Palmerton honors seniors for academics, service

Seven Palmerton Area High School seniors were honored for their excellence in academics, and school and community participation during Thursday’s Borough Council meeting.

Each student, who included Sydney Geist, Jonathan Hillanbrand, Emma Kimmel, Colby Moyer, Avery Neipert, Gabriella Sabina and Bethany Thomas, was recognized for their efforts with a separate resolution, which were all passed unanimously by the council.

Administrative staff members selected the students for their exemplary work in and outside of the school.

Members of the borough council, along with Mayor Christopher Olivia, presented the students with framed copies of their personalized resolutions signed by council president Terry Costenbader, borough manager Rodger Danielson and Mayor Olivia. They highlighted their involvement with school and community clubs and service projects.

Many of the recipients took an active role in their school, with participation in numerous activities including Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society, Student Council, sports and other clubs. The students also managed a rich life of community service efforts in Boy and Girl Scouts, church groups and other associations.

“You know, when you pick up the newspaper you see a lot about young people getting into a lot of trouble, and here we have just the opposite. The reason they’re not in trouble is because they’re out there doing community service, and that’s a great thing. It’s a real pleasure to acknowledge that,” Costenbader said.

Vice president Kris Hoffner was thrilled to see several familiar faces in the crowd of students.

“I also want to congratulate several of the recipients that I had the pleasure of teaching — Avery, Gabby, Sydney and Coby. Congratulations, and it’s really an honor for me to be a part of this and see the success that you’ve had,” he said.

Neipert, a star student and member of FBLA, National Honor Society, student council and various other scholastic associations, said that she was drawn into the world of community service when she was sidelined from soccer due to an ACL injury in the summer.

“I found myself with all of this free time, so I decided to use it for community service. I found this amazing church in town that does this breakfast program called the Summer Breakfast Bunch, and they were just starting the program and they needed a lot of help. I fell in love with this program, and it inspired me from then on to keep helping others,” she said,

In fact, Neipert was working at the St. John’s Episcopal Church’s community dinner just before the council meeting. She said that the opportunity to provide assistance for those in need is a fulfilling venture, and that she loves to commit her time to making the lives of others a little bit better.

In light of being commended for their commitment to education and humanitarianism, Neipert and the other students were proud of the acknowledgment from their school and the Borough Council, though they agreed that helping others is what matters most.

“You do this community service, and you don’t expect to be recognized for it. There’s no need to be recognized for it, because the community service is rewarding itself, but getting recognized is an amazing honor,” Neipert said.