On April 13, Northampton Area Konkrete Kids Educational Foundation held a banquet to honor distinguished Northampton High School alumni at Woodstone Country Club and Lodge, Danielsville. Claudia Shulman, a member of the board of directors, was the emcee for the event.

“The [foundation] was founded in 2009 to raise funds to promote and enhance the education experience by providing extended learning opportunities,” she said.

It has provided the high school with audio/visual equipment that allowed students to present a thank-you video during the event. The audio/visual technology is one of the many learning tools provided by the foundation to the high school.

Since 2009, the foundation donated $112,000 to students and has allocated $25,000 for 2018.

“Teachers and students can make a request that is funneled to the superintendent, and the board reviews the request and makes a selection,” Shulman said.

“This is the first year for the Distinguished Alumni Award celebration,” Shulman said. “We want to have the plaques displayed on the Wall of Honor in the main lobby of the high school.”

The goal is to provide a reminder to students and the community of the outstanding graduates and role models who demonstrated leadership and excellence in their professional and personal lives.

Local businesses supported the dinner and the awards. Lafarge had military-themed stepping stones. Gift certificates were provided by Isabella’s Pizza, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Northampton Seafood Market, AfFORDable Pet Center, Jack Frost National Golf Club, Foster Jewelers and Northampton Coin & Jewelry.

The dinner had a bevy of sponsors that included individuals and businesses. St. Luke’s University Health Network was the $5,000 sponsor. Bruce Lack was a $2,000 sponsor. Each sponsor received a note of thanks in the program.

“We were provided with a number of graduates - all of them with distinguished careers - but we selected six graduates,” Shulman said.

• Edward Pany, Class of 1954, served as a social studies teacher nearly 40 years and went on to found Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum. He serves on Northampton Borough Council and received numerous awards and recognitions for his activities.

• The Rev. Clark Kuntz III, Class of 1963, is a leader in the local and national Lutheran church. He has volunteered in disaster relief, Habitat for Humanity and served on the Northeast PA Synod Executive Board. He has a list of volunteer activities that serve the community.

• Paulette Fritz, Class of 1968, was an executive in the banking industry. She was one of the first women promoted to executive positions in the bank and spent 50 years in banking and investments. She started working at a clerical position right out of high school and went on to C-level positions in the bank. She volunteered outside the banking industry with local activities that ranged from coaching girls softball and basketball, being a Girl Scout leader, to helping with Big Sister & Big Brother programs. She was elected as president of Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce in 1980.

• Troy Thrash, Class of 1988, graduated from Villanova University and immediately went to work on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. He was fascinated with astrophysics since his first encounter with a telescope in elementary school. He was executive director of DaVinci Science Center. He is currently CEO of Air Zoo, an interactive museum dedicated to aerospace and science.

• Christopher Raab, M.D., Class of 1989, graduated from Temple University School of Medicine and specialized in pediatrics. He is active as the director of Nemours Pediatric Refugee Clinic and the Pediatric Global Health Education initiative. He has received national and international recognition for his leadership in pediatric care.

• Joan Snyder Kuhl, Class of 1997, worked with Eli Lilly and Forest Laboratories. She became the founder of Why Millennials Matter, a research, training and consulting company. She has authored three books on millennials and is a spokesperson with Monster.com on preparations for career success.

Details of the careers and success of each distinguished graduate are highlighted on the plaque on the school’s Wall of Honor.