Nazareth Area Middle Schoolers attempt to break world whistling record

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

With a dozen Lehigh Valley area veterans at their side and the assistance of the Nazareth Area High School Wind Ensemble, the Nazareth Area Middle School student body Friday attempted to break a Guinness World Record for the most people whistling simultaneously at a single venue.

The students currently are awaiting approval from the London-based Guinness World Records Limited for validation and expect to hear back by next school year, according to event organizers.

The current record was attained June 6, 2010, by 329 people who whistled for about five minutes at a shopping mall in Tokyo.

On Friday, roughly 750 seventh- and eighth-graders packed the football field to whistle to "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America" in honor of Lehigh Valley veterans. Nazareth students also surpassed the five-minute record held by the Japan group.

The idea to break the record came from 14-year-old Cameron Ohrwashel, an eighth-grader who wanted to break a Guinness World Record. Last summer, he began looking up various records that the school would be able to assist him in the effort.

Since Ohrwashel is an avid whistler in his household, the youngster said he thought whistle-blowing would be an easy venture.

"I'm happy that everyone came out, everyone whistled and it was a successful time," Ohrwashel said following the record-breaking attempt.

The whistling was documented by recordings and photographs. Upper Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Rinker and police Chief Alan Siegfried also served as witnesses.

According to Monique Ohrwashel, Cameron’s mother and adviser of the student-run Make-A-Wish Club, if the record-breaking is successful, the school and its record will be posted on the organization’s website.

Prior to the whistling, students attempted gathering donations from family members, friends and others to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania, Pottsville Regional Office. Monique Ohrwashel said the goal was to raise $1 per student for a total of $750.

The student-run Make-A-Wish Club, which gained the backing of the Nazareth Area School Board, was launched in the fall by Cameron Ohrwashel following his idea to break the record.

He said he had wanted to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation -- in which funds benefit the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses -- while breaking the record.

The Make-A-Wish Club, made up of 50 seventh- and eighth-graders, also helped the rest of the students practice their whistling efforts during a student news broadcasting program. The students practiced about three times before nailing it down, Cameron Ohrwashel said.

Noting anything could have happened that would have led to an error and losing the record attempt, Cameron Ohrwashel said he was proud of his peers, noting, "We had a lot of people to count on."

Kristen Toppeta, 14, an eighth-grader, said the whistling event was a last hurrah for the eighth-graders to come together as a unit before graduation.

"I think it was awesome, we all came together as a school and showed what we could do," she said.

Middle school Principal Robert Kern also applauded the efforts of the students and the idea to tie the record-breaking attempt in with Memorial Day.

He said the veterans are not a group to which the students always have the opportunity to be exposed.

"As someone who's an out-of-the-box thinker ,when this idea came to me, I didn’t even bat an eye," Kern said.

Mike Regrut, of Phillipsburg, a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 415, said he was touched by the students including area veterans in their record-breaking attempt.

"It's great to see the kids remembering what Memorial Day is all about," Regrut said. "Those veterans have given up their tomorrows for our todays. It's the ultimate sacrifice."

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