interesting class work and lessons, new and different crafts and refreshments each day.
Many volunteers help to make this a special event including: Peggy Sessamen, nursery class; Darwin and Raelyn Stark, kindergarten; Nancy Hammond and Polly Schandelmier, first/second grade; Cheryl and Cindi Christine, third/fourth grade; Amy Weaver, fifth/sixth grade and Sara Richards, teenage.
The Bible school director is Sara Richards and the Pastor is Rev. Michelle Sommerville.
Anyone needing transportation can call 684-2912.
Bible school at the Church of the Good Shepherd will begin Sunday, June 22 from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. each evening, concluding Thursday, June 26.
This year’s theme is “Friendship Trek – Jesus, Our Forever Friend”.
In five days kids explore how friends reach out, love, give, care and share.
Students are invited to join in for an amazing hike through the Bible to meet Jesus, our forever friend.
Anyone with questions can call the church office at 684-2472.
St. Matthew’s will also host a Bible school June 23 to 27 from 9 a.m. to noon.
St. Matthew’s Bible School
St. Matthew’s will be having their Bible School June 23 – 27th from 9 a.m. to noon.
This year’s theme is “Power Lab – Discovering Jesus’ Miraculous Power”.
Interested individuals can call the church office at 684-1480, Nicole Swope at 632-5433 or Denise Kreckel at 684-2898 to register or sign up as a volunteer.

The Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce office now has Tyrone apparel available in new summer colors. The T-shirts are available in three designs: Railroad, Reservoir Park and the Tyrone sign. Also available for purchase are the popular Hometown Collectibles. For more information, contact Rose Black at 684-0736. (The Daily Herald/Nick Cushion)

At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 15, Tyrone Presbyterians will remember the 98th anniversary of Father’s Day, as they feature tenor soloist Matthew Lehner, sing beloved congregational hymns for Father’s Day, and hear a morning message about the heavenly father’s unconditional love.
To celebrate the 98th anniversary of Father’s Day, the Growth and Spiritual Enrichment Committee will provide each man in the audience on Sunday with a gift of candy. With that small gift, the committee will commemorate that Father’s Day evolved 98 years ago on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington.
While listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in her church in Spokane, a woman named Sonora Smart believed that her own father – Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart – deserved recognition for rearing his six children alone, after his wife died giving birth to their sixth child in March of 1898. On June 19, 1910, with much urging from Sonora Smart, Father’s Day was born in her church in her hometown of Spokane, especially to honor father’s who had made supreme sacrifices for their families. By 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported a National Father’s Day. However, not until 1966, did President Lyndon Johnson officially establish Father’s Day on the third Sunday of each June.
Guest tenor soloist Matthew Lehner will commemorate the 98th Anniversary of Father’s Day by singing Josh Groban’s 2003 inspirational song entitled “You Raise Me Up.” The son of Samuel Lehner and Karen Iddings, Matthew has held several solo roles in Tyrone’s Allegheny Chorale, both as a tenor and a trumpeter.
A full-time sales associate for Southern Blair Hardware, Mr. Lehner will seek to convey the role many fathers play in the lives of their children when he sings these lyrics of Groban’s 2003 song: “When I am down, and oh, my soul’s so weary/When troubles come, and my heart burdened be/Then I am still, and wait here in the silence/Until you come, and speak awhile with me/You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains/You raise me up to walk on stormy seas/I am strong, when I am on your shoulders/You raise me up, to more than I can be.”
The audience also will remember the 98th Anniversary of Father’s Day when they lift their voices for three congregational hymns that focus on the theme of heavenly and earthly fathers. Worship will open with Maltbie Babcock’s 1901 hymn celebrating nature’s heavenly father entitled, “This Is My Father’s World.” The congregation will celebrate earthly fathers when they sing Frederick Faber’s 1848 tribute hymn to martyrs entitled, “Faith Of Our Fathers.” Presbyterian worship on this 98th Father’s Day will close with a poignant benediction from the heavenly father, composed by Jaroslav Vajda, and entitled, “Go My Children, With My Blessing.”
One of the foremost hymn composers of the Lutheran Church in America, Vajda passed away on May 10, 2008 following a life in which he composed more than 200 hymns that created new eloquence and excitement about the ancient truths of Christ’s gospel. Composer Vajda achieved stunning success as an American hymn writer because he had translated so many poems and stories from the Slovakian language.
Epworth Manor chaplain and Presbyterian preaching pastor Mark Liller will deliver the morning message entitled, “A Pre-Existing Condition.” On this 98th Father’s Day, Pastor Liller will remind parishioners that God the father’s love covers all pre-existing conditions of their lives. God the father does not expect his children to clean up their acts before they can be worthy to approach him, and to receive his love, grace, and forgiveness. Instead, the father says, “Just as you are, come!”
As people all across this community remember their fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, and other male role models on this 98th anniversary of Father’s Day, why not join Tyrone Presbyterians for 10:30 worship on June 15 and especially to hear this Father’s Day hymn benediction:
“Go, my children, with my blessing, never alone / Waking, sleeping, I am with you: You are my own / In my love’s baptismal river, I have made you mine forever / Go, my children, with my blessing – you are my own. I, the Lord, will bless and keep you, and give you peace / I, the Lord, will smile upon you, and give you peace / I, the Lord, will be your father, savior, comforter, and brother / Go, my children, I will keep you, and give you peace.”

Dad Matt Huff brought along daughter Peyton and son Levi to enjoy the first official “Spaghetti Wednesday” at DelGrosso’s Amusement Park on June 4, which was filmed by Food Network. Guests waited in long lines to choose from one of two types of pasta – spaghetti or homemade lasagna, served with DelGrosso Italian Style Meatballs and DelGrosso Meat Flavored Pasta Sauce. The national attention on DelGrosso Foods brought out local TV crews from WTAJ (CBS) and WJAC (NBC) to interview Joe DelGrosso, Vice President of Operations, about being spotlighted in an upcoming episode of “Unwrapped.” The popular Food Network show uncovers behind-the-scenes details on classic American food. The episode featuring DelGrosso Foods, titled, “Oodles of Noodles,” is slated to air in September. (Courtesy photo)