At the end of each school year, the principals and teachers from the three Middletown Area School District (MASD) elementary schools and from Middletown Area Middle School honor one female and one male student from their highest grade level as Outstanding Students of the Year. Students are selected for this honor based on their academic achievements and exemplary character. The MASD school board recognized the students at the board meeting on May 28 at 7 p.m. in the Middletown Area High School auditorium.
At Lyall J. Fink Elementary School, the honorees are Haley Adams and Connor Murphy.
Haley is the daughter of AJ Adams and Jessica Wheeler. Her favorite subjects are math and social studies, and she has been a member of the Continental Math League, Word Masters Challenge, and elementary chorus. She has been in two Readers Theater Shows and had her art displayed at the MASD Art Exhibit. Haley is also skilled in coding. Outside of school, she has played for Olmsted soccer since kindergarten and was recently selected for the Elite Soccer Academy Team. Haley is a member of the Middletown Dolphins Swim Team and participates in multiple clubs with a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) focus.
Connor is the son of Jason and Heather Murphy and has been a student at Fink since kindergarten. His favorite thing about school is math, and he is a part of the Continental Math League. He also enjoys social studies and specials like gym, music, and art. He participated in the Word Masters Challenge. Outside of school, he plays baseball and basketball and takes swim lessons at Penn State Harrisburg.
The honorees at John C. Kunkel Elementary School are Gabrielle Harvey and Tyson Snyder.
Gabrielle is the daughter of Eric and Rebecca Harvey and has been a student at Kunkel since kindergarten. Her favorite school subjects are math and reading. She is in the gifted program, Math 24 competition, Word Masters Challenge, and Continental Math League. Gabby also plays the clarinet, drums, and xylophone, and she helps the first-year band students prepare for the spring concert. Gabby is a goalie for the Olmsted Angels soccer team and was recently accepted to play for the Elite Soccer Academy team.
Tyson is the son of Justin and Ashlee Snyder. In school, Tyson excels at math and enjoys conducting experiments in science class. He plays the baritone in band and was in Word Masters Challenge and Continental Math League. He also helped with the morning announcements at Kunkel. Outside of school, he plays on a travel basketball team, a travel soccer team, and both recreational and travel baseball.
The honorees at Robert G. Reid Elementary School are Na'sayah Wright and Strummer Woodworth.
Na'sayah, the daughter of Quortnee Noon, entered Reid as a fourth-grader. Na'Sayah said her favorite thing about school has been her fifth-grade teacher, Laura Ribec, because she makes learning easy and cares about her students. In school, Na'sayah enjoys art, reading, and writing. She has been in chorus for two years, was selected for the African drumming group, and writes songs to perform for her family. Outside of school, Na'Sayah plays recreational basketball, enjoys cooking and riding her bike, and participates in activities at local libraries.
Strummer, the son of Mike and Katie Woodworth, has been at Reid since first grade. He enjoys science, math, reading, and drawing. He is part of the gifted education program and has been involved in band, Xcel2fitness, Continental Math League, Word Masters Challenge, Math 24, and Gifted Challenge Day. Strummer was one of the winners of this year's American Legion Essay Contest. As a second-grader, he was chosen as a student aide for the autism support class at Reid. He has also volunteered with RaiderPacks alongside his dad. Strummer plays for Olmsted soccer and is in the Dauphin County Nerf Club and Communities that Care Youth Corps.
Katie Yoder and Jaron Imler were recognized at Middletown Area Middle School (MAMS).
Katie is the daughter of Paul and Amy Yoder. Katie has been involved in band, chorus, Pennsylvania Young Readers, Word Masters, and MathCounts, of which she was the team captain this year. Katie has been in the middle school musical all three years and played the lead role this past year. Additionally, she is the treasurer of National Junior Honor Society; placed first in the "Write It, Do It" event at the Science Olympiad this year; and has completed disc jockey training for WMSS, where she has a shift every Wednesday. She also played softball for two years. Outside of school, Katie earned third place in the Middletown Community Art Show and helps with her brother's Scout troop. She said her most influential teachers have been Mark Mohar and Alison Chambers at MAMS and Mackenzie D'amour at Kunkel.
Jaron is the son of Mark and Stacey Imler. Jaron has been listed on the distinguished honor roll every marking period for all three years of middle school and has been a member of the National Junior Honor Society and a Peer Helper for all three years. He is in Student Council and was elected president this year. A two-year member of the Quiz Bowl team, Jaron was on the 2019 Quiz Bowl Championship team this year. He played saxophone in the band during sixth and seventh grades. He runs cross-country and plays soccer for both the middle school team and Penn FC. Jaron volunteers at his church and serves as a referee for soccer. He said the teachers who influenced him the most during his years at MAMS are Chris Etter, Matt Kleinfelter, and Alison Chambers.
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