The Portage Exchange Club welcome four outstanding Portage High School seniors as Students of the Month to a recent breakfast meeting at Miller's Assisted Living Meeting Room. The four represented some of the brightest and best of the student body, as members of National Honor Society.
PHS Assistant Principal and Exchange Club Member John Zack accompanied the students, as did some of their parents.
Zack introduced the students and had them tell the club about themselves, their activities, and goals.
James Podgorski ranks 33rd in the class of 597 and has a GPA of 4.16. Last year he earned 1.25 times the number of service points necessary for a NHS member. NHS Sponsor Cathy Nye describes him as “always eager to assist with whatever needs to be done.” Besides being a member of NHS, Podgorski is a member of NWLHS, the National World Language Honor Society.
Podgorski has been an active Boy Scout since he was a child and has achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout project, he re-did the trailer parking lot for American Legion Post 502, where the Scouts meet.
He has played cello in orchestra since sixth grade. He is a member of the Quiz Bowl Academic Decathlon Team where he specializes in Social Studies and Fine Arts. During the Fall Play “The 39 Steps,” he was able to show his timing and comedic side, playing the dastardly villain.
His future plans include becoming either a physicist or a history professor. He has not yet decided on a college, but is leaning toward Purdue.
Lauryn Sanders ranks 46 in the senior class and has a 4.0 GPA. Nye praised Sanders for her dedication and reliability and said, “Lauryn was the only person to bring in the supplies she volunteered for the Halloween Fun Fair by the date requested.”
Besides being in National Honor Society, Sanders is a member of Student Council and serves as senior class vice president. She is captain of the girls’ varsity swim team and has swum for the high school all four years. She is a distance swimmer whose main events are the 200 M free style and 500 M free style. She is a member of the PHS Captains Council.
Sanders is active in her church and participates in community service activities such as Serve on Saturday. She has attended week-long mission trips to Ann Arbor, Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
She works part time at McDonalds.
Sanders plans to attend the University of Indianapolis and major in psychology, then attend medical school to study to become a psychiatrist.
Brandon Vickrey is 5th in his class. He has a GPA of 4.51 He earned 1.5 times the number of service points required last year, serving the community both as part of NHS and on his own.
“Portage High School is such a great place. It’s so full of great opportunities. When I go off to college, I will miss it so much. During my time at PHS I have had the opportunity to work directly toward my goal of a career in journalism, both inside and outside the school walls,” Vickrey said.
Among Vickrey’s many achievements are being part of the Pow Wow newspaper staff all four years and serving as editor-in-chief this year; co-founder of Indiana News Network and WPWR (Pow Wow Radio); sports anchor and host for the school’s TV and radio programs; four-year public address announcer for seven different PHS sports and message board operator for three others.
Vickrey is the coverage team coordinator for Ideas in Motion Media (parent company of the good news website PortageLife.com and two others). He is also production intern at 89.1 FM the Lakeshore and play-by-play broadcaster for Mid America Broadcasting.
He plans to attend Valparaiso University and study journalism and sports broadcasting.
Tiffany Woloszyn is described by Kathy Nye as “a true face of the qualities of NHS, always willing to take on whatever needs to be done and fulfilling her role as president by serving as a true leader of the organization.” Her current GPA is 3.85. She is enrolled in two AP classes: microeconomics and AP English 12.
Woloszyn volunteers through NHS, Student Council and her church. Some of her many volunteer activities include working at the Operation Christmas Child Halloween Fun Fair, visitations to the elderly and singing at benefits for cancer victims.
Besides being president of NHS, she is president of the PHS Choraliers, captain of the color/winter guard and a member of the Natural Helpers senior staff and the Thespians. She was a member of the 2012 prom court and Distinguished Young Woman 2nd runner up. She has twirled the baton in every Portage parade since she was five years old. She is a member of the National World Language Honor Society,
Woloszyn plans to attend either Indiana or Purdue University to become a pediatric oncology nurse.
Photo: (l to r) Portage Exchange Club president Peggy Berbesque, Brandon Vickrey, Tiffany Woloszyn, PHS Assistant Principal John Zack, James Podgorski and Lauryn Sanders