MOUNT CARMEL - The Mount Carmel Area School District announced Wednesday the top five students who will graduate with their classmates at 7 p.m. today in the high school gym.
Lisa Darrup has been named the valedictorian of the class of 2013. Rachel Toter is salutatorian. Ranked third is Cathy Fletcher; fourth, Tyler Kwiatkowski, and fifth, Alex McLeod.
Lisa Darrup
Throughout her high school career, Darrup was a member of the varsity football and wrestling cheerleading teams, peer mediation, haunted high school, the yearbook, and the Interact, chemistry, science, Spanish and pep clubs. Darrup also competed in several scholastic competitions, including Odyssey of the Mind, Pennsylvania Envirothon and science Olympiad.
Darrup is a daughter of Anne and Jim Darrup, of Mount Carmel. In addition to her school-based activities, she dances at Karen Gronsky School of Dance in Danville, is an altar server at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and volunteers at the Mount Carmel Area Public Library.
Darrup will attend Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., to major in speech-language pathology.
Rachel Toter
Toter was a member of the track and field team, powder puff team, SADD, and the Interact, ski, tech ed, and Spanish clubs. She was a distinguished honors student, a member of Quill and Scroll honor society and vice president of the National Honor Society. She was also involved in a School Counts! program and a junior volunteer program with Geisinger Health System and helped to design homecoming floats. She was awarded the Rotary Club and the School Board Merit Award this year.
Rachel Toter is a daughter of Anthony and Edie Toter, of Shady Acres. She likes to spend time with her family and loves the outdoors. She plans to attend Bloomsburg University to major in nursing.
Cathy Fletcher
In high school, Fletcher was a distinguished honors student and member of SAT 1300 club, the Odyssey of the Mind, homecoming float committee, powder puff team and chemistry and Spanish clubs. She served as vice president of the senior class, student council homeroom representative, secretary of National Honor Society and president of National Athletic Honor Society.
Athletically, she earned 11 varsity letters in cross country, swimming and track and field. She was recognized as "Female Scholar Athlete" by the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pa. Sports Hall of Fame and Schuylkill County Women's Athletic Association, in addition to being named "Outstanding Female Athlete" by PIAA District 4.
Fletcher also participated in a developmental studies program, Advanced College Experience (ACE) program at Bloomsburg University, Young Scholar Program at Luzerne County Community College and University of Pittsburgh's Health Career Scholars Academy. She represented the school at a national economics challenge, WVIA scholastic scrimmage, Lycoming College math competition and Bucknell University gold exam.
Fletcher is a daughter of Michael and Susan Fletcher, of Kulpmont. Outside of school, she has served as an altar server and picnic volunteer at Holy Angels Church, Kulpmont, and collected more than 700 books in support of the Kulpmont Lending Library. She was employed at Knoebels Amusement Resort the past three seasons. She plans to attend Lehigh University in Bethlehem to major in biomedical engineering.
Tyler Kwiatkowski
Kwiatkowski was a captain of the varsity football and basketball teams, and competed in track and field. He was a member of Future Teachers of America, and the Interact and Spanish clubs. Kwiatkowski was an Elementary Merit Award winner, a 2013 Russ and Joanne Cesari Scholar Athlete, the vice president of the National Athletic Honor Society and treasurer of the National Honor Society.
Kwiatkowski is a son of Kevin and Cheryl Kwiatkowski, of Mount Carmel. He volunteers at the Relay For Life and Celebration of Special Athletes and is an altar server at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. He enjoys golf and traveling. He plans to attend Columbia University in New York, N.Y., where he plans to play football for the Columbia Lions.
Alex McLeod
McLeod's activities in high school included soccer, musicals,and symphonic, jazz and marching bands, in which she was a drum major and librarian. She was a member of student council, peer mediation, news reporting and the Interact, SADD, science, Spanish and pep clubs. She was also the secretary for the senior class and art club and vice president of chorus. She is a member of the National Honor Society and previously received the Junior High Pride Award.
McLeod is a daughter of Tony and Tracy McLeod, of Kulpmont. She enjoys music, theater and reading. Her future plans are to attend Duquesne University in Pittsburgh to major in speech-language pathology.