The Municipality of Penn Hills is offering a one-day electronic waste recycling event on Saturday, July 26th, from 9 am to 1 pm at the Department of Public Works, 6600 Leechburg Road. Since they are no longer permitted by state law to be picked up by the trash collectors and dumped into a landfill, computers, televisions, and other selected electronics are being recycled. These electronic products contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury as well as other materials that are better kept out of the environment.

eLoop,  an electronic waste recycling specialist, is cooperating with the Municipality of Penn Hills to accept and recycle all collected electronic wastes. All data from computer hard drives will be destroyed so there will be no need to worry about personal and confidential information being seen or stolen and used by others. If you wish to remove data yourself before dropping off your computer, there are a number of free services on line that will completely erase hard drives.

 

Bring your unwanted electronics:  Computers, monitors, printers, televisions, VCR and DVD players, stereo systems, telephones, cell phones, digital cameras, all electronic cables, video game consoles, and UPS systems will be accepted.

 

Items not accepted:  Microwaves, large copy machines/FAX machines, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, kitchen appliances, vacuums, toasters, blenders, and other household items.

 

Any questions should be directed to the Department of Public Works at 412-798-2151.

Students in Victor Scassera's business class had an opportunity this past school year to participate in a special workshop run by Mullen Advertising, which has an office in Pittsburgh.  The workshop was taught by Brian Bronaugh, company president, and Joseph Lewis, business development and community engagement.  Both men have a connection with Penn Hills and wanted to bring the program to the District to encourage young people to think about advertising careers at a younger age in order to increase the diversity of the field.  They did this by spending weeks at the school, giving students an in-depth look at the varied expertise that makes up the advertising business.  Students were divided into groups and were then put to work on an advertising campaign of their choice.  At the end of the workshop, students had an opportunity to take a field trip to the Mullen office in the Strip District and speak with professionals in the business.

Mr. Bronaugh presents agency overview

According to Mr. Bronaugh, the plan for the workshop was derived from years of attending diversity workshops and never really seeing anything truly develop from them.  "The advertising business was--and still primarily is--a bastion for young, white males," he explained, adding, "Not only is this simply wrong, it's dangerous in terms of keeping pace with the evolving demographics of the country."

At our core, Mr. Bronaugh said, we are telling stories about a brand, a service, or a product.  If we can't tell those stories authentically and relevantly, he explained, we will be dismissed and ineffective, which is a bad combination for being competitive.   He spoke with Russell Bynum from Bynums Advertising.  Mr. Bynum has been doing this for years and told him they needed to reach kids at an earlier age than the college years where so many paths have already been set.  He said he decided to try and get Mullen involved in establishing a program aimed at that target.

When asked why he chose Penn Hills as one of the locations for his workshop, Mr. Bronaugh said, "It's more like Penn Hills chose us--we put together an overview of what we were trying to do and began shopping it around to many of the schools in this region."  Most schools thought they were trying to "sell" them something but there was no cost involved whatsoever for the participating schools.  "Penn Hills decided to give us a try," he said, "and it was the best experience we had with a school in this inaugural year."  In addition, he lives in Penn Hills and his kids attended Penn Hills, so he was particularly vested in seeing it happen there.

Overall, Mr. Bronaugh said he was very pleased with the way the workshop went. They learned a lot from the kids and from Mr. Scassera, "whom I give a lion's share of the credit for the success of this program."  He went on to say that, "as with most any academic endeavor, it's going to be as successful as the teacher allows it to be. Victor was engaged, supportive, and helped us with bringing the kids along--because as we know, high school kids can be reticent at first, but as the weeks progressed and with his help--they really started to shine."

Mr. Scassera echoed this observation about the students, feeling that the response was split down the middle as far as whether the students viewed the experience as positive or not.  He said the workshop started a little slow, but once they got into it, he really liked it.  "I liked the hands-on approach and I also liked the end result when we ended up at Mullen for our field trip," he said.

Mullen staff talk about their backgrounds and jobs

The students provided great feedback, Mr. Scassera said.  "They told the guys exactly what to do if they did it next year so that it was better," he explained.  For his part, he said he would only change the beginning.  His students wanted to jump right in and start working.  He said he would also offer it to more students and only let students participate in it that want to do so.  For example, he explained, he would suggest getting 30 to 50 students that have an interest in marketing and let them meet once a week in the LGI room.

Mr. Bronaugh said he and his people also learned a few things from the workshop.  For example, they determined that it could be shorter than the originally planned 10 weeks.  He said they need to get into a more interactive setting and get the kids involved in an assignment quicker than they did this time, which is something the students told them. For them, he explained, it got more interesting when they started to "work" on a campaign.  In addition, he said they would consider reducing the number of schools involved from the four they initially had involved to one so they could focus better and be more practical in terms of time.

Students visiting Mullen

"What was gratifying," Mr. Bronaugh said, "is that at least 5 kids came up afterwards and said they were considering this as a field to pursue when they graduate from high school. That's a start."  He went on to say that, all in all, he was very pleased with their first foray.  It is something they will continue to evolve, and he hopes it is something they can continue.

Once again, the bowling teams had a very successful season, with several players competing in the Pennsylvania State High School Bowling Championships to bring their season to a close.

Both the boys' and girls' teams finished second in their sections, which qualified them to compete in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League (WPIBL) playoffs.  The boys finished 6th in the WPIBL playoffs and 8th in the Pennsylvania Western Regional High School Bowling Tournament.
The girls finished 8th in the WPIBL playoffs and 2nd in the Pennsylvania Western Regional High School Tournament.  By finishing as one of the top 6 teams in the Western Regional Tournament, the girls' team qualified for the finals of the Pennsylvania State High School Bowling Tournament.  The girls finished 8th in the state, once again making them one of the top high school bowling teams in Pennsylvania.
Michael DelleFemine and Megan Steimer were finalists in the Singles Division at the state championships.  Megan finished 18th in the Girls' School Division and Michael finished an impressive 4th in the Boys' Division.  Because of Michael's outstanding bowling, he was recognized as one of the top high school bowlers in Pennsylvania.

"Hard work, dedication to the sport of bowling, and personal commitment to self-improvement proved to be the keys to the success of this year's teams," Coach Nancy Lindsay stated.  She went on to say that "Our success was truly a group effort from our students, parents, coaches, and the staff at Nesbit's Lanes, all who went over and above to ensure yet another winning season."

The girls' team consisted of the following students: Tori Bistarkey, Rebecca Kleckner, Megan Steimer, Jessica Strochein, Erica Lockard, Christina Valdivieso, Tori Remmick, and Samantha Pugliese, with Coach Nancy Lindsay.  The boys' team consisted of the following students:  Eric Platt, Michael DelleFemine, Nick Ingagliato, Shawn Edgar, Andrew Marra, Ryan Loughner, and Jonathan Barbarino, with Coach Mark Diehm.

This year's Baccalaureate ceremony, entitled "Realize the Holy Spirit," welcomed a diverse group of speakers.  Entertainment was provided by a worship band under the direction of Kala Lorey.  Members of the band included Junior Grace Faye and Sophomore Thomas Faye (both singers), Junior Morgan Lightner on bass, Junior Olivia Klonowski on guitar, and Junior Julius Ralph on drums.

Bishop Zubik receives a gift from Dr. Therone Wade

After the Presentation of Colors by the NJROTC and Pledge of Allegiance led by Senior Andrew Marra, Master of Ceremonies Jay Mitlo made his introductions.  Superintendent Thomas Washington welcomed the students and their families.  This was followed by speakers and readers from area churches, students, and featured speaker Bishop David A. Zubik from the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.  Bishop Zubik told a very heart-touching story about his own experience with taking a moment, when he really didn't want to, in order to be there for someone in need.  He didn't find out until years later that his decision saved two lives.

Senior Angelica Walker gave a charge to the students that was one of the highlights of the evening.  In it, she advised her fellow classmates that they needed to start to think about being individuals and making choices.  She pointed out that freedom comes with temptation and choices come with responsibility.  "Tonight is the night that we need to stop trying to fit in, and start trying to stand out," she told the audience.  As she closed her charge, she advised her classmates that "no matter how independent we get, we know that we will never be alone. We know that God will never leave us . . . .Let us forever know that even if we are on our own, we are not alone."  (the full text of Angelica's charge is available here; additional photos from the event can be found in the Senior High Photo Gallery)

Kindergarten
First Place - Chloe McDevitt, Forbes, "Princess Makeover Station"
Second Place - Sydney Smith, Forbes, "iDippers"
Third Place - Aiden Quirk, "The Scareinator"
Honorable Mention - Christian Aubele, Meadow Austin, Chase Delehanty, Caliz Clark

First Grade
First Place - Jason Sherrill, Penn Hebron, "The Bookbag Light!"
Second Place - Lucian McCollim, Penn Hebron, "You Don't Have to Touch Bugs!"
Third Place - Devinn Reed, Forbes, "Jazz"
Honorable Mention - Ava Brazos, Jordan Patterson, Tailynn Kemp-Denson

Second Grade
First Place - Caroline McDevitt, Forbes, "Mall Mule"
Second Place - Mary Atieno, Forbes, "M.A. Toy Handle Soap Scrub"
Third Place - Sammy Tucci, Forbes, "Allergy Dog Petter"
Honorable Mention - Carlo Buzzatto, Damiana Hopkins, Marielle Munakwa, Ava Pacheco, Madeline DiDomenico, Kalliyan Wiegand, River Conner, Saryah Denson

Third Grade
First Place - Becca Frey, Forbes, "Finders Keepers APP"
Second Place - Claire Crowley, Washington, "The Animal Keep Away"
Third Place - Nevaeh Montgomery, "I Care to Take You Everywhere Chair"
Honorable Mention - Navaya Denson, Keira Waldo, Lucas Capone, Nicholas Marcinko, Bakari Hopkins, Liberty Bash, Olivia Senge, Angelica Jefferson

Fourth Grade
First Place - Trinity Refosco, "Mutt Gellan 1.0"
Second Place - Jali Ransom, "Porta Chair"
Third Place - Rhianna Mechesney, "Candybot"
Honorable Mention - Lyric Carter, Galipu Maina, Tamyia Bailey, Deshae Eubank, Delonta Kalasky, Kylie Marcinko, Jenna Matassa

Fifth Grade
First Place - Kayla Mixon, Penn Hebron, "Safe Step Locker"
Second Place - Sydney Thompson, Penn Hebron, "My Walk-In"
Third Place - Michael Arnold, "Hot Sauce Spray"
Honorable Mention - Rayeecha Snoe, Saxson McKissick

(additional photos available in the Penn Hebron Photo Gallery)

Senior Library Assistants Angelica Walker and Lauren Williams entered the Big Read Community Engagement Contest and won in the Project Category.  The Big Read is a nationwide initiative to increase literacy and a love of reading in America's youth.

Their entry, along with other winners, was displayed at the closing ceremony at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on April 23rd.  They attended with family members and each received a Kindle, books, and other items.  Students were required to describe their winning entry to the audience addressing the following:  their impression of the book "The Things They Carried," inspiration for their entry, and discuss how important these types of community read projects are for students and the community.
 
Senior Library Assistant Tyree Mitchell and NJROTC Sword Team Leader Junior Jaylin Clark were featured in the documentary film "Our Things."  Alum Major Edward Dice was also featured in the film addressing Penn Hills Senior High students in the library about the book and his war experience.  Librarian Dorothy Coleman called it "a Penn Hills Pride Moment!"

The text of the ladies' speech is included below:

Lauren Williams; Dr. Quintin B. Bullock, CCAC College President; and  Angelica Walker

Cadet Nia Smith returned to school after a full day of classes to see to the last-minute preparations for the Big Red Company's 13th Annual End-of-Year Award Recognition and Change-of-Command Ceremony.   It has truly been a busy and exciting year for Nia as the Company Master Chief, and she wanted to make sure everything went right for her final ceremony in NJROTC.  "I volunteered to be in charge of this event because recognizing the great accomplishments of my fellow cadets is very important to me," Nia said.  

Cadet Nia Smith

The cadets were again leaders at Penn Hills High School in academics and athletics, as well as in service to their school and community.  Nia was determined to ensure that they were recognized for their efforts.  "I have been working on this for the last month," she explained, "and I don't want any last minute glitches to take away from a very special night."

For the previous 12 years, the Big Red Company has recognized outstanding cadet achievement at the annual ceremony in early May.   "It's the last time we seniors will wear our uniforms.  After tonight, the new commanding officer and cadet staff take over and we basically move on.  It's sad but exciting," Nia explained.  

As in the past, the year started after the 2013 End-of-Year ceremony as cadets provided support to Penn Hills High School Baccalaureate, Boyce Middle College graduation, Penn Hills High School graduation, Elementary Center ground breaking, and Penn Hebron and Washington Elementary Schools end-of-year bashes.  They were also honored to provide a graveside flag presentation for fallen Penn Hills Police Officer Michael Crawshaw.  

During the summer of 2013, cadets helped with Relay for Life and served as challenging students in a mock classroom to support new teacher interviews, a role they felt they were truly well prepared for.  Upon their return to school in August, new staff members and selected cadets led the way for four days of intensive training for 33 newly minted first-year cadets participating in the 12th cadet-run Summer Orientation Camp.

As  school started, they again supported the football team with colors presentations at all home games and a sword arch for homecoming.  They also provided cadet support at the Celebration of Learning event at the high school.

During the school year, cadets participated in 23 community and School District interactions at special events such as the Penn Hills Band Festival, welcome back picnics, Halloween dances, and math and reading nights at Linton, Penn Hebron, and Washington.  There were 33 presentations of the National Colors at various locations ranging from graduation ceremonies for Sanford Brown, Penn Hills High School, Boyce Middle College, and school sporting events to scholarship presentations and school assemblies.  They also proudly displayed the flag at Penn Hills Community Light-up Night and a high school hockey championship tournament at the Consol Energy Center.

Their impressive armed and unarmed drill teams competed in three military precision drill competitions.  Although they did not make it to the Navy Area Four finals this year, the new incoming staff has set the goal to attend next year, laying the groundwork for a great season in 2014-2015.

The cadets competed in the Annual National Academic Exam with great success.  This was the 6th year in a row they were competitive with all the schools in the Northeast United States, impressively so, with one of the teams finishing in the top 3rd in the area.

Overall academically, 39 cadets--or about 30 percent of the Company--achieved honor roll or high honor roll during the four 9-week grading periods this year.  As any cadet will tell you, academic performance in all subjects continues as the NJROTC number one priority.

The Sword Team performed sword arches for  distinguished guest visits and special events like  Homecoming, the Military Ball, Veteran's Day Parade, Annual Military Inspection, graduation, and a special sword arch welcoming back Penn Hills High School graduate and Purple Heart recipient, former United States Air Force Major Edward Dice.

Cadets performed over 2,056 hours of service to the Penn Hills  community and 536 hours of service to the Penn Hills School District by mid May.  That was an average of 20 hours that each cadet in NJROTC was involved in positive service to the school and community.  Remarkably, over 70 percent of the cadets participated in some form of afterschool or sponsored activity offered by NJROTC.

Once again, it has been an exciting and busy year and the awards ceremony was their way of recognizing the efforts that cadets put forth to make NJROTC a success at Penn Hills High School.  

At the ceremony, cadets were individually recognized for performance in the following areas:  Certificates of Appreciation for service as Cadets-in-Charge of  event support, fundraising, and NJROTC-sponsored activities; ribbon awards for community service, participation in the physical readiness program, participation in nonroutine NJROTC events, special service to the Unit,  color guard,  marksmanship team, academic achievement, sword team, exemplary conduct, exemplary personal appearance,  military aptitude, and overall outstanding cadets.

Four cadets, one in each Naval Science (NS) year group, were recognized as the Honor Cadet, an award given yearly to the cadet who has the highest overall academic achievement in his/her year group.  The NS1 Honor Cadet was Jacob Russell, NS 2 Honor Cadet was Victor Ouko, NS 3 Honor Cadet was Marquis Washington, and NS 4 Honor Cadet was Alexis White.  Four other cadets, one in each NS group, were recognized as Distinguished Cadets.  These cadets  had the highest combined overall scholastic standing and participation in NJROTC Unit activities, often serving as leader of the event support.  The NS1 Distinguished Cadet was Katarina Shields, NS 2 Distinguished Cadet was Lucas Baird, NS 3 Distinguished Cadet was Jaylin Clark, and NS 4 Distinguished Cadet was Jhazemynn Jones.

After the 18 graduating seniors were recognized, awards presented to cadets from organizations from outside of the school were made.  These included the Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Company's Celebrate Freedom Foundation Award issued to a 1st year cadet for Excellence in Academics and Achievement.  This year's awardee was Florie Alicer.

The Surface Navy Association (SNA) awarded the Stephen Decatur Medal to a first-year cadet who exemplified the spirit of the Surface Navy as demonstrated by Stephen Decatur during his daring raid to destroy the USS Philadelphia.  This outstanding young leader was Katarina Shields.

The Reserve Officer's Association presented three awards to outstanding cadets who met the high ideals of duty and patriotism espoused by the Association.  These cadets were Conner Hoffman, Courtney Yeager, and Hannah Stawski.  The  AMVETS medal for demonstrating leadership that embodies the AMVET spirit of service was awarded to Alexis Main.  The General Matthew B. Ridgeway Chapter of the The Military Order of the World Wars Award for recognized leadership in NJROTC was awarded to Tyler Lisovich.

Three prestigious organizations had representatives at the ceremony to present an award on behalf of their organizations.  Mr. Paul Scull, a lineal descendant of a participant in the American Revolution, presented the Sons of the American Revolution Award to Cory Umscheid.  Col. Bill Vergot, United States Army (Retired) from the Pittsburgh Council of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), demonstrated MOAA's continuing support of NJROTC at Penn Hills by recognizing outstanding performance in the NJROTC with an award to Jaylin Clark.  The final award for the evening was the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Award from the Pittsburgh Council of the Navy League of the United States.  This award recognizes the cadet who best exemplified our 22nd President's values of energy, spirit, competition, and fair play.  It was presented  by Commander Nicholas Krawec, United States Navy Reserve (Retired), to Lucas Baird.

The final event for the evening was the  Change-of-Command Ceremony where Cadet Lieutenant Commander Jaylin Clark relieved Cadet Commander Tyrell Simmons as the Commanding Officer of the Big Red Company.  Cadet Clark had the cadets  Pass in Review to honor Cadet Simmons for his outstanding Leadership throughout the school year.

The evening concluded with a brief reception in the high school cafeteria, where Cadet Smith was seen sitting exhausted in a chair, high fiving her fellow cadets.  "We did it!" she exclaimed.  And so they did.  Well done, Big Red Company.  (special thanks to Cadets Florie Alicer and Katarina Shields for this article; additional photos are available in the NJROTC Photo Gallery; video clips are available here at one, two, three, four, and five)

At the Senior High this past spring, one person's trash became another person's Land of Oz.  Using donated items from the community which included tires, bottles, and more, students brought to life the story of an inner city Dorothy who is transported to adventure in a magical land.  There, she meets the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, as well as assorted witches, Winkies, and more.  Audiences were happily taken along on Dorothy's quest to help her new friends and find her way home.

The outstanding work of the Senior High was recognized by the 2014 Gene Kelly Awards with four nominations, including: 

• Julius Ralph, Best Supporting Actor, "The Wizard"
• Adam Rayan, Best Actor, "Tinman"
• Savannah Wiggins, Best Actress, "Dorothy"
• Best Musical, Budget Category III.

Although they did not take any awards home, the cast and crew were definitely winners to all those who had the chance to see their performances.  

Olivia Mallory

On June 3rd, a ceremony was held for graduating seniors in the Life Skills and Autistic Support Program. The evening included food and fun as family joined students and staff to watch a presentation of student activities during the year.

In addition, two $500 scholarships were awarded to students by Tess Williams Dawson in memory of her daughter, Teesa Williams, who lost her life in 2011.  Recipients of the Teesa Williams Scholarship for 2014 were Anthony Taylor and Olivia Mallory.  Olivia will be attending the Hiram B. Andrews Center in Johnstown.

Anthony Taylor

Anthony was selected for admission into the UPMC Project SEARCH Program for Fall 2014 at UPMC Mercy.  During the summer months, the AIU will be providing travel instruction services as a pilot program for Goodwill's Project SEARCH students at Mercy Hospital.  This will allow individuals in the program to become more independent in traveling from their homes to the Project SEARCH Program at Mercy.  Anthony was 1 of 12 students selected in Allegheny County to attend this program.  He elected to spend an additional year in Penn Hills as part of the project and will graduate in 2015.  This was the first time one of our special needs students was selected for the program, which is fairly new.

 
The money for the Teesa Williams Scholarship comes from donations and fundraising.  This was the first time one of Teesa's classmates was awarded a scholarship in her name.  In the past, the $500 scholarship went to a regular education student going into a special education related field.  (additional photos in the Senior High Photo Gallery)

Start your freshman year strong by attending the 9th Grade Academy Summer Transition Program, "Learning to Lead Responsibly."  The program will be held August 5-7th.  All incoming 9th Graders are expected to join the High School for a three-day, life-changing, fun experience.  Students will have the opportunity to build positive relationships with Caring Adults (select 9th Grade Teachers) and Role Models (upperclassmen leaders) committed to help make your first year a success. Transportation will be provided along with breakfast and lunch on all three days.

Activities include Begin with the End in Mind College Visits as well as team-building and leadership exercises.  The dates are Tuesday, August 5th, through Thursday, August 7th, from 9 am to 2 pm at the Senior High School.  Please email the information listed below to Connie Hannan at channa@phsd.k12.pa.us or mail to Associate Principal Horne, PH High School, 309 Collins Drive, Pittsburgh, PA  15235.

• Student name
• Student contact phone number
• Parent contact phone number
• Emergency contact number (other than parent/guardian)
• Email address
• Student t-shirt size
• Student ID number
• Health/dietary concerns
• I will need bus transportation (yes or no)
• College visit choice (Pitt, CMU, Duquesne, Pittsburgh Technical Institute, Robert Morris)

It is highly recommended that students attend all three days of the summer transition program.

The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and empower and enrich lives, recently awarded $187,000 in scholarships to 178 Pennsylvania high school seniors through its annual Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program. One of the Comcast Foundation's signature community investment initiatives, the program recognizes students' leadership skills, academic achievement, and commitment to community service.

 

Penn Hills Senior Melissa Gess was a recipient of the Comcast Award at a special event held on June 17th in Harrisburg at the State Museum of Pennsylvania and attended by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and other government officials.

 

2014 Pennsylvania Leaders and Achievers recipients received $1,000 scholarships. After a prize drawing, 10 students also received Samsung laptop computers for use at college, including Melissa.

L-R:  Melissa Gess; Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse; Jody Doherty, Comcast VP of Community Investment; Kirstyn Smith, City Charter School; and Bob Smith, Comcast VP of Government Affairs

"Each of these students has demonstrated they are among the best and brightest that Pennsylvania has to offer," said Governor Corbett. "They are not only leaders academically, but have shown a commitment to their communities through their service and dedication. Susan and I commend them for their achievements, as well as the Comcast Foundation for offering this scholarship program to deserving students statewide."

 

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program provides $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, are catalysts for positive change in their communities, are involved in their schools, and serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and engage them in their communities. The program also demonstrates the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

  

A video clip that includes Melissa is available here. 

Sponsored by Amanda Power and Brittany Schmidt, the Linton Student Council had a tremendously successful 2013-14 school year fundraising for various charitable causes. Their message this year was to pay it forward and give back to their community.

Teacher Shawn Rua, Principal Shawn Cooke, and Snowball Wars Participant

The group went from crazy hats to snowball wars to fired-up bandanas to swim and gym bracelets. Throwing in some Christmas wishes, candy, and Valentines, student-council sponsored charity contributions for the school year came to $4,700. This money went to the Penn Hills Service Association, Franklin Regional FR Strong, and the American Heart Association.

 

A special thank you goes out to the Physical Education Department, Parent Volunteers Jodi Roberto and Lydia Bash, and Principal Shaun Cooke for their support and dedication.

On May 10th, several Linton Middle School and Senior High students from the Life Skills and Autistic Support classrooms traveled to Baldwin High School for the annual Allegheny County Special Olympics track and field event.  Several of the students also participated in the Special Olympics Basketball tournament in March.  They talked about the March event so much that they recruited some more students to compete in the May event.  Students practiced during their physical education classes.

The Special Olympics of Allegheny County team was excited for our Penn Hills teams to attend the event for the first time and welcomed the group with open arms. Students competed in events throughout the day, ranging from the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 4x100 relay, turbo javelin, shot put, softball throw, and standing and running long jumps.  Several students received top best scores of the day of all the athletes who completed throughout the county.

Students had a blast despite the rain and want to compete in next year's event.   Student participants included:

Linton Team 

• Snowden Sanders
• Eric Brown
• Tory Blair
• Deshawn Jackson-Ralston
• Naquan Franklin-Pollard

Senior High Team  

• James Best
• Jaimie Thompson
• Morgan Thompson
• Anthony Lima
• Craig Cook-Stubbs
• Shon Knight-Garrett
• Daunte Reed
• Kahyll Holyfield
• Anthony Taylor
• Diondre Carter - Assistant

The event would not have been successful without the help of several individuals: 

• Katie Leone - Head Coach and K-2 Autistic Support Teacher
• Cathy Guzzo - Assistant Coach and Director of Special Education
• Sue O'Connor - Senior High Autistic Support Teacher
• Amy Rockenstein - Kindergarten Special Education Teacher at Penn Hebron Elementary
• Lisa Romah - Instructional Aide at Linton
• Kady Jones - Linton Speech/Language Pathologist
• Ed Carr - Senior High Physical Education Teacher
• Eric Kulczyski - Linton Physical Education Teacher 

To view footage from the event, click here.  The District will be holding its Special Olympics track and field event on July 31st, with opening ceremonies at 9 am at Linton Middle School.