What they didn’t expect was how deeply they would come to feel connected to one another, to the Juniata River Valley, and — most of all — to a project that now stands as a point of pride for Juniata County.

For Tyler Hutchinson, of Kish Bank, and Nicole Bomberger, of Helping Hands of Juniata County, that pride runs especially deep. In a class filled largely with Mifflin County participants, the two were the only members who both live and work in Juniata County.

“I’m born and raised in Juniata County, so the county holds a special part in my heart,” Hutchinson said. “For it to benefit the (Tuscarora) Academy (Museum) and the (Juniata County) Historical Society is a win-win truly.”

Hutchinson and Bomberger carried that hometown identity with them through every field trip, every speaker session, and every conversation about what their class project should be.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Helping with the Tuscarora Academy Museum Beautification Project are Leroy Fisher, of Fisher Brothers Builders; Austin Ferry, of JVB; Alyssa Brown, of Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce; Eric Dakey, of Pennian Bank; Nicole Bomberger, of Helping Hands of Juniata County, Tyler Hutchinson, of Kish Bank; Tika Silks, of Metzler Forrest Products; Jackson Saner, of Saner Landscaping; Jennifer Pennepacker, of AAA Central Penn; and Rhonda Kelley, of Chamber of Commerce, The project was handled in part by students in the chamber’s Leadership Institute.

“I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person, so this puts you out of your element,” Bomberger said. “You learn some things about the community you live in.

“I loved getting to know other people in the class,” Bomberger added. “It’s nice to be able to see something from start to finish, especially things with historical significance.”

The Leadership Institute, launched in 2019, is built around those experiences — visiting local businesses, hearing from community leaders, and discovering the resources that keep the Juniata River Valley moving. But each class also takes on a community impact project, and this year’s group chose to plant its work firmly in Juniata County soil.

Their focus: the Tuscarora Academy Museum in Academia, a landmark that has anchored local history for generations.

The Juniata County Historical Society had recently completed a sale of more than 230 commemorative bricks, creating a natural starting point. From there, the class shaped a project around three pillars Hutchinson said guided every decision: enhancing accessibility, preserving natural beauty, and bringing generations together.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Rhonda Kelley, of the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, works on landscaping for the Tuscarora Academy Museum Beautification Project as does Jennifer Pennepacker, of AAA Central Penn; and Eric Dakey, of Pennian Bank. Pennepacker and Dakey are Leadership Institute students.

“On behalf of myself, the board and volunteers, we are all filled with emotion and humble gratitude for how everyone came together to make it happen,” said Jessica Eaton Guyer, curator of the Tuscarora Academy Museum and president of the Juniata County Historical Society.

With those goals in mind, the class partnered with the Historical Society to expand and elevate the Academy grounds. Their work includes interpretive signage to help visitors understand the Academy’s story, a full landscaping overhaul, lighting for the flagpole, and the addition of a bench and planters. Sponsors stepped forward to support the effort, and class members planned to be onsite last week putting the finishing touches in place ahead of their May 13 graduation.

For Bomberger, the way the community rallied behind the project speaks volumes about the pride people feel for the Academy and for Juniata County itself. “It came together quite nicely,” she said. “The community was very supportive.”

Hutchinson echoed that sentiment, noting how meaningful it was to see the project rooted in the county he calls home. “This project has a very special place in my heart,” he said. “To see it come to this area and benefit the historical society has been special to me.”

The timing couldn’t be better. June 7 marks the Academy’s first day of the season, and this year’s opening has been branded as Generations Day — a grand reopening of sorts that celebrates both the Academy’s history and the new improvements made by the Leadership Institute class.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A closeup of the new interpretative sign at the Academy.

The event, hosted by the Class of 2026 and the Historical Society, will run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and will feature a ribbon-cutting for the new brick pathway, museum tours, a scavenger hunt for all ages, live entertainment, refreshments, and commemorative gifts for attendees.

“The leadership class’s great project compliments that pathway with the landscaping, bench, planters, interpretative sign, flagpole, lighting, etc.,” Guyer said. “Then they are hosting Generations Day and the ribbon cutting on opening day.”

Generations Day captures exactly what the class hoped to achieve: a moment where the past, present, and future meet on the same grounds. A place where families can walk the new pathway, children can explore the museum through a scavenger hunt, and longtime residents can see fresh energy invested in a site that has shaped so many local stories.

It also reflects the spirit of the Leadership Institute itself. The program is about developing leaders who understand their communities –leaders who know the history, the challenges, the opportunities, and the people who make the Juniata River Valley what it is. By choosing a project that honors heritage while creating something new, the Class of 2026 has left a mark that will be felt long after their nine months together.

For Hutchinson and Bomberger, the project stands as a reminder of what hometown pride looks like when it’s put into action. They helped ensure Juniata County had a voice in the room, and that voice helped bring the class’s largest-ever project to a place that means something to the people who live there.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
An overall view of the new sign and landscaping at the Tuscarora Academy Museum.

“I had done some legwork beforehand,” Hutchinson recalled. “I had reached out to the Juniata County Commissioners and was given some ideas. I reached out to Jess Guyer from the Juniata County Historical Society to see what she might know about.”

Hutchinson and his wife also drove around the country trying to see projects that might need a helping hand. In the end, he landed at the Tuscarora Academy.

“It made sense to land on the beautification project at the Academy,” Hutchinson explained. “The project alone has been rewarding for me. It put me outside my comfort zone. I learned about all the resources that are available in the two counties.

“The institute itself has been rewarding in how far it’s stretched me outside of my comfort zone,” Hutchinson added.

On June 7, when visitors step onto the new brick pathway and into the Academy’s story, they’ll be walking through a project built with intention, teamwork, and a whole lot of Juniata County heart.