The 2025 Here’s to You Kid winners have been announced, meaning that two young people in our region will be receiving monetary support in recognition of their commitment to their community. In the past year, both students have been featured in a “Here’s to You Kid” segment on WBRE/WYOU, a media partner of the Times Leader.
This year’s winners are:
• Aaron Girvan, an 18-year-old student at Wyoming Valley West High School, will receive a scholarship of $1,000 to a higher education or trade school.
• Nolan Wurster, a 13-year-old student at C.E. McCall Middle School in Montoursville, will receive a $500 gift card for the purchase of books.
Mapping the ‘Old Yard’
In 2021, Aaron Girvan set out to become an Eagle Scout by properly mapping out the oldest section of Forty Fort Cemetery, aptly called the “Old Yard.” In old mapping records of the cemetery, the 1,096 gravesites that make up the Old Yard were indistinguishable from one another, making it a particularly difficult section to navigate.
Three years after beginning his project, Girvan’s work was completed. From the oldest graves — some dating back to the late 18th century — Girvan was able to salvage a clearer picture of Forty Forty Cemetery’s abundant history.
“I think it’s better that the cemetery get this type of attention,” Girvan said of the Here’s to You Kid recognition. “It’s a very interesting, very historic place in the area, and it really deserves community support and the respect that it should have as a historic site and an interesting place all around.”
Girvan can look back now on his role in mapping the Old Yard and see its future utility.
“My part was acting as a preserver of history, making sure that as much information about that cemetery is recorded in the now and can be used later on,” he said.
Aiding the firefighters
Nolan Wurster has been interested in firefighting since he was three years old. His parents initially thought the interest was a passing phase, but Nolan stayed intrigued by the intricacies of being a firefighter. As he got older, he began hanging out at the Montoursville Fire Department station and learning more.
In 2020, Nolan decided he wanted to donate his allowance and birthday money to the fire department. That began a tradition that continues to this day, in which Nolan and his family do a yearly fundraiser to help out those at the station.
“He doesn’t do this for [the attention],” Erica Wurster, Nolan’s mother, said of her son. “He had an idea and ran with it, and it stuck. It’s something that he loves to do.”
Over the years, Nolan has raised thousands of dollars for the Montoursville Fire Department through dinners, raffles and even an Easter egg hunt.
“He’s a very humble kid. He does good genuinely,” said Erica. “That is what he’s passionate about in life. He wants to be a firefighter.”