Lloyd Koester, General McLane Senior

Lloyd finished with a time of 1:29:43 placing him in the top 500 runners of the 35,000+ competitors. Lloyd is a distance runner on the GM track team and was also a member of the cross-country team.

Congratulations to Lloyd on a great finish!

Official Results: Lloyd finished in 384th place

Cynthia Kuhn

Women Making History is celebrating its 21st year of honoring phenomenal women in our community. It first began from an organization known as Grass Roots Organization for Women. Mercy Center for Women continued the tradition of honoring
12 dynamic women with the hope that these women will inspire many others to follow their dreams and help others in need.
The women being honored were selected because of their demonstration of the following criteria:

1. Dedicated service in her neighborhood, workplace, or community
2. Honesty, integrity, and strong moral values
3. A commitment to women’s issues
4. The courage of her convictions
5. A commitment to personal growth and development

This years Dynamic Dozen include: Kelly Armor, Sonya Arrington, Christine Colao-Nickson, Colleen Hammon, Rose Horton, Jane Matheis Kirk, Cynthia Kuhn, Sr. Rosemary O’Brien, SSJ, Shawnta’ Pulliam, Kathy Schriefer, Pattie Stempka, Michele Wheaton

Cynthia Kuhn lives her life with joy – love of neighbor and community is the hallmark of her life. This love is visibly evident through the compassionate dedication she displays in her workplace, church and local school district. Cynthia is the director of Thrifty Threads, a retail thrift store established as a Social Concerns outreach of Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church in Edinboro.

She patiently manages a staff of 35 committed volunteers and numerous intermittent helpers. She routinely receives adolescent students and young adults requiring court-appointed service hours. She never exposes their mistakes, she supports their efforts to help, encourages their strengths and praises their successes.

With integrity and a firm moral base she remains sensitive to each volunteer’s unique personality and strengths, from the elderly woman of 93 who wants to volunteer to the single teenage mother that needs to volunteer.

Cynthia works closely with women’s advocacy groups including House of Hope, Safe Journeys and the Women’s Care Center; supporting their programs and meeting specific needs when required.

Cynthia is quick to say the success of Thrifty Threads is due to at least two different groups of people. First, the wonderful donors in the Edinboro area who drop off gently used items with the purpose of helping others.

Second is her amazing group of volunteers. There are at least 35 people who loyally work every single week sorting and hanging clothes. Cynthia says it takes roughly 170 man hours every week to keep the store going, and it couldn’t be done without her volunteers. She counts herself lucky to have these wonderful people in her life and thanks God for each of them every single day.

Congratulations to Cynthia and many thanks to all at Thrifty Threads for all you do for Edinboro and the surrounding communities.

Hayden Kuhn

Attending students spent three days rehearsing together during the Eastern Division Conference of The NAfME held in Hartford, Connecticut in preparation for performances on Sunday, April 7.

The NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles, consisting of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed chorus, treble voice chorus, and jazz ensemble, are organized by members of The National Association for Music Education.

The concert band and symphony orchestra will each have approximately one hundred fifty instrumentalists, the jazz ensemble will have twenty instrumentalists, the treble voice chorus will have one hundred twenty vocalists, and the mixed chorus will have approximately three hundred fifty vocalists. Student participation from each state is determined by a percentage of the total NAfME Eastern Division membership, with no state given less than two percent representation.

Each of the state music educators associations in the Eastern Division (Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Massachussetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Europe) oversee the selection process in their state during the spring and early fall of the year before the event and compile ranked lists of recommended junior and seniors for consideration.

The method used to compile the participating student lists varies from state to state, although all recommended students must have participated in their home all-state festivals.

Hayden qualified for All Eastern Choir because of his placement at the PMEA All-State Festival, that was held in Lancaster, PA last April.

The 2013 NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles performed for an audience of thousands on Sunday, April 7, at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Mortensen Hall, in Hartford, Connecticut.

The guest conductor for the mixed choir was Z. Randall Stroope, a very prominent American composer of choral music and has written over 95 pieces. He currently is on faculty at Oklahoma State University and has conducted choirs all over the world.

Congratulations to Hayden!

Photograph courtesy of Arron Conley

Music Department Chairman Dr. Gary Grant, left, and John Fleming, founder and director of the Concert Band of Northwest Pennsylvania, present the band’s first scholarship to Carly Gray, a junior Music Education major, and General McLane Graduate.

The Concert Band has recently established a scholarship for Edinboro University Music or Music Education majors.

The scholarship honors the band’s long relationship of support from the University.

Carly Gray, a General McLane HS graduate, a Music Education major, and a junior Edinboro University was honored as the first recipient of the Concert Band of Northwest Pennsylvania’s scholarship.

Congratulations to Carly.

Brandi as a, Biology/Pre-Med student, somehow manages to balance her studies and travel. Shortly after the semester at Edinboro University began for her she was off again, traveling to 2012 World University Championships in Kazan, Russia. Brandi was able to cross another goal off her list by making the finals, placing 6th, in an international competition shooting against the some of best in the world. Brandi barely had time to unpack from Russia and she was off to Colorado Springs again.

As one might imagine it takes a great deal of determination and focus to compete at this level, and Brandi has been able to keep her edge and maintain her spot on the USA Junior National Team. Brandi has even sought help with an eye problem that was effecting her shooting and has been able to overcome that and continue being a winner.

Like many athletes competing and representing their family, their community, and the USA, Brandi is in need of sponsors to help cover the cost of travel and the other necessities of travel. As a reality of our times some sources of funding have been cut and it makes it more difficult for athletes to continue. To that end, if you would like to help Brandi continue to represent Edinboro and the USA a “Donation” button has been provided. No amount of support is too small and is greatly appreciated by Brandi.

If you would like to contact Brandi regarding a company or corporate sponsorship, she can be contacted through EdinboroOnline.com Send us an email and we will forward to her.

EdinboroOnline.com wishes Brandi the best of luck in her quest for the gold.

Joey rides for and is sponsored by the Great Lakes Motocross Racing team in McKean, and Baldwin Motorsports of Kingsville, Ohio.

Joey with his 250cc Honda on the podium in Pell City, Alabama receiving his award for 1st place in 250C Modified class

Joey was able to bring home a National 1st Place Championship in the 250C Modified class and an overall 2nd place finish in 250C Stock Class.

Racers came from as far away as South Africa, Australia, and Nome Alaska. All the top amateur riders across the US were in attendance.

Joey with his father Joe Sr. posing with Joe's award for 1st place and Joe’s #919 Honda 250cc race bike.

All racers were anxious to get the first competition of the year down south under their belts in preparation for the march to the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Championship in Tennessee later this summer.

All racers will be competing weekly to earn a coveted spot in that event. Joey, who is 15 years old, along with Mike and Kyle, both 18, have a very good chance to be making that trip.

Congratulations boys and good luck with the rest of your season!

Information and photos courtesy of Kenneth Fisher.

Jonathan Zentis, Eagle Scout

Jonathan stated, “For my project, I along with members of the troop, my family and my friends, built two 8 by 10′ shelters over benches on the walking trail at McKean Rec Park. We also built a 10′ by 12′ picinic shelter and a handicapped-friendly picnic table near the playground area of the park.”

Ann Marie, Jonathan, Mike, and Andrew Zentis celebrate Jonathan's Eagle Scout accomplishment.

Jonathan is a senior at General McLane High School, plays trumpet in the GM Lancer Marching Band and Jazz Band, and is also a member of the National Honor Society and the GM Track Team.

Jonathan’s official Eagle board of review was October 18, 2011 and since then has earned additional merit badges and added a Bronze Palm to his Eagle, giving him a total of 39 merit badges.

Congratulations to Jonathan and his family. Well done!

Jonathan and his Eagle Project

Photos courtesy of Jenns Photographs, jennshepherd.com

His Eagle Service Project was to build an outdoor structure to shelter that vehicle at the ranch. This past autumn, he planned every detail, enlisted the help of other boys in the Troop and executed his plan with great maturity and humility that comes with being a good scout.

The date of his Board of Review, and thus the official date he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout was February 6, 2012.

Quillan began as a Cub Scout in 2nd Grade at McKean Elementary, and moved to the Boy Scout Troop in 5th Grade.

He was the troop’s Quartermaster for 2 years, and also served as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and a Den Chief throughout his tenure with the Troop. He is also a member of the Order of the Arrow since 2010.

His Court of Honor will be held at 2pm at WLD Ranch on Sunday 4/29/12. All are welcome and any local Eagle Scouts are encouraged to sit in the Eagle’s Nest. Please RSVP to 796-0031.

Quillan’s other activities:
Senior at GMHS, plus enrolled in RCI program with EUP and Gannon
Sales Clerk at Sears
Plays in Men’s Soccer Club at Family First Sports Park
General McLane LancerMarching Band for 4 years playing tenor sax
Took piano Lessons with DiAnne Cordell for 10 years and is now teaching two students of his own
Quillan also ran cross country, was a member of Integrity Martial Arts, and volunteered at McLane Church and WLD Ranch.

Congratulations to Quillan for his accomplishments and example he sets for his fellow scouts. Well Done!

Photographs courtesy of JennShepherd.com

Michael Koester, music major at Mercyhurst

Koester is a sophomore majoring in Music Education at Mercyhurst.

According to the scholarship criteria, faculty shall recommend eligible scholarship students based upon talent and then the college’s financial aid department will select scholarship recipients from that pool based on financial need.

Provided by Mercyhurst Newswire, Media Relations.