SALISBURY TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT

Catching up with Salisbury graduate McKenna Bast What is your full name? McKenna Flannigan Bast When did you graduate from Salisbury? 2011 Tell us about your life since high school. It’s been busy! Completed my B.A at Muhlenberg College in 2015 and went on for my M.S. in School Counseling/LPC at Kutztown University. After finishing my master’s in 2018 I began working in the Student Assistance Program in the Lehigh County school districts. I am now working as a clinician in a school-based outpatient program to obtain hours for my professional counseling licensure. Last year I bought a house and traveled the country for a few weeks, living out of my SUV. Both experiences have led to so much personal growth. What are your summer plans? I had plans to complete the Half Dome Hike in Yosemite National Park. However, I think this will end up being rescheduled to next year. I have a few house projects I’m looking to complete so hopefully I can knock a few of those out this summer! What have you learned through this pandemic? I could write a book on this topic, especially from working in mental health and the school districts. Personally though, I’ve learned to appreciate the small things. It’s easy to focus on all that we couldn't do during this time but I’ve tried to flip it to realize that now I have the opportunity to focus on activities I wouldn't ordinarily have the time for or prioritize. What was your favorite high school memory? Sports. I loved my time playing for Salisbury. We had phenomenal coaches and players. I’ve played for a few teams since but nothing has ever compared to the bond we all had at Salisbury. What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? It’s so hard to choose just one! Jurassic Park has always been an old favorite of mine, I love dinosaurs and the score of that movie is beautiful. I also love the Marvel/Avengers movies. I remember going to see Iron Man in 2008 and have watched every movie since. They have a strong message, character development and great humor. How is your family doing? They’re doing well! I swear they don’t age. My Dad has been retired from the district for a while now and helps me all the time in redoing things in our house. My Mom is looking forward to her retirement as well; she loves to travel and will definitely use her free time to see the world. If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would you choose and why? Steve Irwin. He was always my favorite growing up and sparked my passion for conservation, adventure, and appreciation for animals. He loved every living creature and had such a pure heart. I love watching his kids carry on his legacy and mission. Who is your role model and why? My parents, 100%. They worked incredibly hard all their life to be able to support me in everything I did. They taught me perseverance, resilience, and always fostered creativity, academics, athletics, etc. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish the things I have without their help and guidance. #yoursalisbury

Jacob S. Congratulations on earning a Falcon Proud Slip!

The Rizvi family enjoyed a fun filled last day of school celebration... usually, if the kids were in school the last day of there school year will be filed with fun activities..... being homeschool they wanted to make the day memorable too. So they celebrated the last day of school with a picnic and fishing.... the kids loved it.

Reagan enjoying a beautiful day for a picnic!

Liam D. in Mrs. Reinhard's 1st grade class had a great field day! Here are some pics from our activities including make it take it and an obstacle course.

Picnic picture of 5th gr. Mason M. It looks like it was a beautiful day for a picnic!

WSE has another read-a-loud for you. Mrs. DeOliveira reading "Miss Nelson Has a Field Day" by Harry Allard and James Marshall: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwHNgcbHHrmhnqLJvzqWDfhgmXw?projector=1

Congratulations to KRISTY WIED'S CLASSROOM for being adopted by M.H. and receiving $95 toward her flexible seating project!! Wonderful news!! #adoptaclassroom.org

Catching up with Salisbury graduate Kory Reinsmith What is your full name? Kory Alan Reinsmith When did you graduate from Salisbury? 2002 Tell us about your life since high school. I’ll try and keep it to the cliff notes. I moved to Charlotte, NC after graduating from James Madison and have been here ever since. I’ve held numerous jobs including working for the Charlotte Hornets and TPC Golf Network early in my career. The past eight years, however, have been focused within the financial services industry at several large banks. I’m currently working in Data Analytics & Intelligence at Wells Fargo. I travel as much as possible whether through work or leisure. I really enjoy getting lost in different places, learning about cultures, and quenching my passion for 35mm film photography. How has the pandemic impacted you and what have you learned from it? There are several takeaways that I’ve personally felt and think we should all be cognizant of including being patient, grateful, and better to one another and our planet. We are all connected more closely than ever before. On the macro scale, globalization can sometimes negatively impact economies. In times of extreme challenge we as humans working together are capable of adapting and advancing society through innovation and science. Within chaos there is always opportunity. What are your summer plans? I’m continuing to recover from ALIF or spinal fusion aka the ‘Tiger Woods’ surgery earlier this year so my plans include getting back on the golf course and hoping to begin traveling again once things return to a more stable and healthy environment here and abroad. I’ll spend my free time at Lake Norman with friends and family or down in Charleston and Atlanta. What was your favorite high school memory? It’s tough to pick just one - representing the Falcons in whichever sporting event I had at the time were always my fondest moments. What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? Candidly I’m not a big TV or movie guy but I do enjoy several netflix shows like Narcos and Ozark. I find the political aspects and history of countries as well as criminal organization dynamics very interesting. How is your family doing? Family is good. Siblings are a bit spread out but my parents are in the area so it’s nice to have them close by. If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would you choose and why? My grandfather - he was a true inspiration. His positive attitude and witty humor came through his life experiences including his time served in the US Navy and being a great family man. Only now through my own life experiences can I fully understand and often think about being able to share that with him. Who is your role model and why? While extraordinarily brilliant, Stephen Hawking had a lot of unique challenges in his life. His body fought ALS but it could never slow his mind. He also had an innate ability to simplify extremely complex ideas which is something that I’ve found to be very important from a business sense in my professional life. His perseverance, curiosity of the unknown, and hunger for knowledge are traits I admire the most. #yoursalisbury

WFMZ shout out to Salisbury senior Shane Artis! https://www.wfmz.com/sports/senior-spotlight-salisburys-artis/article_61bf3a6c-a47a-11ea-8ed5-5f08ec2d63f5.html #yoursalisbury

Salisbury swimming had its end-of-season zoom party Monday afternoon! Great to see you Falcons! 🏊‍♀️ 🏊‍♂️ #yoursalisbury

WSE Leadership Gathering Pictures - Students Carly and Weston watch the last leadership gathering for the year.

Last day of school for WSE students Logan, Payton and Makenna! Have a great summer, kids!

WSE students Payton, Logan and Makenna watching their last gathering for Western.

WSE AMERICAN HERO WAX MUSEUM PICTURES! Here are a few more pictures from Mr. Somishka's class.

WSE GIFTED SHOWCASE - ONE LAST SHOWCASE!! Please use this link to view the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cKLhpnDozmSLlsNkVQg7hgU2VNE3aEDt/view?usp=sharing

The Downtown Allentown business community – led by PPL Corporation and City Center Investment Corp.– will be lighting Allentown’s skyline in school colors nearly every day in June to honor L.V. HS graduating seniors. Look for Salisbury blue on June 18! #yoursalisbury

Catching up with Salisbury graduate Beth Fritzinger What is your full name? Beth Anne Fritzinger When did you graduate from Salisbury? 2011 (Wow, I can’t believe it’s been almost 10 years!) Tell us about your life since high school. I attended Syracuse University to pursue a degree in public relations, which quickly morphed into graphic design. I worked for the university’s independent student-run newspaper, The Daily Orange—this experience, coupled with my time spent as a student employee in the Office of Marketing and Communications changed the trajectory of my career. After graduation, I became a full-time employee at SU in a digital content strategy role and worked on the team that launched the brand new (at the time) Syracuse.edu website. There was A LOT of learning on the job! A little more than a year ago, I moved back to the Lehigh Valley where I accepted a role as the Content Marketing Manager at Moravian College. Go Hounds! I write content for admissions marketing materials, email campaigns, the website, and more. The best part? I get to bring my dog, Emmett, to work with me every day, so it’s basically a dream come true. I hope to see some Salisbury graduates on campus this fall! How has the pandemic impacted you and what have you learned from it? Luckily, I’m able to work from home and stay connected with my teammates over Zoom, but it has been quite a transition. I always thought I would enjoy working remotely, but the lack of social connection and the presence of home distractions is ultimately not my desired work style. On the plus side, I’m getting to spend a lot of quality time with my pets—two cats and two dogs—and my mom. I’ve learned that everyone needs to spend a lot more time washing their hands! What are your summer plans? Originally, I had planned to visit Switzerland with my best friend from high school (shout out to Julie Creveling!), but that trip was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic. Instead, I’m planning to embrace the outdoors. I recently bought a movie projector and screen so we can have outdoor movie nights and I’m hoping to spend a lot of time on my kayak with my pup. What was your favorite high school memory? What makes this question great, but also tough, is that there are so many good memories to choose from! I loved planning prom during my senior year, hosting the Mr. Salisbury Pageant, participating in the plays and musicals, spending time in the library with Ms. H, working on the IP project, traveling to the British Isles with Ms. Brinson...the list goes on and on. Speaking at graduation was especially memorable; I still have a copy of my speech floating around somewhere. That was a great culmination of my time in high school. Ultimately though, I think my fondest memories are of the teachers—I look back on so many lessons, classes, and experiences with a smile on my face because of them. What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? Brooklyn 99 is my favorite TV show at the moment. I could watch it over and over again and still laugh at every episode! How is your family doing? Great! My brother recently finished school and now lives and works in Philadelphia. Based on how often he comes home, I’d say he really likes it there! I currently live with my mom—she’s a great roommate, dog grandma, and travel partner. If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would you choose and why? I would love to meet Michelle McNamara, true crime writer and author of I’ll Be Gone In the Dark. Michelle unexpectedly passed away before she could finish her book, but her husband Patton Oswalt and her team finished the book. I’ve read the book maybe three or four times already—it’s about Michelle’s obsessive search for the Golden State Killer, a serial killer active in California in the ’70s and ’80s. What’s crazy is, the case was unsolved until 2018. GSK was caught just a few days after I finished reading the book. It was unreal and all thanks to Michelle’s persistence and advances in DNA technology. I would love to pick her brain about her writing and research process and hear her reaction to the case finally being solved. Who is your role model and why? I’m not sure I have just one, but for the sake of this profile, I’ll say my old neighbor Charlotte Mann is my role model. Charlotte recently passed away; she was 98 years old. She had hoped to live to 100 and if it weren’t for cancer, I know she would have. Charlotte was one of the most active, selfless, and adventurous people I ever knew. She truly exemplified “living life to the fullest.” I can only hope to leave a legacy as great as hers. #yoursalisbury

Congratulations on earning a Falcon Proud Slip!

Catching up with Salisbury graduate Chris Roth What is your full name? Christopher Roth When did you graduate from Salisbury? 1983 Tell us about your life since high school. Upon graduation for Salisbury in 1983, I attended Lehigh University and graduated in 1987 with a B.S. Finance degree. Initially I began working in the finance/banking industry but quickly moved into Information Technology (IT). Over the last 30+ years I have been working in various roles with IT in providing consulting, sales and management. I have done plenty of travel but have lived all but two years in the Lehigh Valley (the last 20 years in Bethlehem). I have been married to my amazing wife (Anne) for almost 30 years (anniversary in Feb 2021) and have two children (Emily & Paul) that completely fulfilled my life. I enjoy working and plan to work another 10+ years before retiring. How has the pandemic impacted you and what have you learned from it? The pandemic’s impact on our family has truly created a challenge in seeing my parents and father-in-law and has limited our interaction to daily phone calls. It has also created some anxiety in having my daughter working as a nurse at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. Overall our family and friends remain healthy and safe during these unusual times and we continue to pray daily for those in need and all of our front-line folks providing the care and services to us. What are your summer plans? Our summer plans were primarily centered around a family wedding in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in July that has been cancelled due to the pandemic. We will just need to wait another year to celebrate the event. What was your favorite high school memory? There are just too many to list. Most of all the everlasting memories of so many of my high school friends and the staff, faculty and coaches that made Salisbury such a special place for me. What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? Seinfeld. There are so many scenes of their everyday life in NYC that have related to many funny aspects of all our lives. How is your family doing? My family is healthy and safe at this time. Brothers - Mike in Raleigh, NC, Tim in Center Valley, PA (kids will be going to Southern Lehigh!), Doug in Allentown, parents in the same house in Allentown, daughter (Emily) in Seattle and son (Paul) living at home working for an insurance company in NJ. If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would you choose and why? My grandfather - Paul Esser (Dieruff High School teacher and athletic director) who passed away when I was in my teens. I have so many life experiences that I need to talk to him about for his guidance and advice. Who is your role model and why? This is a tie - my parents - Ed & Sally who have and continue to be the most loving & giving people I have ever met. #yoursalisbury