Levi Barney

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Middle/High School gym was decked out in string lights and hay bales on Monday for the 82nd annual Winter Carnival Coronation. During the event, Seniors Levi Barney and Abbey Light were chosen as the Carnival king and queen by their fellow students and teachers.

This year’s theme was “Country Western” and the Coronation was followed by a performance by Lake Placid Elementary School students, decked out in an assortment of cowboy hats, bandanas and ponchos. There was even an appearance by a very small Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton.

Carnival King Barney is involved with the Interact Club, Drama Club and Select Ensemble at LPHS. He balances these activities while working part-time at Ben and Jerry’s.

For his senior capstone project, he is shadowing local photographer and school art teacher Sandy Huber to learn photography with the goal of becoming more comfortable with a camera. This spring, Barney will be performing as Prince Charming in the school’s production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” In the future, he hopes to become a music teacher and work with children.

Carnival Queen Light is a member of the Drama Club and National Honor Society at LPHS, also serving for four years with the student council. She is the captain of the varsity soccer, basketball and softball teams.

Abbey Light

She also works part time at the Adirondack Popcorn Company. For her senior capstone project, she is working on organizing a “Run to Remember,” which will be a fundraiser to support Elderwood’s memory care unit. Light plans to attend college in the fall and will continue to play sports wherever she goes.

Other Carnival candidates for king and queen included seniors Brooke Beaney, Anisa Cecunjanin, Norah Galvin, Aidan Fay, Owen Hayes and Parker Scanio.

Other students in the Carnival Court included freshmen Liam Gotham, Will Brooks, Aurora Brunner and Kendra Levitt; sophomores Breck Barrett, Jim Guigliemi, Ireland Cassidy and Emma Clark and juniors Caleb Wylie, Charlie Wilson, Lili Draper and Brooke Meyer.

Sixth-graders Ryan Mannion, Axton Manning, Autumn Bearden and Emina Cecunjanin; seventh graders Gunnar Webb, Oliver Murray, Norah Francis and Leila Fey and eighth graders Sebastian Poleo Reyes, Erik Rock, Rikki Staves and Rhaya Torrance were also in this year’s Carnival Court.

Patti McConvey was this year’s Carnival Archbishop and had the honor of crowning the king and queen. McConvey has lived in Wilmington for more than 30 years and worked at LPCSD for more than 20 years. She and her late husband Bill raised eight children, and three of them attended the school. Since retiring in 2021, she has continued working for the LPCSD transportation department. McConvey is also a member of the Lake Placid Educational Opportunity Fund and the Lake Placid Ski Club Board of Directors.

This year’s Coronation was originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6, but a run of inclement weather and snow days caused it to be pushed back to Monday night.