SALISBURY TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT

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. high school graduating seniors. Look for Salisbury blue on June 18! #yoursalisbury

Catching up with Salisbury graduate Mahlon Reihman What is your full name? Mahlon Reihman When did you graduate from Salisbury? 2017 I know you are attending Harvard University. Tell us about your time there. (Please talk about qualifying for the Olympic Trials and what happens/changes now that the Olympics were postponed till 2021). I will be entering my Senior year this upcoming fall, hopefully in-person. I’ve had a fantastic experience thus far. I’ve been able to meet so many bright and motivated people who inspire and motivate me to push myself. I chose to stay on campus last summer to train with Harvard’s team with hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials. I was extremely blessed to have gotten my cut in the 100 free last July. As with many other things, the Trials and Olympics were delayed to the summer of 2021 due to the pandemic. This was difficult for me because I was training to compete about 2 weeks from the time of this writing. I still plan to continue training and race early next summer. After you graduate from Harvard, what will you do next? Hard to say. I study Economics and History and have been trying to find an industry where I can marry these two interests. I want to live in New York directly out of college so have been thinking about starting at a global financial institution. What are your summer plans? My internship plans have been altered significantly since the pandemic hit. I will still be interning at Barclays as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst. However, our start date was delayed by 4 weeks and our 10-week program is now a 6-week one, so I won’t start until early July. What have you learned through this pandemic? I have certainly reflected on how much of my life I took for granted. With our society turned upside down, everything in my life changed. After being urgently evicted from school with four days notice, I have been home ever since. I haven’t been able to swim in about three months, which is longer than I have ever been out of the water since I started swimming competitively eight years ago. I’ve learned to cherish moments in your life that may seem mundane, routine, or even boring at the time, because you never know when they will be taken from you. What was your favorite high school memory? Hmmmm, this is a tough one. I think my favorite high school memory was states my senior year. I watched my best friend win for the first time and witnessed our team step up to a level I had never seen before. It was an exciting and proud time to be a Falcon. What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? Inception- by Christopher Nolan with Leonardo DiCaprio… Just watch and you’ll see. How is your family doing? We’ve been great! We have certainly had more family time these past couple months being home, probably more than I ever thought I’d have after going to college. There are silver linings in everything. Who is your role model and why? Easy- My parents. They’ve taught me how to be good in this world and how to treat others with respect and kindness. They also instilled in me a valuable work ethic that has helped me enormously in my life. #yoursalisbury

How great is the Class of 2020? Seniors wrote messages to staff on pinwheels and placed them on the front lawn of SHS. Such a touching farewell to their teachers!

Catching up with Salisbury graduate Amy Zamora What is your full name? Amy Dawn Zamora When did you graduate from Salisbury? 2014 Tell us about your life since high school. After high school I went to Haverford College, a small liberal arts college outside of Philly! There, I majored in mathematics and minored in biology and worked as a lab assistant in my professor’s lab for 3 years. During this time, I did a lot of internships at various labs in the US to gather more skills as well as better understand if and in what way I wanted to be a scientist. I also ran Division III track and field at Haverford and competed in the 400m and 800m as an individual and on relay teams. After earning my Bachelor’s I was accepted into a fellowship program at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, WA; where I’ve been able to mix my math and biology backgrounds to perform academic research in infectious disease. This is where I am currently! Since moving to Seattle, I’ve also picked up a love for the outdoors, and have been actively hiking, trail running, and mountaineering for the past 2 years. I’ve even run 2 ultra-marathons since finishing DIII track (50Ks). Through this, I’ve gotten involved in outreach programs for folks who want to get outside, but may not have the means to do so. How has the pandemic impacted you and what have you learned from it? As an essential worker, the pandemic has really taught me how to adjust my life when necessary. Although it took a significant toll on many people’s lives and jobs, I learned to think of it as a roadblock. I’ve seen many roadblocks in my life, and none so far have been impassable, so I took this as a chance to figure out a way to support myself in a difficult time as well as reduce my impact on others while still continuing to work. I did this by adjusting my project through its completion, finding ways to avoid taking the bus, and working from home whenever possible. I applied the same mindset to my regular life. No change was permanent or too terrible to consider, so after the first few weeks of quarantine, I set out to find new ways to interact with my friends and continue doing the things that I love. So I guess I’ve mostly learned how to adjust and approach roadblocks like the pandemic in a mindful way. What are your summer plans? I finish my fellowship as of July and am hoping to continue hiking and climbing mountains before I leave for graduate school in the fall. I’ll be attending Harvard University to get my PhD in Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology. Summer in Seattle is amazing, and I’m really wishful that the pandemic continues to slow down so I can have one last adventure summer before I leave for a while. What was your favorite high school memory? I can’t necessarily pinpoint just one, but my time with the soccer team was definitely memorable. I don’t think I ever realized what a good community of supportive people the Salisbury Soccer family was until I was gone. They defined most of my high school experience and made me really happy while I was there. What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? My favorite movie is Back to the Future (Part I), primarily because I love Marty McFly as a character who is extraordinarily dedicated to the people he loves (even when he’s the one causing turmoil). The soundtrack is also incredible. How is your family doing? My family is doing well! My brother is currently at Moravian College studying music and environmental science. My mom is still working and has just moved to a new home. If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would you choose and why? I would love to meet Killian Jornet, a famous ultra marathon runner and ski mountaineer from Spain who does the craziest and coolest adventures (including skiing down part of Mount Everest twice). He is the epitome of insane adventure running, and also takes the time to be responsible for the influence he has on young people like me who idolize what he does. Although he has a lot of fun and does cool things, he recognizes the risks involved and is truly mindful of the power position he holds. I think he would be fascinating to have a conversation with and I’d love to pick his brain about the things he does, why he does them, and how he got to where he is today. Who is your role model and why? I would really love to meet Pardis Sabeti (who I may get to work with at Harvard!!). She is one of the first responding scientists to both the ebola and coronavirus outbreak and has done amazing work to combat both diseases. Also, as an Iranian woman in science, she’s had to overcome so many obstacles to getting to her position, and I truly admire her for that. In fact, I aspire to do that as well. She’s a brilliant scientist and humanitarian who accomplishes the most incredible things. #yoursalisbury

More goodbye's at WSE yesterday. Thank you so much to our families and PTA for all of their support!!!!

Here we have some goodbye's during the WSE luncheon yesterday.

WSE Staff thanks the WSE PTA for all of their support. They have been beside us during some very difficult times. We appreciate everything they have done for the school and would like to acknowledge their dedication and love for Western. On our last day, the PTA surprised us with a delicious breakfast in addition to a yummy lunch! During our outdoor luncheon we had the chance to say "have a great summer" to students and parents during our drive by good bye. Thank you all so much!!!

Special Thank you to Mrs O'Dor and Mrs. Helfrich. Enjoy your well deserved retirement!

Thank you to everyone who came to the drive by good bye! It was great seeing all of you! Have a safe and healthy summer!!!

SMS staff would like to wish Mr. Allinson, Mrs. Cihylik, and Mrs. Brady a happy retirement! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to Salisbury over the years! Enjoy your retirement!

SHS parents & students: The School Counseling Office has posted end-of-year Report Cards to the Sapphire Community Portal. To review your end-of-year grades, check your community portal account.

On Monday June 8th from 1 to 2PM The staff at HST would like to invite you to a Drive by Goodbye! The staff will be located along the front walkway at HST. Follow the bus lane. Enter at the top and exit at the bottom. Please keep the line moving.

Spanish 5’s last activity as a class. Most are seniors, we wish them the very best in their future! 🎓🤍

Catching up with Salisbury graduate Kendall Turk What is your full name? Kendall Nicole Turk When did you graduate from Salisbury? 2007 Tell us about your life since high school. Life has been extremely busy! I had my first son Ezekiel in 2009 who was born with cystic fibrosis. Learning how to manage his health condition was a journey but it helped me grow as a mother. Had my second son Elijah in 2011 and then my last baby in 2018. In 2014 I started coaching volleyball for a club in King of Prussia called Synergy, which I still manage the website, emails, and oversee a lot of decisions. In 2016 I became the head varsity volleyball coach at Saucon Valley High School where I still coach. After being out of school for some time I decided it was time to go back. I took all my necessary courses at Northampton Community College and then transferred to DeSales University. I am so happy to say that I will be graduating with my Bachelor degree in business in May 2021. It has taken me awhile to finish but with three boys I have had to take my time in how many classes I take. I am engaged to my best friend and the love of my life and hope to be married next year. How has the pandemic impacted you and what have you learned from it? The pandemic has taught me that we should never take the small things for granted. However, one amazing thing it did was have my family and me outside all the time, riding bikes around the neighborhood, long walks, and long days outside. What are your summer plans? I am planning to just enjoy the summer with family and friends. I want to swim a lot, hoping to go to the beach, and have lots of cookouts. What was your favorite high school memory? My favorite memory would definitely have been our field day! Our senior class had one of the best!!! We had a rock wall, food vendors, obstacle courses. It was awesome! What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? My favorite TV show is Grey’s Anatomy, I have always enjoyed watching medical shows! How is your family doing? My family is doing great! We are so blessed to have my grandmother who celebrated her 93rd birthday this April and is in amazing health! You’d think she was in her 70s. My mom and brother are doing amazing! My brother is getting married in a few months to his amazing high school sweetheart who we all love!!!! My boys are happy to be done with school and excited to get back to see their friends. My amazing fiancé and mom were both essential workers during this pandemic. So we are all doing great! If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would you choose and why? If I could meet anyone it would have been Obama, reason being to just pick his brain on so many questions I have about politics, business, and the world as we know it. Who is your role model and why? My mom has always been my role model. She is one of the hardest working, most passionate people I know. She has overcome so much in life and the things she has been put through just goes to show how strong she really is. #yoursalisbury

On Monday June 8th from 1 to 2PM The staff at HST would like to invite you to a Drive by Goodbye! The staff will be located along the front walkway at HST. Follow the bus lane. Enter at the top and exit at the bottom. Please keep the line moving.

Mr. Wetherhold and Mr. Aungst braved yesterday’s torrential downpour to help students / parents during laptop collection. Stay dry, gentlemen!

Such an awesome, supportive message greeted our teachers / staff on the first day of laptop collection. We love and appreciate you, Falcons!

Mrs Schey had a surprise parade from her kindergarten students. She LOVED every second!

This is Leo C from Mrs. Attar's class dropping off his tablet. Leo has missed school so much the past couple of months." A huge thank you to Mr. Brem for being at the pick up area; Leo was so happy to see him. We spent a lot of the day going through all the classroom items we picked up. The huge smile on his face while going through his items made everything almost feel normal. Thank you to all the teachers and staff for all you do and thank you for making such a positive and loving impact on our kids!"

Catching up with Salisbury graduate Rob Ford What is your full name? Robert Anthony Ford, Jr When did you graduate from Salisbury? 1981 Tell us about your life since high school. I graduated from LaSalle University in 1985 with a Computer Science Degree. I roomed with Robert Bauer (also from Salisbury H.S) for all four years. I worked in computer sales for a few years before moving to California in the fall of 1987. I worked in sales for a few packaging companies in both Southern and Northern California. In San Francisco, I worked as the VP of Sales for Unisource Packaging until March of 2000. At that time, I left to become a Partner/President of a 20 employee insurance company, Ames Grenz Insurance, in Sacramento, CA. I am still with Ames Grenz Insurance and just celebrated my 20th year. I have been married for nearly 29 years to my beautiful wife Dana. Dana is a high school tennis coach as well as being a great stay at home mom. We have three daughters. Sydney, 24 graduated University of Delaware last spring and is working in San Francisco for Levi Strauss in their corporate office. Our middle daughter, Meredith, just finished her Junior year at Sonoma State. Our youngest, Molly, just finished her junior year at high school in Sacramento. I played basketball up until this past year because of some lingering knee problems. I also play golf and I like to bike. Sacramento has great year round weather to do many outdoor activities. I also have chaired some local charities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento and the Sheriff’s Community Impact Program. I also have coached many years of girls sports including soccer and basketball. I did get a chance to vacation shortly this past March with close friends Dave Deeb and Bud Peiffer and his wife Geri in Florida to watch some college baseball. Bud’s son plays for Widener University. How has the pandemic impacted you and what have you learned from it? Our business is significantly down this year because of COVID. Many of our clients had to lay off or furlough their employees. This directly affects our income. My company has been able to keep all of our employees. One employee left because of some medical issues and we did not replace her, but all others are with us. We are hoping to continue to push forward and have the best year we can with hopefully some business growth in the second half of the year. Many companies in Northern California are suffering because of the closures and we hope they will survive. What are your summer plans? The only thing we are planning on doing is a trip back east with our youngest daughter to see some colleges. She wants to look at schools in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. We are also hoping to see my mom and sister in Allentown and my sister in Delaware. I also hope to catch up with some high school and college friends while I am on the east coast. We will also probably spend some time in Lake Tahoe. What was your favorite high school memory? I really enjoyed playing basketball my junior and senior year. I was only at Salisbury for 2 years, but I really value the friendships I made there. I did not have a track team at Allentown Central Catholic, so I only had a short one season on track at Salisbury. It was a funny story. Our two high jumpers were injured and I was recruited for the last few meets of the season. My good friend, Denise McAloose (and Senior Prom date and Prom Queen) taught me how to high jump. We spent a few afternoons learning the technique. She was a great teacher. The following week, I took 3rd in a regional event and 1st in the only track meet I could participate in. I qualified for districts and took second place. Jim McDonnell and Bob Meely made me run the 400 and the 1600 relay so I could letter (I took 3rd in individual and 1st in the relay because of their speed). That was my only track season, short but fun! What is your favorite movie or TV show and why? My favorite movie is Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood. I am not exactly sure why but there is something about an aging Clint, a “bad guy” in this movie. Supposedly a murder. He puts his life on the line to stand up for a town and especially some of their women. It is about injustice and his courage. I can watch it over and over again. How is your family doing? My family is great. We have a blessed life in Sacramento with family and friends. My sisters and brothers are scattered all over the US. Christine is still in Allentown, near my mom. Bill and Colleen are in Texas (Austin area). Charmaine is in Delaware near the beach. Jeff is in Roanoke, Virginia. Leslie is in the Seattle area. Unfortunately my dad passed away a few years back. It is hard to get everyone together, but there have been a few occasions in the past years. It is great to see them and all of their children! If you could meet anyone (alive or dead), who would you choose and why? I would love to meet Steven King! I have read everything that he writes. I wonder what goes on in his head to come up with the things he writes. I did get to meet my basketball hero, Julius Erving, at the Basketball Hall of Fame with my dad. He was awesome. We spoke for about 15 minutes at an induction ceremony. He could not have been more accommodating and gave me plenty of time. Who is your role model and why? My dad, Bob Ford. He worked his whole career for Black and Decker. He was very successful in business and in life. He had many friends and family and loved life! He lost his first wife when I was very young. She died suddenly and he was left with four young children. He and my grandmother raised us until he remarried my mom, Mary Elaine. He took on the responsibility of raising and taking care of seven children. Both he and my mom never complained they just made a great life for us. One of my regrets is that he and I did not have enough time together. I would have loved to play some more golf with him before he was unable. He was a wonderful man! #yoursalisbury