The honor roll is based on the avarege of the major subjects.

Distinguished honor roll is in the range of 95 to 100 percent, and the honor roll in the range of 90 to 94.9 percent. Students must also earn satisfactory marks in conduct and minor subjects.

Fourth-grade distinguished honors - Alexia Alier, Alexa Bainbridge, Joshua Bashore, Hunter Bates, Kaine Bressi, Tia Bressi, Devin Britton, Katlyn Brunson, Brianna Bullock, Sean Calabro, Emma Dailey, Gavin Degreen, Kyele Dehoutaint, Collin Duganitz, Diana Faust, Ryleigh Faust, Tessa Fegley-Kublic, Victoria Fellin, Hayden Foor, Aaron Frasch, Skylar Fry and Adam Guzik.

Jackson Hancock, Blake Harris, Austin Haupt, Olivia Haupt, Thomas Herrold, Shane Hess, Carole Hinkle, Shanon Jilinski, Tyler Kalman, Rosalind Kane, Zackary Kinsey. Emma Kramer, Hayden Kramer, Gabrielle Kurtz, Kali Leiby, Destinee Leonard, Alysha Lynch, Maximus Madden, Diana Martinez, Brenton McCaffery, Rylie McCarty, Dennis McFee, Matthew Metzger and Edward Morales.

Grace Nazih, Ariana Nolter, Rileigh Nowroski, Ashlea Oakum, Alyssa Persing, Stacey Radomski, Sydney Rhoads, Mackenzie Roman, Aleyna Russell, Casen Sandri, Akeya Schartiger, Aaron Shicora, Caleb Shingara, Kathryn Slotterback, Destiny Smith, Owen Sosnoski, Gwen Sulouff, Haelee Taylor, Jacob Turner, Nicholas Velez, Tyler Whary, Kayla Yadlosky, Emma Zimmerman and Michael Zimmerman.

Fourth-grade, honor roll - Steve Bartholomew, Jonathan Bevan, Shane Billings, Emilee Bland, Collin Bozza, Thomas Bramhall, Dominick Bridi, Dasia Cardona, Grace Carpenter, Olivia Coller, Hailie Cragle, Raeanne Davis, Cornell Delvalle, Rebecca Derck, Sloan Derk, Paige Ditzel, Ethan Eltringham, Devyn Erb, Alexis Evans and Anthony Fernandez.

Kieran Gallagher, Brandon Geiger, Gary Geist, Seth Hart, Zachary Hart, Damian Hile, Hannah Hockenbroch, Tumaje Islam, Jeremiah Jashinskie, Mark Kiracofe, Paige Kleman, Marissa Lehman, Gabrielle Marrone, Hunter McKinney, Nicolas Neidig, Noah Orner, Annabelle Rapp, Isabella Roberts, Megan Roman, Shelby Searls, Paige Shoffler, Mackenzie Snyder, Derek Sosnoski, Brooke Stine, Ashley Vantaggi, Dominic Wilson, Mickolas Yarnall, Freyja Yeager, Colin Zigner and Mick Zwolinski.

Fifth-grade distinguished honors - Kanwal Alvi, Jacob Alvord, Conner Anascavage, Lily Avans, Alison Barvitskie, Margaret Bowers, Morgan Clemens, Raven Depeal. Abbey Diorio, Joshua Dombrowski, Tykera Duttry, Holly Fegley, Tate Frederick, Gaige Garcia, Benjamin Ginck, Blake Hartzel, Rhaeghan Henz, Molly Hoffman, Blake Kane, Devin Kays, Kirstyn Kehler, Hunter Kerstetter, Farrah Krum and Janet Kulish.

Emma Laughlin, Alexandria Madison, Blake Markowski, Skyler Mckinney, James Mench, Makayla Moroskie, Zachery Moyer, Ian Paul, Nathan Persing, Ashley Ponatoski, Brent Reed, Hunter Rodarmel, Abby Rodman, Sophie Rossnock, Brianna Roth, Jasmine Scandle, Angelina Schaeffer, Telaysia Shafer, Isibelle Sienkiewicz, Jasmine Slodysko, Garrett Smith, Molly Stevens, Max Tillett, Emma Tomcavage, Rhiannon Vlock-Kogut and Katelyn Zawalick.

Fifth-grade honor roll - Bryce Anderson, Dylan Bainbridge, Sara Baney, Matthew Bellis, Tessa Bowman, Gabriel Burns, Paige Campbell, Eric Curran, Trevor Dehaven, Deven Elliott, Jeremy Erb, Jeryn Fagerstrom, Mason Filarski, Madison Foulds, Gabrielle Greager, Brayden Gruszewski, Callen Herb, Danielle Hinkle, Brian Hornberger, Joseph Jackson, Elyse Kelley, Rachel Kerstetter, Kaylee Koshinski and Albert Kurtz.

Brittney Lute, Ariana Manley, Cherie Martin, Sheyenne Moore, Cory Mrowka, Andrew Nelson, Connor Nye, Brock Pancher, Robert Prawdzik, Sara Ryman, Kyra Sanders, John Schofield, Trinity Schwab, Kody Scicchitano, Rachel Shader, Emily Slanina, Savanah Smith, Alyssa Snyder, Christina Snyder, Austin Straub, Hunter Tharp, Myah Thompson, Angel Velazquez, Jonathan Washuta, Logan Williams, Cheyanne Wolf, Shen Yeager and Destiny Zimmerman.

Sixth grade, distinguished honors - Emily Backes, Nicole Bainbridge, Spencer Balonis, Alexis Barnes, Jared Berkheimer, Colby Bixler, Aidan Blackwell, Marshall Buggy, Sierra Burd, Alyssa Charriez, Gavin Clattenburg, Juliana Degreen, John Delorso, Lydia Deptula, Alyvia Erb, Ryleigh Fegley-Cull, Nicholas Feudale, Jeffrey Fuernisen Jr., Stephen Gundy, Aubree Haight, Mara Hashuga, Teagan Heath, Zachary Johnson, Chryssa Kehler, Collin Kern, Jayla Klase, Matthew Knowles, Chloe Kramer and Jameson Kramer.

Cordell Lucas, Samantha Magee, Todd Maschuck, Joseph Masser, Morgan McGinn, Abigail Nye, Cameron Orner, Jessa Paczkoski, Autumn Purcell, Robert Rebuck, Lake Rodarmel, Quinn Rollman, Shyann Rubio, Arcadio Saez, Joan Schaeffer, Matthew Schiccatano, Andrea Segura, Peyton Shurock, Mason Smink, Brooke Strausser, Matthew Swartz, Abigail Thew, Jacob Thompson, Skylar Truchon, John Wagner, Lauren Wagner, Dylan Walters, Payton Whary, Valerie Yost and Blake Zalar.

Sixth-grade, honor roll - Logan Alderson, Isabella Allmond, Melania Amato, Chase Backes, Krista Baumeister, Sarah Baumeister, Ashley Beach, Mariah Benedict, Keri Bevan, Bethany Bordell, Jolene Boscolovich, Reina Cardona, Steven Carpenter, James Coleman, Madison Collins, Dakotah Cragle, Lauren Drumheiser, Skylar Figard, Abigail Fobia, Brianna Geiger, Kenneth Gilcrest, Mackenzie Glosek, Hanna Halderman, Dakota Hart, Cain Herb, Zoey Hockenbroch and Nicholas Holmes.

Barbara Jemmott, Taylor Kashner, Timothy Kile, Luke Kiracofe, Deven Klock, Mckenzie Knarr, Brianna Lehman, Xavier Lehman, Amber Libby, Owen Long, Christina Marquez, Bryce Mummey, Keira Munns, Robert Pancher, Preston Puckett-Murphy, Madison Reigel, Terri Rouse, Destiny Sassani, Sierra Seiler, Matthew Sheriff, Joel Shurock, Jose Tejada, Tristen Troutman, Mercedes Velazquez, Richard Wright, Eric Zakareskie, Zane Zartman, Zoe Zimmerman and Viktor Zokhrabekov.

MOUNT CARMEL - Report cards for the fourth marking period of the Mount Carmel Area School District are available for pickup in the principal office from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Festival food prep at Our Lady's

MOUNT CARMEL - Food preparation for this weekend's parish festival at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church begins today, the Rev. Francis Karwacki, pastor, announced.

Church members are asked to come to the backyard rectory pantry after 2:30 p.m. today to pick up cabbage heads for boiling. The cabbage will be returned to the parish hall at 10 a.m. Thursday for pigeon-making. Food preparation will continue in the hall Friday.

The annual festival will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday in the church parking lot at Market and Fourth streets. If either day is rained out, the rain date will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Community yard sale planned

MARION HEIGHTS - The borough of Marion Heights will hold his annual community yard sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Rain date is Saturday, June 29.

Locust Township Police charged Christopher H. Cooper, 22, of 1156 Numidia Drive, Catawissa, with several counts, including making terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person after he fired a pistol into the woods while his girlfriend, Jennifer Beishline, was standing nearby.

According to court documents filed by Locust Township Police Patrolman Nicholas Thorpe, police were dispatched to Cooper's home at 11:04 p.m. Sunday after receiving a call from Beishline's sister, Katlyn Faust.

Faust told police Beishline was at Cooper's residence and Cooper had been screaming at her and then fired shots from a pistol.

After arriving at Cooper's home, police spoke to Beishline by telephone. She told police Cooper had been talking about suicide during an argument between the two, and then showed her an ammunition magazine for his mother's pistol and went outside.

A short time later, Beishline heard a single gunshot from the back yard. She rushed outside and found Cooper was unharmed, but holding a pistol.

Police said Beishline tried to calm Cooper down by sitting in a lawn chair and talking with him, but Cooper began screaming obscenities at her. Beishline said she just sat there because Cooper was holding the weapon.

Suddenly, Beishline told police, Cooper turned toward the fields behind the home and fired three more shots, and a casing struck Beishline in the arm. After he fired, Cooper allegedly turned to her and said, "I hope the cops show up, that way I don't have to do it myself."

Beishline said she then ran from the backyard and called Faust for a ride.

Police detained Cooper in the backyard. Cooper told police he fired an air rifle, not a pistol, in the fields, according to the report.

He also told police he often thought of suicide as a way to escape his problems and has been on medication for depression, police said.

Police found the pistol at Cooper's residence and his mother identified it as her weapon. A round was found in the magazine in the pistol. Cooper's mother told police she usually keeps the pistol and magazine separated.

Officers also found the spent casings near the lawn chair and it matched the ammunition found in the pistol.

In addition to the reckless endangerment and terroristic threat charges, Cooper was arrested on counts of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He was arraigned via video before Magisterial District Judge Russell Lawton, of Bloomsburg, and placed in Columbia County Prison on $25,000 straight bail. A preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for Thursday, June 27, before Magisterial District Judge Craig Long, of Catawissa.

Assisting at the scene were officers from the Catawissa and Montour Township Police departments.

The investigation continues.

"I am honored to present the Star of Excellence Award to our employees who embody the drive and dedication that are so vital to keeping PennDOT moving," Schoch said. "While they work in every area of the department, they have the common goal of achieving excellence and are an example for the rest of us."

Local winners Jim Williams, of Mount Carmel, and Ken Bair, of Mifflinburg, were honored at an awards luncheon at the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg.

"Ken and Jim are two outstanding employees who have brought about positive change in every area they have worked. They care about the department and strive to continuously make it a better organization," said District Executive Sandra Tosca.

Bair, district maintenance services engineer, was instrumental in analyzing the benefits of and developing an implementation plan for two district-wide seal coat crews this year, an initiative which supports the regionalization concept encouraged by PennDOT Next Generation. In the past, each county handled its own seal-coat program. With the implementation of this regional approach, we anticipate improved productivity and quality, and a significant cost-savings through reduced equipment costs. As a member of the PNG winter services team, Bair helped analyze temporary operator needs which, when implemented, are estimated to produce savings of over $1 million. Officials said Bair, who has work experience in both design and maintenance, is well respected by department staff and a role model in the district, and is an outstanding communicator and manager. He was also honored recently as the district office Employee of the Month.

Williams, Columbia/Montour County equipment manager, is a "go-to person" for other equipment managers when they have questions on equipment, policy or innovations. The district equipment manager recognizes him as dedicated and very capable in all aspects of his job. According to his supervisors, Williams believes safety is job one, and he is always open to ideas from the field or safety committee to add enhancements to facilities to make them safer. He was instrumental in developing a yard rack for spreaders, wing plows and tanks at the Columbia/Montour 01 stockpile, using guiderail parts at no cost. It made the yard safer with fewer obstacles, and made the garage staff more efficient in spreader maintenance and installation. Ever cost-conscious, Williams acquired several needed items and equipment from other counties that were sending them to auction or surplus. He also oversees the operations of the district's four Interstate 80 rest areas, with an eye always on providing excellent customer service.

The Star of Excellence Awards are presented annually to employees who represent the department's values of service, performance and integrity. The recipients represent a variety of organizational positions, spanning from highway maintenance and driver and vehicle services workers, to programming specialists, communications staff and design and engineering specialists.

The pay-to-participate program, which would have been exempt for students eligible for free and reduced lunch, was originally suggested by Vice President Charlie Porter in May 2012 as a creative way to bring financial issues under control.

However, President Mike Yeager said Monday the motion is too vague and doesn't specify which grade levels and activities would be included in the program.

Furthermore, he said, there is a chance some students would not participate or some parents would not volunteer if the fee was passed.

"If we do anything to alienate people, maybe we're cutting our own throats," Yeager said.

Director Rick Steele agreed, saying, "If we lose one kid, it's not worth what we would gain from it."

While Steele said it may be inevitable that programs like this will be implemented in the future, he said it's not the time now to pass it for many reasons.

If the money collected from the fees would save a position or program, he would be more likely to vote in favor of it. Plus, the money collected would not even benefit the current budget, he said.

"It does not meet my criteria to support it," Steele said.

Director Timothy Vought said there is no plan or policy to complement the motion.

"It's just thrown in (the agenda) with no plan in place on how to do it," he said.

When Porter raised the issues last year, there were significant changes in the structure of state funding for public schools, leaving boards scrambling in the past two budget seasons to fill large deficits. Since these issues have arisen, the Pennsylvania School Board Association and Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association released a survey last year that reported the number of schools charging a fee for sports and extracurricular programs have more than doubled in just two years.

Some school activities are extracurricular, such as sports and certain clubs, while others are co-curricular, such as band or music programs that count for grades. Co-curriculars would have been exempt from the pay-to-participate program if the motion had passed.

Director Gail Zambor Schuerch, who supported the motion, noted the district is struggling with the budget and said the reactions from students and parents wouldn't be as harsh as people think.

"We're in a pinch for money," she said.

Porter said he didn't think it was too much to ask the direct beneficiaries to support the program in which they participate.

For unlimited sports or extracurricular activities with coaching benefits, $50 is a "fantastic" deal, he said.

The motion was made and seconded by Directors Porter and Eric Stahley. The board was split in the vote with three directors - Schuerch, Stahley and Porter - voting in favor of it and four directors - John Yocum, Vought, Steele and Yeager - voting against it.

Budget passed

The board also passed a $18,076,395 2013-14 budget with a property tax increase.

Northumberland County property owners will see a 2.91 increase in real estate millage, raising the rate to 52.86 mills, and Columbia County property owners will see a 1.6-mill boost to 35.8 mills.

On a property assessed at $26,695, Northumberland County residents would see an average increase of $77.68 a year while Columbia County residents with a property assessed at $32,288 would see an average increase of $51.66 a year.

The motion to approve the budget was made and seconded by Vought and Steele. It passed 5-2 with Porter and Stahley voting against it.

Both Stahley and Porter said they would rather have used $600,000 in a contingency fund related to the construction project to fill part of the deficit in this year's budget, which is allowable by state law, instead of raising taxes.

Stahley also said he disagrees with using state-allowed exceptions to raise property taxes above the limit, which was part of the budget.

In other business, the board approved:

- Two change orders to the middle and high school renovations and additions project, resulting in an additional $20,727.29.

- The hiring of Jonathan Reed for the position of technology support specialists effective July 1 at a salary of $30,000 and benefits per year.

Reilley graduated with honors with a grade-point average of 3.5. She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Reilley has been employed by the Geisinger Health System for the past 34 years. She has recently accepted a position with Geisinger Health Plan in the medical management department.