Minersville Area
A group of students enrolled in German classes at Minersville Area HIgh School, together with parents and teachers, embarked on a tour of southern Germany and Austria on July 18.
The group spent two nights in Salzburg, Austria, two nights in Garmish-Partenkirchen, Bavaria and three nights in Munich, the capital state of Bavaria.
In Salzburg, the group toured Mirabell Gardens, viewed "The Sound of Music" churchyard, rode on the Hohensalzburg Funicular to visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress and went into the Hallein Salt Mines. The mine venture included a boat ride on an underground lake. Many group members also visited Mozart's birth house and museum.
From Garmish-Partenkirchen, the group crossed Chiemsee (a lake) by ferry to visit Herrenchiemsee Palace, Ludwig's most extravagant of his three castles. They also traveled by cable car to the top of the Zugspitze, the highest mountain of the German Alps.
As they made their way to Munich, the group went on guided tours of Ludwig's remaining castles, including Neuschwanstein - which Walt Disney copied for Disneyland - and Linderhof. In Munich, they visited Nymphenberg Palace and enjoyed walking tours of the city center in markets. They spent time in Olympic Village, where they had the opportunity to either ascend the Olympic Tower or to use the nearby Olympic facilities, which include an indoor pool and ice-skating rink.
From Munich, the group traveled to Dachau, a former concentration camp that is now a memorial site with a museum. They spent an afternoon in the walled city of Rothenburg, with its cobblestone streets, museums and other authentic reminders of the Middle Ages.
After dinner in Rothenburg, they went back to Munich for their last night in Europe and prepared to return to Minersville.
Nativity
Kristopher Lee Maurer, a junior at Nativity BVM High School, will attend the inaugural Marine Corps Recruiting Command Summer Leadership and Character Development Academy at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. The program runs Tuesday through SatAug. 6-11.
The SLCDA is a strategic initiative designed to attract the nation's top-performing high school students by offering a one-week leadership program in the Washington, D.C., area. The academy will provide leadership training, character development, ethics lessons and college admissions guidance. It will also educate high school leaders about Marine Corps officer programs by participating in classroom academics, physical fitness training, a field exercise, a community service component in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, and a field trip to our nation's capital.
Kristopher is a son of Anthony and Kristi Maurer, Schuylkill Haven.
Bendle scholarships
Seven high school seniors from Trinity Lutheran Church, Pottsville, received scholarships through the Rev. Phillip S. Bendle III Scholarship Fund.
The students receiving awards are Kaitlyn Torpey, Zachary Jefferson, Kathryn "Kate" Wolfe, Wesley Pryce and Morgan Rismiller, all graduates of Pottsville Area High School; Angela Grube, a graduate of Blue Mountain Area High School; and Johnna Cappel, a graduate of North Schuylkill Area High School.
The scholarship fund was created in September 2003 by Bendle's wife, Susan. It is named in memory of Bendle, who was a long-term pastor at Trinity, a member of the Pottsville Area School District Board of Directors and a dedicated advocate for youth and education in Pottsville and Schuylkill County.
The scholarship seeks to promote Bendle's long-held belief that education is key to the future of our youth by providing grants to eligible students to further their education. Since the scholarship's inception, 47 youth have received awards totaling $63,000.
McCann
Tiffany Grant, an accounting major at McCann School of Business & Technology, was selected as the Spirit of McCann award winner for the spring term.
The award is presented to a student who exemplifies school pride, compassion, a positive attitude, exemplary attendance and academic perseverance.
Tiffany is graduating this month with an associate degree in accounting and plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in accounting. She hopes to become a certified public accountant.
Tiffany lives in Tamaqua with her parents, Keith and Anna Grant.