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NEWS
O-E will release a virtual graduation ceremony on YouTube page
Mackenzie Wilcox
By BARB CLOSE DUKE CENTER — The Otto-Eldred Jr./Sr. School District released its virtual graduation ceremony Friday on the district’s YouTube page. This year’s ceremony featured speeches from the three mantle holders, who are Mackenzie Wilcox (Academic), Emilie Reitler (Industrial Arts) and Abigail Bennett (Career and Technical Center). The guest speaker is OttoEldred Class of 2005 alumnus Kevin Shields.
Wilcox is the daughter of Teresa and Corey Wilcox. She will attend Misericordia University majoring in biology following a pre-med track. All mantle holders were asked what helped them end their senior year on a positive note, even after the closure. Wilcox responded, “The support and encouragement of my peers, teachers, and family has helped me finish out my senior year.” Reitler is the daughter
Emilie Reitler
of Ed and Tammy Reitler. She will attend Alfred State College majoring in machine tool technology. Reitler said, “The major thing that has helped me end my senior year on a positive note is my teachers and Mr. Ramsey. They have emailed me and connected many times. Having the connection has really helped me end my high school career on a high note.” Bennett is the daughter of Keith Bennett and Faith Bennett. Her
future plan is to enter the workforce. Bennett said, “My friends and family have definitely been a huge support with me ending the school year the way it has. They have helped me stay positive about it all and still enjoy being a 2020 graduate.” Shields attended Westminster College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education in 2009. He obtained his master’s in music education from Kent State University in 2012.
Holohan is valedictorian of Smethport, Orner is salutatorian
Abigail Bennett
He worked as a middle school band director and high school musical director for 10 years at Slippery Rock Schools. He also held a position as an adjunct faculty member at Westminster College teaching accompaniment classes and directed their fall musicals. Shields then taught private piano and woodwind lessons for 12 years at Marks Music and was an active musical director at the New Castle, Salem, Youngstown
Georgia-Pacific plant in Bradford maintains strong business during pandemic By RUTH BOGDAN
Anna Holohan
SMETHPORT — Anna Holohan will graduate as the valedictorian of the Class of 2020 at Smethport Area junior-Senior High School during the commencement ceremony on June 5. She is the daughter of Tim and Mary Beth Holohan. Karley Orner, daughter of Kelly Orner and Russ Orner, is the salutatorian. Following graduation, Holohan will attend Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio, where she will major in neuroscience as a member of the honors program. She has been very active in extracurricular activities in high school, having served as president of the National Honor Society
and student council, as well as a member of the Envirothon, yearbook and prom committees, show choir, jazz and concert bands and section leader of the marching band, At the mock trial, Holohan received the Best Advocate and Best Witness awards. She also served as DECA president and finished in fifth place in a category at the Pennsylvania State Conference. The Smethport Rotarians recognized Holohan with the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. During her high school years, Orner has been consistently on the Honor Roll and Roll of Distinction. Her extracurricular
Karley Orner
activities included student council president and a member of the choir, show choir, marching band and the soccer team. As a member of the Drama Club, she was active in theater. Other members of the class are Thomas Alfieri, De Vine Becker, Tyler Baldwin, Jaden Causer, Cory Dart, Daphne Daugherty, Tristyn Dennis, MyKayla Deyarmin, Delanie DiFonzo and Aurora Dinch. Also, Zachary Dittman, Hannah Dunn, Jacob Erickson, Hunter Faukner, Torie Field, Karleigh Fitzsimmons, Justin Gallup, Hunter Helsley, Cabot Hernan and Erin Herzog. Also, Griffin Hess, Paige
Hetrick, Michael Hill, Morgan Himes, Bryent Johnson, Ryan Kearns, Ernest Lathrop Jr., Heather Lawrence and Hailey Leet. Also, Hunter Lent,, Antonio Lettman, Gordon Link, Kelsey Martin, Hunter Mason, Derek McClain, Jeffrey McKeirnan, Sarah Murray, Ethan Nannen and Damian Neubert. Also, Evan O’Neil, Alex Pelchy, Zachary Persing, Faith Putt, Evan Sanderson, Alexis Shall, Savannah Swanson, TJ Swanson, and Hunter Tanner. Also, Kai Thomas, Blaine Trojan, Shayne Westfall, Kolby Wilber, Ryan Woodruff and Wyatt Yocum.
Playhouses. He was a guest accompanist in 2015, 2017 and 2019 at Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s Junior and Senior High Chorus Festivals. Shields now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he is currently employed at Coney Island Prep Middle School. Here he has started a music program for the first time in the school’s history, as well as a ukulele program and an after school choir. He looks forward to more being developed.
the country, but the Bradford plant focuses only on corrugated boxes. When asked whether a rumor that the Bradford plant received a large order this spring from a well known global retailer, they could not provide specifics but indicated that business has been positive. “Georgia-Pacific does not provide details about who our customers are, or any specific detail about their business,” they stated. “However, the GP Bradford facility continues to effectively serve its existing customers and has also added a variety of new customers in recent weeks.” Like all businesses, the facility has had to put in place a safety plan for the protection of employees and customers. At GeorgiaPacific, they followed the guidance set forth from local, state and national agencies. “The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we will continue to keep them frequently updated throughout this
At a time when many businesses and manufacturers across the nation have had to cut back or temporarily cease operations, one Bradford manufacturer is going strong. For one, the local plant has maintained the same level of staffing over the past two months, as their work is considered essential, according to Tom Strother and Eric Abercrombie, spokesmen from Georgia-Pacific’s public affairs and communications department. “Because the Bradford facility makes corrugated products serving the e-commerce and food product industries, its products were deemed to be essential to keeping the nation’s supply chain moving,” they said in a statement answering questions The Era had about their operations. “Our Bradford team takes great pride in being deemed essential and are happy that our customers and society value the products we make.” Georgia-Pacific manufactures a number of different paper See STRONG on page 2... products at plants across