Volume 45 Issue 8

June 2012

Freedom High School - 3149 Chester Avenue - Bethlehem, PA 18020 - www.fhsforum.com

45 Years

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2 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

The Freedom Forum A Publication of

Freedom High School

Bethlehem Area School District

3149 Chester Avenue

Bethlehem PA, 18020

(610) 867-5843

www.fhsforum.com

Editor-in-Chief

Tyler Alicea

News Editor

Luisa Marin

Editorial Editor

Julie Boylan

Features Editor

Ashley Eichlin

Entertainment Editor Courtney Barrow

Sports Editor Mike McGinty

Pates’ Post Editor

Amanda Molinaro

Centerspread Editor Zach Ward

Layout Editor Haroon Ahmad

Web Editor

Krystal Domin

Assistant Editors Anna Thomas

Faarah Ameerally Ryan Shaikh

Adam Duser

Adviser

Mrs. Karla Erdman

Principal Mr. Michael LaPorta

Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy

For our editorial statement and

corrections policy, please go to

www.fhsforum.com/about.html

Follow us on Twitter and like us on

Facebook!

http://fb.fhsforum.com

@fhsforum, #fhsforum

fhsforum@gmail.com

2012-2013 Editors

Managing Editor of Print

Amanda Molinaro

Managing Editor of

Digital Media

Zachary Ward

News Editor

Bill Leeson

Editorial Editor

Kate Dawson

Pate’ Post Editor Samantha Lutz

Entertainment Editor

Kirat Randhawa

Sports Editor

Greg Adams

Business Manager Bill Leeson

Layout Editor Justin Alicea

Assistant Editors

Kristen Dalton

Anna Thomas

Nainjot Singh Faarah Ameerally

John Bennet

Shedding Tears of Greatness

As a door closes, a window

opens.

While cliché, this embodies the

wholeness of The Freedom Fo-

rum.

Each year, I look forward to the

starting of the newspaper, and by

the end of the year, I am ready to

lay the last issue to bed.

The end of a school year is bit-

tersweet as I reflect on the accom-

plishments and awards of the

newspaper staff, and yet I have to

say good-bye to some of them as

they move on to greener pastures

beyond the walls of Freedom

High School.

Each year brings its “greatness”

into focus at some point. This

year happened the day Tyler told

me that we reached 400 Twitter

followers. Our goal at the begin-

ning of the school year was to

have 100 followers by the end of

the year. That was accomplished

by the end of the first marking

period.

Tweeting live at games was a

new concept for our staff, and it

has taken off. We usually get

about five new followers after

Tweeting live from a sporting

event. Our followers include cur-

rent students and faculty, alumni,

community members, and news

organizations.

Additionally, this year the

newspaper won four awards

which is a huge accomplishment.

I am so proud of all the students

who help in big and in small ways

to make the newspaper an award-

winning product in which all

Freedom students can be proud.

So, I will say “see you later” to

all the graduating seniors with a

tear in my eye while I turn and

smile to say “welcome” to the

incoming staff for next year. We

have a lot to accomplish.

By Karla Erdman,

Advisor

A Year of Greatness—The Principal’s Perspective

The 2011-2012 School Year has

truly been “A Year of Greatness.”

At the beginning of the year, I

convened four class meetings to

discuss expectations and the

course for our school year. The

course for our year was guided by

our building’s theme, “A Year of

Greatness.” During these meet-

ings we discussed how to experi-

ence greatness. I suggested to our

school that first we have to antici-

pate being great in everything.

My next suggestion was to visual-

ize greatness. You need to put

that picture of greatness into your

mind and never let it leave. My

final suggestion was to get the

greatness done. That is, put your

plan of greatness into motion and

work tirelessly to be great.

Our ongoing theme from the

previous school year, Freedom

To… also came into play as a

component to our “Year of Great-

ness.” The tenets of this theme

revolved around student achieve-

ment, students exhibiting leader-

ship, making connections with

one another, and restoring rela-

tionships when needed. These

components lead to our school

evolving into the “Freedom Fam-

ily.”

There were many examples of

“Greatness” that occurred this

year. To name a few, there were

academic achievements resulting

in National Merit awards, AP

Scholar designations, placement

in numerous academic competi-

tions, an award winning newspa-

per, magnificent concerts, a musi-

cal that was comparable to Broad-

way earning 17 Freddy nomina-

tions, a student receiving a United

States Naval Academy Appoint-

ment, a swimmer winning a PIAA

championship, beating Liberty

High School in many sporting

competitions and our school

evolving into one BIG “Family.”

The evolution of “Freedom

Family” meant so much to me as

your principal. What this said, is

that our school’s culture is inclu-

sive, accepting of others regard-

less of our differences, our stu-

dent body was engaged in all

components of Freedom High

School, and that you were there

for everyone. These components

of engagement are exactly what

are needed for any school to be

successful! For these reasons, we

are a GREAT school and our

school year was “A Year of

Greatness!”

By Michael LaPorta,

Principal

My Philosophy on Greatness

When I sat through the first

assembly of the school year and

was told that this year would be a

Year of Greatness, I scoffed and

rolled my eyes as I did every year

after hearing the building’s

theme. “How could we ever have

a Year of Greatness?” I asked

myself.

Yet, to my absolute surprise, I

was proven wrong. In every way,

we were able to accomplish

something great.

The Year of Greatness, how-

ever, is not a physical thing, but

instead, it is a mentality. This has

certainly not been a Year of

Greatness for everyone and ac-

complishing that would be nearly

impossible.

Life is what you make of it, and

similarly, the Year of Greatness is

only great if you see it as such.

One needs to come into things

with an optimistic point of view,

no matter what is thrown at you.

Freedom is not the best school

on the face of the planet, but that

is okay. I would argue that going

to a school that has its fair share

of achievements as

well as disappoint-

ments, is one that is

more likely the

benefit us in the

future as adults.

Despite all of this,

Freedom is still a

great place. The

thing that we need

to realize, however,

is that there is a world outside of

Freedom that is calling us. Free-

dom is just one of many stepping

stones that we will encounter in

our lives.

I want to wish my fellow peers

the best of luck in whatever it is

that they pursue. Just remember

to view every year as a Year of

Greatness, no matter how tough

things get.

By Tyler Alicea,

Editor-in-Chief

“I’ve mostly broken out of my routine

activities and tried things I normally

would not do. I’ve also grown more

confident in myself and my abilities.”

- Dimitri Mitchell

“Being a senior is probably the biggest

reason why this has been a year of greatness.

Senior year is definitely the best year of high

school.” - Robyn Collette

“Vo-Tech made this my year of

greatness for me.” - Marco Rodrigues

“I have met many great people this year.

The senior class bonded together to form

the Freedom Family which led us to

many victories over Liberty High

School.” - Shannon Rogers

“Mr. Bilotti didn't fall and break his

glasses at the student vs. faculty

basketball game.” - Mr. Joe Iannello

“For me, it was a year of GREATtness because my Block 3 class

did a GREAT job with The GREAT Gatsby!” - Mr. George Ziegler

“This was a ‘year of greatness’ for our district because of the

accomplishments of Freedom High School.

The “Riot Squad” set new standards for student cheering

sections and earned the respect of sports fans across the

Lehigh Valley. The Riot Squad reminded our community

that amazing students attend Freedom High School. Freedom

set new standards for greatness academically this year with

record numbers of Advanced Placement students, with

National Merit recognized students and through academic

competitions such as Scholastic Scrimmage. On the stage

Freedom thespians earned a record number of Freddie

nominations. On the field and court, Freedom athletes

showed the Lehigh Valley how to win with class and dignity.

Thank you, Freedom High School, for making it a ‘year of

greatness’ for BASD!” - Dr. Joseph Roy, Superintendent

“Naming the gym after the first

principal, Mr. Joseph J. McIntyre:

a teacher, principal and

gentleman.” - Mrs. Pat Whirl

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in

October and have gone through two surgeries

and radiation treatments. Throughout this

ordeal, my coworkers and students have been

supportive, helpful, and understanding. When

I returned to school after time off for both

hospitalizations, I found my classroom

decorated with dozens of cards and signs,

wishing me good health and encouraging

me. Every day I have students stop by to

check on me and ask if I am feeling well. The

caring and love has lifted me up when I have

been down. I have truly felt the family spirit

of the Freedom Family this year!”

- Mrs. Linda Jolly

“I think I found

myself as a person and

am no longer afraid to

express myself .”

- Derek Detweiler "This was a year of greatness for

me because it was my first year

working at Freedom High School,

and I could not be happier here!"

- Mrs. Melanie Houser

“Because I have never seen

myself this high in achievement.

[I] didn’t see myself graduating.”

- Angel L. DeJesus Jr.

Leaving barely any room for improve-

ment, senior class president, John Buchner,

accomplished many things in his four

years at Freedom High School.

Before Freedom, Buchner attended Our

Lady of Perpetual Help for Elementary

School followed by East Hills Middle

School where he participated in the nature

program, Monagacci, in seventh grade and

the musical education program, Harmo-

nium, in eighth grade.

His involvement in the school was defi-

nitely an important one: he participated in

many different clubs and sports ranging

from cross country, track, and boxing, to

Bible Club, National Honors Society, Re-

publican Club, and Student Council.

One cannot forget his memorable acts as

Moses in which he led the Riot Squad at

Freedom Basketball games. Buchner also

enjoys playing the guitar and video games

along with spending time with his friends.

Throughout his years, Buchner held an

interest in politics as well as social studies.

He plans to attend the University of Pitts-

burg in the fall with a major in political

science.

Buchner expects to join the Marines after

four years of college with hopes to hold a

political office sometime in the future.

Along with many, Buchner advises all

students to get as involved as possible,

because it can truly change your high

school experience.

The highlight of his senior year was run-

ning onto the field with the flag at the ri-

valry football game where Freedom beat

Liberty, which was an extraordinary ex-

perience for many others as well. Buchner

has achieved many feats in his time here at

Freedom High School and holds a very

promising future for himself.

Student council presidents are notorious

for making big promises and setting lofty

goals in their election speeches and then

not being able to follow through with any

of them.

When Mike Romanelli gave the speech

that won him the office, he did not promise

that the Freedom football team would fi-

nally defeat Liberty or that homecoming

and prom would “totally be the best ever.”

Instead, Mike specifically told the student

body that although he would not make any

promises; instead, he would do his best for

the school as the Student Council Presi-

dent.

Mike organized and led the student sec-

tion that fueled the Patriot football team’s

successful season. He coordinated and led

student council in pulling off a successful

and creatively-themed homecoming dance.

His charisma at pep rallies and in school

were the chief reasons the Riot Squad

showed up in numbers larger than the

home team’s student section at even the

basketball games that were an hour away.

While it would be unfair to give him all of

the credit for the senior class’ success this

year in these endeavors, Mike was truly

the face of the school’s sense of pride and

spirit this year.

Mike, a guitar player for Order by

Sigma, participated in theater, volleyball,

student council, the student advisory

board, and the National Honors Society.

After graduating, Mike plans on attending

Boston University.

When asked about what advice he had

for underclassmen or incoming freshman,

Mike replied, “Don’t try to be better than

[the class of 2012]. It won’t happen.”

With the efforts he and the rest of his

class made this year, besting the class of

2012 will be a difficult goal to attain.

Freedom senior, Grace Mao, who will be

attending the highly prestigious Duke Uni-

versity this fall, has a resume that looks

befitting of someone twice her age when

you consider all she's accomplished in just

17 short years.

Grace is the salutatorian of the Freedom

High school class of 2012, an AP and Na-

tional Merit scholar, a Presidential scholar

candidate, and even the recipient of the

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal

Award.

In the world of extra-curricular activities,

Grace served as Science Olympiad team

president, Math team co-captain, an editor

of the Forum, Student Council representa-

tive and NHS member. Grace also excels

in swimming as well as piano.

Have all these activities kept Grace from

contributing to her community,

though? Definitely not! Grace has 496

hours of community service from various

organizations.

Aside from her achievements and contri-

butions in high school, Grace has taken

(and, consequently, aced) four college

courses; one at Northampton Community

College and three at Lehigh University.

Although Grace has gone above and be-

yond the accomplishments of many high

school students, she is much like any other

teenager; a notorious Tumblr addict, eager

to move on to new things, and completely

unsure of what she might major or poten-

tially pursue a career in. However, she

certainly has options. Grace's very practi-

cal advice to all underclassmen or upcom-

ing freshmen is simply this: "Get a lot of

sleep."

Senior Issue 3 The Forum June 2012

Tyler Alicea:

Tyler Alicea (pronounced “Al-ee-sha” or

“Al-ee-say-uh,” depending upon the con-

text) is the overworked, under-slept editor-

in-chief of this newspaper, and he sure is

glad to be done with it.

Throughout the year, Alicea was either

stressing out over The Forum or at various

events taking photos.

Alicea’s efforts were not only put into

publishing a newspaper, but also in sup-

porting the senior class as treasurer. He

organized pep rallies, fundraisers, and the

annual last-minute, thrown-together hall-

way decorating.

Outside of Freedom, Alicea put much of

his energy into the Boy Scouts of America.

Recently, he became an Eagle Scout after

making Freedom’s chaotic book room his

service project. These days, it is still

creepy, but less cluttered.

In addition to everything he does for the

school, Alicea also works as a Crew

Trainer at McDonald’s, where he works

with an interesting cast of characters that

are always sure to entertain and corrupt.

On the outside, he may seem like a

teacher’s pet (he names Mr. Ziegler, Mr.

Kolb, and Mr. Fierro as his favorites), but

Alicea is much more than that. He is also

incredibly sarcastic and awkward, uses his

hands when he talks, and makes inappro-

priate jokes.

He is also this writer’s best friend.

His hard work has certainly paid off.

Next year, Alicea will attend Cornell Uni-

versity with the Cornell Tradition scholar-

ship to study communications with an in-

terest in advertising or public relations. He

will spend most of his time avoiding So-

ham Roy at all costs.

John Buchner: By Faarah Ameerally

Michael Romanelli: By Greg Adams

Grace Mao: By Kate Dawson

Alexa Curto:

Due to her accomplishments and her

well-rounded personality, Alexa Curto is

the valedictorian for Freedom’s class of

2012.

Along with her academic career, Curto

played an active role in Science Olympiad.

Starting her Science Olympiad career

when she was in 8th grade, she has since

received, a gold, a silver, and a bronze

medal during her junior year and two sil-

ver medals this year.

Curto was named an AP scholar and

attended a luncheon with her fellow AP

scholars. Additionally, Curto has received

a merit scholarship from in the amount of

$2,500.00 and an AAUW scholarship for

$1,000.00.

Curto will be attending Johns Hopkins

University in the fall where she will be

studying public health with a minor in an-

thropology.

Throughout her four years, Dr. Kreiger

inspired Curto be her very best in whatever

she puts her heart into.

If there is one thing that Curto wants

freshmen to know is to find your niche in

the school community which you love and

do not sweat the small stuff.

“Find something . . . which you are pas-

sionate and pursue it. Let stress motivate,

but not overwhelm you – remember, high

school is just the beginning of your life.”

Curto is extremely “honored to be vale-

dictorian, and it has been a lot of work, but

it was all worth it.”

By Krystal Domin

By Courtney Barrow

Valedictorian

Salutatorian

Student Body President

Senior Class President

Editor-in-Chief, The Forum

4 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Antonelli Institute of Photography

Courtney Urenko

Arcadia University

Emily Marchese

Art Institute of Philadelphia

Zachary Ehret

Bloomsburg University

Dedrea Becker

Nicholas Hoffman

Spencer Rives

Erika Vasconez

Adam Ziegler

Boston University

Shaleen Oza

Michael Romanelli

Stephen Yale

Cabrini College

Jennifer Grenauer

California University of Pennsylvania

Melissa Losagio

Carnegie Mellon University

Abhinav Rangarajan

Cedar Crest College

Cheyna Dodson

Centenary College

Nicole Caronia

College of William and Mary

Nathaniel Palmer

Community College of Philadelphia

Khadjah Harris (Temple University)

Cornell University

Tyler Alicea

Luisa Marin

Delaware Valley College

Amanda Carman

Gerald Hall

Gabrielle Spadaccia

DeSales University

Krystal Domin

Emily Gardiner

Daniel Nigrelli

Shana Peterson

Tajinder Singh

Duke University

Grace Mao

Duquesne University

Ryan Shaikh

East Carolina University

Tyler Melnyk

Eastern University

Raylin Morales

East Stroudsburg University

Quentin Cornelius

Nicole Miller

Kristoff Riley

Jailyn Suggs

Empire Beauty School

Kayla Burgess

Gettysburg College

Frank Bucsi

Houghton College

Victoria Bonners

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Alexandra Lutz

Shannon Rogers

Tiffany Stanley

Iowa State University

Matthew Uribe

Johns Hopkins University

Alexa Curto

Thomas Nguyen

Johnson and Wales University

Ishala Riddick

King’s College

Abigail Cooke

Alicia Eckhoff

Nick Geraghty

Kutztown University

Jorge Berberena

Gabrielle Garza

Tarrek Lee

Raphael Mayorga

Taryn Padalino

Joseph Volpe

Troy Woolf

Lafayette College

Brianne Giangiobbe

Jasmeen Saini

Willem Ytsma

La Salle University

Jordan Lewis

Lebanon Valley College

David Corvino

Lehigh University

Erik Bornako

Paul Skersis

Tommy Robinson

Lincoln Tech

Douglas McPoyle

Marywood University

Megan Lillie

McCann School of Business

Kelvin Lopez

Middlesex County College

Brianna Dickey

Military Service

Jessiel Colon (Army Reserves)

Andrew Hill (Army Reserves)

Andrew Klotz (Marines)

Dochuat Sanchez

Maximo Sanchez

Francisco Santiago

Frantz Simeon

Millersville University

Blair Welsh

Misericordia University

Victoria Bast

Juanita Feith

Frank Verga

Moravian College

David Gaspar

Devon Jakob

Robert Lawrence

William McCullough

Alexis Schaller

Morgan State University

Adrienne Washington

Mount Saint Mary College

Nicole Allen

Northampton Area Community College

Crystal Abreu

Joshua Becker

Lisa Brinker

Valeria Ceron

Angelene Colon (Johnson and Wales Univer-

sity)

Joel Colon

Christian Cruz

Angel DeJesus Jr. (DeSales)

Caitlyn Denson

Alison Dody

Joseph Dupree

Kaitlyn Eller

Juwan Ernst

Dylan Fenstermacher

Jade Ferraez

Karissa Frankenfield

Victoria Galanos

Angeny Garcia

Sam Ginn, Jr.

Jacob Gischel

Melanie Gomez

Eliza Gross

NaQuasia Hall

Alec Hank

Radcliffe Harewood

Gina Heidecker

Esmeralda Hernandez

Sarah Kirk

Jordan Knighton

Krista Kratzer

Abby Lewis

Dulce Leon

Rosaria Liotti

Elyza Lopez

Christian Maldonado

Antonio Marquez

Brandon Marrero

Robert McVicker

Ariel Mixon

Mireyshka Montes

Lauren O’Neill

Bondy Nguyen

Autumn Nonnemacher

Thomas Oswald

Stephanie Perez

Mikyra Pretty (Army Reserve)

Jennifer Quick

Abraham Rodriguez, Jr.

Jessica Rodriguez

Maribel Rodriguez

Melissa Rodriguez

Christian Roldan

Dayanna Sanchez

Elizabeth Savickis

Fabio Simao

Krystina Shepulski

Kaitlyn Solosky

David Spenzierato

Jennifer Stone

Sean Strohl

Christopher Stydinger

Benjamin Taylor

Mariah Teague

Kyle Vander Schauw

Palm Beach Atlantic University

Kaylee O’Donnell

Pennsylvania College Of Technology

Lauren Nywening

Pennsylvania State University

Courtney Barrow

Joseph Bonavita

Jack Boylan

Kellee Edmund

Robert Edwards

Ashley Eichlin

Jordan Frey

Kevin Gambocurta

Devin Handwerk

Mackenzie Liberatori

Valeria Merced

Edward Milisits

Tanya Moller

Jennifer Norton

Chante Parker

Joshua Recke

Kevin Rold

Sela Roman

William Sampson

Jennifer Stone

Queens University of Charlotte

Daphne Abreu

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Emily LeBeau

Seton Hall University

Abigail Deely

Shippensburg University

Alexa Alpaugh

Robyn Collette (Penn State University)

Steven D’Aprile

Tyler Galasso

Joseph Lococo

Erynn Molettieri

State University of New York

Okezie Alozie

St. Joseph’s University

Gabriel Pozo

Susquehanna University

Daniel Csakai

Temple University

Janice Lee

Kyle Propsner

Thaddeus Stevens College of

Technology

Brendan Buttillo

Towson University

Sydney Brown

United States Naval Acadamy

Seth Watlington

University of Alabama

Adam Seltzer

University of California, Berkeley

Cindy Zheng

University of Central Florida

Jordan Asteak

University of Chicago

Navea Frazier

University of Maryland

Julie Boylan

University of North Carolina

Derek Deweiler

University of Pittsburgh

Haroon Ahmad

John Buchner

Bradley McGarry

Michael McGinty

Hunter Nebbia

Gabriella Salicetti

University of Rhode Island

Julian Hill

University of Vermont

Theodore Kourpas

University of Virginia

Mervyn Lopez

University of Washington

Thomas Russell

Valley Forge Christian College

Samantha Gendi

Washington College

Marielle McIntyre

West Chester University

Edward Elliot

Jonathan Dobyan

Nicole Giles

Jaimie Hammond

Kayla Morgan

Laura Scheirer

West Virginia University

Kyle Spina

Jamie Tersigni

Widener University

Rachel Reahl

York College of Pennsylvania

Abagail Stives

Patrick Wersinger

College listing is based on student responses

from senior questionnaires. Parentheses

indicate students who will be transferring

after two years.

Senior Issue 5 The Forum June 2012

Jennifer Stone:

As her senior year comes to a close, Jen-

nifer, also known as Jenn Stone, has bright

plans for her future.

Jenn plans on attending Penn State Le-

high Valley campus to major in speech

pathology. She will attend the Lehigh Val-

ley campus for two years, and then she

will transfer to University Park for the

remainder of her college experience.

While attending college, she will earn

her masters degree, and she would eventu-

ally like to open her own clinic for under-

privileged or neglected children.

When asked if she held any unique quali-

ties, Jenn said, “I grew up in a family that

took in numerous foster children.” Re-

cently, her family even adopted a young

girl, whom Jenn now proudly calls her

little sister.

During her time at Freedom, Jenn has

kept herself involved with different activi-

ties. Some of which include, choir, year-

book, newspaper, and student council.

“It really gave me the opportunity to help

my school and the people in my commu-

nity,” said Stone. Jenn will also wear the

silver cord at graduation for earning over

135 hours in the community service.

As the graduation date draws closer,

Jenn can say that she will miss all of the

friends that she has made over the past

four years. She will also miss one of her

biggest influences, Mrs. Fox.

“She had taught me how to really work

with children and she taught me a lot about

responsibility and life in general.” said

Stone.

For all incoming freshmen, Jenn strongly

recommends to “keep trying to achieve

your dreams, and don't stop.”

Courtney Barrow:

Courtney L. Barrow is more than just

Freedom High School’s local weather girl

on the announcements.

Barrow plays a role in various other ac-

tivities within Freedom including student

council as school treasurer, school newspa-

per as entertainment editor, National

Honor Society, and cross country. Out of

all of her activities, Barrow says that cross

country was her favorite.

“We were like a family,” says Barrow.

“I’m going to miss them the most.”

She also played girls’ soccer for eleven

years and played for Freedom for three

years.

Out of all of her teachers, Mr. Ziegler and

Miss Zehner are among her favorites.

“Mr. Ziegler is incredibly snarky,” says

Barrow, “and Miss Zehner works so hard

for her students. She’s so sweet.”

Mr. Ziegler and Barrow also share a dis-

like of cats. Other than her hatred of fe-

lines, she also enjoys watching old films

and spending time with her friends whom

she will miss the most.

Barrow will be attending Penn State Uni-

versity this fall for broadcast journalism.

Her ultimate dream is the move to New

York City and eventually become a news

anchor for NBC.

Her dedication to Freedom and her aca-

demics has certainly paid off as she earned

the National Merit Scholarship in conjunc-

tion with Macy’s, Inc.

She is also this writer’s best friend.

In case you did not get a chance to hear

her on the announcements, Barrow will be

speaking at graduation as the teacher se-

lected speaker.

Thomas Nguyen:

Thomas Nguyen is essentially a jack of

all trades, yet this well-rounded nature

does not even remotely lead lackluster

performance in any of such specialties.

Throughout his four years at Freedom,

Tom has made headway in every area pos-

sible. Tom particularly excels in the realm

of academia, as an AP scholar, and in his

extracurricular work. Tom was elected by

his peers as the President of Freedom’s

National Honor Society because of his

astonishing work ethic.

He is a member of the varsity scholastic

scrimmage team that has achieved much

local success and even broadened their

acclaim through placing second in this

year’s state wide tournament.

Tom is also a member of The Freedom

Forum, the French club, and has aided in

the math club’s multiple regional suc-

cesses.

Tom is not only a standout in the class-

room but also on the clay, grass, and hard

surface in tennis. Tom and his brilliant

forehand have helped Freedom to a second

place finish in districts this year.

Tom has played along teammate Robert

Bogardo, going 9-4 and garnering a fourth

place seed, as a double’s duo for the Var-

sity Tennis team at Freedom.

Tom’s extensive list of achievements and

passion for the sciences have lead him to

his acceptance into Johns Hopkin’s her-

alded Biomedical Engineering program,

which he will partake in this upcoming

fall.

No matter where his talents take him,

one can surely say that Tom will leave

behind an exemplary model for all students

to look up to here at Freedom High

School.

Luisa Marin:

Soon-to-be FHS graduate, Luisa Marin,

has played a more than integral role in our

school's leading organizations.

Not only has Luisa worked as the news

editor for our own Freedom Forum, but

she is also the Vice-President of NHS

(National Honor Society) and the Student

Council secretary. She is also involved on

Freedom's debate team, French club and

scholastic scrimmage.

Obviously, Miss Marin has not wasted

one moment of her time here at Freedom,

admitting that "[she's] had to run like a

crazy person to get things done."

But Luisa's well rounded extra-

curricular activies and stellar academics

have payed off, as she excitedly prepares

to attend the Ivy League school Cornell

University this fall. After Cornell, she

wants to work in either law or industrial

and labor relations.

Even with all this to look forward to,

though, she will still miss knowing where

everything is here at Freedom, as well as

some of her most inspirational people,

such as Mr. Harakal, and her friends.

Luisa's advice to underclassmen is "If

you're going to get involved with some-

thing, stay involved."; a wise tip from a

very successful girl!

Although her many positions here will

be hard to fill, we wish Luisa the very best

at Cornell and wherever life takes her next.

Gabriella Salicetti:

Gabi Salicetti exemplifies leadership in

her school as well as in her everyday life.

Most recognized for being the vice-

president of student council, Gabi is also

an aware environmentalist as an active

participant of F.E.A.T. Gabi displays lead-

ership through her academic success as

well as being involved in decisions to

benefit her high school.

Gabi is the true definition of a leader be-

cause she genuinely enjoys benefitting the

community. One of her best memories at

Freedom High School was participating in

the Special Olympics. Gabi’s genuine de-

sire to help the community around her is

also reflective in her future goals.

Gabi plans to attend the University of

Pittsburg in the fall and go on to medical

school. Ultimately, she plans to work for

“Doctors Without Borders.”

“Doctors Without Borders” is a program

in which doctors and nurses volunteer to

provide urgent medical care in countries to

victims of war and disaster regardless of

race, religion, or politics. Gabi’s indisput-

able desire to positively impact her com-

munity and academic success is just the

start of her influence on others.

Her advice for upcoming seniors is, “Get

all of your college things done as soon as

possible, so you can enjoy your senior

year.”

By Kristen Dalton

By Kate Dawson

By Zach Ward

By Tyler Alicea

By Ashley Eichlin

Student Body Vice-President

Student Body Secretary

NHS President

Student Body Treasurer

Student Body Historian

6 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Michael McGinty:

If you have attended any of the Freedom

football games this year, you know who

McGinty is.

McGinty was Varsity Football Captain

this year and contributed toward winning

Freedom the City Championship. Playing

running back and safety for the football

team has affected him greatly because, he

says, “I put so much time into it and just

enjoyed every moment I played. The team

is like a second family to me.” McGinty

also played for the Varsity Lacrosse team,

was Sports Editor of the Freedom Forum,

and a member of the National Honor Soci-

ety.

When asked what he will miss most

about Freedom, he says, “The Riot Squad

and playing football. Even though I’ll

probably be crazy next year as a part of the

Oakland Zoo [University of Pittsburg

cheering section], nothing compares to the

Freedom Family.”

This year the ‘Freedom Family’ slogan

has spread like wildfire, especially on so-

cial media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

McGinty says one unique thing about him

is that he started the Twitter trend and was

tweeting since last spring, before Twitter

became popular at Freedom. He says,

“My tweets are like me; they’re both leg-

endary.”

His most influential teacher at Freedom

was Mrs. Cierech because she inspired him

to be a “conquistador of the Spanish lan-

guage.” He intends to further his Spanish

studies in college and use his language

skills to earn a certificate in International

Business. He will be attending the Univer-

sity of Pittsburgh this fall with a major in

Finance and Business.

Ashley Eichlin:

Ashley Eichlin almost every Penn State

paraphernalia imaginable, and next year

she will finally be putting them to good

use as she joins the Penn State class of

2016 majoring in Landscape Architecture.

The best advice that Ashley gives to un-

derclassmen is to get involved saying that

after she joined a bunch of clubs her junior

year “she didn’t know what she was miss-

ing. All of the clubs and activitives that I

have been a part of were beneficiary in

their own way.”

Ashley practices what she preaches, be-

ing a part of the softball team all four years

9and captain her senior year) as well as

participating for two years in The Freedom

Forum (Features editor), French Club

(Vice President) and National Honors So-

ciety (treasurer). She also participated in

the East Hills Science Olympiad her fresh-

man year, citing that and softball as the

two activities that affected her the most.

But activities weren’t her only inspira-

tion at Freedom.

Ashley says that “without a doubt my

friends were a big influence for me. I think

in a way they force me to come out of my

shell over the past four years. I also think

my teachers have really influenced and

inspired me as well.”

“Freedom was the starting point on the

road to independence,” says Ashley. “I’ve

learned to take matters into my own hands.

I have also learned to be more mature and

act like an adult.”

Shana Peterson:

Scientists state that humans are not very

good at multi-tasking. Well, they have not

heard of Shana Peterson.

Peterson, the current NHS secretary,

definitely juggles her time volunteering as

an EMT for Cetroria Ambulance Corps.,

life guarding, running, studying for AP

classes, and taking her lovely seventy-nine

year old grandfather out to lunch. It is no

big deal to Peterson.

“It helps with time management skills. It

gives me experience for my future, espe-

cially volunteering for EMT,” said Peter-

son.

Peterson earned a Presidential Scholar-

ship for DeSales University for entrance

into the 5-year physician’s assistant pro-

gram. She is going to participate in cross

country for the first 3 years.

Running cross country has made the big-

gest impact for Peterson’s 4 years at Free-

dom High School because it brought her

close to a lot of quality people who have

the same work ethic. Peterson will be sad

to leave the people she has come close

with, but she is excited for the next chapter

in life.

Peterson’s last words to the future gradu-

ates are, “Set a goal because it is easier to

stay on track if you have something you

are passionate about achieving.”

The ambitious and dedicated qualities

that were displayed throughout Peterson’s

4 years of high school really shows that

nothing is impossible as long as you just

try.

Laura Scheirer:

Laura Scheirer has accomplished more

than the average student.

Some may know her as a cheerleader, or

others as a track star. Either way, she is an

exceptional student. Aside from partici-

pating in track and field and cheerleading,

she is involved with the National Honor

Society, student assistant to the school

athletic director and is even vice president

of her senior class.

That is not all that Laura has accom-

plished though. With over 500 community

service hours, and 9 varsity letters, she will

be sure to go far in her life. After attend-

ing Freedom High School for four years,

she has to admit that her favorite memory

of her high school experience was all the

football games and the atmosphere during

these games.

Laura was also Freedom’s prom queen.

In the fall she will be attending West

Chester University to major in athletic

training in order to become an athletic di-

rector. And as excited as she is to meet

new people, she also has comfort in know-

ing that she will not be completely alone,

considering some of her peers are attend-

ing the same college. In five years Laura

sees herself finishing college, starting a job

as an athletic director, and is even hoping

to work for the NFL one day.

By Jordan Lewis

By Julie Boylan

By Amanda Molinaro

By Kirat Randhawa

NHS Secretary

NHS Treasurer

Sports Editor, The Forum

Senior Class Vice-President

Paul Skersis:

He sings, he dances, he loves attention,

and he does not need to get on stage to

make a fool of himself. Paul Skersis is the

whole entertainment package.

As Freedom’s foolish mascot known for

him tomfoolery, Skersis “bernied” his way

through Freedom’s athletic events as his

alter ego “P$.”

At first, he did not want to be Freedom’s

mascot, but when the experience was said

and done, Skersis appreciated the opportu-

nity.

“Looking back it was a great experience,”

says Skersis. “It allowed me to make con-

nections that will last my entire life.”

In addition to leading the student section

through various chants, Skersis spent his

time at Freedom involved in Science

Olympiad, Scholastic Scrimmage, and

National Honor Society. Skersis also wres-

tled for two years.

After his time at Freedom, Paul will at-

tend Lehigh University in pursuit of engi-

neering.

“[Mr. Young and Dr. Kreiger] inspired

me to take up maths and sciences,” says

Skersis.

Skersis was also chosen as the student

selected speaker for graduation.

In the event that he would be censored at

graduation, Skersis wanted to make one

thing clear before he left.

“I’m going to miss all y’all [sic],” says

Skersis, “but at the same time, I’m going

to enjoy never seeing any of you again.”

By Tyler Alicea

Mascot

Senior Issue 7 The Forum June 2012

Alexa Alpaugh Alexa will be attending Shippensburg Uni-

versity in the fall. During her time at Free-

dom she has been involved with Rachel’s

Challenge, track, volleyball, cross country,

tennis, softball, football as a manager, and

girl’s basketball. The activity that affected

her the most was basketball because the

team grew as a family and it was her favor-

ite sport. Her advice for underclassmen is

to get involved, play sports, have school

spirit, and work hard.

Caitlin Wallbillich

Caitlin will be attending the St. Luke’s

School of Nursing. She has won academic

achievement awards for obtaining straight

As. She has been involved with National

Honor Society. Being in the Honors and

AP programs has had the biggest effect on

her. Her inspirations at Freedom include

Mr. Wallasea, Mrs. Kristofic, Mrs. Chil-

monik, and Mr. Ziegler. Her advice to un-

derclassmen is to try new things, be your-

self, and not let anything get in the way of

success.

Tajinder Singh Tajinder (TJ) will be attending the Physi-

cian Assistant Program at DeSales Univer-

sity next year. TJ was involved in the field

hockey team, Science Olympiad, The Free-

dom Forum, NHS and the LVC leadership

conference, saying that field hockey was

her favorite activity. TJ is well known for

her love of animals and plans to open up an

animal shelter for stray and abused animals

as well as being a PA in pediatric oncol-

ogy. Her advice to underclassmen is to stay

on track and work to your fullest potential.

Okezie Alozie

The competitive Okezie Alozie was a

prominent member of the FHS Varsity

Football team and was involved with the

track team. He plans to play and study at

the State University of New York in Buf-

falo, NY with his scholarship for football.

As an adult, Alozie sees himself working

for a company and coaching. Alozie says

that he has learned, “Life is what you make

of it.”

Jordan Frey After four years, Jordan says he will miss

the social aspect at Freedom, along with

the great teachers. He names Mrs.

DiRenzo, Mrs. Ackerman, and Ms. Rex as

his greatest influences, each having af-

fected him in a strong, very positive man-

ner. He also is an avid disc golf player,

winning a cash prize in a tournament ear-

lier this year. Jordan advises underclass-

men to “love your cats” as he heads off to

Penn State Lehigh Valley next year.

Jessiel Colon After leaving Freedom, Jessiel plans to join

the Army Reserves then attending college.

Jessiel was involved in the basketball team

for four years and Special Olympics for

two years. He has enjoyed basketball the

most and said that Ms. Baylis is his biggest

influence at Freedom. The most unique

trait is his self-proclaimed “smoothness”.

Jessiel’s advice for underclassmen to to

live up high school as much as possible but

also to take grades seriously.

Francisco Santiago Francisco plans to go into the U.S. army

and then go to college. He won the Most

Outstanding Wrestler Award for Freedom

vs. Liberty match. His biggest influence

was Mr. Eddy Waldron, a teacher at Vo-

Tech. In the future he sees himself as a

police officer. It has been “a year of great-

ness” because he help the wrestling team

beat Liberty, made friends, and created

cherished memories.

Haroon Ahmad Haroon is attending the University of Pitts-

burgh for chemical engineering. During his

four years of high school he has been a part

of tennis, Scholastic Scrimmage, Science

Olympiad, and French Club. His biggest

inspiration was Mr. Fierro, his physics

teacher because of his humor and dedica-

tion to physics. His advice to underclass-

men is to take AP classes. Haroon’s favor-

ite pet is the dog.

Freedom Graduation June 5th,

2012 Stabler Arena

7:00pm Tyler Alicea / Editor-in-Chief

Jordan Lewis Jordan Lewis will miss the support at

sporting events the most when he leaves

Freedom to attend LaSalle University next

fall. Lewis was awarded a large scholar-

ship based on his academic achievement,

and he plans to study and run track during

his college years. Lewis acknowledges that

the death of his mother when he was eight

is what inspires him to do his best at every-

thing he attempts. That is why he sees him-

self “just helping the world in any way

possible” after college. He “just want[s] to

make the world a better place.”

8 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

John Daniel DePadua:

This perfectly quirky, dashingly hand-

some, all-around awesome Asian will be

graduating Freedom this spring with a

bang.

John DePadua was involved in the or-

chestra, the Bible club, the varsity volley-

ball team, and the art club. Of these, John

names volleyball as his favorite activity.

“It has given me something to strive for

and motivated me to become a leader in

certain aspects,” he explains. Indeed, his

Most Improved Player award is proof of

his hard work and passion for the sport.

He will most miss his teammates, his

friends and also some teachers, especially

Mrs. Direnzo, who has been his biggest

inspiration and influence at Freedom.

When asked about what he sees himself

doing as an adult, John replied, in his

usual, terribly witty manner, “Hot girls,

perhaps Emma Watson. No, but on a seri-

ous note, probably a physical therapist or

something that fulfills the stereotypical

Asian dream, with art as a minor.”

Famous last words?

“‘Year of Greatness?’ What? You mean

‘Year of Stressfulness,’” he laughs.

“Become involved; it’s the only way that

this school becomes bearable.”

Adam Seltzer:

Adam Seltzer is recognized by his peers

as a tennis ace with a bright future to begin

for him at the University Alabama.

Playing tennis for 13 years, Adam has

become one of Freedom’s best tennis play-

ers. Tennis made a big impact on his life—

it is his life.

Seltzer has been a member of the Na-

tional Honor Society since junior year as

well.

In Oct. 2011, he received a full ride to

the University of Alabama due to his out-

standing academic achievements. Seltzer

has not decided what he will be studying

once he arrives in Alabama, but he knows

that “I will figure it out when I get there.”

Even if Adam appears to be serious, he

likes to kid around, but does not hide what

he thinks.

Throughout his four years at Freedom,

Seltzer was inspired by Mr. Jay Kolb be-

cause in Seltzer’s eyes he is the “most hon-

est [teacher] and [Kolb shows] the most

genuine care for his students.” Even

though Kolb appears tough and may not

initially seem to be a friendly guy, in Selt-

zer’s perspective he is “the most real

teacher that I had in my four years at Free-

dom.”

As Seltzer’s high school career comes to

a close, he would like to let the freshmen

and underclassmen know to “be humble,

there is always someone bigger, badder, or

better than you.”

Shaleen Oza:

As a part of National Honor Society,

Science Olympiad, Debate, French Club,

and Mrs. Roman's Ultra Secret Office

Club, Shaleen has been quite busy in

school. However outside of school she is

also a busy bee. She takes dance lessons,

plays the piano and has a job at Kumon.

When asked whether she would miss

FHS, Shaleen said, “Weirdly, I think I will

miss it, I'll miss having a routine. The

closer college gets, the more I might miss

Freedom.” She says that during her first

three years no one seemed to care about

each other, but this year the class seemed

to come together.

One of the things she will not forget is

how often the air condition seemed to be

on in the cold, and the heat seemed to be

on when it was warm. Also she will re-

member her teachers, especially those who

attended the AP scholars’ luncheon.

As she moves on to the next chapter of

her life, her advice to underclassmen is

“take your education seriously, but don't

forget you're supposed to have fun.”

Shaleen will be going to Boston University

to major in Bioengineering.

In the future Shaleen plans to become a

doctor, open her own practice and possi-

bly participate in Doctors Without Bor-

ders.

By Luisa Marin

By Krystal Domin

By Krystal Domin

Adrienne Washington Adrienne is attending Morgan State Uni-

versity in the fall. Her favorite activity at

Freedom was choir. She will miss her

friends the most after leaving. She hopes to

become a therapist. Her advice to under-

classmen is to not get lazy because it leads

to falling behind. Her experience at Free-

dom has allowed her to learn what things

are truly important to her.

Jasmeen Saini Jasmeen will be attending Lafayette Col-

lege in the fall. She has been involved with

Girl’s Tennis, Science Olympiad, Planetar-

ium Club, and National Honor Society.

Her favorite activity was Girl’s Tennis

Team because she learned teamwork,

friendship, and time management. In the

future she hopes to be a pediatrician be-

cause she has always wanted to work with

children and help people.

Boys’ Tennis

Debate Team

Alexandra Lutz:

This year at Freedom High school will

be an unforgettable year; the year we fi-

nally beat Liberty. But of course none of

this could have been accomplished if it

was not for the Freedom Family.

Alex Lutz was the first student to men-

tion the shirts and go out of her way and

actually make them for the rest of the

school. She has more school spirit than any

other student, and makes sure that every-

one is aware of this.

This makes sense since her favorite

memory of Freedom was the Freedom vs

Liberty basketball game on February 10th.

“From the pep rally, turnout of our stu-

dent section, watching Liberty’s student

faces when we ripped off our shirts, double

overtime, Jarrod beating his career high

and playing one of his best games. And

also when the WHOLE riot squad sang

happy birthday to me.”

She is surprised to see how much free-

dom has accomplished through her high

school years, and in her wildest dreams she

did not think that this was possible.

Apart from organizing the Freedom

Family, Alex is a student council represen-

tative, an active member of Freedom’s

dance company for four years, and even

participated in FHS Theatre Company's

Thoroughly Modern Millie.

This fall she will be attending Indiana

University of Pennsylvania for undeclared

business. And while she is home now,

Alex is trying to make the best of her time

by trying new things and spending as

much time with her family and friends

before she leaves.

By Kirat Randhawa

Girls’ Soccer

Boys’ Volleyball

Senior Issue 9 The Forum June 2012

It’s not easy to be smooth all the time. Just

ask Freedom’s senior twirlers, four girls who

have been baton twirling in front of large

crowds for years. As members of the award

winning marching band, they had hours of

summer and morning practices, parades, and

football games.

However, even after extensive time spent

together on the field, the girls continued their

bonding time off the field as well. After years

of countless sleepovers, parties, and adven-

tures, this group of girls is among the tightest

knit in the school.

“I really enjoyed our raging twirler parties;

[we had] really great food and great bonding

time,” says co-captain Tif Nguyen.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to

an end. The seniors’ high school band careers

are coming to a close as graduation quickly

approaches.

“The twirlers were my closest family in all

of my Freedom activities,” says Kaitlyn Kas-

mer, who was also a member of the choir.

Co-captain Victoria Bast adds, “Even

though our squad was extremely large this

year, we got along better than we have in

years.”

Kellee Edmund, who also played violin in

the orchestra, shares in the sentiments of her

fellow twirlers. “I liked our raging twirler

parties,” she says. “[They were] really good

bonding time.”

The girls are all headed in different direc-

tions by the end of the summer. Bast will be

attending Misericordia University to study

special education. Nguyen will be at Drexel

for pharmaceutical marketing. Edmund and

Kasmer will both be Penn State Nittany Li-

ons for nursing and forensic science, respec-

tively.

“[In all four years] I wouldn’t change a

thing,” Nguyen says.

Photos: [Top] Tifany Nguyen, Victoria Bast

[Bottom] Kellee Edmund, Kaitlyn Kasmer

Freedom’s Senior Twirlers

Stephen Yale:

Typically, high school offers students

only two choices for extra-curricular ac-

tivities: sports and the arts.

Most students think of the choices as an

“either, or” situation, but senior Stephen

Yale has successfully participated in both

activities for the large tenure of his high

school career.

As both captain of the Swim Team and

sole Drum Major of the Freedom High

School Patriot Band, Yale has shown ex-

ceptional leadership in the roles he has

carried at Freedom.

Every student is an essential figure to our

Freedom Family, and Yale believes that he

“helped bring people together as a leader

to create an atmosphere that fostered ex-

cellence.” In addition to being Drum Ma-

jor, Yale is involved in six other perform-

ing groups at Freedom: Concert Choir, Les

Chanteurs, Handbell Choir, Orchestra,

Wind Ensemble, and Concert Band. It is

obvious to anyone who is around Yale that

his love of music is strong. Yale’s favorite

memory of high school involves—no sur-

prise—music, when, in November of last

year, he was given the exceptional oppor-

tunity to play in the Macy’s Great Ameri-

can Marching Band. Yale reflects that

“performing on the streets of New York

City in front of a crowd of 3 million peo-

ple and more than 50 million worldwide

was unlike anything else [he’d] ever ex-

perienced.”

In the grand scheme of things, Yale be-

lieves that “[his] time at Freedom gave

[him] ample opportunities to discover [his]

talents and interests.” While he is heading

off to Boston University with a major un-

declared, I am certain that Yale will put his

multiple talents to excellent use.

By Navea Frazier

Drum Major

By Courtney Barrow

Seniors, Nick Hoffman, Adam Ziegler,

Kyle Seeger, and Danny Csakai led Freedom

Drum line to a wonderful year, assisting Free-

dom High School with accomplishing such

astonishing school spirit.

Nick Hoffman, Drum Captain, plans to

attend Bloomsburg University in the fall with

a major in Business. Hoffman’s highlights of

his four years on drum line would be post

bonfire house decorating his freshman and

sophomore year. Hoffman agrees he has en-

joyed his time spent at Freedom and believed,

“If I could go back and relive the time, I

would not change a thing.”

Adam Ziegler, Snare Drum Player, will be

attending Bloomsburg in the fall for psychol-

ogy. Ziegler also participated in tennis his

years at Freedom. His favorite moment was

the Freedom vs. Liberty football game, he

states, “The victory against our rivalry school

my senior year really made a great memory.”

Ziegler also enjoyed both band trips along

with football season.

Kyle Seeger, Tenor Player, plans to attend

the School of Visual Arts with a major in

Film and Video in the fall. Seeger highlight

would be the band trips to both Orlando, Flor-

ida and the cruise to the Bahamas. He en-

joyed the football games and marching sea-

son. Seeger’s favorite memories would be

his underclassmen years on drum line..

Danny Csakai, Bass Drum Player, will be

attending Susquehanna University in the

fall. Csakai also participated in swimming

during his time at Freedom. His favorite

memory was Jet Skiing on the band trip to

the Bahamas. He also enjoyed participating

in summer march-offs. Csakai liked attend-

ing football games and pep rallies. Csakai’s

advice to underclassmen was, “Listen to the

seniors, we all had to do it!”

Freedom Drum line had a great year with

great senior to carry them along the way.

The crowd really enjoyed the energy and

skill the drum line displayed at every per-

formance.

Photos: [Top] Nicholas Hoffman, Kyle

Seeger [Bottom] Daniel Csakai, Adam

Ziegler

Freedom’s Senior Drummers

By Faarah Ameerally

10 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Abigail Cooke Impacted by the arts, Abigail Cooke has

big plans for her future. Abigail, also

known as Abby, plans to attend King’s

College in the fall to obtain a masters’ de-

gree in order to become a physician’s as-

sistant. She hopes to find a cure for Ulcera-

tive Colitis. While at Freedom High

School, Abby was involved with choir, Les

Chanteurs, and FHSTC. Les Chanteurs was

her favorite due to the amazing people she

had the opportunity to work with.

Christina Thomas

The animated Christina Thomas plans to

study accounting, at either Kutztown or

Liberty Universities. Involved in a number

of contrasting activities, Pen & Ink Maga-

zine and track are tied to be her favorite of

them all. Poetry class will be missed by

Christina, as well as her biggest influence,

Mr. Kleist. In the future, a recent realiza-

tion will stick with Christina in the future.

“There is a life and a world outside of

Freedom.”

Alison Dody A very unique girl walks the halls at Free-

dom High School, Alison Dody. Alison

has Asperger’s Syndrome but is like any

other senior, wanting to pursue her dreams

despite her disorder. Alison loves to work

with animals and plans to attend college in

order to become a dog groomer. FEA and

Ms. Wescoe influenced Alison greatly

throughout high school. Both helped build

her courage to share about her disorder.

Freedom helped Alison learn her weak-

nesses and strengths and that she’ll never

fail if she tried her best.

Melanie Gomez Melanie Gomez plans to attend Northamp-

ton Community College for two years and

later on switch to a four year College or

University. She has been a member of

Orchestra, Concert Choir, Les Chanteurs,

and the Theater Company here at Free-

dom. Her advice for incoming freshmen is

“Be yourself. Once you stop caring what

other people think of you, life is so much

more fun.”

Kyle Propsner Kyle Propsner has been a member of the

Track & Field and Cross Country teams,

the National Honor Society, the Young

Republicans Club, and the Bible Club. He

plans to attend the Temple School of Busi-

ness this fall. He says Mr. Young and Mr.

Kolb were both great math teachers and

inspired him the most. His advice for in-

coming freshmen is “Have fun and don’t

get too stressed out.” He is looking for-

ward to the future and says his time at

Freedom has “[It has] given me an oppor-

tunity to get into a good University and

further my education.”

Erik Bornako Erik Bornako will be attending Lehigh

University for a major in BioEngineer-

ing. He has been a member of the Free-

dom soccer team and the National Honor

Society. His greatest source of inspiration

has been Mr. Fierro because he relates well

to him. In the future he hopes to raise a

big family and work hard. Regarding his

high school experience, he says, I learned

that working hard while enjoying yourself

at Freedom results with a great high school

experience."

Samantha Gendi

Samantha Gendi will be attending Valley

Forge Christian College this fall with a

Fine Arts Scholarship. Sam was a member

the school's literary magazine Pen & Ink

and enjoyed various creative writing and

poetry classes. She hopes to be publishing

her own books as an adult and experienc-

ing life. An important lesson she has

learned from her high school experience is,

she says, "It's a big world - there's a lot of

people out there, but everyone matters in

some way and each individual has their

purpose."

Sela Roman Sela Roman will be attending Penn State

Main Campus this fall. She has been a

member of Student Council throughout

high school. She sees herself as a success-

ful business woman or accountant with a

family living in California. She says this

year has been a “Year of Greatness” be-

cause “Our class came together to start

something that will never be forgot-

ten.” She has enjoyed her time at Freedom

and says it has taught her to be patient and

to work together with others for a common

cause.

Julian Hill Kyle Spina Kyle Spina plans to study Psychology and

Business at West Virginia University this

fall. He is a Freedom football player and

wrestler and has been most affected by his

wrestling accomplishments. He has been

awarded the UNICO Scholarship and the

Blue & Gold Scholarship. He says this

year has been a “Year of Greatness” be-

cause both the football and wrestling teams

beat Liberty and made it districts. Through

his high school experience he has learned

from his mistakes and appreciated being

part of the ‘Freedom Family.’

Speeding around the track, Julian Hill will

continue running track for a Division I

school. Baseball, football, and track were

among the sports Julian participated in and

will take his athletic experience to the Uni-

versity of Rhode Island. Julian will greatly

miss all of his friends and the Freedom and

Liberty rival, but will always remember

beating Liberty in the annual football

game.

Senior Issue 11 The Forum June 2012

Julie Boylan:

Amongst the senior class, there is a fair

share of standouts where some may not

“measure up.”

However, Julie Boylan makes up with

what she lacks in stature many fold. She’s

the master of contradictions. For the bois-

terousness she lacks aloud, she makes up

with her pronounced writing prowess, and

her admired leadership ability, enabling

her to become the French Club president

and editorials editor for the Freedom Fo-

rum.

Not surprisingly, Julie does not only

showcase her skills in the realm of aca-

demics, but also on the court. Stellar does

not even begin to set words to her skill

level. In her four-year tenure at Freedom

she has managed to amount a collection of

honors worthy of a great deal of accolades.

2009 MVP, The 2010 and 2011 Kohn

Award and was a 2012 Lehigh Valley All

Star first team player only begin to set her

achievements to words.

Julie is the archetype of a well-rounded

student and athlete. Such a tremendous

work ethic has earned her a seat in the top

of her class and much academic attention.

Now, as she sits on the verge of her col-

lege career, it seems as though she will

carry her astounding skill level forward

onto her next level of education.

Julie will be attending the University of

Maryland this coming fall and prepares to

major in Bioengineering, a field she gained

a foot forward on with her work in the AP

Biology classroom. No matter where her

education takes her, Julie has a bright fu-

ture lying ahead of her.

Jack Boylan:

Jack Boylan is a well-rounded student

with a very bright future ahead. While at

Freedom, Jack participated and excelled in

Scholastic Scrimmage and won 6 medals

for Science Olympiad.

After graduating from Freedom, Jack

will be attending Penn State University for

chemical engineering. After college, he

wants to do chemical engineering in Can-

ada.

Boylan says that his fantasy for the fu-

ture is “to try to get into what remains of

the U.S. Space program. But that's really

more of a fantasy.”

Looking back at his past at Freedom,

Boylan says he will miss the school and

the teachers.

“I'll miss some of the teachers for sure.

I'll miss the feeling of maturity that comes

with being a senior,” Boylan said.

To all the incoming freshmen Boylan

said, “Grades are a lot less important than

you think. I worked moderately hard in

high school and didn't get where I wanted

to go. And so I spent all that time doing

work and studying for little reward. Keep

your grades up, but doing stuff with your

friends and having fun times with them

will be something you remember and

value.”

Boylan certain has a bright future ahead

in college and whatever he does next.

While this chapter is closing, a new one is

awaiting him in the future.

Navea Frazier:

The other half of “Rob and Nav” on the

Freedom announcements, Navea Frazier

has a booming personality.

An active member of the Freedom Thea-

tre Company, Frazier is known for her

spunky portrayal of the famous singer

Muzzy van Hossmere in Thoroughly Mod-

ern Millie.

“Being a part of the FHSTC was my

favorite activity because it allowed me to

be a fool on stage,” said Frazier.

“She’s an amazing performer and per-

son,” said Ms. Jennifer Wescoe, FHSTC

and SADD adviser.

Frazier received a full scholarship to

attend the University of Chicago in the

fall. She hopes to “change the world or

become a lawyer.”

“Her gift for gab will well suit her as she

pursues the career of a lawyer,” said Mr.

George Ziegler, English teacher.

Besides participating in Freedom’s Thea-

tre Company, Frazier was the president of

Students Against Destructive Decisions, a

staff writer for The Freedom Forum, and a

member of the National Honor Society and

the Bethlehem Area Youth Council.

“Navea was an essential part of this

year’s success with planning SADD initia-

tives and project,” said Wescoe.

Additionally, Frazier won FHS Year-

book senior superlatives poll “Best Couple

That Never Was” along with Abhinav

Rangarajan.

Frazier’s bubbly and comical personality

always shines.

Her advice to underclassmen is “bring

toilet paper and paper towels” to school.

Additionally, she comments, “And teach-

ers love it when you sit on the fountain.”

Robert Lawrence:

He is the other half of the “Rob and

Nav’” announcements team, but in addi-

tion to that, Robbie Lawrence is a music

enthusiast with unique perspective.

How unique could Lawrence possibly be?

To start off, he has an obsession with TV

game shows and antique fans.

While Lawrence may be alone in his

strange ways, but that does not keep him

from being himself.

“I have no idea what caused [my love for

these things],” says Lawrence, “but I know

my love of fans started with the pre-K

years.”

He also is a strong believer in the fact

that older game shows are better “than the

junk on TV now.”

Of course, Lawrence does not let his love

for “Match Game” or his signature line,

“April Fool’s,” define him. In addition to

being a member of the announcements

team, Lawrence has been involved Free-

dom’s Theatre Company as well as in the

band and orchestra where he played the

clarinet.

Lawrence will be attending Moravian

College in order to study music education.

He cites Miss Jennifer Wescoe as his main

inspiration because of “all of her positive

contributions and how she is so down to

earth with her students.” He hopes to be-

come a teacher.

He earned the Moravian Founder’s schol-

arship as well as the Ronald Demkee

scholarship.

Lawrence wants to leave all of the

“wonderful faces” of Freedom one piece of

advice.

“The temperature is always not what it is

supposed to be here,” advises Lawrence

with his signature smile and chuckle com-

bination. “Dress appropriately.”

By Matthew Kluska

By Tyler Alicea

By Karla Erdman

By Zach Ward

SADD President

Theatre Company

Abhinav Rangarajan:

Abhinav Rangarajan’s four years of high

school have been filled with extracurricu-

lar activities and strong academics.

During his first couple of years, he was

part of The Freedom Forum and Scholastic

Scrimmage, but he decided to focus on

other clubs. His primary extracurricular

activities are Green Team, math club, and

boys’ tennis. He is the president of math

club and the head of Green Team.

Rangarajan is also AP scholar with dis-

tinction and received many awards for his

victories in math competitions and FBLA

competitions.

He says he will miss the teachers,

friends, and activities the most.

“I’ll miss the Freedom Family, and the

community,” said Rangarajan.

In the future he sees himself working in

the finance industry and eventually becom-

ing an entrepreneur.

“Dedication, focus, visionary, leadership,

[and] unmatched respect all wrapped up in

one person,” says Mr. Paul Fierro, Green

Team advisor. “Oh yea, [he’s] pretty intel-

ligent, too.”

Although he is not quite sure what he

will major in (probably something busi-

ness oriented), Rangarajan is excited to

attend Carnegie Mellon University in the

fall.

By Luisa Marin

Green Team

French Club President

Science Olympiad

The Freedom High School Teacher Poll 2012

Best Sense of Humor: Mr. Kolb and Mr. Baltz

Most Likely to Get Off Topic: Mr. Denofa and Ms. Loupos

Most Likely to be Called to the Principal’s Office:

Mr. Walton

Most Likely to Talk about Trains: Mr. Bothwell

Students Can Relate to the Most: Mr. Fierro and Mr. Flad

Most Likely to Give Advice: Mr. Rivera and Mrs. Baylis

Most Likely to Volunteer for After School Activities:

Ms. Wescoe and Ms. Maholick

Best Dressed: Mr. Ayre and Ms. Stenson

Most Organized: Mrs. Bond and Mrs. Erdman

Most Likely to Give a Test on the First Day:

Mrs. George and Dr. Krieger

Teachers Most Likely to be Seen Helping Students After School: Mrs. Roscher, Mrs. Medve, and “Most Teachers!”

14 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Joseph Dupree

Joseph is attending Northampton Commu-

nity College. He was involved with Vo-

tech, specifically baking division. He will

miss Pierre the most. His biggest influence

is Mr. Martinez because he overcame a life

threatening condition and continued doing

what he loves. In the future he sees himself

in web design or a comedian. Joseph con-

siders himself to be very unique. His ad-

vice to underclassmen is to make friends

and enjoy high school.

Gerald Hall Gerald Hall plans on attending Delaware

Valley College this fall. He has been a

Freedom football player for four years and

a track member for three years. Coach

Roeder has been his greatest source of in-

spiration because he challenged him for

three years to be the best player he could

be. His time at Freedom will help him in

the future because he says, “My high

school diploma will help me for the rest of

my life. I learned that when you work hard

for something you get rewarded in a great

way.”

Patrick Wersinger Patrick is attending the York College of

PA. He was awarded a Presidential schol-

arship for York and the Patriot award. He

was involved with National Honor Society

and boy’s volleyball. Wersinger will miss

his friends and his teammates the most. His

biggest inspirations while at Freedom were

Mr. Young and Mr. Fierro. In the future he

sees himself as a mechanical engineer. His

advice to underclassmen is that it goes fast,

so enjoy the good carefree times while they

last.

Christian Perez After four years, Christian is preparing to

say goodbye to the football team he has

known and loved during his time in high

school. He says that becoming “city

champs” was among his favorite memories

and achievements, and that the Freedom

Family and his teammates were his great-

est influences. “As a class, we have

achieved so much in every way, and finally

beating Liberty counts as a huge

[accomplishment] for all of us,” he says.

Christian prepares for his involvement in

the military, eventually attending NCC and

Kutztown.

Nicole Miller Nicole looks forward to attending East

Stroudsburg University next year with a

major in Psychology with a focus on coun-

selling. While at Freedom, Nicole was in-

volved in varsity track and field, Big

Brothers Big Sisters, Patriot/Concert Choir

and NHS. Her favorite activity was Big

Brothers Big Sisters. Her biggest influence

at Freedom was Ms. Baylis for her sup-

port. Her advises underclassmen to make

the most of your time at Freedom by get-

ting involved with clubs and carry on the

Freedom Family legacy.

Robyn Collette Robyn Collette plans to attend both Ship-

pensburg University for two years before

transferring to Penn State for Mechanical

Engineering and Applied Physics. She

received eighth place at a National Flute

Competition. She has been a member of

the Band, Orchestra, Pit Orchestra, and Ski

Club. Mr. Fierro has been her most influ-

ential teacher as he has helped her decide

what she wants to do in her future. In the

future Collette sees herself working as a

nuclear power engineer and transforming

the way the world gets its electricity.

Edward Milisits

Edward is attending Penn State University.

He was involved with baseball and orches-

tra. The activity that affected him the most

was being part of the baseball team. He

will miss his friends the most. This year

has been a “year of Greatness” because he

qualified for district and regional orchestra.

He has also had a good baseball season.

His advice to underclassmen is to “live it

up.”

William Sampson

Will is going to Penn State next year. He

was involved in Band, Orchestra, Pit Band

as well as French Club, with Band and

Orchestra being his favorite activities. Mr.

Moran and Madame Stanley were his big-

gest influences at Freedom, and he claims

that what he will miss the most about Free-

dom is the massive amount of four-leaf

clovers on school grounds. During his time

at Freedom, he learned that fun can make a

big difference and that taking life too seri-

ously causes more harm than good.

Cindy Zheng Cindy is attending UC Berkeley in the fall.

She is an AP scholar with distinction and a

commended National Merit participant.

She was involved with French Club, Sci-

ence Olympiad, and Math team. Cindy also

distinguished herself by doing a summer

internship with the NASA Inspire program.

She will miss the art shows and the French

cultural nights. Her biggest influence was

the entire math staff at Freedom.

Stephanie Perez

Stephanie Perez will be attending North-

ampton Community College to complete

General studies and later on transfer to

Temple University for a major in Art The-

ory and a minor in Special Education. She

has been a member of the Theater Com-

pany, the Freedom Forum, National Honor

Society, and the Anime Club. Her greatest

sources of inspiration have come from Mr.

Kleist and Ms. Wescoe who both helped

her be more confident with herself and

open up to people.

Senior Issue 15 The Forum June 2012

Joseph Bonavita:

Hanging out with friends and playing

guitar and video games are some of the

few things that make Joseph Bonavita

unique. He was even the second seat for

the 2012 Scholastic Scrimmage.

Bonavita plans next year to take his tal-

ents 200 miles west to attend Penn State

University after graduating from Freedom.

He will be majoring in Bio Engineering for

a profession he would like to do something

pharmaceutical.

Bonavita has used his work ethic to suc-

ceed in school and get the second seat and

compete on the Scholastic Scrimmage

team this year.

“Teachers, friends and family have in-

fluenced my life inside and outside of

school,” said Bonavita.

Bonavita’s advice to upcoming graduate

is to “stay in school, work hard, perform to

your best abilities.”

Joseph Bonavita will be graduating June

5, 2012 and says he is excited to graduate

and is looking forward to this upcoming

summer. He plans to relax, play video-

games, and hang out with his friends en-

joying all of his time off before he has to

go off to college.

Valeria Ceron:

When Valeria Ceron walks across the

graduation stage this June, she will not be

happier to leave Freedom behind her and

focus on her future.

“I feel awesome,” Valeria says in re-

sponse to leaving Freedom, although she

says she will miss all here friends here.

Valeria has spent the past four years as a

valued member of girls’ tennis and soccer

varsity teams and she cites those seasons

as the best memories she had at Freedom.

For soccer, Valeria fondly remembers

when the team beat Liberty this spring.

Valeria says that the team “knew we could

win, but we didn’t get too confident” so

the victory was still a sweet one. In tennis,

Valeria was the doubles pro, winning first

place for second doubles in the LVC Tour-

nament sophomore year with partner

Emily Conners and second place for sec-

ond doubles senior year with partner Fede-

rica Maranzana. She was also a tri-captain

her senior year.

While Valeria says she will miss playing

on these teams, she won’t be heading too

far away as she will be the assistant coach

for the girls’ tennis team next year while

she studies sports management at NACC.

In the long term, Valeria wants to be a

high school tennis coach and says that the

Freedom girls’ tennis coach, Mark Sig-

mon, was probably her biggest inspiration

towards this goal.

“He would always encourage me to be

the best that I can and he made me a

stronger and better player.”

Valeria admits to maturing and becom-

ing more responsible within Freedom’s

walls, and advises underclassmen to sim-

ply have fun while it lasts.

“Enjoy the four years of high school

because it goes by so fast!”

Derek Detweiler:

If you ask anyone who knows Derek

they’ll describe him as the kid who always

has a smile on his face.

Even Detweiler himself agrees that he’s

always smiling and making people happy.

He says, “I would say the one unique thing

about me is that I always have a smile on

my face. I like to cheer people up and

make them happy.”

Detweiler will also be remembered for

his great athletic abilities and hard work in

school. He has obtained straight A’s all

throughout high school and earned varsity

letter in Cross Country and Track as well

as the ‘Coach’s Award’ for Track. During

his time at Freedom he has also been in-

volved in Green Team, French Club,

SADD, National Honor Society, and the

Lehigh Valley Conference Student Charac-

ter and Leadership Council. He says run-

ning was his favorite school activity be-

cause, “I have met most of my friends on

the team and they are truly amazing peo-

ple. I was also successful at both and they

taught me to never give up, work hard, and

stay motivated.”

Detweiler was voted as Freedom’s prom

king by the senior class.

When asked who has influenced him the

most at Freedom, he says, “There are way

too many to pick one. So many teachers

have had an enormous impact on my life

and they helped me be a better person.”

After graduation Detweiler will be at-

tending the University of North Carolina

Wilmington to major in Marine Biology.

He aspires to become a research diver

working with marine mammals and eco-

logical conservation.

Tanya Moller:

To many, Tanya Moller is known for

being a bubbly cheerleader and well-

rounded person. It is not difficult to see

why. Moller has big plans for her future as

she plans to continue her education at Penn

State Main Campus with a major in engi-

neering.

Moller first got her interest in engineer-

ing from her cousin and was inspired by

her intrigue for mathematics. For Moller,

the biggest difference between college and

high school will probably be the size, since

Penn State teaches about 40,000 students,

which a is quite a larger amount of kids

compared to Freedom.

“I will mostly miss my friends and

cheerleading,” said Moller.

Moller’s cheering career has lasted for

ten years, and she was an upbeat cheer-

leader on the FHS squad. Choir was an-

other activity that Moller has been apart of

during her years here at Freedom High

School.

Moller has learned about herself through

her high school experience, thanks to the

impact of her teachers and friends, which

is something most students can relate to.

She has made life-long friends and hopes

to keep them as she moves on to the next

chapter of her life.

Also, Moller’s excellent advice to under-

classman is that they should not slack

when they find themselves a senior and

that they should put their all into applying

for colleges.

“Beating Liberty in my senior year is

something I will remember the most,” said

Moller, as all other seniors can agree with.

This has been a time of Moller’s life that

she will never forget.

Willem Ytsma:

“Build things that do things” is the career

goal of Willem Ytsma.

A man of few words, Ytsma plans to

major in mechanical engineering at Lafay-

ette with a minor in art.

Ytsma intends to pursue art and music as

hobbies for life; his three years playing the

tuba and the friends he formed within

Freedom’s brass section left a lasting im-

pression on him.

Additionally, he tried his hand at photog-

raphy for Freedom’s newspaper. As a re-

sult of his passion for photography, he

placed second in a photography contest

and plans to make use of his reward: three

art courses offered at Baum School of Art.

Moving forward, Ytsma offers this ad-

vice to incoming freshmen: to follow artis-

tic inclinations as he did.

“There can never be too many tubas,”

Ytsma says of Freedom’s band.

Ytsma would also recommend art classes

with Mrs. DiRenzo; he considered them to

be one of the most impacting aspects of his

time at Freedom.

Ytsma admits that if it is possible to

make a decent living, he will gladly focus

his life on his musical and artistic talents.

By Andrea Miller

By Bill Leeson

By Amanda Molinaro

By Julie Boylan

By Kylon Pretty

Artist

Cheerleading

Cross Country

Girls’ Tennis

Scholastic Scrimmage

16 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Radcliffe Harewood:

When he is not leading the riot squad as

“Captain Cliff of the Riot Squad,” Cliff

Harewood spends his time doing every-

thing he can for Freedom High School.

As a key member of Every 15 Minutes,

Cliff left a large impact on the student

body this year through the two day presen-

tation given in the beginning of May.

During his time here at Freedom Cliff

was also the water boy for the Freedom

football team and could be spotted on the

sidelines of every exciting game this sea-

son.

He says, “It felt good to be with people

who I could share success with.”

Along with cheering on the football

team, Cliff also played a vital role in the

Riot Squad.

Regarding his role as team manager of

the epic Freedom basketball games, Cliff

says, “I figured I might try to keep people

entertained and keep the intensity flow-

ing.”

And that he did. Cliff’s enthusiasm and

pride in Freedom led the school to victory

during the infamous Freedom vs. Liberty

basketball game.

Cliff plans to attend NCC for two years to

study journalism and communications. He

hopes to transfer to a larger university after

earning his associates degree.

Cliff has enjoyed his time at Freedom and

says most of his inspiration came from Mr.

Artie Owens.

He says, “He [Coach Owens] taught me

that there is a larger picture to life than just

being about you.”

Maria Figueroa:

Maria Figueroa is known well around

Freedom. She is looking forward to gradu-

ating this year.

“I just can’t wait till it’s time to gradu-

ate. All 4 years of being here was very

stressful trying not to end up in summer

school or night school having to waste

hundreds of dollars. Even though after I

graduate from Freedom, I have a wonder-

ful life ahead of me,” said Figueroa.

Figueroa was Freedom’s 2011 Home-

coming Queen.

“Being Homecoming Queen was a very

good experience. I was very shocked and

surprised when they called my name,” said

Figueroa.

Figueroa is also worried about losing her

close friends and not being able to see

them in the future as well, but she is ex-

cited that she does not have to stress out

anymore about school.

“Freedom is a wonderful school. Teach-

ers were very nice; they treated me with

respect as I treated them with respect as

well. Having to leave Freedom is going to

be rough though. Leaving all my good

friends behind and as well the memories I

had here. I am going to miss this school

though, and my advice to underclassmen is

do whatever you can to pass,” said Figue-

roa.

Gabriel Pozo:

From being diagnosed with cancer dur-

ing his junior year to becoming homecom-

ing king his senior year, Gabe Pozo may

be considered ‘the comeback kid’ of the

year.

Early last year Pozo was diagnosed with

Leukemia and had to take the rest of his

junior classes at home.

This year Pozo was cleared to come back

to school and traveled to Philadelphia on

occasion to keep receiving treatment.

“It feels great; I am really glad to have

been able to come back for my senior year.

It sure is a blessing,” Pozo said about his

comeback.

In early October, Freedom High School

hosted its homecoming dance where Pozo

was elected homecoming king.

“It was amazing. From hearing all the

people cheering me on to actually getting

the crown, it felt great knowing that all of

those people actually cared about me

enough to vote for me,” said Pozo.

Pozo’s favorite moments were when

Freedom beat Liberty in football and in

basketball, especially the double-overtime

thriller at Liberty.

Pozo will be moving on from Freedom to

study business at St. Joeseph’s University

in Philadelphia.

“I am ready to go to St. Joeseph’s and

meet new friends, but I will miss all of the

friends that I’ve made and wonderful

teachers that I’ve had,” Pozo said while

reflecting on his high school years.

Krystal Domin:

As her senior year ends, Krystal Domin

believes that she has had a “Year of Great-

ness” for multiple reasons.

“I excelled in my classes,” says Domin.

Domin did not slack off during her senior

year of high school. On the contrary, she

loaded her schedule with extracurricular

activities as well as honors and AP classes.

This upcoming fall, Domin will become

a part of DeSales' Physical Assistant pro-

gram. In the future, Domin is hopeful that

she will be working in a trauma center.

Domin has also won over $20,000 in

scholarships from DeSales.

During her time at Freedom, Domin had

been awarded for her successes. One of

these awards includes earning straight A's

for one year.

Not only did Domin excel in in the class-

room, she also shone outside of school.

Domin was a member of National Honor

Society, and she was also the Web Editor

of The Freedom Forum.

At Freedom, Domin learned to be more

independent and fend for herself.

As the graduation date grows closer,

Domin can say that she will miss the

teachers here at Freedom. Mr. Kolb has

particularly made a lasting impact and

influence on Domin as well.

Before she starts a new chapter in her

life, Domin leaves some advice for the

underclassmen and incoming freshmen:

“Work hard; don't slack off because it pays

off in senior year.”

Ryan Shaikh:

Being in Freedom High School has not

only made Ryan Shaikh into a wonderful

student and person, but it has also inspired

him to work hard in school, and succeed.

That is why Shaikh is going to experience

“Years of Greatness” for the next four

years at Duquesne University where he

will be majoring in finance.

In his four years at Freedom High

School, Ryan has been in Future Business

Leaders of America Club, and he has also

been the Assistant Sports Editor for the

Freedom Forum.

Outside of school, Shaikh plays baseball

for Freemansburg Bethlehem Township

Athletic Association and has volunteered

for the Red Cross.

When asked what he remembers the

most about Freedom High School, Shaikh

said, “Beating Liberty in the Freedom-

Liberty football and basketball games was

probably the best memory.”

Additionally, Ryan says that he will defi-

nitely miss walking in the halls at Freedom

and being with all his friends.

“High school was definitely a success,

and senior year was an awesome way to

end this amazing experience.”

Advising underclassmen, Ryan thinks no

one should take high school for granted,

and suggests working hard, staying organ-

ized, and getting involved.

Although he does not want to leave high

school, Shaikh is excited about entering a

new phase in life and facing the challenges

that await him in the future. For now,

Ryan Shaikh is just excited about succeed-

ing in high school.

By Ashley Eichlin

By Tyler Alicea and Amanda Molinaro

By Ryan Shaikh

By Carlos Carvalho

By Nainjot Singh

Web Editor, The Forum

Captain Cliff, Riot Squad

Homecoming King

Homecoming Queen

Asst. Sports Editor, The Forum

Senior Issue 17 The Forum June 2012

“We are so proud of

your hard work and

accomplishments!

Have fun and study

hard at Millersville

University.” Love,

Dad, Ruth Ann, Alec,

Robby, and Lizzie

“So happy and proud of

you! NYC is lucky to

have you. Follow your

heart and dreams.” Love,

Mom, Dad, and Sean

“Your eyes full of

sparkle, your smile

stops the heart; your

compassion so genuine, your

brain super smart. You’ve

studied nonstop with gusto

and passion, making AP

straight ‘As’ an acceptable

fashion.” LOVE and Pride

FOREVER, Mom and Dad

“You have grown into

such a beautiful young

lady. We are

incredibly proud of

you and your

accomplishments.

You’ll achieve great

things in college and

in life!” Love, Mom,

Dad, Samantha, Tom,

and Amy

“Dear Jenni, You make

us so proud! Dream

big. We love you

always.” Love, Mom,

Dad, Justin, and

Aleigha

“Congratulations, Jaime!

We are so proud of you.

Follow your dreams.”

Love, Mom, Tom, Kelly,

Carrie, Nick, and Josh

18 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Erika Vasconez Erika will be attending Bloomsburg Uni-

versity in the fall. She has won Academic

Achievement Awards for the past two

years. She has been involved with FHS

Theater Company and it is her favorite

activity. Her biggest influence is Mr. Baltz

because he is a really good teacher and

balances a serious classroom with fun ac-

tivities. In the future she sees herself as a

pediatric occupational therapist.

Gabrielle Spadaccia Gabby Spadaccia, captain of Freedom Var-

sity cheerleading, will sure miss her time at

Freedom. Despite being a member of

SADD, NHS, and choir, she names cheer-

ing as the most memorable activity during

her high school career. She advises under-

classmen to take an advantage of every

opportunity they pursue and make the most

of the time they have in high school.

Gabby will be attending Delaware Valley

College on scholarship in the fall to cheer

and major in zoo science.

Autumn

Nonnemacher Autumn Nonnemacher was a dedicated

member of the Freedom Varsity cheerlead-

ing squad. The Year of Greatness was

made for her when she was part of the

Freedom- Liberty football and basketball

games, cheering on her team to victory.

Autumn feels being at Freedom has helped

her better prepare for the next chapter of

her life as part of the real world; she will

be attending NCC next year before trans-

ferring to either Kutztown or DeSales for

developmental psychology.

Nathaniel Palmer:

How do we even begin to describe Na-

thaniel Palmer? Basically, he is the es-

teemed runner who is captain of both the

Freedom varsity track and cross country

teams, the accomplished Eagle Scout who

single-handedly organized the renovation

of the school art room, and the loud kid in

the back of the classroom who blurts out

obnoxious jokes but still manages to main-

tain a nice grade point average.

Let’s focus on running first, shall we?

Nate has won four district and four league

medals in his career, not to mention earned

the title of Lehigh Valley Conference

MVP as well as LVC Scholar Athlete.

“Running taught me discipline and the

merits of hard work.” He will miss his

team the most, and points out Coach Dos

as his biggest inspiration: “the person who

really got me into running, and running has

shaped my work ethic and dedication.”

Additionally, Nate has been involved in

the art club, NHS, and the Green Team.

Next year, he will be at the College of Wil-

liam and Mary, where he may study law or

political science. To underclassmen, he

gives the following wise advice: “Care

about school from the start and take a

whole bunch of weighted classes; throw

having fun electives out the window.”

Dedrea Becker:

Dedrea Becker has been eating, sleeping,

and breathing dance since she was age

three years old. All her work has paid off

as she has become one of the integral

members of the Freedom High School

Theater Company as not only President but

also Dance Captain.

“Theater has been my biggest learning

experience [in Freedom],” she says. “[I

have] learned how to deal with different

types of people and situations, and how to

always stay calm.”

She says the best advice she’s gotten is

from their set designer Mr. Chisnall, who

said to “rule with an iron fist, but cover it

with a velvet glove.”

She also names Ms. Jennifer Wescoe as

being her favorite teacher throughout in

high school as “[s]he’s given me a lot of

opportunities.”

Becker has not only been a member of

FHSTC, but also bell choir, Pate choir, and

concert choir. She has been a student at

Miss Jeane’s School of Dance Arts for

fifteen years.

Regarding this year’s production of

“Thoroughly Modern Millie,” the com-

pany’s president says, “ [the show] was a

lot of work, but everyone worked hard and

pulled together for an amazing show.”

Next year, Becker will be attending

Bloomsburg University to major in busi-

ness with a double minor in dance and

theater. She hopes to one day open her

own dance studio.

Seth Watlington:

Seth Watlington is a name that the class

of 2012 should know very well.

Not only is he known for academic ex-

cellence as a member of NHS, but he is

also known for his amazing swimming

ability. Watlington is the number one high

school breaststroker in the state of Penn-

sylvania.

“It is something special to be first in a

state that is so fast at swimming,” said

Watlington when he was asked about his

position.

Pennsylvania is considered in the top

two

or three best states for high school swim-

ming based on its size and the quality of

swimmer that it produces.

Overall, swimming has enveloped Wat-

lington’s life since he was the age of

seven. He became a swimmer because his

dad was a swimmer in high school.

“I started out just being decent, but with

practice I became better,” Watlington said.

Next year, Watlington plans to attend the

United States Naval Academy in Annapo-

lis, M.D. As a midshipman he plans to

earn a degree in engineering then become

a commissioned in Naval Officer.

When reflecting on his high school ca-

reer Watlington stated that his most fond

moments are of Mr. Kolb’s pre-calc class

and when the Freedom swimming team

beat Liberty by only one point during his

freshmen year swim meet.

“The class of 2012 will be remembered

as the class that beat Liberty in major

sports, as a high achieving class, and as a

class that was well rounded,” said Wat-

lington when asked about his class.

By Courtney Barrow

By Justin Alicea

By Grace Mao

Swim Team

Dance Captain

Cross Country

Christopher Stydinger Chris Stydinger is attending Northampton

Community College. He was involved with

football freshmen year and it taught him to

work hard and have a good work ethic. His

biggest influence at Freedom was Mr. We-

ber. In the future he sees himself as a busi-

nessman, once he gets out of college. Free-

dom has taught him to pay attention and to

better himself. His advice to underclass-

men is to work hard.

Senior Issue 19 The Forum June 2012

Sydney Brown Sydney plans to go to Towson University

in the fall. During her time at Freedom she

has been on the varsity Basketball team,

and Track and Field. Her favorite activity

was basketbal because it helped develop

leadership and teamwork skills. She will

miss the people she has been in school

with since sixth grade and the Freedom

family. In the future she sees herself as a

physical therapist.

Melissa Losagio:

Dance. Cheerleading. Melissa Losagio

does it all.

With a passion for these things, the

driven young woman has enjoyed her ex-

perience here at Freedom High School, but

as all good things come to an end, Losagio

looks forward to the new experiences that

lie on the road ahead of her.

“It was great being here these past four

years, but now I am ready to move on to a

new school and have different experi-

ences,” said Losagio.

Involved in varsity cheerleading, track and

field, SADD, student council, and the stu-

dent advisory board, Losagio has kept very

busy with her time here at Freedom High

School. She also works as a cheer coach

and choreographer.

“I would have to say dance is my biggest

passion because of the emotion and diffi-

culty that goes into it, but also cheerlead-

ing, because like dance, it is second nature

to me since I have been involved in both

for many years,” said Losagio.

Losagio will be attending the California

University of Pennsylvania as a major in

nursing. Nursing has been an interest of

Losagio since she was in the eighth grade.

After a successful high school career, her

drive and motivation has paid off. Ending

her senior year with many accomplish-

ments under her belt, Losagio is following

her dreams and sticking with her passions.

Kevin Rold:

Although Kevin Rold may be known as

the hero on the baseball field against Cen-

tral Catholic this year, he also should be

recognized for what good he does off of

the field as well.

As well as being a part of the Freedom

High School Baseball team for all four

years, Rold has also been a part of NHS.

Outside of school Rold plays baseball for

Freemansburg Bethlehem Township Ath-

letic Association. Kevin is also in a ski

club through his church, and is in an active

youth group.

During his four years of Freedom base-

ball, Rold’s favorite moment was when he

hit a walk off home run against Central

Catholic to break up the Vikings’ pitcher,

David Rosenberger’s no hitter. This mo-

ment gave Kevin his bit of fame, with Mr.

LaPorta announcing over the loud speaker

that Kevin’s heroics were to be headlined

in the sports section of the local newspa-

per.

“My favorite moments from my senior

year were the historic Freedom vs. Liberty

football game and both basketball games.”

The football game may happen every

year but this year’s was special, because

Rold and his fellow senior classmates got

the chance to proclaim victory over Lib-

erty.

“I’ll miss being a part of the Riot Squad

at all of the sporting events.” says Rold.

His senior year may have been one to

never forget, but he does plan to move on

to college and attend Penn State Main

Campus for mechanical engineering.

“Work hard because even though it seems

like you’re working for nothing, it will pay

off in the end.” Those were Kevin’s words

to live by during his high school years and

he hopes to pass this advice on to upcom-

ing classes.

By Ryan Shaikh

By Brenna Webb

Juanita Feith Juanita Feith plans on attending Miseri-

cordia University for a double major in

Medicine and Spanish. She has been a

member of the Field Hockey team, the

Band, and the Choir. She says the Field

Hockey team has become her second fam-

ily and she has learned a lot from

them. Mrs. Cierech has been her most

inspirational teacher and she plans her fur-

thering her Spanish studies throughout

college and life. Her advice for under-

classmen is “Don’t take high school too

seriously. Have some fun once in awhile,

but get your work done also.”

Victoria Galanos Victoria Galanos’s future plans include

owning her family’s business. That is why

she plans to go to Northampton Commu-

nity College to study business. Galanos’s

biggest influences at FHS are Mrs. Jennifer

Cierech and Ms. Cyndi Baylis due to the

fact that they were always there to talk to

her. Galanos advises underclassman and

freshmen to pay attention and to not skip

class.

Baseball

Cheerleading

Jamie Tersigni Jamie Tersigni will be attending West Vir-

ginia University this fall to study Special

Education. She says being a member of

the Student Council and volunteering for

the Special Olympics gave her excellent

experience for her future. She says this

year has been a “Year of Greatness” be-

cause we won the Freedom vs. Liberty

football and basketball games which were

both inspiring nights for the Class of 2012

and the entire Freedom Family. Although

she isn’t on the Cross Country or Track

team, she loves running. She runs ten

miles a day and hopes to run a marathon

someday.

Brianne Giangiobbe

Brianne Giangiobbe made a name for her-

self in Freedom by being one of the best

volleyball players in the state. She was

named the Express Times Player of the

Year in both 2011 and 2012, making the

LVC All Star Team both years. She also

was a member of the track and field team.

She names Mr. Kolb as her biggest influ-

ence in her time at FHS and advises under-

classmen to focus on their academics as it

has an impact of the rest of their high

school career. She will be heading to La-

fayette College next year in the hopes of

becoming a family court lawyer or an elec-

trical engineer.

Kaylee O’Donnell Kaylee O'Donnell plans to attend Palm

Beach Atlantic this fall. She has been a

member of the Freedom cheer leading

squad and the choir. She says shes going

to miss the atmosphere of high school and

the teachers and students she's been sur-

rounded by all this time. Her greatest

source of inspiration at has been Ms. Bay-

lis and Mrs. Grim because, she says,

"[They] helped me out a lot throughout my

years. Without them my high school career

would have been so much harder." In the

future she hopes to be married with a big

family.

20 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Emily Gardiner:

“The future? Why plan it now, I'm 18. I

don't even know what I'm having for

breakfast tomorrow morning,” says Emily

Gardiner.

Even though she does not know what she

will be doing in her future, Emily does

know where she will be going this fall.

Emily will be attending De Sales Univer-

sity to double major in Dance and Elemen-

tary Education.

Emily’s favorite high school memories

are performing in the Freedom High

School Theater Company for the past four

years, from the Wizard of Oz, The Sound

of Music, Joseph and Thoroughly Modern

Millie. She added, “I wouldn't trade it for

anything.”

Participating in volleyball, Art Club,

FHSTC, Dance Company, Pate Choir, and

Concert Choir were the ways in which

Emily expressed herself and got involved

with the school.

Emily changed a lot in the past four

years at freedom. In hair styles, wardrobes,

morals, and her circle of friends. But she

wouldn't change anything that she did.

Everything happens for a reason and things

have either worked out or not for those

reasons.

Advice Emily has for the underclassman

is to “Just be yourself, and don't worry

about guy problems or gossip because in

ten years it won’t even matter. She also

encourages anyone and everyone to be-

come involved with the school through

what you love and what makes you

happy.”

By Samantha Lutz

Kayla Morgan:

From choreographing her own routines

for talents shows and open mic nights to

making her own clothes, Kayla Morgan

will be taking her experiences to West

Chester University in the fall.

Kayla wants to be the girl who makes

people famous, and majoring in Public

Relations will help fulfill that quest. The

acceptance and faith she found in herself

from Ms. Wescoe will follow her through-

out her life and enable Kayla to follow her

dreams.

The arts always pleased Kayla since she

was involved in so many aspects. Dance

Company, FHSTC, cheerleading, and FHS

talent shows are among the activities

Kayla dipped her toes in and took a swim

while at Freedom High School.

Learning to accept all people, recogniz-

ing the difference in people’s behaviors,

and avoiding the people who hurt rather

than help are all valuable life lessons

Kayla learned in her time at Freedom.

Though the people she has come across,

helped share endless stories for her to tell.

Her greatest accomplishments in her

senior year are what made it a “Year of

Greatness” for her individually. Kayla

improved exponentially in her academic

career along with improving greatly in

dance. A realization came to Kayla when

she learned that it didn’t matter where you

begin a goal, but rather how much you

improve and how you accomplish your

goals.

With her time at Freedom, Kayla also

learned something she’d like to share with

underclassmen, “Not everyone will like

you, find those who do, and live above

those who don’t appreciate you.”

By Samantha Lutz

Tommy Robinson

Tommy is heading to Lehigh University

next year, but he will remember Freedom

for his time on the boys’ volleyball team

and managing the girls’ volleyball team,

his two favorite activities at Freedom. For

Tommy, the person who was his biggest

influence at Freedom was Mrs. Ackerman.

This has been a “year of greatness” for

Tommy because it is his last year. His ad-

vice to underclassmen is to start looking at

colleges as soon as possible.

Spencer Rives Spencer is attending Bloomsburg Univer-

sity to study criminal justice. He was in-

volved with Freedom Baseball. The activ-

ity that affected him the most were the

basketball games. He will miss being part

of the student section at every football

game and being part of the Riot Squad at

every baseball game. His biggest influence

is Mrs. Baylis hime to because he could

talk to her about anything. Also Mr. Sa-

franic has inspired him to take care of his

money and invest. His advice is to go to as

many sporting events as possible.

Tiffany Stanley

At Freedom, Tiffany was part of the var-

sity tennis team, track and field team, in-

door track, and the National Honors Soci-

ety. While her favorite sport was tennis,

she says that she enjoyed track more be-

cause of the life long friends she met on

the team. Tiffany is glad she is “finally”

graduating and will be attending Indiana

University of Pennsylvania in the fall. In

the future, Tiffany sees herself working as

a pharmacist at a children’s hospital.

Allana Kapcsos Allana one day sees herself as an architect

living in Florida, and she is hoping to at-

tend Penn State University to gain her de-

gree in architecture. Allana was recognized

for her community service work. She says

that she will miss her friends the most at

Freedom and that Mr. Roseman and Mr.

Harakal were the teachers who were her

biggest inspiration.Her advice to under-

classmen is to always try your best, be-

cause in the end grades do matter.

Tyler Galasso

Tyler was a member of both the football

and wrestling teams at Freedom. While he

says that wrestling was his favorite activ-

ity, he will definitely miss playing in the

Freedom-Liberty football games. Tyler

thinks of this year as a “year of greatness”

because both the football and wrestling

team succeeded in defeating Liberty. Next

year, Tyler will be a student at Shippens-

burg University.

Quentin Cornelius After leaving Freedom, Quentin is going to

East Stroudsburg University on a football

scholarship. Quentin was part of the foot-

ball and track teams at Freedom, with foot-

ball being the activity that affected him the

most. He will miss the Freedom-Liberty

football games and Mr. Harakal, who was

his biggest influence here at Freedom. For

the underclassmen, Quentin hopes they

will carry on the greatness of the Riot

Squad.

Dance Company

Dance Company

Senior Issue 21 The Forum June 2012

Frank Bucsi:

Although many factors contributed to

this year’s school-proclaimed “Year of

Greatness”, it is safe to say that one of the

biggest and most relieving victories of the

year came when the Freedom Patriots de-

feated the Liberty High School football

team on that fateful sun-soaked autumn

day at Frank Banko stadium

Many recall the amazing field goal finish

and the high level of play by junior quar-

terback

Brian Uliana, but the true savior of the

game was senior wide receiver, Frank

Bucsi.

In that game, Frank caught four touch-

down passes and led the Pates to victory.

When asked about the win, Frank said,

“It felt good to not only be able to do it for

my team, but also for everyone who has

played for Freedom over the years and was

cheering us on.”

Despite his immense success on the

football field, Frank also has many other

things to be proud of, such as his talent in

baseball, and his Scholar Athlete Award.

Frank plans on attending Gettysburg

College after graduating Freedom and will

continue to play football once there. Frank

also plans on traveling the world as an

adult.

When asked if he had any advice for

underclassmen, Frank responded, “Play a

sport. Find the good bathroom.”

Frank prides himself on his athletic abil-

ity and his knack for throwing class movie

lines into any conversation with ease.

Frank says Freedom High School taught

him that “everyone’s time comes eventu-

ally if you keep trying.”

This year was the time for Frank “Butta”

Bucsi.

By Ryan Shaikh

Marielle McIntyre: Marielle McIntyre, most well-known at

Freedom High School for conquering op-

ponents on the tennis court, shows a pas-

sion for school spirit as well.

Marielle displays more than enough rea-

son to be confident in her tennis abilities,

but she chooses to be an active part of the

riot squad and support Freedom sports as a

whole.

Marielle said, “My favorite part of my

senior year was all the excitement that

came with all of our sports teams’ seasons.

It was just always a great atmosphere.”

Marielle contributed to the great atmos-

phere of the Freedom High School riot

squad with her outstanding support and

school spirit while also providing Freedom

Varsity Sports with her own athletic abil-

ity.

Aside from being a strong supporter in

Freedom High School varsity sports while

also being key facet in them, Marielle’s

senior year flew by with excitement and

anticipation for her future. Marielle plans

to attend Washington College in the fall

while continuing her career in tennis. She

plans to study psychology in which she

hopes to pursue a career in guidance coun-

seling. Marielle’s muse for helping and

understanding others comes from one of

her favorite teachers, Mrs. Lechner. “She

always went above and beyond to help her

students. She genuinely cares for all her

students” Marielle said.

By Kristen Dalton

Joe Lococo, Freedom High School Var-

sity basketball player, not only overpowers

the court when facing the biggest game of

the year against Liberty, but also takes the

court outside of school to benefit the com-

munity.

Joe Lococo uses his passion for basket-

ball to encourage children in the BTAA

basketball program to get active while

sharing his extensive knowledge of suc-

cess in basketball with them.

“Make this season count because it will

be your last time putting a Freedom uni-

form on,” advises Lococo.

Lococo made his season count by lead-

ing his team to victory this year through

his passion for basketball and success. One

of the best memories of Joe’s high school

career was beating Freedom High School’s

rival, Liberty.

“Beating them in double overtime with

the crowd maniacal and berserk was the

best feeling,” says Lococo.

Lococo satisfied the expectations of the

local media, riot squad, and most impor-

tantly the basketball varsity coach; Mr.

Stellato. His enthusiasm and talent for

basketball is expected to carry on into his

future; however, he does not plan to be

triumphant in basketball single-handedly.

When asking Joe where he sees himself

in ten years, he replied “Hopefully still

playing basketball and engaged or mar-

ried.”

Joseph Lococo:

Seeing double? It’s probably senior twins, Joe and Kevin Leicht.

These fraternal twins are often mistaken for each other and have

essentially grown up with two first names. The thing they haven’t

gotten used to is some person they don’t know coming up to them

and starting a conversation, thinking they are the other twin.

The boys do share a common memory while at Freedom. Both

loved painting up for football games and being in the student sec-

tion, but their favorite moment was Freedom football beating Lib-

erty for the first time in nine years.

When asked if they could change one thing, Joe said, “I wish I’d

started running when I was a freshman.” Kevin had a similar an-

swer saying, “I definitely would’ve started volleyball freshman

year and not have slacked off on my grades as an underclassman

because I realized how important they were during junior year.”

Kevin, involved in football and volleyball, plans to attend com-

munity college and then transfer to a university while majoring in

criminal justice. Joe, involved in football, winter and spring track,

and cross country, plans to also attend community college to later

transfer to study business and sports management.

The older twin, Kevin, has advice for underclassmen, “Get in-

volved with the school, whether it’s sports or clubs. It can make

your high school experience so much more enjoyable.” Joey

agreed, but he added, “Being involved gives you a great sense of

accomplishment and it will give you something to look back on

when you’re older.”

Photos: [Top] Joseph Leicht [Bottom] Kevin Leicht

Leicht Twins By Samantha Lutz

By Kristen Dalton

Football

Girls’ Tennis

Boys’ Basketball

22 Senior Issue The Forum June 2012

Jailyn Suggs

Jailyn Suggs will miss all the fun times she

has had with her friends. After graduation

she plans on going to East Stroudsburg

University. While at Freedom Suggs was

part of S.A.A.D , Art Club, and the

N.A.A.C.P. In the future Jailyn sees herself

as a physical therapist. Finally her advice

to the new coming freshman is, “Get good

grades, have fun, and most importantly

stay out of trouble.”

Brandon Marrero

Brandon Marrero has learned it is better to

get your work done than get in trouble at

Freedom High School. Marrero will miss

not only his Freedom Family, but he will

also miss Pierre, the security guard. Bran-

don’s year of Greatness means, “It’s our

last year.” As an adult, Marrero wants to

become famous. But first he has some ad-

vice for the freshman: “Be good, have fun,

and get your work done.”

Jason Sanchez Jason Sanchez plans on going to a trade

school, but he will miss getting to see all

his friends at Freedom. During his time at

Freedom, Sanchez liked to attend the foot-

ball and basketball games (mostly beating

Liberty and holding the bell at a tie). San-

chez’s advice to freshman? “Don’t Slack

Off!” He agrees that his maturity level has

increased, and as an adult he wants to be in

the masonry business. Sanchez states that

Mr. Klob was his biggest inspiration.

Rachel Reahl Rachel Reahl will attend Widener Univer-

sity in the fall where she will major in

mathematics education. Reahl participated

in Patriot choir, concert choir, the Les

Chanteurs and was a member of student

council throughout her high school career.

Reahl’s advice to underclassmen and in-

coming freshmen would be to always chal-

lenge yourself.

Crystal Abreu Crystal Abreu was a cheerleader as fresh-

man, but sophomore and junior year she

joined the Freedom track team. Track af-

fected her the most in her years, but the

thing she will miss the most are all the

teachers that helped her get through and

the memories that she made at Freedom,

especially Mr. Quintana and Ms. Chabot--

her inspirations. As an adult she sees her-

self as a radiation oncology therapist and

overall just being successful.

Sarah Kirk Sarah Kirk will miss how close she lives to

Freedom, but that will not stop her from

attending Northampton Community Col-

lege. While at Freedom, Kirk learned not

to care what your peers think about you,

and that it is best to move on with life. The

advice she gives our freshman is not to

stress yourself too much because it will be

over in an blink of an eye. As an adult she

sees herself as a sonography technician.

Special Thanks from The Forum to:

Mr. Michael LaPorta Dr. Joseph Roy Mrs. Pat Whirl FHS Yearbook And everyone who has supported us this year.

Questionnaire article writers: Justin Alicea Luisa Marin Tyler Alicea Andrea Miller Courtney Barrow Amanda Molinaro Jack Boylan Kylon Pretty Karla Erdman Cindy Rosario Matthew Kluska Zach Ward Samantha Lutz Trevor Watlington

Sponsors: Ron and Patty Williams

Laila Sanai

Rosie Kaur

Baljit Kaur

Kim and Rick Giamportone

Congrats! Best wishes to: Mrs. Kayne Pentecharsky (secretary, 207), Mrs. Maryse Stanley (French teacher; retired in Jan.), Mrs. JoAnn Durante (LHS principal) and Mr. Richard Agretto (BASD Director of Special Education) as they retire from the district.

Bill Cary

Agency Owner

William Cary Agency Inc.

Nationwide Insurance

3482 Linden Street

Bethlehem, PA 18017

Tel: 610 867 3218

Fax: 610 867 3359

caryw1@nationwide.com

Senior Issue 23 The Forum June 2012

Ryan Bell Ryan Bell has been on the baseball team

for four years and is a member of NHS. He

says he will always remember the team’s

trip to Myrtle Beach. Bell still has yet to

decide between Moravian College and

Lehigh University; however, he has been

awarded $80,000 in scholarship money to

Moravian. After being inspired by all of

the teachers, he has had, Bell plans to be-

come a teacher so that he may have an

impact on future generations.

Steven D’Aprile In his four years at Freedom, Steven was a

member of the golf team, but names his

involvement in this year’s Riot Squad as

the activity that has affected him the most

and his favorite memory. When asked why

this has been a “year of greatness” for him,

he says because “we beat Liberty!” Steven

advises underclassmen to “have fun, but

not too much,” and names Mike Romanelli

as his biggest influence. He will be attend-

ing Shippensburg University next year.

Chante Parker Next year, Chante Parker will be going to

Penn State Berks Campus to major in biol-

ogy with hopes of one day being a pediatri-

cian. At Freedom, Chante was part of the

track and field team, indoor track, and the

Boys and Girls Club. She says that the

Boys and Girls club affected her the most.

She will miss both her friends and ordering

from the coffee shop. Mr. Harakal has been

her biggest influence at high school. She

also strongly advises underclassmen to

start looking at colleges before senior year.

Jennifer Grenauer Jennifer will be attending Cabrini College

next fall to study pre-physical therapy and

exercise science for four years, then enter-

ing into a physical-therapy school. In her

future, she sees herself working as a physi-

cal therapist and supporting a family. Dur-

ing her time at Freedom, Jennifer was part

of the varsity volleyball team. She will

miss the boys’ basketball games and the

Riot Squad the most and is proud that the

Class of 2012 made the Freedom Family

known around the Valley.

Elizabeth Savickis

Elizabeth is attending Northampton Com-

munity College for a year then transferring.

The art show was her favorite activity. She

will miss the Freedom- Liberty rivalry and

the intensity that built up during the games.

Her biggest influence was Mrs. Fox be-

cause she influenced Elizabeth to work

with children and choose a career path.

She wants to be a physical therapist and

have a background in elementary educa-

tion.

Jennifer Quick Jennifer will be attending Northampton

Community College to become a social

worker. She hopes to help children who

are suffering from abuse. Her favorite

activity was choir because she loved

singing in front of an audience. The

thing she will miss the most is not seeing

her friends and teachers on a regular

basis. Her advice to underclassmen is to

make friends and do your best.

William McCullough

William is attending Moravian College. He

was involved with Scholastic Scrimmage

and Planetarium/Astronomy Club. His

favorite activity has been Scholastic Scrim-

mage. He will miss seeing his friends on a

daily basis. His biggest influences have

been Mr. Vasquez and Mr. Mahon. In the

future he sees himself as a high school

biology teacher. In high school he has

learned how to stay true to himself and

forge everlasting bonds with others.

Hunter Nebbia As graduation quickly approaches, Hunter

says he miss miss all the friends that he has

made the most. He played on boys’ volley-

ball team and snowboarded, and he says

his friends and teachers were his biggest

influences. Hunter advises underclassmen

to “learn a balance. Keep up with your

work but have fun at the same time.” After

being born with only a 10% chance of sur-

vival and living, he hopes in his adult life

“[to] most importantly, be happy.” Hunter

will be attending the University of Pitts-

burgh next year to major in information

science.

Shannon Rogers Shannon is attending Indiana University of

Pennsylvania and major in Pre-Med. She

hopes to one day to become a successful

dentist. She has been involved with Patriot

Choir while at Freedom. She was most

affected by having ceramics with Mrs.

Ackerman because it taught her that even

though things do not go as planned, every-

thing will be beautiful in the end. She will

miss the Freedom Family, seeing her

friends everyday, and most of all, being a

kid.

Maribel Rodriguez Maribel has had a successful four years at

Freedom, achieving straight A’s for three

years and the silver cord at graduation for

her community service efforts. She was

involved in the varsity tennis team, the

Garden Club, the Boys and Girls Club and

community service at Harvest Baptist

Church. She says the Boys and Girls Club

has had the biggest effect on her and Mr.

Tocci was her greatest inspiration at Free-

dom. Next year, she will be going to

Northampton Community College and

plans to one day become an RN (registered

nurse).

Good Luck Class of 2012!