Honesdale's Banicky named 2022 recipient of the prestigious Lemnitzer Scholarship

HONESDALE — Darcy Banicky just recently put the finishing touches on a brilliant high school career both athletically and academically.

The daughter of Dave Banicky and Sheila Cashin, Darcy grew up in the small town of Orson. She graduated from Honesdale High School this past June and is headed to Cornell where she’ll pursue studies in economics, management and international business.

A soccer standout who starred on the varsity soccer pitch, Banicky has been raking in the awards and accolades throughout her four year tenure.

In fact, it was announced on Tuesday that Darcy has capped her stellar high school career by being named the 2021-22 recipient of the Ernest and Margaret Lemnitzer Scholarship.

This prestigious award is presented each year to the Valedictorian of Honesdale’s graduating class.

According to officials at the Honesdale National Bank: “The Ernest and Margaret Lemnitzer Memorial Fund was created by these prominent Honesdale residents to provide scholarships to deserving graduates of Honesdale High School.”

Banicky is extremely honored and genuinely humbled to be this year’s recipient.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted when I received this award,” Darcy said. “It’s really nice to see a tangible reward for my hard work, especially after the countless all-nighters I’ve pulled throughout high school.”

Focused and Well-Prepared

Banicky grew up in northern Wayne County and attended school at Preston Area.

“I went to Preston instead of the middle school, so Honesdale was a big adjustment for me when it came time for high school,” Darcy said. “But, looking back on my years there, I really enjoyed it. I made the best friends I’ve ever had at Honesdale.”

While the transition from small school to big school may have been a bit of a culture shock, Banicky didn’t miss a beat in the classroom. In fact, she absolutely thrived.

Darcy immersed herself in a challenging curriculum from freshman year onward. The result was an academic resume that made college recruiters salivate.

Banicky became a fixture in the Honor Roll, which led to membership in the National Honor Society. By the time she graduated, Darcy had amassed a dazzling weighted GPA of 4.65 and was ranked number one in a class of 157.

She was named Honesdale High School Scholar of the Year, while also earning the Pennsylvania SAT Merit Award and the AP Scholar Award.

“Honesdale gave me the opportunity to take various AP classes with amazing teachers to earn college credit and prepare me for the future,” Darcy said.

Becky Kretschmer, who both taught and coached Banicky at HHS, knew right away that she was a special student.

“Darcy has always been calm and easygoing, but with a high academic drive especially in math and science,” Kretschmer said. “I had the pleasure of coaching her for three years and being her physics teacher as a senior. Darcy is just an all-around great kid.”

In addition to her classroom achievements, Banicky was also very involved in extracurricular activities.

Darcy served as Student Council Vice President. She was also Junior Chair of the Youth Advisory Committee. She was co-founder of the Elite Ping Pong Club, AND a nine-year member of 4-H.

She was active in Future Business Leaders of America and finished second in International Business at the Region 22 Leadership Conference.

On the Pitch

Banicky began playing organized soccer at a very young age.

She competed for two years in the National Youth Soccer League. By the time Darcy reached seventh grade, she was regularly making the trip into Honesdale to work out with the Honesdale school teams.

Banicky worked hard to hone her skills and all that effort paid off. Darcy made the Lady Hornet squad as a freshman and eventually earned four varsity letters. Not surprisingly, she was also named a team captain for her senior season.

“I’ve always loved playing soccer,” Darcy said. “Mrs.Kretschmer is an amazing person and we always had a lot of fun.

“I doubt I’ll remember all the wins and losses, but I will always remember the friends that I would have never met had I not played … and all the memories we created together.”

Honesdale battled its way to a 4-9-1 record during Banicky’s senior season in Division I of the Lackawanna League. The Lady Hornets qualified for the District Two tournament, but we’re eliminated in the Class AAA quarterfinals.

That loss to the Comets brought down the curtain on a solid varsity soccer career that left her head coach shaking her head in admiration.

“Darcy delivered an amazing corner kick against Abington this past fall during playoffs. It resulted in a goal for us,” Coach Kretschmer said.

“She always demonstrated excellent listening and communication skills with her teammates. Darcy was a natural choice as a captain. She detested when I would sub her out of a game, always immediately ready to go back in.

“Darcy had a silent fury to her that she loved to vent on the ball. We will truly miss seeing her next year, but wish Darcy the best of luck in the future.”

Gratitude

Banicky thoroughly enjoyed her high school years, but she’s also anxious to begin an exciting new chapter in her life. She’s grateful for all the wonderful folks who’ve supported her along the way.

“I’d really like to thank my family, especially my mom,” Darcy said. “She’s done a lot for me and plans on continuing to help with my college.

“I also want to thank two of my teachers at Honesdale. Mrs. Burleigh and Mr. Knash, are both amazing teachers and even more amazing people.

“Last but not least, my best friend Sam Hopkins for putting up with me for six years.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Lackawanna League girls soccer scholarship Honesdale Darcy Banicky