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A Matter of (our) Principal

By Kathryn O'Hora ('26)

While recognizing student achievements, we cannot forget to acknowledge the incredible success of others in the school, including our very own vice principal, Mr. Vito Quaglia.

Mr. Quaglia’s podcast, "A Matter of Principal", is a 4.8-star rated podcast that features “lessons learned from over thirty years of being in education, guest interviews, and stories about school, sports, and leadership.” Mr. Quaglia has had this podcast since this past June and has published nearly 35 episodes.

He says that the cool thing about the podcast is the “similarities that people have from different walks of life.” Mr. Quaglia loves hearing about their stories and journeys because they give him insight into becoming a better principal. He says, “Hearing that so many people rely on relationships makes me a better principal because I’ve learned that life isn’t just about what you know, but how you react with the people around you.”

Mr. Quaglia began with specific episodes like “Music Mondays” and “Football Fridays” and has grown his platform impressively. He loves what he does and plans to continue for a long time.

Mr. Quaglia is an incredible role model and his achievements are inspiring to all. He encourages students daily and changes the way they view their future by allowing them to believe in their dreams. He is accomplishing something great and is a constant example that everyone has the ability to do something great and pursue their dreams.

"A Matter of Principal" podcast can be found podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Veterans and their families enjoying the breakfast served by the National Honor Society on November 11th at the Riverside High School.

NHS hosts Veteran’s Breakfast

By Adrianna Hoover ('26)

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On November 11th, 2024, Riverside's National Honor Society held the annual Veteran’s Breakfast. Veterans from all over the community, including members of the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center and family members of Riverside students, came to the Riverside High School to enjoy their free breakfast as a thank you for their bravery and sacrifices.

Mrs. Stephanie McManus, the National Honor Society faculty advisor, confirmed that she began hosting the breakfast in 2017 in honor of her father who served in the Marines during the Vietnam War. As an annual tradition, Mrs. McManus and her family would go to breakfast to honor him. She said, “I always wanted to do something more, not only for him but for all of the Veterans in our community.” She presented her idea of a Veteran’s Breakfast to the Riverside administration and they loved it.

She believes this event has impacted the community, stating, “Each year it has been a huge success. The community has been very supportive as we have been able to reach out to many groups including Taylor and Moosic American Legion, Gino Merli Center, St Francis Commons.”

Mrs. McManus is proud of how much positive feedback the breakfast has gotten from the community year after year. This event is near and dear to her heart as well as the hearts of many students here at Riverside.

Wheeler wins Poetry Out Loud!

By Staff

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On November 26th, the Riverside Drama Club held its annual Poetry Out Loud competition. In front of a standing room only crowd in the Davis Auditorium, freshman Christian Wheeler fended off seniors Ava Sesso, 2nd place, and Emma Szajkowski, 3rd place, to capture the poetry crown.

With his win, Wheeler represented Riverside at the local competition held at WVIA recently. While he will not move on to the state level competition, he will have an opportunity to defend his victory next year.

Juniors win hall decorating, while Freshman learn the ropes

By Kate Reynolds ('28) and Frankie Wincovitch ('28)

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Hall decorating is a tradition that takes place at Riverside every year. It is typically scheduled around Homecoming; however, preparations for the event take place long before the public is invited to view the hall on a Thursday evening (October 17th, this year). The hall decorating theme for 2024 was “cartoons”. Each grade level, led by their class representatives, came up with a well-known cartoon and represented it throughout their designated hallway. Most people don’t release the work that is put in to create these scenes in the halls.

This year the freshman, led by Mrs. Christina McDermott, chose the adventure cartoon “Dora the Explorer,” known for its mix of Spanish and English language. Class of 2028 President Kate Reynolds admitted, “I wasn’t really sure what to expect out of hall decorating. I have only seen it when I was younger walking through the halls.” Reynolds added, “It was tough for us a while because for as much help as we had we still didn’t know if we could fill the hall completely.” The Freshman finished in fourth place.

The Sophomores, Class of 2027, chose the 1970's mystery cartoon “Scooby Doo”. The Sophomore class is advised by Mr. Jamie Trescavage and their president is Grace Sochovka.

The Juniors, Class of 2026, chose a bit more unique theme with the 1960's classic cartoon, "The Flintstones." the first American cartoon to be aired in a prime-time television slot. The Junior class advisors are Mrs. Chris Janesko and Mrs. Suzi Taylor and their president is Micheal Connor.

The Seniors, Class of 2025, chose the most widely known, modern cartoon--"SpongeBob SquarePants" which was recently announced as the Riverside Drama Club's spring musical. The Sunior class advisors are Mrs. Stephanie McManus and Ms. Morgan Mickavicz and their president is Ava Sesso.

After the judging took place, the Junior class took home first place, followed by the Seniors, Sophomores, and aforementioned Freshman.

You can watch the halls transition here.

Viking Golf hits an "eagle"

By Kylie Zabriski ('26)

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The Riverside Girls and Boys Golf teams undoubtedly had one of their best seasons yet. With the girls ending the season with a 12-1 record, and the boys ending their season 15-1. Both teams showed incredible dedication and power with their showings on the course.

The Girls Varsity team was led by Freshman Frankie Wincovitch, who held the lowest scoring average for the girls team. Wincovitch was also named to the Lackawanna League Coaches’ All-Stars Girls Division II Second Team. The Lady Vikes placed themselves third place in the District II AA championship.

The Boys Varsity team was led by senior captain Mason Rickert, who held the lowest scoring average for the boys team. Captains Mason Rickert and Kyle Connor were named to the Lackawanna League Coaches’ All-Stars Division II First Team. Connor and Rickert, accompanied by Ben Kulikowski also qualified to participate in the Division II District Championship.

The Riverside golf teams are coached by Mr. Ryan Lindsay and Mr. John Yarem.

Above: Frankie Wincovitch ('28)

Below: Mason Rickert ('25)

Excitement (and wins) stack up for boys Bball

Viking basketball freshman Nico Antoniacci squares up a shot versus Scranton.

By Claire Ledoux ('26)

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The Riverside Varsity boys basketball team debuted and have established a winning streak early in their season.

The Vikings started off strong with an 82-54 win over Wyoming Valley West. Freshman Nico Antoniacci opened his varsity career with 34 game points against the Spartans.

The team followed up their Valley West win with another dominant win against the Nativity BVM Green Wave, 90-32, in Pottsville.

A Riverside versus Scranton High game is always an energy fueled fight. The Vikings topped the Knights, winning 66-50 win over one of the favorites in the big school division of the Lackawanna League.

The Viking then took a road trip to match up with the Allentown Central Catholic Vikings. Riverside, who went down by double digits early, won in overtime 69-66.

Riverside continued their winning streak in another non-conference game against the Montrose Meteors, defeating them 63-35. This game marked Coach Josh Aniska's 100th career victory as a head coach.

Finally, in a much-anticipated local matchup, the Vikings opened league play with a heavy weight matchup against the Holy Cross Crusaders. The Vikings edged their rivals 46-37 in the road game.

Key Club supports Operation Santa Claus

By Brooke Kalteski ('26)

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On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving break, Key Club members embraced the holiday spirit by participating in Tobyhanna's Operation Santa Claus event, held this year at Lucca's restaurent in Taylor.

Operation Santa Claus is a special Christmas party for children with learning disabilities, and the Key Club was invited to join in the festivities. Members dressed up in a variety of fun costumes, ranging from a Christmas tree to a princess.

The event was filled with laughter and joy as the Key Club students danced, interacted, and made lasting memories with the kids. It was a heartwarming and charitable way for the Key Club members to kick off the holiday season.

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