Nico Summaria brings a love of the outdoors and a passion for playing lacrosse to his daily activities, and he finds time for both while working at his family’s business and spending time with friends. The son of Gino and Maryann, Summaria works at Lorenzo’s Pizza, while preparing himself for a career in environmental science. The family also owns Shear Success salon. As he enters his senior year at Peters Township High School, his goal is to prepare himself for a career as a wildlife game commissioner—he readily admits he has been attracted to the outdoors his entire life. He is hoping to …

Kasey Norton will enter her senior year at Peters Township High School in August, with aspirations of taking her school experiences toward a career in business. The daughter of Greg and Elissa, Norton also shares a home with her sister, Emma, 14, also a student in the district. While many students spend the summer months relaxing and hanging out with friends, Norton spent a large portion of her vacation working three days a week at her family’s dealership, South Hills Honda, while managing to still find time to recharge her energies for the school year ahead. Her plans are to maintain or …

As a sophomore at Peters Township High School, Laura Purkey jumped in with both feet when it came to school activities. A member of the orchestra, marching band and French Club, Purkey was active in Student Activists for the Environment, and is a member of the National Honor Society. She participated in this year’s “Odyssey of the Mind” competition, and aspires to become a writer or an attorney. In nominating Laura as a “Whiz Kid,” her sister Hannah called her the “most motivated and strongest person I know,” noting that while balancing her activities, she still has time for friends and …

It's a wonder how Cecelia Allison finds the time to maintain her consistently-high grade point average, while maintaining an active schedule outside the classroom. The daughter of Andrew and Minna Allison, she and her family moved to Peters Township from Philadelphia when she was three years old, and since then she has been active not only in school activities, but community activities too. Her involvement in school, sports and as a volunteer serves as an example to her younger brothers, Grant and Teddy. As a freshman at , Allison has been taking honors Biology and honors Integrated Math …

Someday, years after he has graduated from high school, Marco Femiani may look back at his junior year at Peters Township High School as the one that created a new opportunity and shaped a career in music. After years of establishing himself as a jazz guitarist, and musician performing in local venues, Femiani has been given an opportunity this year to write and direct the music for the PTHS performance of "The Crucible," an assignment that will not only test his skills as a musician, but open the door to a whole new venture that will likely develop his talent further. The son of Joe and …

In theater and in music, Carla Hoge has experienced the best of both worlds. A sophomore at Peters Township High School, she has been a member of Thespian Troupe 185 and has appeared in productions of "Murder in the Knife Room" this year, and is cast as a townsperson in the upcoming production of "The Crucible." In the recent production of "West Side Story," she contributed her musical talents to the pit orchestra, where she played the French horn. She is a member of the symphonic orchestra and concert band at PTHS, and has stayed active in school and community projects while consistently …

You might say that Lynnsey Garlick was born to be on stage. At the very least, the stage started calling her at a very early age. The daughter of Brian and Sherri, and a junior at Peters Township High School, Garlick has been in plays and school productions since the time she and her parents saw Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "The Phantom of the Opera," at the age of three. She recalls donning a Phantom mask and singing along with the music from the CD her parents purchased for her after seeing the production. Garlick has been active in school musicals and productions through her years in the middle …

John MacKay has the ability to solve computer problems, and he also has a gift for music. These are two of the attributes that won him the nomination to be Peters Patch Whiz Kid of the week. The son of John and Suzanne MacKay, he is a senior at Peters Township High School, planning to enter academic and music studies at either the State University of New York - Fredonia or Slippery Rock University. MacKay and his family, including an older sister, two younger brothers and two younger sisters, moved to Peters Township while he was in the seventh grade. He has been a part of the Peters Township…

Katie Cushma has experienced a lot of unique events in her lifetime, including the chance to witness the inauguration of a president, attend a conference of future world leaders in Washington D.C., and participate three times in the National March for Life Education and Defense Fund’s March for Life Rally. She received the “Life Award” from the foundation, where she spoke at a rally and the Rose Dinner on Capitol Hill, and helped lead a March for Life to the Supreme Court. The 17-year-old senior at Peters Township High School, and daughter of John and Nancy Cushma, has also been the captain …

Matt Girouard is a sophomore at Peters Township High School, and being around the high school building is something to which he has become very accustomed. While many of his classmates are experiencing their second year in the high school setting, Girouard, son of Len and Jackie Girouard, has been taking math classes at the high school since the sixth grade. By the end of this year, he will have completed every math course offered at the high school, including AP level BC Calculus. Not only is Girouard taking the classes, but he is excelling in them. He took the SAT in seventh grade, and …

Chelsea Chen and her family moved to Peters Township from Georgia, just in time to start kindergarten in the district. Now as a senior, Chelsea has taken the lessons she has learned and the talents she has developed to skills that are likely to take her to great accomplishments as an adult. Much of what she has done so far has earned her the spot as this week’s “Whiz Kid.” The daughter of Daniel and Shuping Chen, she is a master of both the English and Chinese languages and has traveled back to her parents’ birthplace in China on numerous occasions. She has turned her love for photography …

Edward "Hardy" Kern III is a senior at Peters Township High School. Since he was a small boy, he has had a love of animals, and has combined that love with the ability to work with them. He's set the stage for a career where he will be able to consistently keep himself in touch with their kingdom. He has job-shadowed in the San Diego Zoo Panda Program, and worked at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium for three years. He has studied and worked with The Wild World of Animals in animal handling, husbandry and conservation training, and has worked with nearly every type of animal, including …