Awards & Honors

2019 2020 AWARDS & HONORS

EMMA GARRISON PRESENTS... Emma Garrison, of Patton, PA, received a Certificate of Achievement for her paper “The Power of Aromatherapy.” She was able to present it during the 2019 Beacon Conference.

Emma’s paper dealt with aromatherapy and its overall power, addressing the severity of antibiotic overuse and advocates the utilization of essential oils to reach an equivalent result. The paper explains that inexpensive therapeutic-grade oils, containing a variety of medicinal purposes, lack any and all potential health risks, allowing for the permanent replacement of many over-the-counter medicinal drugs.

Emma plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown after Penn Highlands.

Emma Garrison

Congratulations to Hailey Giuffre (Johnstown), Alexandra Lambrinos (Johnstown), Bret Sarlouis (Johnstown), and Richard Tavalsky (Ebensburg) for being chosen to represent Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in the regional round of the America250 Direct Effect Innovation Challenge (DEIC).

The America250 DEIC is an event where student teams from Pennsylvania colleges and universities compete to design and launch the integrated marketing campaign strategy for the America250PA initiative.

(L to R) Nicolas Bradley Brooke Elliott Lilly Grace

(L to R) Maddelyn Hoover Isabella Nagy Kaitlyn Saucedo

(L to R) Garrett Smith Cody Sral Erika Wilkie

The Board of Trustees Academic Scholarship recipients receive a full-tuition scholarship to attend Pennsylvania Highlands Community College to complete an associate degree.

This scholarship is awarded to high school seniors in the region that demonstrate excellence in academics and extracurricular activities. Eligible students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in their high school career, participate in various activities, and demonstrate leadership throughout their community.

Scholarship recipients include:

Nicolas Bradley of Hastings, PA (Cambria Heights High School) Brooke Elliott of Windber, PA (Windber Area High School) Lily Grace of Stoystown, PA (North Star High School) Maddelyn Hoover of Patton, PA (Cambria Heights High School) Isabella Nagy of Portage, PA (Portage Area High School) Kaitlyn Saucedo of Windber, PA (Forest Hills Senior High School) Garrett Smith of Vintondale, PA (Blacklick Valley High School) Cody Sral of Ebensburg, PA (Central Cambria High School) Erika Wilkie of Hollidaysburg, PA (Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School)

academic scholarship board of trustees

Black Bear Athletics academic team honors

NJCAA ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM (4.0 GPA)

Brooke Elliott, Women’s Volleyball Isabella Nagy, Women’s Volleyball Alayna “Rosie” Plaza, Women’s Volleyball Christopher Weld, Men’s Bowling

NJCAA ALL-ACADEMIC SECOND TEAM (3.80-3.99 GPA)

Caitlyn Guercio, Women’s Bowling Katie Swank, Women’s Volleyball Angela Weber, Women’s Bowling

NJCAA ALL- ACADEMIC THIRD TEAM (3.6-3.79 GPA)

Maria Engleka, Women’s Volleyball Joseph Guercio, Men’s Bowling Evan Orr, Men’s Bowling

REGION XX ACADEMIC TEAM (3.5-4.0 GPA)

Brooke Elliott, Women’s Volleyball Maria Engleka, Women’s Volleyball Kendra Fox, Women’s Volleyball Caitlyn Guercio, Women’s Bowling Joseph Guercio, Men’s Bowling Isabella Nagy, Women’s Volleyball Evan Orr, Men’s Bowling Alayna “Rosie” Plaza, Women’s Volleyball Katie Swank, Women’s Volleyball Angela Weber, Women’s Bowling Christopher Weld, Men’s Bowling njcaa player of the week

Matthew Forbes was named the NJCAA Division III National

Player of the Week (January 6th – 12th). During his play that week, he averaged 29.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals, and 4 assists. Forbes shot 71% from three-point range and 62.8% from the field.

WPCC ACADEMIC TEAM MEMBERS (3.0-4.0 GPA)

Ethan Barkley, Men’s Basketball Theodore Betcher, Men’s Bowling Jorge Castro, Men’s Basketball Mary Constantino, Women’s Volleyball Justin Eckenrod, Men’s Bowling Brooke Elliott, Women’s Volleyball Maria Engleka, Women’s Volleyball Matthew Forbes, Men’s Basketball Kendra Fox, Women’s Volleyball Caitlyn Guercio, Women’s Bowling Joseph Guercio, Men’s Bowling Allison Gustkey, Women’s Bowling Isabella Nagy, Women’s Volleyball Evan Orr, Men’s Bowling Alayna “Rosie” Plaza, Women’s Volleyball Todd Rastall, Men’s Bowling Katie Swank, Women’s Volleyball Angela Weber, Women’s Bowling Christopher Weld, Men’s Bowling

Matthew Forbes

Kayla Yoder, Women’s Bowling

CHAMPION

ERICA KOVALIK Erica Kovalik won the NJCAA Region XX Division III Cross Country Individual Championship with a time of 23:07.9.

She is the first individual Region XX champion in Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Black Bear history.

Athletic Hall of Fame Inducts First Class

On January 24, 2020, as a part of our 25th Anniversary celebration, Penn Highlands inducted its first class into the College’s newly created Athletic Hall of Fame. Congratulations to our first five inductees:

Jack Loya, Coach (posthumously) 1998-2001, 2010-2015

Melissa Spaugy, Women’s Basketball 1998-2001

Phillip Rimmer, Men’s Basketball 1999-2000

Kelsey Poborski Lee, Women’s Volleyball 2010

Delonte Fennell, Men’s Basketball (posthumously) 2013-2015

Marketing & Communications Team Honored with one national and four regional awards from the national council for marketing and public relations

The Marketing & Communications Team was awarded four Medallion Awards and one Paragon Award during the 2019-2020 year from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR).

The team took home awards in the following medallion categories: Website (gold), Video Shorts (silver), Television/Video Advertisement (silver), and Social Media or Online Marketing Campaign (bronze).

The Penn Highlands Community College website was recognized for its creative design and strong navigation. The College was also commended for their recent branding campaign, titled “Discover You”, in each of the other award categories.

The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) awarded Penn Highlands Community College a silver Paragon Award in the Logo Wear category, for the design of the College’s “Black Bear Country” sweatshirt.

Since 2015, Marketing & Communications has earned two national awards and sixteen regional awards.

(L to R)

SEAN MCCOOL

Creative Services & Marketing Specialist

RAYMOND WEIBLE, JR.

Director of Marketing & Communications

ANDREW PODOLAK

Marketing & Communications Specialist

top students

EMILY KRISKO NAMED COCA-COLA ACADEMIC TEAM GOLD SCHOLAR Congratulations to Emily Krisko, of Portage, for being named a 2020 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar. She will receive a $1,500 scholarship. Emily Krisko graduated Cum Laude in December 2019 with an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences. She is continuing her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology.

ADRIANE HAUTZ RECIPIENT OF DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD Each year, Penn Highlands Community College honors a student for his or her contributions to the college and the community, while maintaining a high level of academic performance. This year’s Distinguished Graduate Award went to Adriane Hautz, who graduated with a degree in Psychology. Adriane served as a tutor, President of both the Undergraduate Alliance and X-Files Club, and Vice President of Student Senate. She was also a member of the Community Involvement Committee, Phi Theta Kappa, and Sigma Alpha Pi.

FACULTY MEMBERS EARN TENURE Faculty members are granted tenure for, over time, demonstrating a commitment to excellence in teaching, advising, professional development, and service to Penn Highlands and the community. Their work with students is exemplary and serves as an inspiration to students and colleagues alike.

DR. MATTHEW SISAK

Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

MS. MICHELLE MYERS

Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

MS. ROBIN HUGHES

Assistant Professor, Mathematics