Author |
Message |
Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Thursday, January 13, 2005 - 12:55 pm
 Born in Belleville, Pennsylvania, Wanda Shirk grew up in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Ephrata High School in 1967. In 1971, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and speech communication from Wheaton College in Illinois. She then went on to receive her master's degree in education from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. Shirk has been teaching junior and senior high school English for 28 years. From 1971 to 1977, she taught at Warwick High School in Lititz, Pennsylvania. From 1983 until the present, she has taught at Northern Potter High School in Ulysses, Pennsylvania. In addition to classroom teaching, she has supervised the school's yearbook and newspaper staffs, directed school plays, acted as an advisor to the National Honor Society and sophomore, junior and senior classes and served as timer and scorekeeper for the school's volleyball and basketball games. Parenting has been a large part of Shirk's life over the last 25 years. In addition to her own children, Dawn and Shawn, she and her husband of 26 years (they divorced in 2000) became foster parents to 25 children and to exchange students from Norway, Germany and the Ukraine. These days, Shirk devotes much of her time to community service. She is a trustee of the Ulysses Library, President of the Potter County Foster Parents Association, Chairman of the Potter County Planning Commission and secretary/fund-raising Chairman for the Tri-Town Fire Company Auxiliary. She is certified as a Community Emergency Response Team member and is certified in some Red Cross courses (and a regular Red Cross blood donor as well). Shirk enjoys backpacking and hiking. In 2000, she solo backpacked the 85 mile Susquehannock Trail in Potter County, Pennsylvania. She is an active member of the Keystone Trails Association and two local hiking clubs. A recent newlywed, Shirk resides in Ulysses, Pennsylvania, with her husband, George. Her birth date is August 24, 1949. Favorites Colors Green, rainbows Scents Lemon, pine, spice, vanilla, roses Flowers Rose, daffodil, lilac, forsythia, daisy, wildflowers Board Games Mancala, Balderdash, Trivial Pursuit, Chinese checkers, chess Video Games Pac-Man Sports to Play Softball, volleyball Sports Teams No favorite Outdoor Activities Backpacking, hiking, jogging, building hiking trails TV Shows SURVIVOR, A&E biographies, History channel, 60 MINUTES Movies Blackhawk Down, A Beautiful Mind, Fiddler on the Roof Actors Robin Williams, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks Actresses No favorite Music Country, Rogers & Hammerstein, Gilbert & Sullivan, popular, easy listening Magazines The Week, Time, Newsweek Books/Authors A History of God, Through the Narrow Gate (Karen Armstrong), A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson), Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) Cereals Oatmeal with blueberries, Raison Nut Bran, granola Fruits Blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, apple, grapes, banana Snack Foods Peanuts, mixed nuts, honey-mustard pretzels, Doritos, sour cream & onion chips Cookies Chocolate chip, peanut butter, molasses, ginger snaps, frosted sugar cookies Candy Bars Nutrageous, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey's with Almonds Alcoholic Drinks No favorite Non-Alcoholic Nestea, cider, Welch's grape juice, fruit juice, tomato juice http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor10/survivors/fav/wanda.shtml
|
Bbfanatic
Member
08-14-2000
| Friday, January 14, 2005 - 9:58 am
I thought Wanda was a man when I first saw her picture.
|
Rslover
Member
11-19-2002
| Saturday, January 15, 2005 - 6:18 pm
Me too!! 
|
Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Saturday, January 15, 2005 - 10:53 pm
I hope she's the first one sent packing.
|
Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 1:23 am
Wanda is this year's Twyla (visually).
|
Auntiemike
Member
09-17-2001
| Sunday, January 16, 2005 - 4:03 pm
Tishala: Why?
|
Jasper
Member
09-14-2000
| Monday, January 17, 2005 - 11:51 am
she is one busy and admirable lady!
|
Lexie_girl
Member
07-30-2004
| Monday, January 17, 2005 - 5:22 pm
I'm with you Jasper. I think her bio is very impressive. 
|
Auntiemike
Member
09-17-2001
| Monday, January 17, 2005 - 6:12 pm
I agree with Jasper and Lexie.
|
Lilfair
Member
07-09-2003
| Sunday, February 06, 2005 - 5:10 pm
Where do people get all their energy. I must be a slacker.
|
Roppiepie
Member
05-06-2004
| Sunday, February 06, 2005 - 10:12 pm
I really LIKE this lady!
|
Catfat
Member
02-27-2002
| Sunday, February 06, 2005 - 10:22 pm
That list of stuff on her bio sheet sounds fake to me. No one could have that many activities and have all of them be her favourites. And no one could have 25 foster children, plus a bunch of her own kids and foreign exchange students and still have time to donate blood. And Wanda Shirk sounds like a fake name. And I also think Wanda is or was a guy.
|
Auntiemike
Member
09-17-2001
| Sunday, February 06, 2005 - 11:29 pm
I'll take exception to your statement that she could not have had 25 foster children and the exchange students, and time for all the rest, Catfat. In our first year of being licensed foster parents we had 37 in and out of our home the first year! And have had numerous ones since in the following nine years. We were also raising five children, two of which were extreme special needs. I guess my point is, that given her age and history she sounds like she could have achieved what is stated in her bio. Let's give her the benefit of the doubt until we "get to know her" through the show.
|
Lilfair
Member
07-09-2003
| Monday, February 07, 2005 - 8:38 am
I saw a sneak peek of the Survivors on the TV Guide channel. Good lord Wanda was singing a little diddy about being a Survivor. It wasn't pretty.
|
Lycanthrope
Member
09-19-2002
| Monday, February 14, 2005 - 3:22 am
I doubt she'll be one of my favorites this season, but I'm impressed by her bio. I also heard she was a huge Survivor fan and had written many songs about the show...that 'little diddy' was probably one of them.
|
Tabbyking
Member
03-11-2002
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 3:43 pm
she looks like 'alice' from the Brady Bunch. why are these survivors putting me in mind of the Brady Bunch?! LOL
|
Hippyt
Member
06-15-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 3:54 pm
Lol,she does look like Alice!
|
Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 6:31 pm
Well, looks like Tishala got her wish. Buh bye Wanda! (Lesson learned here: don't aggravate anyone till you know whether you have any allies!)
|
Thiry18
Member
09-18-2004
| Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 7:23 pm
catfat-wanda shirk really is her name. i am originally from her hometown of ephrata, pennsylvania. and i can assure you that she is a woman. my parents graduated high school with her.
|
Catfat
Member
02-27-2002
| Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 8:39 pm
Well, OK then, Thiry. Now that she is gone I feel bad about being so mean.
|
Thiry18
Member
09-18-2004
| Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 8:56 pm
nah. don't feel bad. i thought she was extremely annoying. i couldn't have survived another episode with her in it.
|
Lycanthrope
Member
09-19-2002
| Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 11:39 pm
I'm also glad she's gone. The two most annoying survivors were her and Jolanda, and they're both gone in the 1st episode...that never happens! I'm rooting for Angie and Janu.
|
Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Friday, February 18, 2005 - 1:58 pm
thank goodness she is gone. I might have enjoyed watching her annoy people but that would only have lasted one or two episodes.
|
Starshine40
Member
07-30-2002
| Friday, February 18, 2005 - 3:54 pm
My mother wanted her gone just from the previews. I can understand how she would have annoyed everyone with her singing all the time.
|
Lexie_girl
Member
07-30-2004
| Saturday, February 19, 2005 - 4:12 pm
I was also one of those impressed when I read her bio. Two minutes of her singing her little song and I was ready for her to go. NEXT????????
|
|