The Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education honored several students with awards and recognitions at its June 24 meeting, students who have achieved accomplishments in athletics and beyond.
For starters, board Vice President JoAnne Harmon stated that all the graduation ceremonies for the district’s high schools – Shawnee, Cherokee, Lenape and Seneca – were amazing.
“Congratulations to all the graduates this year,” Harmon said. “We all (the board) had the opportunity to attend them. If it’s not (COVID-19) or the threat of downpours it’s wind that we’ve never had before, so you guys did a great job pivoting and I know that it takes a village so thank you to all the principals and our villages.”
The LRHSD annually celebrates the achievements of its graduating class with the annual Transition Services Awards Ceremony. The district provides dedicated support for students aged 18 to 21 to help them transition to living and working independently in the community.
This year’s Graduate of Transition Services Spotlight went to Angelina Mascuilli, an outstanding role model and mentor for the district’s current cohort of the Project SEARCH High School Transition Program, an internship opportunity designed to transition young adults into employment within a workplace.
Following her successful completion of the program, Mascuilli secured employment with TD Bank in Mount Laurel. Once she became confident in her role and responsibilities, she eagerly stepped into a mentorship position to support other Lenape district interns, according to Amanda Cassel, director of special services for the LRHSD.
“Angelina consistently demonstrates professionalism and maturity in the workplace, setting a positive example for those around her,” Cassel noted. “She has taken the initiative to organize and lead check-in calls with other interns, creating opportunities for them to discuss their experiences, ask questions and feel supported.
“Her commitment extends beyond the interns she formerly mentored, as she remains actively engaged with and encouraging toward all members of this cohort.”
To piggyback off Harmon’s graduation comments at the meeting, Superintendent Matthew Webb noted that the LRHSD sent 1,674 students out into the world. With mixed emotions, he turned things over to student representative and Shawnee High alumna Alaina Allbaugh-Heinz for her final report.
Through her service and leadership on the board of ed, Allbaugh-Heinz has given members fresh insights into what is on the minds of students, and by sharing those perspectives, she’s made a valuable contribution to the community, Webb said. Allbaugh-Heinz has also demonstrated a commitment to advancing the education of all students without neglecting her own responsibilities.
For that, she received a proclamation of best wishes from the board of ed.
“I just want to say how grateful I am for the opportunity given to me to represent all the students of the LRHSD,” she related, “and I would also like to thank each and every board member. You guys are the reason why the LRHSD is so great.”
“You’re mature beyond your years, you’re intelligent, you have a great personality and you just have all the leadership skills, and I know you’re going to do fabulous,” Harmon told Allbaugh-Heinz.
With the spring sports season having recently wrapped up, there have been several South Jersey championships in the district, including that of the Lenape High boys tennis team, Shawnee High’s boys tennis and boys lacrosse and Cherokee High’s girls lacrosse.
There were also some state championship winners at the meeting, including the Cherokee High girls track and field 4-x-800-meter relay team, winner of the Group 4 state championship on May 30.
“There’s a reason why we like to see the students here,” explained LRHSD board member David Stow. “The relationship that we get … Your coaches, your staff, they get to see these kids every day, but we only get to meet them when they see us and talk to us …
“Thank you Matt for bringing these kids to us and letting us get to know them.”
Also announced at the meeting was the upcoming 34th annual Kiki Open Scholarship Golf Tournament at the Little Mill Country Club in Marlton on Monday, July 20. It will honor K. Kiki Konstantinos, superintendent of the LRHSD for more than 30 years. For his accomplishments, the Konstantinos Scholarship Foundation is dedicated to excellence in education with scholarship awards to outstanding students for higher education.
To date, the foundation has awarded 422 scholarships worth more than $777,000. For more information, visit www.kikiopen.org.
Shawnee High alumna and Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education student representative Alaina Allbaugh-Heinz (center) offered insights to the board at its June 24 meeting.
