Area students are writing a weekly column for the Times News. The column is being coordinated by Sue Ann Gerhard from Carbon Career & Technical Institute.

Gracie Heintzelman Carbon Career & Technical Institute Hello from CCTI.

Yearbooks are on sale for $35, to purchase one please go to the tech office for an order form or order one online at https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/CCTI2024 Yearbooks will be delivered at the end of May.

The National Technical Honor Society induction ceremony will be from 6 to 8 p.m. March 19.

Prom tickets will be available from April 3-April 19, during lunch periods.

The National Technical Honor Society students are also hosting a collection drive from March 11-28 for the local Army Reserves. They are asking all technical areas to work together to collect items for our troops.

The technical area with the most items will win a pizza party.

Items being collected are high-quality socks, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, lip balm, baby wipes, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, Vicks VapoRub, hand warmers, foot powder, and soap. Other items are decks of cards, puzzles, reading materials, pencils, batteries, baseball gloves, baseballs, and handheld video games. NTHS would like to thank everyone for their support.

Also, prom tickets for seniors only will be available at lunch starting Wednesday, April 3.

Non-CCTI guest tickets will be $55. You must have payment to receive a ticket.

Tickets will be available to all students from Tuesday, April 9 - Friday, April 19, at all lunch periods. Seniors who are participating in the Skills State Competition may get their prom tickets on April 2.

A snow makeup day will be held March 28. Spring break will be from Friday, March 29 through Monday, April 1. Tuesday, April 2 will be a snow makeup day as well.

Koy Wentz and Abby Bauder

Lehighton High School

Welcome back!

To start, a representative from Triangle Tech recently came into technology teacher Jane Maurer’s classroom to do a presentation on what Triangle Tech is all about.

Triangle tech started off by engaging students in a discussion about what is important in their career. Some responses included interest, pay, job demand, location, work environment, and education.

The representative told students to always look at job demand, to see what jobs will be in demand and what will be obsolete. More than 300,000 are needed in construction.

Triangle Tech offers smaller class sizes, with never more than 25 students. Classes are hands-on and teach high priority occupations. Students can earn an associate degree in 16 months at Triangle Tech. The local campus to the high school is located in Bethlehem.

Triangle tech concluded their visit by noting that Triangle Tech meets with business owners on a regular basis to make sure they are keeping up to be workforce ready.

Moving along, a Miller-Keystone Blood Drive, organized by the high school Aevidum recently. Students and teachers were able to donate blood. Giving blood saves lives and can improve the health of our community.

To wrap up, March is National Athletic Training Month. A shout out to all Lehighton High School athletic trainers. Thank you for all you do to help out.

Mikayla Yuricheck Panther Valley High School

It certainly has been happening here at Panther Valley, and our students are working diligently to spread some positivity throughout the school community. Perhaps one of the best positive-spreading activities would be the fact that Brenda Banks is competing in the state championship wrestling tournament. We are hoping to welcome her back with another nice parade if she gets that gold medal.

Our spring sports athletes just started their season this past week and we are wishing them good luck for a happy and successful season. Spring Meet the Panthers will be held on March 13.

The first varsity track meet of the year is anticipated to be a home match on March 19. As for the diamond sports, the first varsity baseball game will be held on March 21 at North Schuylkill and the first varsity softball game will be held on March 26 at Shenandoah.

On the academic side of school, students from the gifted program, the yearbook staff, and the newspaper staff were invited on a field trip to explore the different media aspects of Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles. The feedback of this trip was extremely positive, and the students had a great time exploring careers in media.

The National Honor Society students here at PV don’t just give back to the generations before them, but they are also giving back to the generations that come after them.

Students have been volunteering at the Children’s Center Preschool in Coaldale as well as with the kindergarten classes at our own elementary school. It is very rewarding to see the impact that you have on the lives of these little kids who look up to you. We are looking forward to continuing to work hard throughout the school. I hope you’ll check back-in next week for another edition of what’s happening at Panther Valley.

Gabriella Cerra

Jim Thorpe High School

Happy week of luck and celebration of the Irish. This week at Jim Thorpe, the Class of 2025 has much fundraising to discuss.

On Feb. 29, a “Ro Sham Bo,” or rock paper scissors, tournament was held in the gymnasium during PODS, for anyone who purchased or won in the days prior 15-plus beaded necklaces. For approximately a week, Mrs. Shirar and the officers of the class of 2025 sold beaded necklaces for a dollar each. Individuals with a necklace were open to challenge each other in games of “Ro Sham Bo,” or rock paper scissors, to win all of the beads in the other’s possession.

This extended to teachers as well, under the circumstance that the student challengers have at least five beads in their possession. Those who amassed 15 or more necklaces were permitted to enter the “Ro Sham Bo” tournament, which was ultimately won by junior Kendra Loughlin.

Upcoming for Jim Thorpe’s junior class, there will be a breakfast and basket raffle on the morning of April 6. This will be held at the high school. Doors open at 8 a.m. and close around noon.

Junior prom tickets are now on sale for juniors and seniors who are interested. Paying your class dues of $10 to your class advisers will detract from the costs to attend.

This year, the student body at Jim Thorpe has been very active in community service; whether with FBLA, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, or other / personal initiatives. Primarily coordinated by Olivia Rodenberger, the target goal was to raise $75,000, which has been already been exceeded by $10,000. This is remarkably impressive, so congratulations to Olivia Rosenberger and Harmony Berk, in addition to everyone else that participated in any of the fundraisers run at Jim Thorpe to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The theater crew and cast members have been diligently working to prepare for their shows of the Addams Family, coming up on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4.

Rehearsals are held until 4 p.m. after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in addition to those held throughout the week during PODS.

This Thursday, March 14, Jim Thorpe’s Scholastic Scrimmage team, advised by Mrs. MacCorkle, is heading to an academic meet in Palmerton. Win or lose, weekly practices during Thursday PODS will continue, in preparation for the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit meet on April 14.

History Club is scheduled to meet Tuesday, from 2:45 to 4 p.m. in Mr. Ellison’s classroom. Students who are interested in attending history club meetings and are not on the email list or in the Schoology group should speak to Mr. Holub or Mr. Ellison about being added.

The club’s annual spring trip will be an overnight camping trip to Antietam and Harpers Ferry, May 4 to 5, which is still in the planning stages and open to members who want to come, including theater kids who have been unable to attend much recently.

On a related note, students who enjoy attending history club meetings should make note of ensuring meeting dates stay the same. The club is evaluating whether the regular date of Tuesday should be continued, or if the meeting day should be changed to Wednesday, to accommodate the theater members.

Another important notice to sophomores and juniors, regarding National Honors Society, is if you are interested, maintain your 93% GPA, accumulate at least 35 community service hours, and show interest in leading your community.

At least two positions or experiences of leadership are important parts of the criteria to become a member next fall. A community service opportunity taking place this week is the Penn Kidder Family Party Dance from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 15.

Members of the Future Business Leaders of America will have a bingo event in Lehighton, fittingly on Sunday, March 17, the day of luck. The circumstances of which can be further explained on the Band app. The other FBLA event taking place this week is a social Roller Skate at LaRose’s Skating Rink, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Lastly, Friday, March 15 is a teacher in-service day, so there will be an early dismissal for students. May everyone who reads to be aware of community activities here at Jim Thorpe, or support however possible, receive the most fortune this St. Patrick’s Day, and thank you!

Mellanie Marshman

Weatherly High School

Weatherly Wreckers have county band coming up this week Tuesday through Thursday. They will be performing Thursday night for the public.

Voting for our middle school casting machinery will all be this Wednesday through Friday.

FBLA is having a pie fundraiser, and the final date for it is on Wednesday. If you know any FBLA members contact them ASAP. That’s all for Weatherly Wreckers.