Editor’s note: High school columnists are reporting from schools in Carbon County, coordinated by Sue Ann Gerhard of the Carbon Career & Technical Institute.

Carbon Career & Technical Institute

By Serenity Houston

• Seniors and juniors in good standing are invited to apply for membership into the National Technical Honor Society.

Any junior or senior who will be applying for National Technical Honor Society can earn community service hours early by assisting with poster distribution for the bag bingo in March.

• Student Council is holding the annual turkey dinner donation. All donations will go toward CCTI families who may not have the opportunity to have a Thanksgiving dinner. All items are accepted, including turkey, frozen fruits and vegetables, rolls, etc. See Ms. Little for information.

• SkillsUSA and National Technical Honor Society are sponsoring Toys for Tots for this Christmas season. Students and teachers in each technical area are asked to bring toys in for this much needed cause. The technical area who has the most toys by Dec. 5 will be treated with a pizza and ice cream sundae party.

National Technical Honor Society and SkillsUSA students will be hosting a one-day toy collection to benefit “Toys for Tots” from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 7 on the school campus. Students in the carpentry, welding, auto collision repair and precision machine technical areas built a Radio Flyer Wagon, which will be filled with toys for needy families in Carbon and Schuylkill counties. The students will be serving hot chocolate, coffee and cookies for everyone who steps up to donate for this worthy cause.

Toys can be dropped off in the front parking lot, where Christmas music will be playing, and refreshments will be served. Santa will be available for pictures. Questions can be directed to Sue Ann Gerhard 570-325-3682.

• Congratulations to Nick Bochicchio and Bruce McFarland who qualified for the second round of competition to compete for a Corvette for CCTI and scholarships to attend NACC.

Jim Thorpe High School

By Gabriella Cerra

• The Class of 2026 is having a Blackstone Grill Raffle fundraiser. Raffle tickets are being sold by officers of the Class of 2026 until Dec. 16. Their goal is to raise $2,000 toward the prom of 2026 from this fundraiser.

• On Tuesday, members of FBLA are traveling to Lehigh Valley Physician Group in Center Valley to do a group tour and job shadow day as part of the chapters’ celebration of American Enterprise Day.

• On Nov. 30, members of the Future Business Leaders of America from Jim Thorpe Area High School, Penn Kidder Elementary, and LB Morris Elementary are traveling to PPL Center in Allentown to watch the Lehigh Valley Phantoms play against the Laval Rocket.

Jim Thorpe FBLA is encouraging one final surge of new membership, so any students interested in joining FBLA for the numerous opportunities which it provides can get 2024-2025 membership applications from Mrs. Thompson’s classroom or chapter officers. Lastly, Jim Thorpe FBLA members are currently selling gift cards to fundraise toward their personal dues for trips and events.

• Jim Thorpe’s History Club will resume with meetings from 3 to 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 4. On Dec. 4, members will learn about Diwali, New Years, and Hanukkah. On Dec. 11, History Club will have its annual pre-winter holidays festivities. This year, festivities will consist of food and beverage, Victorian era parlor games, a White Elephant gift exchange, watching a Christmas movie, and learning about the history of Christmas. On Dec. 18, History Club will go to Bethlehem, for a historical walking tour and visit shops and restaurants.

• Scholastic Scrimmage had a bake sale at the Jim Thorpe Market, during which the team raised an impressive $570.26 to go toward team shirts, practice supplies, and a social meeting that is yet to be specified in regards to date and location.

• On Nov. 14, the Pennsylvania Bar Association released the Pennsylvania High School Mock Trial case for 2024-2025. On Wednesday, members met to have preliminary discussions regarding the case, after spending weeks honing in their understanding of the minutia of legal proceedings.

Members of Jim Thorpe’s Mock Trial, alongside help from local attorneys Sara Modrick and Matt Mottola, will divide into their separate sides, defense and prosecution, and spend months preparing a case to present in the courtroom.

• Jim Thorpe’s newspaper, the Olympian Current, is live and regularly updated with articles regarding school and community written by student journalists. To visit the website and read articles from diligent student writers, the link is (olympiancurrent.com)

• Jim Thorpe’s literary and arts magazine, The Flame, concluded its “Fractured Fairy Tales Program.”

Students’ submissions have been proofread and published by The Flame’s staff and adviser, Miss Zakrewsky. To view all the students’ submissions and what The Flame has going on, the link to the website is (www.sites.google.com/jtasd.org/theflame/home).

Every first and third Tuesday of each month, The Flame’s staff meets to discuss programs, contests, submissions, and activities. Members of the student body are always welcome to submit any creatively literary and artistic work they have, even during times of programs for others or contests.

• Jim Thorpe has brought back its chapter of Aevidum through the initiative of Mrs. VanBritsom and Mrs. Nelson. Members attended two “Talks” at local high schools where they learned all about what Aevidum is and can do. For World Kindness Day, Wednesday, Nov. 13, members posted notes of kindness on the doors of all staff members and lockers of most students

• Jim Thorpe’s new Science Club, advised by Mrs. VanBritsom, is working on projects for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science Science Fair, as well as some others at later dates. Club members are proposing a community garden, which will be used to grow crops for both fundraising and charitable donation.

• On Nov. 27, the Student Council will host its annual Pie Eating Contest, which will feature students from each grade and faculty members competing in speed of pie eating, cranberry sauce chugging, gravy chugging, and a pumpkin roll. Every student attends, and the entire operation is a joyous success, even beginning with a walk-in roast, which is quite hysterical.

• Peer Buddy will meet Monday. Any student who is interested in joining Peer Buddy is encouraged and welcomed to attend the weekly PODS meetings.

Lehighton High School

By Hailey Heimbach

This upcoming Thursday, our new members of the National Honors Society will be inducted at 7 p.m.

Our agriculture and homesteading club started a composting program at the school. At lunch, students will put any compostable food into a bucket and then club members will take the bucket out back and dump it into our composter.

Next week is looking up with the beginning of winter sport practices and other fun activities that are to be held.

Palmerton High School

By Kate Baumgardt’s Journalism class

On Nov. 15, FBLA had a panel of local business leaders to teach students about their experience running a business. Juniors and seniors who applied to the National Honors Society learned if they got accepted on Thursday, Nov. 15. The induction for new members took place Thursday.

The National Honors Society is already participating in the Lunch Buddies Program at SS Palmer again this year during enrichment. The first session occurred on Nov. 13 and is going to be every Wednesday until Christmas break.

The following members of National Honors Society for Session 1 of the program are as follows: Ella Baumgardt, AJ Borger, Bella Catania, Emma Fugozzotto, Adriana Fugozzotto, Macky Long, Josh Merkel, Lillian Stein, and Nataly Walters. Leo Club is holding a canned food drive. The nonperishable food items collected will be donated to the CACPAC organization to help those in need. The block two class that collects the most items will receive a doughnut party.

• Aevidum will be holding an Aevidum Awareness Week to educate students about the Aevidum movement and what it stands for. Students were encouraged to wear blue and white on Monday and gold and black on Friday to celebrate Palmerton Aevidum.

• Palmerton Against Animal Cruelty is holding their lollipop fundraiser to raise money to donate to an animal shelter during their annual service field trip.

• Palmerton is introducing a new club, the STEM Club, which is currently accepting members.

• The students of the month for October were, for the English department: Abby Kuhns, Chase Ader, Kirsten Lynn Murphy, and Zane Himmelwright. For the math department: Miranda Wilkins, Tyler Singleton, Logan Anthony, and Corey Serfass. For the social studies department: Soraya Amar, Ceveah Hoffman, Ethan Zych, Adriana Fugazzotto. For the science department: Joey Solt, Collin Hess, Tessa Sander, and Mackenzie Long. For world languages: Travis Kresge, Alexya Christman, Kayla Korrmann, and Mason George. For comp/tech: Bryson Hein, Kaylee Frable, Kamarrah Sasslo, and Kamryn Stec. For human resources: Caden Hagerty, Dillon Anthony, Dayton Tindula, and Cole Kline.

• If anyone is interested in winter sports, a lot is happening with them right now. The first boys basketball game is Tuesday, Nov. 26 vs Brandywine Heights Area. The first girls basketball game is on Saturday vs Louis E. Dieruff. If you are interested in girls basketball, they are in need of players.

The first boys wrestling match is Saturday at Jim Thorpe Area High School. For the girls, their first match is away at Palisades High School on Dec. 2. This is only the second year for the girls wrestling team. Everyone should come out and support the girls!

• Recently, Palmerton has been learning about the ALICE Training. On Thursday, they had their second lock down drill. The point of this drill is to show students and staff what to do if the intruder is near them and they can’t escape. As practiced earlier in the school year, if the intruder is not nearby, the school will evacuate.

Weatherly High School

By Elizabeth DiGennaro and Jillian Esposito

• Kiley Holman was just awarded Senior of the Month for the Weatherly Area High School.

• K-12 will be participating in the DAR contest where they can make a poster, a stamp, a photographic essay, a digital drawing, a banner, a poem, a short story, or a comic strip about the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Turn in all projects to Dr. Leach by Dec. 4.

• Weatherly Area School District is conducting a districtwide toy drive through Dec. 5. Any new, unwrapped toy can be sent to school with your child at any time throughout the toy drive.

• The Warm Tootsies contest is where the students compete to see who can bring in the most pairs of new socks that will be donated to veterans in nursing homes. Winning class will earn a pizza party.

• On Nov. 26, the school will be holding parent-teacher conferences. If a parent would like to come and meet with the student’s teachers, they need to contact the school and tell them that they will be attending.

• On Nov. 11, the school held a Veterans Day program where they honored 23 different veterans. Each veteran received a challenge coin by their family and the Girl Scouts.

• The middle school cross-country team wrapped up a very successful season. The girls team of Mikayla Pugh, Mikayla Kuntz, Emma Moyer, Aubrey Slovik, Riley Bachert, and Emma Poser placed second in the Schuylkill League Meet at Pine Grove. They are the first-ever girls’ team to place at the meet. The boys team of Eli Brown, Levi Aneskevich, Jameson DeLauritis, Rex Bellizia, Stephen Delman, Tyler Nelson, placed fifth as a team at the league meet.