Buzz in the Halls

By: Pam Koharchik
The homecoming king and queen were announced at the homecoming game two weeks ago, where William Malsbury and Sara DeMonte took home their respective crowns. Both students are excellent representatives from the senior class.
   William, a generally quiet, reserved guy, reacted modestly to his title. His parents were probably more excited; as former AHS students themselves, this year’s homecoming marked the first time his father, a former Redbird quarterback, returned to a game. What a nice touch to have your son voted homecoming king.
   An active member in the Allentown Presbyterian Church, William is an avid rower for the Mercer Junior Rowing Club, something he may continue in college, where he hopes to major in engineering. Although he is undecided on which college he will attend, he knows it will be a local one, possibly Stevens Institute of Technology. His interest in engineering was tapped by Mr. Chuck Boyce, a teacher in the high school. His favorite high school memory was last year’s prom, to which he escorted fellow homecoming court-mate (and girlfriend) Brittany Loriquet.
   He said he has enjoyed his four years at Allentown. "I think we make the best of what we have, you know? It’s a nice school and a nice town." Something must be attractive about the area to his family, since his great-grandparents can be traced back to owning a store in Imlaystown. "I would come back and live here," he muses, regarding his plans after college.
   After the victory, he and some friends celebrated the win with a scary movie and pizza.
   Sara DeMonte is much different than William; where he is taciturn, she is ebullient. The public relations correspondent for student council, Sara is often immersed in school activities, taking a big part in spirit week, leading up to homecoming. It was through her initiative that the hallways were decorated one evening to reflect each class’s theme.
   Easily described as very outgoing, she considers friends and family as the most important aspect of her life. She, too, hopes to stay relatively local as she pursues a college degree in political science on her way to a law degree. "It would open up so many opportunities," she said, having been inspired by her time on the school mock trial team.
   She spoke a bit about the closeness of the senior class. "Most of us were together from the beginning, kindergarten through senior year. The homecoming court reflects that. All the candidates deserved to be nominated because all of them make this school what it is."
   Her favorite memories are very different from William’s, too. It involves the broken water pipe outside of Mr. Gessmann’s classroom last year that sent a shower of hot water raining over the hallway. Sarah was pretty close to it when it burst.
   She had a touching tribute to share when asked who or what was the most inspirational aspect of AHS to her. "I have to say it’s (vice principal) Mrs. Embley. She really sets a good example for all of us. You can tell that even when she disciplines, it’s because she wants you to be better because she knows you can be. … She gets a hard rap (being disciplinarian), but she is always there for all of us."
   Will the students win the triple-crown of senior year (homecoming, snow and prom king/queen)? It might be a good bet.
   Buzzing in the halls this week…The school musical has been announced: "Seussical, the Musical"! Auditions will be held the week prior to Thanksgiving, so warm up those vocal cords…The Optimist Club is looking for canned goods for holiday baskets. Bring them to Mrs. Mahrer’s classroom, Room 201…Powder Puff Football is coming on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Let’s put the question of which class is most spirited to rest in this spirit week tie-breaking game…School was not in session today, nor will it be in session tomorrow due to the NJEA Convention…Congratulations to Josh Alster, senior choice student, who placed eighth in the nation in the Sales CDE at the National FFA Convention. The contest had 40-plus teams competing with four students per team. All these teams were the best from their state.
   Pam Koharchik is a teacher at Allentown High School.