AWARDS & RECOGNITION
At Tioga Tae Kwon Do, we believe martial arts is more than just belts and trophies… that the most important aspect to martial arts is building strong Character, Leadership, and Personal Values. Therefore, we have established a number of programs that encourage our students to excel in all of these areas, specifically Academics and Community Giving. These philosophies are integrated into all of our classes and reinforced throughout the year.
The Tioga Tae Kwon Do Academic Excellence Program was established in 2018 to provide financial support and resources focusing on improving educational opportunities in our community. These programs will primarily focus on social development, character building, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. In addition to supporting these initiatives in all grades K-12, the Academic Excellence Program will provide opportunities for collaboration with strategic higher education institutions.
Anyone interested in contributing to this fund or learning more about the program can do so by visiting the Community Foundation of the Twin Tiers website.
View our Highlight Story in the 2018 Community Foundation of the Twin Tiers Annual Report.
2018-2019 Academic Partners
Snyder first grade students will be reading a series of Nittany Lion books by author Denise Kaminsky, where they will discuss topics around character building, conflict resolution, and community service. The curriculum developed by Sharon Hildebrandt, will include monthly activities throughout the school year.
Snyder sixth grade students led by Jaime Sutryk will begin learning about robotics and computer programming through the use of Ozobots. Through a series of activities, the students will learn skills around STEM fields including problem solving, working in teams, and eventually the basics of Scratch programming. The sixth grade class will also use the Ozobots as a special learning activity with the first grade students.
Waverly High School senior engineering students will learn about the engineering design process through a “real-life” design challenge. This year, Fred Mills’ Engineering Design class will be challenged with designing, testing, and building equipment that will be used by Tioga Tae Kwon Do to hold boards for an activity called “power breaking.” The students will follow the engineering design process, manage a budget, and present their designs periodically to a committee of stakeholders.
In addition to the activities supported locally this year, the TTKD Academic Excellence Program will connect local students to engineering curriculums at Penn State University and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In Fall 2018, a team of mechanical and electrical engineering students at Penn State supporting a TTKD AEP project met with Waverly students to share their experiences as engineers and hosted the team of Waverly students at their Fall Engineering Design Showcase at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University. This Spring, a team of Software Engineering students from RIT will also be supporting a design project and sharing their experiences with local TTKD AEP participants.
2018-2019 Academic Partners
Academic Scholarship
The Tioga Tae Kwon Do Academic Scholarship program is an annual scholarship established in 2012 aimed at recognizing graduating seniors, who intend to pursue a college degree, for their outstanding Academic and Martial Arts performance. Master Paul Mittan and his wife Amanda created this scholarship to encourage their students to pursue higher education and recognize those who have excelled in both education and martial arts. Additionally, recipients of this scholarship must have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in living by the Tenets of Tae Kwon Do: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, and Indomitable Spirit.
Anyone interested in contributing to this scholarship can do so by visiting the Community Foundation of the Twin Tiers website.
John Keiers is a 2021 Sayre High School graduate and provisional black belt at Tioga Tae Kwon Do. John John exhibits many qualities we teach in Tae Kwon DO. He is kind, courteous, confident, and exhibits great self-control. Always one to hold a door open for someone; listen intently while others are speaking; or help a fellow student, that was on crutches, down a flight of stairs during a fire drill at school, John demonstrates what it means to have integrity. John will be furthering his education at Corning Community College to study Computer Science/Engineering.
2021: John Keiers, Sayre High School
2020: Sean Walker, High School
Sean Walker is a 2020 High School graduate and first degree black belt at Tioga Tae Kwon Do.
2020: Justice Johnson, Newfield High School
Justice Johnson is a 2020 Newfield High School graduate and a first degree black belt at Tioga Tae Kwon Do. In addition to being an instructor for our kids TKD classes, Justice volunteers her time to assist and/or organize many of our events in and out of the dojang. Justice the production manager for numerous school productions and will be attending Ithaca College to further her education majoring in Theater Production and Management.
Ally Parks is a 2020 Northeast Bradford High School graduate and first degree black belt at Tioga Tae Kwon Do. Ally’s dedication and hard work to her studies is proven by graduating a year early! In addition to helping with classes as an assistant instructor, Ally is part of the National Honor Society, Captain of the basketball cheer team, and helped coach the junior high cheer team as a Junior and Senior. Ally is involved with many volunteer activities, but most notable was when she and a friend organized a fundraiser for TACO food pantry, which is still active to this day and has raised over $5,000 total the past three years. Ally will be furthering her education at Mansfield University majoring in Social Work and minoring in Psychology.
2020: Ally Parks, Northeast Bradford High School
2019: Siara Tompkins, Waverly High School
Siara Tompkins is a 2019 Waverly High School graduate and active participant in Adult Self-Defense. In addition to the many academic clubs and organizations she participated in, Siara was a key contributor to the creation of our power breaking holder, which was a Waverly Engineering Design project sponsored through our Academic Excellence Program. Siara volunteers at our annual Tournament for Scholars, and will be attending SUNY Polytechnic Institute in the fall for Civil Engineering!
Anna Lackner is a 2016 Notre Dame High School graduate and second degree black belt at Tioga Tae Kwon Do. In addition to being an Assistant Instructor at TTKD, she is also a member of the National Honor Society, a Class C Track Champion, and a volunteer for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. Anna will be continuing her education at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand majoring in Physics.
2016: Anna Lackner, Notre Dame High School
2016: Nicole Lamberti, Waverly High School
Nicole Lamberti is a 2016 Waverly High School graduate and active participant in Cardio Kickboxing. In addition to Cardio Kickboxing and being an active volunteer for a number of organizations, Nicole is also a member of the Leadership CREW, Waverly Chorus, and Varsity Soccer Team. Nicole will be continuing her education at Corning Community College majoring in Health and Wellness / Exercise Science.
Katelyn Moore is a 2014 Waverly High School graduate and second degree black belt at Tioga Tae Kwon Do. In addition to being an Assistant Instructor at TTKD, she is also a member of the National Honor Society, a Junior Rotarian and active in the Waverly Band and Chorus. Katelyn will be continuing her education this Fall at Wells College majoring in Art.
2014: Katelyn Moore, Waverly High School
2012: Alec J. (AJ) Burns, Waverly High School
The first recipient of the Tioga Tae Kwon Do Scholarship Award, Alec J. (AJ) Burns, is a 2012 Waverly High School graduate and first degree black belt at Tioga Tae Kwon Do. Alec was in the Top 10 of his graduating class, involved in numerous extracurricular activities such as band, chorus and drama club and an active volunteer in the community. He will be continuing his education at Roberts Wesleyan College majoring in Music Education.
Student of the Month
Our Student of the Month program is meant to highlight outstanding individual performance in a variety of areas, all meant to help build Character and Responsibility.
The activities and requirements change each month and may include any of the following…
– Chores at Home
– School Work
– Practicing TKD
– Setting Goals
– Relating to Tenets of TKD
– Fund Raising
– Volunteering
– etc.
Summer Volunteer Program
The goal of the Tioga Tae Kwon Do Summer Volunteer Program is to encourage our students to give back to our local community and help others in need. The TTKD volunteer program runs during the summer months, June-August, when students are out of school and encourages them to seek opportunities where they can help others. The Volunteer Award is aimed at recognizing our students for outstanding volunteerism, specifically during the summer.
2016 Volunteer Award
Adam (pictured Left) and Aidyn (pictured Right) were the winners of the 2016 Volunteer Award for their respective classes. They helped with a number of community events with their church and local schools.
| 2015 Volunteer Award James (pictured Left) and Sheldon (pictured Right) were the winners of the 2015 Volunteer Award for their respective classes. They volunteered with their church and other community organizations for special events such as chicken barbecues and rummage sales. |
| 2014 Volunteer Award Alicia and Austin (pictured Left) were the winners of the 2014 Volunteer Award for their respective classes. They contributed to numerous projects throughout the entire summer, including yard clean-up, painting and volunteering at their church. |
| 2013 Volunteer Award |
2013 Volunteer Award Kate and Gloria (pictured Right, left to right), were tied for second place and spent their time playing piano at a local nursing home. Sheldon, Kate and Gloria were recognized with the TTKD Honorary Blackbelt and awarded a special prize for their outstanding contributions. |
2013 Volunteer Award |
210 Broad Street, Waverly, NY 14892
(607) 565-2973
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