Leechburg Area students have a chance at the belt.

Tyler Vargo, Leechburg Area High School principal, restarted the district’s Student of the Month Award but with a few changes.

Each month teachers and staff members receive an email to nominate students who exemplify “successful habits” such as self- discipline, proactiveness, preparedness, following rules, respecting peers and teachers and respecting others’ personal space and boundaries.

“We felt that if we could help students improve those things, model them and reward students for doing those things, it would help get our kids on the right track,” Vargo said.

The first call out for award nominees received more than 20 student nominations each from the middle and high schools.

After receiving the nominations, Vargo creates a list of the nominees and sends it to staff for a vote. The winner receives a surprise breakfast party featuring donuts, confetti cannons and a WWE champion-style belt with the Blue Devil emblem.

“This allows students to feel valued by the staff and administration for their hard work,” said Superintendent David Keibler. “We have outstanding things happening every day, and sometimes, we overlook the celebration of these exceptional achievements.

During the party planning, Vargo contacts the winner’s parents or guardian to ask which friends the student would like to have at their surprise celebration. Parents are also invited to join the celebration.

Winners get to sign the belt and the teacher who nominated them speaks about why they received the award.

The Blue Devil belt is a resurgence of a tradition Vargo began when he taught history at Leechburg Area.

To make learning names and dates of the past more enticing to students, he created a game that was lovingly named “The Game.” Teams of ninth graders would go head-to-head and winners received the class’s champion belt, a replica champion WWE belt with the professional wrestler The Game’s name plate. Vargo wanted to replicate the belt and custom ordered a champion belt with a Blue Devil logo on the front of it.

The original belt is still hanging above the doorway of his office in Leechburg Area High School.

Vargo emails students who were nominated but did not win and their parents or guardians to acknowledge the students’ efforts and good behavior.

“We let them know that we appreciate what they’re doing and that it’s not going unnoticed,” Vargo said.

He also lets students know which teachers nominated them.

“Family engagement is so meaningful in our school, and having the parents come and celebrate their child’s accomplishments, along with notifying the families of the other finalists, is a testament to values here at Leechburg Area School District,” Keibler said.

The first two winners from November and December were seventh grader Chloe Lepish and senior Sophia Musselman. Each girl was surprised by their family, friends and teachers the week students returned from winter break.

High school physics teacher Amy Barley nominated Musselman. She reminisced about when the senior started her class. Despite doubting her own abilities, Musselman did not back down from the academic challenges that Physics I presents.

“I assured her that she was up for the challenge and that I would be there to guide her. She trusted me and persevered,” Barley said during Musselman’s celebration. “Sophia continues to meet the challenge head on each day. She asks great questions, gives 110% effort and offers a smile and humor despite her occasional frustrating moments of needing to use the quadratic formula to solve that last problem.”

“Sophia has always been a great student and always valued education,” said Musselman’s mother Laurie Krawczykiewicz. “I’m very proud of her, she is a wonderful young woman.”

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