Courtney Kovatch, 13, daughter of Joseph and Angie Kovatch of Nesquehoning, was named 2014 Tamaqua Poppy Queen, selling her first poppy to Tamaqua Mayor ChristianMorrison. A junior member of the Tamaqua American Legion Auxiliary, C.H. Berry Unit 173,

Courtney is a seventh-grade student at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Lehighton and is a member of Nesquehoning Girl Scout Troop 34096. She is actively involved with CYO volleyball and the Mahoning Valley 4-H Club. The American Legion Auxiliary PoppyProgram was created in 1921 as a visual remembrance of thesacrifices made by America's veterans. Its purpose is to elevate community awareness and respect for veterans by educating legion members and the public about the poppy's significance, taken from a line in the poem "In Flanders Fields," which was written on a World War I battlefield by Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D. Proceeds from the sale of the red crepe paper poppies, each handcrafted by a veteran as part of a therapeutic rehabilitation program, directly assistdisabled and hospitalized veterans.