Thank you Mr. Feerrar

By Lillie Pon ('24)

After 30 years of teaching, Mr. Christopher Feerarr is retiring at the end of the 2024-2024 school year. Recently Lillie Pon ('24), caught up with Mr. Feerarr and asked him a couple questions about his career and future plans.

Pon: What has Riverside meant to you?

Mr. Feerarr: Well I came to Riverside from Pleasant Valley High School and before that Queen Anne's County High School in Maryland. Both of those schools were very large with graduating classes the size of Riverside 7 through 12. Riverside has been a great way to finish my teaching career, being such a small school, it takes a lot of the stress away that comes with larger schools. My relationship with my fellow teaches and students is closer and that is what has meant the most to me.

Pon: What is your favorite memory from your time as an educator?

Mr. Feerrar: This is a tough one but I would have to say that all the times the students and I took on challenges together like building a drone, fixing sewing machines, mixer, bandsaw and lawnmowers. I enjoy problem solving with my students who are up to a challenge especially when none of us know the solution.

Pon: How did you know you wanted to retire?

Mr. Feerarr: The better question would be, "How the heck did you teach for 30 years!" I never liked school as a kid, in elementary school in Maryland, I would get caught leaving school. In Junior high and High School my parents struggled to get me to go. Then in college I decided to major in Art Education and I have been in school most of my life. I was going to retire last year when my daughter Riley graduated but I have a few students, who were Juniors at the time, who have worked hard with me since they were in 9th grade. I couldn't walk out on them, so I made a promise and I always keep my promises. But now it is time to move onto something new, my patience with younger kids is no longer there so that is how I know it is time!

Pon: What is next in life for you?

Mr. Feerarr: I plan to move back to the Lock Haven area. I left there when I was nineteen and only visit for a couple days at a time since. I plan to work full-time at something, mainly for the health benefits but also, I like to stay busy. My mother is 95 and my younger brother has carried the burden of helping her for the past 15 years and I think it is time for me to help.

The students, faculty, and administration would like to wish Mr. Feerar nothing but the best health and luck in his retirement. He will leave an unbelievable hole at Riverside, but he has earned this honor after an amazing career. We are all better off for having Mr. Feerar in our lives.

"Spikes" For One Very Special Vike

By Kylie Zabriski ('26)

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Riverside High School Hosted a “Spikes for Vikes” volleyball tournament on Saturday, April 28th. The tournament was held in order to benefit Luka Dranchak, a baby of Riverside alumni Michael Dranchak and his wife Kirstyn, to pay for medical expenses associated with Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), which is very rare genetic disorder that causes life-threatening problems with the immune system.

Participants included students, faculty, alumni, community members, and a travel softball team were able to form teams of 8-10 players. The tournament turned out to be a huge success with roughly 20 teams participating, raising approximately $2700. The event was open for spectators, and had basket raffles and concessions that also benefited the Dranchak family.

On May 2 at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Luka underwent a stem cell transplant, following chemotherapy, after matching with a donor. On June 3rd, Luka was discharged from the hospital. According to a Facebook post from Michael, Luka still has to spend some time in isolation to ensure his new immune system is protecting him, but he was able to go for his first walk.

The family is extremely grateful for all the love and support from the community.

Observatory named for Kosek

By Leah Pfeiffer ('24)

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Starting in January, Mr. Toth’s STEAM Capstone classes and the STEM Club members Brisa Castillo, Starlette Cabral, Emily Durkin, Mia Scotti, Olivia Arcaro, and Grace Lyons worked to restore and reopen the Viking Observatory.

The Viking Observatory was originally built in 1978 after being designed by Mr. John Kosek, who maintained the observatory and Astronomy Club for 30 years until his retirement in 2008. After his retirement, faculty members tried to keep up with the observatory, but over the years it fell to the wayside.

Interest in the observatory started to grow, so the Capstone and STEAM students came up with the plan to remodel the observatory. They painted it, cleaned the telescopes, put decorations up, brought in new furniture, and whiteboards/televisions for all students to interact with.

On May 17th, they held a grand reopening ceremony where they invited back and honored Mr. Kosek by naming the observatory in his honor. Riverside High School students were then welcome to take a walk through the newly furnished observatory. Mr. Toth and all participating members are excited for the coming years that the observatory will be open to the public and students, and they hope that interest will be kept up.

Ro sham....woah!

Left to Right: Adrian Escobales ('27), Caleb Sosa ('27), Tavian Branch ('26), Mr. Lazor, Chad Hoskins ('24), Bella Peters ('26), Adina Fox ('26), Nick Bohenek ('26), and Ja'Miria Black ('26)

By Jessdaly Torres ('26) and Anavi Nieves ('26)

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Riverside Key Club held a Ro Sham Bo game on Friday, May 31st for all Riverside students and staff.

The rules consisted of each individual student getting a beaded necklace. Students and staff then challenged each other to 1 versus 1 match of Rock/Paper/Scissors. Whoever won the match, also won the other player's beads. No player was allowed to reject an offer to play against them.

The students got very competitive on trying to reach 20 beads, which they needed to reach the final battle in the gymnasium. The students needed at least 10 beads to compete with a faculty member which made students more competitive and created chaos in the hallways. If the students lost their beads, they were able to buy another bead for $1. The money was used as a donation for Sophomore Isaiah Frazier, who is recovering from a medical issue. The students raised over $100 for Isaiah.

By the end of the day, there were five boys and four girls left in the game. They each competed with one another until there were two players left. The last two players in the game were Adina Fox and Nick Bohenek. The winner of the game was Nick Bohenek who won a trophy and $50 sheetz gift card.

He later competed with Mr.Lazor, and he ended up winning that match, too. Donna Murphy was the only 8th grader competing in the final game with the Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. Although the game became very competitive, many people enjoyed it and it was a fun way to end the last Friday of the 2023-2024 school year.

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