The Emmaus Woman’s Club has announced its annual Girl of the Month awards.

Honorees are selected from outstanding female Emmaus High School seniors.

Recognitions are awarded for the eight months from September 2021 through April.

The awards recognize accomplishments in art, business/computer applications, drama, family/consumer science, journalism, mathematics, music and science.

The Woman’s Club of Emmaus has presented the Girl of the Month awards since 1953.

The club celebrated the awardees in a ceremony recently in the EHS cafeteria.

The celebration takes place in March, National Woman’s History Month, when the many accomplishments of women are acknowledged, according to organizers.

The 2021-2022 academic year honorees include:

September 2021

Jocelyn Chow, of Emmaus, chosen by the music department for September 2021.

Chow is a cellist in the EHS Sinfonia, Chamber Orchestra and Cello Ensemble. She is president of the EHS Orchestra and vice president of the EHS Tri-M Honor Society.

Chow also is a recipient of the EHS Orchestra Award and during her junior and senior years, participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District X Orchestra. In this academic year Chow was selected as a member of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Regional Orchestra. She also mentors two middle school cellists.

Chow’s academic accomplishments include the EHS Academic Excellence Award and the Paul Rockwell Diely Memorial Award.

Chow also is co-captain and three-time MVP on the EHS tennis team and teaches tennis at Brookside Country Club.

Chow plans to study neuroscience.

October 2021

Rylee Dang, of Alburtis, chosen by the journalism department for October 2021.

Dang began her work for The Stinger, the EHS newspaper, by writing a few stories in her freshman year and has been a staff member for the last three years.

Dang is currently the features editor and has worked as the deputy sports editor and deputy features editor. Her journalism awards include an award as part of the team recognized for the multimedia package called “The State of Equity in Emmaus High School” that received an honorable mention for feature writing in the national student media contest from The Journalism Education Association.

The Future Business Leaders of America recognized Dang with a second place in the regional contest for journalism and third place in the state contest for journalism.

Dang plans to study public relations.

November 2021

Mercedes Wagaman, of Macungie, chosen by the art department for November 2021.

Wagaman’s favorite medium is clay and she also enjoys fiber arts. Her accomplishments in art have been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists, which sponsors the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. In the 2021 and 2022 regional competitions, Wagaman received two Gold Key Awards for individual works. In 2022, Wagaman also received two Silver Key Awards and two Honorable Mentions. In 2021, she received a Silver Key Award for her entire portfolio of ceramics pieces.

Wagaman was an American Vision Nominee in 2021, where her works were selected out of all Gold Key works in all categories for consideration as the “Best in Show.”

Wagaman is president of the Mud Club at EHS. This group of students create bowls as a way to collect funds to feed those in need through the Empty Bowl event. During the event members of the community come together to enjoy soups donated to the Mud Club and receive one of the bowls.

Wagaman plans to attend the University of North Texas and major in studio art. Her career goal is to sell her artwork and open her own studio to teach art.

December 2021

Olivia Marler, of Emmaus, chosen by the family/consumer science department for December 2021.

Taking the EHS child development course with Mrs. Day inspired Marler to refocus her thinking to look at communication and kindness in a new way. Course work also encouraged Marler to think about a college curriculum in neuroscience.

Marler excels at academics. She also is a member of the Key Club at EHS and is deputy opinions editor of the school newspaper.

Marler has been dancing for 11 years and she is a member of the competitive dance teams of the That’s Dancin’! Dance Studio. She also volunteers to work with the preschool dance classes.

Marler is developing an interest in painting.

Her future plans include college to study neuroscience.

January

Molly Struss, of Emmaus, chosen by the business/computer applications department for January.

Struss has taken a course in the business/computer applications department since her sophomore year and enjoys conversations about business with the department’s teachers.

Struss is a junior deacon on the church council of Solomon’s UCC in Macungie. Struss attends monthly meetings and is an usher during morning services in the church.

Struss also earned a black belt in kung fu.

Her special passion is driving a dirt slingshot. She follows the races and races weekly in the summer in Kutztown or New Jersey. Slingshot is a small three-wheeled vehicle designed to race on a dirt or paved speedway less than a mile in length.

Struss also works in the office of a mechanic shop but will occasionally work in the shop.

Her future plans include attending Lehigh County Community College then transferring to Penn State Lehigh Valley. She is looking forward to entering the world of business.

February

Madeline Kemler, of Macungie, chosen by the drama department for February.

Kemler is president of the theater department and treasurer of the EHS Chorale.

Kemler has been involved in many of the EHS theater productions including significant roles in “Tuck Everlasting,” “Noises Off” and “The Addams Family.” In addition, she has been part of the ensemble for “Our Town” and “Hello Dolly” and part of the costume and stage crews for “Les Miserables” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightttime.”

Kemler’s love of artistic expression in classical music has brought her several awards for her singing including a first place for classical singing in 2019 and a third place in classical singing in 2020. These awards were presented by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In addition, her voice qualified her for the Pennsylvania District X Choir in 2019.

Her love of singing has inspired her to write songs.

Kemler will enter Penn State main campus in the fall to study hospitality. Her dream is to work as a hotel manager or a wedding planner at Walt Disney World.

March

Samantha Loeper, of Macungie, chosen by the science department for March.

Loeper is recognized for her leadership as co-captain of the EHS Fitness Team, co-president of the snowsports club, president of the Science Olympiad and History Day clubs. Loeper is treasurer of the astronomy club and Mock Trial American Computer Science League; secretary of the Young Democrats and a section leader for the marching band.

Loeper also is a member of the EHS Jazz Band.

She is a classically trained pianist who plays for the school chorus and school musicals. For nine years, she has been on the honor roll for the American College of Musicians Piano Guild. Loeper is a 2022 commended scholar in the National Merit Scholar Program.

Her awards include the school computer science award and school physics award. As part of the History Day team, she earned a first place in the regional and a fifth place in the state level competition. Loeper received a third place in the Regional Science Olympiad and sixth place in the state competition.

Loeper hopes to be accepted into the Unites States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy or civilian college ROTC program where she plans to study computer engineering and pursue pilot training.

April

Rachael Tobey, of Wescosville, chosen by the mathematics department for April.

Tobey’s academic accomplishments are reflected in EHS academic awards she holds and her honor society memberships.

Her engineering interests are exhibited in her involvement with the EHS Steel Hornets Robotics Team and as a coach for Lehigh Valley CORE Robotics. She also participated in the Technology Student Association Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science competitions.

Tobey earned first place in the 2019 Lehigh Valley Bridge Designer Competition and was twice recognized with the EHS Excellence in Engineering Award.

Tobey plays viola for the school orchestra and chamber orchestra. She also volunteers for the East Penn School District’s Fifth Grade Orchestra. In 2021, she received the EHS Excellence in Orchestra Award and participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District X and All-State orchestras.

Tobey also sings in the adult choir of The Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit.

She plans to study robotics engineering in college.