board of school directors - bethel park...teacher robert wargo, librarian michelle minnick and...

May 13, 2019 www.bpsd.org

VISIT US ONLINE@ www.bpsd.org

The Bethel Park School Districtwas one of 221 Pennsylvania SchoolDistricts to receive a $35,000 PAsmartTargeted K12 Computer Science andSTEM Education Grant.

The District will use this money toprovide computer science education

opportunities for students at Neil Armstrong Middle School and Bethel Parkelementary schools in an effort to establish a basic skills foundation that willencourage students to pursue computer science electives at the high schoollevel.

For the first part of the grant, NAMS Principal Ken Patterson, Fifth Grade

Teacher Robert Wargo, Librarian Michelle Minnick and elementarylibrarians will participate in the required training as stipulated by the grant. Oncetrained, the students in Mr. Wargo’s classroom and all students, through theirLibrary experiences, will have the opportunity to participate in computer scienceactivities through organizations such as Code.org.

“We are pleased to be a part of this state-wide initiative that is intentionallyexpanding access to high-quality computer science and STEM education acrossthe State,” explained Bethel Park Superintendent Dr. Joseph W. Pasquerilla.“We know that the vast majority of new jobs to be created will require computerscience skills, and the programs we will be providing our students through thisgrant will help them to graduate and be prepared for success in the globalcommunity.”

District Receives $35,000 Computer Science/STEM Education Grant

Board of School Directors

Ken Nagel831-1814

Connie RuhlVice President 835-7845

Ron Werkmeister854-5693

David Amaditz835-1701

CindyBuckley835-6037

BarryChristenson851-1032

Donna CookPresident 833-6191

PamDobos833-3868

JimMeans301-1065

INFORMATION....................833-5000Information Line ................854-8407

Call to hear important district news and schooldelay/cancellation information.

School District Contact Information

Central Administration301 Church Road, Bethel Park 15102Dr. Joseph W. Pasquerilla, Superintendent............................854-8402Janet O’Rourke, Assistant to the Superintendent for

Assessments, Evaluations and Human Resources ..............854-8420Beth Wells, Coordinator of Curriculum K-12............................854-8420Leonard Corazzi, Director of Finance, Operations

and Human Resources ........................................................854-8425Sharon Kopy, Assistant Director of Finance ............................854-8445Lori Sutton, Director of Special Education ..............................854-8410Dr. Sarah Shue,Asst. Director of Special Education ................854-8410Ronald Reyer, Director of Technology Services ......................854-8418Scott Ziehler, Transportation Director......................................854-8414William Keith, Director of Facilities and Services ....................854-8615Joe Consolmagno, Director of Food Services ........................854-8754Vicki Flotta, Director of Public Relations ................................854-8438Dan Sloan, Athletic Director ....................................................854-8548Bethel Park High School 309 Church Road, Bethel Park 15102Dr. Zeb Jansante, Principal ....................................................854-8581Joseph Villani, Associate Principal ........................................854-8581Guidance Office ........................................................................854-8597Health Office ............................................................................854-8550Attendance Office ....................................................................854-8572Media Center ............................................................................854-8565Records Office ..........................................................................854-8595Student Activities ......................................................................854-8514Athletic Office............................................................................854-8548

Independence 7-8 Middle School2807 Bethel Church Road, Bethel Park 15102David Muench, Principal..........................................................854-8677Dr. George Spalaris, Assistant Principal ................................854-8678

Neil Armstrong 5-6 Middle School5800 Murray Avenue, Bethel Park 15102Kenneth Patterson, Principal ..................................................854-8751Sheryl Kremer, Assistant Principal ..........................................854-8756

Abraham Lincoln Elementary1524 Hamilton Road, Pittsburgh 15234Jay Johnson, Principal .......................................................... 854-8618

Benjamin Franklin Elementary5400 Florida Avenue, Bethel Park 15102Teresa Doumont, Principal ......................................................854-8741

Bethel Memorial Elementary3301 South Park Road, Bethel Park 15102Eric Chalus, Principal ..............................................................854-8506

George Washington Elementary515 Clifton Road, Bethel Park 15102Fred Pearson, Principal ..........................................................854-8546

William Penn Elementary110 Woodlet Lane, Bethel Park 15102Brian Lenosky,

Principal/Director of Cyber/Alt. Learning Options ................854-8522

MISSION:To lead an educationalpartnership with theCommunity, maintaining anenvironment thatchallenges all students toreach their potential aslifelong learners andresponsible members ofsociety.

May 13, 2019www.bpsd.org

Administration

The end of the 2018-2019 schoolyear is less than a month away, and it has

been a great year, filled with manyaccolades and accomplishments for our students andstaff, as highlighted in each issue of this publication.

While we are looking forward to Graduation for the Bethel Park High SchoolClass of 2019 on June 8, we have also been busy this year preparing for the2019-2020 school year.

One of the things we did at the end of last school year was to have the2018-2109 school year schedules ready for all Bethel Park High School studentsbefore the school year ended.

It was a tremendous amount of work for our staff to complete this task atwhat is undoubtedly the busiest time of the school year, but the benefits weremany, as our eighth grade students were able to walk their schedules during aMove Up Day activity that was held at the end of last school year. Eighth graderswere able to visit the High School during the school day and walk their schedule,to familiarize themselves with the building. It was a great way to help ourincoming freshmen transition to their high school years.

For our upper classmen, having their schedules before the end of the schoolyear also helps them--as well as our Counseling Department--with anyscheduling issues that might arise. The early release of the schedules allowsenough time for any schedule issues to be corrected well in advance of thebeginning of the school year.

We are pleased to be able to do this again this school year, and I want tothank our High School Administration and Counseling Department for their efforts

to make this possible for our students. We are looking to provide incomingIndependence Middle School seventh and eighth graders with their schedulesbefore the end of the school year as well. I would also like to thank the IMSAdministrators and Counselors for their efforts to accelerate scheduling for ourseventh and eighth graders.

The District has had a long-standing partnership with Community College ofAllegheny County and the University of Pittsburgh, and we are continuing to lookfor ways to expand our College In High School course offerings. As you know, thecost of college is escalating at a rapid pace, and this partnership allows ourstudents to be able to work at a college level in high school and earn collegecredit at a significantly reduced cost to them or their parents. We continue to lookfor ways to bring higher level classes into our curriculum.

Additionally, we are pleased to be one of 221 Pennsylvania school districtsto be selected for a $35,000 PAsmart Targeted K12 Computer Science andSTEM Education Grant. Our grant will be used to provide staff training at NeilArmstrong Middle School and our elementary schools to make sure our studentsare exposed to computer science, as our librarians will be able to integratecomputer science activities into the stories the students are reading as part oftheir library curriculum. We believe this early exposure will encourage students toenroll in more computer science classes when they get to the high school level.You can read more about this exciting opportunity in a separate story in thisissue.

I want to congratulate the students and staff who were involved with themusical productions this spring at Bethel Park High School and IndependenceMiddle School. Both shows were wonderful productions and the talent level of ourstudents at both levels is absolutely amazing. If you were able to attend either orboth of the productions, you know what I mean. If you were unable to see eithershow, you owe it to yourself to try and catch one of the 2020 performances. Youwill be glad that you did.

I also want to congratulate the students who will be graduating on June 8.We are proud of your accomplishments and we wish you well as you begin thisnext chapter in your lives.

As always, it is an honor to serve this community and your children.

There are many aspects to running a qualityschool district that go far beyond providing top-notchfacilities and a rigorous curriculum to prepare studentsfor their futures. Many of the things that school districtshave to consider today were not things that schoolboards and administrations had to worry about yearsago.

Today, schools have to make safe and secure facilities a top priority. Goneare the days when anybody could just walk into a school unannounced and askto speak with a Principal or pick a child up for a doctor’s appointment.

All of our school doors are now locked and visitors can only enter throughthe main door after buzzing in, showing ID and stating their purpose for visiting.No longer is the presence of unarmed security guards enough to ensure schoolsafety. Bethel Park was one of the first districts in the area to employ a full-timeSchool Police Force, which works closely with our School Resource Officer andthe Bethel Park Police Department to provide an additional layer of security in ourschools to assist with the identification of threats to our school community.

Additionally, we have social workers in all of our schools, working withstudents to help them with the social and emotional issues in their lives thatimpede their ability to succeed in school. We have partnered with the Municipalityto contract with Outreach Teen and Family Services to provide screening andmental health counseling for students (with parental consent), parent training andprofessional development for our faculty, which will help to identify and providesolutions for many issues at an early stage.

Our special needs students at the High School will benefit from the newly-established Best Buddies Program that will begin next school year. Best Buddiesis an internationally-recognized program that provides positive one-to-onefriendship and leadership development opportunities for students with andwithout disabilities. We have been informally offering similar type programmingover the years, but we are proud to be able to formally bring this quality and life-

changing initiative to Bethel Park. Planning is already underway so we can hit the2019-2020 school year running with this program.

Many of our families have two working parents, and we understand theirneed for quality before and after school child care opportunities for their youngerchildren. As a District, we have worked with Lois Johnson to operate child care inour elementary schools and we are also pleased to announce that the SpencerYMCA will now be offering an afterschool program for our NAMS and IMS middleschool students at the Y.

We are working hard to ensure that our schools meet the needs of all of ourchildren, and we are proud of the successes of our students, while at the sametime, keeping taxes affordable for our residents. We are also proud of the factthat we have been able to increase services over the years and at the same time,pass budgets that have contained no tax increase for the past three years. It isour goal to do that again with the 2019-2020 budget.

Before I conclude my message, I wanted to also address a couple of issuesthat have been brought to my attention and provide accurate information. First isthe HVAC Project at the High School. As you may be aware, in 2012 when weinstalled that system in the high school, it was explained by numerous expertsthat the mechanical system we were installing was a cutting edge, energyefficient and environmentally friendly ice storage system that could handle thecooling of a high school during the school day.

With rising temperatures and the increased usage of the building after schoolby school and outside groups, the system that was installed does not have thecooling capacity to generate enough cooling at night for the next day, and at thesame time, keep up with all of the unforeseen activities that have been scheduledin the evenings and on weekends.

The work that will be done on the HVAC system this spring and over thesummer will modify the system and increase its cooling capacity to provide acomfortable learning environment during the day as well as on evenings andweekends. Through careful budgeting the District has enough money in itsCapital Reserve Budget to meet the expenditures and still maintain a sufficientamount in that account for future projects without a tax increase. The District canafford to make the repairs and we plan to have everything ready to go for thestart of the 2019-2020 school year.

Another issue I would like to address involves the comments that ourstudents are not achieving on standardized tests.

A Message From…DONNA COOKSchool Board President

A Message From…JOSEPH W.PASQUERILLA, Ed.DSuperintendent

(“School Board President” cont. pg. 43)


At the January 22 Meeting• The Bethel Park Board ofSchool Directors recognizedthe Abraham LincolnElementary School PTO witha Certificate of Appreciationfor their generous donation ofnew stage curtains for theLincoln Multi-Purpose Room,valued at $4,200. Acceptingon behalf of the PTO wereCo-Presidents KaseyElphinstone and SaraHewes. Thank you, LincolnPTO!

• The Bethel Park Board ofSchool Directors donateda copy of the book,Puddin' to theIndependence MiddleSchool Library in memoryof Beverly Fassinger,mother of Bethel ParkDirector of PublicRelations Vicki Flotta,who passed away inDecember.

School Board Presentations

(Left to right): Lincoln Co-Presidents Kasey Elphinstone, Sara Hewes andSchool Board Vice President Connie Ruhl.

(Left to right): Vicki Flotta and School Board Vice President Connie Ruhl.

FOLLOW THE BETHELPARK SCHOOL DISTRICT

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

You can stay up-to-date with the Bethel Park School Districtby following us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram!

We’re on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram as “BethelPark School District” and on Twitter as “bpsdinfo.”

If you follow us on social media, you will get updatedinformation faster than just by receiving the E-Mail Newsletter.

So follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitterto stay in the know with all of the BPSD happenings!

School Board President(cont. from pg. 42)

Benjamin FranklinElementary School andWilliam PennElementary Schoolwere two of the 153Pennsylvania Schoolsto receive the 2018-2019 DistinguishedTitle 1 Schools Awardfrom the PennsylvaniaDepartment ofEducation's Division ofFederal Programs.

The awards werepresented in Januaryduring the 2019 Title 1Improving Schools'PerformanceConference, which washeld at the SheratonStation Square. Bothschools received theaward in the Reward:High AchievementCategory, which puts them among the highest 5 percent of Title 1 schools in the state, basedon meeting all four Annual Measurable Objectives: Test Participation in the PSSAMathematics and Reading Tests, Attendance Rate, Closing the Achievement Gap on thePSSA Mathematics and Reading Tests for all students, and Closing the Achievement Gap onthe Mathematics and Reading Tests for historically underperforming students.

Accepting the awards on behalf of the teachers at both of these schools were FranklinPrincipal Teresa Doumont, Penn Principal Brian Lenosky, Superintendent Dr. Joseph W.Pasquerilla and Bethel Park Coordinator of Curriculum K-12 Elizabeth Wells.

Two Bethel Park Schools Presented WithTitle I Distinguished Schools Award

(Left to right): Superintendent Dr. Joseph W. Pasquerilla, Franklin Principal TeresaDoumont, Penn Principal Brian Lenosky and Coordinator of Curriculum K-12 ElizabethWells.

During a presentation to the Board in the Fall, ourCurriculum Department shared that the percentage ofBethel Park students scoring at the Proficient andAdvanced levels on the PSSAs far exceeds thePennsylvania state averages on all exams. BethelPark High School students also exceed state averageson the Keystone Exams.

According to the Pennsylvania Department ofEducation the percentage of Bethel Park studentsscoring Proficient or Advanced on the 2018 PSSAEnglish Language Arts test was 84.1 percent, comparedto 61.4 percent for the State. In Math Bethel Park was at67 percent Proficient and Advanced on Math, ascompared to 42 percent for the State. Our Science scores showedthat Bethel Park students were 89.5 Proficient or Advanced,compared to 64.8 percent for the State.

Over the past two years, our English Language ArtsPerformance levels have increased—from 82.3 percent in 2017 to84.1 percent in 2018. Our Math scores also show an increase—from 61.0 percent in 2017 to 67.0 percent. Our Science scores alsoincreased—from 82.4 percent in 2017 to 89.5 percent in 2018.

On the 2018 Keystone Literature Exam, 85.7 of Bethel ParkHigh School students scored at Proficient or Advanced, comparedto 72.7 of the State students. On the Math Keystone, BPHSstudents scored at 73.2 percent, compared to 65.2 for the State.On the Science Keystone, BPHS students outpaced the State,scoring 78.6 percent, compared to 64.4 percent for the State.

For more details, I encourage you to review this presentationonline at:https://www.bpsd.org/Downloads/Our%20Instruction%20Is%20GREAT%20Presentation.pdf.

We have much to be proud of in the Bethel Park SchoolDistrict. As you look through the pages of this issue, you will seethat our schools and our students are doing great things. We thankall of our taxpayers for your continued support of our schools,because your tax dollars make all of these opportunities andaccomplishments possible for our students. If you have not visitedour schools recently, we hope that you will take the opportunity tovisit our schools—whether it be for a free music concert, or asporting event, or one of the Gold Card Lunches organized by theMunicipality--we know you will be impressed with our students andour facilities.

I want to close this message by wishing the students who arepart of the Bethel Park High School Class of 2019 the best as theyfinish up their senior year and prepare for Graduation on Saturday,June 8. The Board looks forward to attending your CommencementCeremony and being able to present you with your diplomas.

Thank you for bringing much positive recognition to BethelPark. We wish you well in the next chapter of your lives.

4 May 13, 2019www.bpsd.org

NAMS

The 2019 edition of the Neil Armstrong Battle of the Books is“in the books,” so to speak, and this year the Wizarding Readerscame out as this year’stop Battle Team.

Members of theWizarding Readers are

Ryan Burns, Ope Egbebi, DanielRichards and John Richards,and they defeated 32 other teamsin this annual event that testsstudents’ knowledge of four books.

This year’s books were ANight Divided, Wish, I Survived theAttack of the Grizzlies 1967 andThe Loser Club.

To prepare for thecompetition, students form teams,come up with a team name,design their costumes and createa team poster, in addition toreading the assigned books.

Finishing in Second Placewere the Reading Rebounders—Kiley Flanigan, Mallory Gramm, GracePerdziola, Mia Propcheck and Olivia Yimin.

The Royal Readers—Gabriella Balkovec, Lily Janus, Ella Sabanovic,Tacey Trypus, Kristen Weiss and Molly Welch—finished in Third Place.

The Poster Contest was won by the Sweet Treat Readers—AudreyCampbell, Keira Griffiths, Lucy Heckla and Cassidy Schwartz, followed byThe Starbooks—Olivia Culbertson, Abby Farrell, Kalee Moorhead andAshley Perich—in Second Place, and The Reading Rebounders in Third.

The Scuba Scholars won the Costume Contest. Congratulations to MariaCatana, Jackson Friday, Max LeMessurier, Keira Mehalko, DevinPalombia and Violet Shaw. Coming in Second Place were the Fire BreathingDragons—Jing Zhang, Freddy Mach, Trey Slavonic and Caleb Steele.Camp Read S’More—Freya Blatz, River Hendrych-Bondra, Colin Hewesand Ethan Varley—captured Third Place.

This fun event is annually coordinated by Neil Armstrong Middle SchoolLibrarian Mrs. Minnick.

Congratulations to the Wizarding Readers, the winnersof the 2019 NAMS Battle of the Books.

A group of Neil Armstrong Middle School Fifth Grade Students on TeamApollo are joining teachers Mrs. Cupp and Mrs. Polis in the #BeTheKindKidKindness Movement started by JAM Enterprises.

The students have promised to spread kindness at Neil Armstrong, thecommunity and the world through the simple message: Be The Kind Kid.

Every Wednesday the students wear their Be The Kind Kid t-shirt to schoolto remind others to be the kid who does the right thing by being nice and kind.

For their first act of kindness, they made thank you cards to thank JAMEnterprises for including the students in their mission to spread kindnesseverywhere.

The students are excited to be a part of this positive program and they can’twait to start their own mission of kindness.

e Team Apollo students proudly wear their #bethekindkid t-shirts toschool every Wednesday.

Neil Armstrong Middle SchoolGifted Students in Mr. Yost's roomare pursuing areas of interest thisschool year with Challenge BasedLearning Projects.

The students have theopportunity to spend some timelearning more about a particularsubject of interest, researching andcompleting a project thatdemonstrates their new-foundknowledge. Some students havealready completed a CBL projectthis school year, while others arecontinuing to work on the sameproject. Students are encouraged totake their time and complete the project to the best of their ability. There is notime limit.

Projects the students are currently working on include making an electronicpinball machine out of recycled cardboard that includes light and sound, makinga display about the importance of recycling--showing a world with and withoutrecycling, making an origami chandelier, creating 3-D artwork depicting thePeloponnesian War, creating a diorama of a space battle, making a scene fromAnne of Green Gables, and re-writing a Harry Potter novel from the perspectiveof Hermione, instead of Harry.

The projects are as varied as the students are. They are doing great work!

Challenge Based Learning ContinuesIn Mr. Yost’s Room

Rocco Capozzoli works on his 3-D artwork depictingthe Peloponnesian War.

A team of Neil Armstrong Middle School students finished in Second Placeat the Carnegie Middle School Science Bowl, which was held in February at theCarnegie Museum of Natural History.

Members of the Second Place Team were sixth graders Meredith Myers,James Sipe and Lyla Walsh, and fifth graders Holly McGough and GavinStoehr.

The ScienceBowl wasdivided intothree parts,focused aroundthe Museum’sDinosaurExhibit, ReptileRoom and ahands-onGeology Lab.

The studentswere preparedfor thiscompetition byNeil ArmstrongMiddle SchoolGifted SupportTeacher SteveYost, who was

especially proud of his students because they competed mostly against middleschool teams comprised of seventh and eighth graders.

(Left to right): Meredith Myers, James Sipe, Holly McGough, Gavin Stoehr and LylaWalsh.

Wizarding Readers Wins NAMSBattle Of The Books

Fifth Graders Know How To#BeTheKindKid

NAMS Team Finishes In Second Place AtCarnegie Science Bowl

Non-Discrimination PolicyThe Bethel Park School District will not discriminate in its educational

programs, activities or employment practices, based on race, color, nationalorigin, sex, sexual preference, disability, age, religion, ancestry, unionmembership, or any other legally protected classification.

Announcement of this policy is in accordance with state and federal laws,including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and sections 503 and504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Employees and participants who have aninquiry or complaint of harassment or discrimination, or need information aboutaccommodations, for persons with disabilities should contact:

Mr. Leonard CorazziTitle IX Compliance Officer301 Church RoadBethel Park, PA 15102-1696(412) 854-8425(412)854-8430 (fax)[email protected]


Franklin Fourth Graders in Mrs.Meucci’s room celebrated a Random Actsof Kindness Week by doing somethingkind every day of the week.

Activities included writing an email toeither their parents or a teacher to thankthem for being awesome, writing positivemessages for noontime aides and busdrivers; drawing a picture for their postalcarriers; drawing a picture and delivering itto a nursing home; and leaving stickynotes around the school with positivemessages on it.

For the sticky note project, studentswere given three Post-It notes and theybrainstormed as a class about the kinds of messages that they could put on thenotes. Suggestions included “Be Yourself,” “It’s a good day to have a good day,”“You’re amazing” and “You make me happy.”

Once the students had their messages written, they walked down theFranklin hallway and left their notes randomly on the lockers for the students toenjoy.

Great job!

Franklin Fourth Graders enjoyed spreadingkindness throughout their school by leaving stickynotes containing positive messages on lockers.

Congratulations to Sixth Grader Ella Milliken, who emerged as theChampion of the 20th annual Team Impact Scrabble Tournament.

This year 36 students came to Mr. Milliken's room during their lunch periodson Tuesdays and Thursdays to compete in a 25 minute game of Scrabbleagainst a classmate, with the winners advancing through the competitionbracket.

Joining Ella in the Final Four were Cooper Dzanaj, Lyla Walsh and SaraWalters. Cooper faced Ella in the Finals, to finish in Second Place.

As the winner of this year's Scrabble Tournament, Ella received a trophyand a lunch from Subway.

Congratulations to all of the students who competed this year!

Ella Milliken Wins Scrabble Tournament

(Left to right): e Final Four in the Team Impact Scrabble Tournament:Semifinalist Sara Walters, Champion Ella Milliken, Runner-Up Cooper Dzanajand Semifinalist Lyla Walsh.

Franklin

Franklin families learned how to do computer coding together, thanks to theFamily Creative Learning Series, a partnership between WQED and PBS,which brings families together in the evening for some fun, hands-on learningopportunities.

Franklin families learned how to create presentations on iPads using thePBS Scratch Jr. coding program, but before they could do that, they had tolearn what it meant to code.

They participated in some fun exercises, such as trying to teach someonehow to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. What the students quicklylearned was, it’s more than just saying “spread some peanut butter and jelly ontwo pieces of bread and eat.” They learned that details are important, and if youleave out a step such as “take a knife out of the drawer,” you can’t make thesandwich.

The same goes forcoding. Students learnedthey have to tell thecomputer specifically whatthey want it to do.

At the end of the fourweek session, thestudents were able toshowcase the projectsthey created.

The Franklin teacherswho shepherded theprogram saw that in manycases the students werethe teachers, showing theirparents how to use thetechnology. The familiesagreed that the programwas a great opportunity tolearn together and that itwas OK to makemistakes, because themistakes facilitated thelearning.

Franklin Families Enjoy Learning Together

e Family Creative Learning Series afforded parents andstudents a dedicated time to learn together.

Franklin Second Graders had fun studying the three states ofmatter--solid, liquid and gas.

After discussing what made each form of matter different, thestudents began a deeper investigation into solids. They discussedthe properties that numerous materials shared, and once thestudents had a general understanding about different solidmaterials, they had the opportunity to become engineers andconstruct their own towers.

Working in pairs, the students built towers at least 45centimeterstall usingmaterials thatthey believedwould enhance thestrength and stability oftheir towers.

Not only did eachpair of engineers workwonderfully together asa team, but all of theirtowers were at least 45centimeters tall and theyall survived the "WindTest!"

Second Graders Study States Of Matter

Franklin students were amazed to see how tall their towers were whenMr. Schnupp measured them.

Fourth Graders Participate InRandom Acts Of Kindness Week

Baby, it’s coldoutside!

Franklin FirstGraders in Mrs.Clancy's Roomdecided to do someinvestigating todetermine exactlyhow cold is cold!

They donnedtheir winter coats andhats and went outsidewith thermometers tofind out forthemselves how coldit's been this winter.

On the day thestudents wentoutside, they learnedthat the temperatures were below freezing--at 26 degrees.

It was a fun way to learn how to read a thermometer and learn more aboutwinter weather!

Mrs. Clancy and her students with their thermometers.

First Graders Venture Outside To Study Temperature

www.bpsd.orgPage 46 May 13, 2019

Memorial studentsformed the school's first-ever Odyssey of the MindTeam and finished inSecond Place at the localcompetition! Their SecondPlace finish qualified themto compete at the StateOdyssey of the MindCompetition, which washeld in April in thePoconos.

To prepare for thelocal competition, thestudents met Tuesdayafternoons in the MusicRoom to prepare for twocompetitions: aSpontaneity Competition inFebruary and the Odysseyof the Mind Competition inMarch at Keystone OaksHigh School.

For the Spontaneity Competition, the students were asked to do things suchas complete a sentence or form sentences using specific words, such as namesof candy. They had to react as quickly as possible, because any hesitationsresulted in a loss of turn.

For the main competition, the students were able to select one of fiveproblems to solve and had to build something to solve the problem, write andperform an eight minute skit about their problem and make their own costumes.

The Memorial students chose to build a vehicle which could fit two hand-made suitcases in it. The students had to manually move the vehicle without theirfeet touching the ground and perform a series of three rescue missions--one tostop a bully, one to go in reverse 10 feet to perform the rescue, and one to move360 degrees to return stolen treasure.

The Memorial students used a robot/alien/sci-fi theme for their project. At thelocal competition, they finished in First Place in this portion of the competition,and combined with their Spontaneity score, finished in Second Place overall.

At States, the Team finished in Third Place in the Long-Term Problem SolvingEvent and in Sixth Place overall out of 12 teams. Their State finish was madeeven more remarkable because they competed mostly against teams of fifthgraders.

While Memorial parents sponsored the team, they were not permitted to helpthe students do any of the tasks necessary to get ready for the competition, whichmeant that the students had to learn how to use the tools necessary to build thevehicle and make their costumes. Adults could verbally guide the studentsthrough the tasks, but the tasks had to be physically be performed only by thestudents.

Representing Memorial in these competitions were Fourth Graders GarrettLang and Braiylon Muldoon; Third Graders Michael Ryan Blessing, JacksonHornfeck and Carolyn Murphy; and Second Grader Cecilia Roberto.

They are coached by parents Katie Anderson and Evelyn Charles. JanetRoberto served as a judge, and Brooke Muldoon served as SpontaneousJudge. Rebekka Lang was the Competition Volunteer.

Odyssey Of The Mind Team Finished InSecond Place And Qualified For States

e Memorial Odyssey of the Mind Team at the local competition.

Valentine's Week at Memorial was extra special, thanks to a visit from theQueen of Hearts!

The Queen spent her day in the Memorial Library, visiting with students by grade levels, andencouraging them to usetheir imaginations toentertain themselves,rather than electronicdevices.

The Queen began bysharing the Mother GooseNursery Rhyme that waswritten about her, "TheQueen of Hearts." Sheshowed the students thetreasure chest that shebrought with her, containingthe things that she valuesthe most--books and otherthings that help spur herimagination.

She guided the studentsthrough a Reader's Theaterproduction of "The SecretIn The Tear," a story aboutKing Caramel, his daughter--Princess Peppermint, SirTaffy the Knight and their

adventures involving two mean fish in a creek, a worm, a ladybug, a piece ofcandy and a tear drop.

The students did a great job acting out the parts of the characters in thestory. At the end, the students received a piece of licorice, made in KingCaramel's Castle.

It was a great day for the students to use their imaginations as theyentertained their classmates.

The Queen of Hearts is local actress/storyteller Kim Adley, who hasdeveloped over 12 characters that she shares with elementary school studentsin the area.

Queen Of Hearts Visits Memorial

e Queen of Hearts knights a student as Sir Taffy for theproduction of “e Secret In e Tear.”

Memorial

Twenty Memorial families had fun learning to code together,thanks to the Family Creative Learning Series, which was offered inpartnership with WQED and PBS.

Thepurpose of the

program was toprovide parents andstudents the opportunity tolearn, explore, make andshare together, with theword, “tinkering” an aptdescription of many of theactivities that occurredduring the sessions.

The four week programbegan each week with ameal together, followed byactivities that enabled thestudents and parents tocreate a brief presentationon the iPad, which theyshared with everyoneduring the final session.The presentations werecreated using PBS’ Scratch Jr. coding program.

To prepare the students for coding, one activity had them becoming “RobotDancers,” playing a game where they had to create a dance using theprogramming cards provided by PBS. Putting the cards in a series, they createda dance with steps that included “hide,” “hop,” “shrink,” “turn” and “move,” toname a few.

It was a wonderful time of learning together.

Memorial Families Learn ToCode Together

Memorial students oftentimes showed their parents how tocomplete tasks, rather than the other way around, during theFamily Creative Learning Series.

It’s never too late to put your email address on the Bethel Park SchoolDistrict’s E-Mail Newsletter mailing list!

If you would like to receive periodic updates of Bethel Park school districtnews, events and recognitions, then the E-Newsletter is for you! You do nothave to be a parent to receive this weekly publication.

All Bethel Park parents who included an email address as part of theirchild’s emergency contact information in eSchoolPlus are now receiving thispublication, typically sent every Monday, via School Messenger.

If you are a Bethel Park parent who is not receiving the E-Newsletter viaSchool Messenger, please contact the building secretaries at all of yourchildren’s schools and ask them to add your email address to your children’sprimary contact information in eSchoolPlus so you can also receive school-specific emails in addition to the E-Newsletter.

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www.bpsd.org Page 47May 13, 2019

William Penn students welcomed Bethel Park High School ChildDevelopment II and III students into their classrooms to teach them aboutentrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness on JA Day.

Junior Achievement created this grade-appropriate curriculum that can bedelivered to elementary students by high school students. Mrs. Dzanaj's ChildDevelopment students at Bethel Park High School have been presenting thisprogram at Franklin for the past three years, and this year the students alsobrought this fun, hands-on learning experience to Penn.

Kindergarten students used storybook characters to learn about the rolesthat people play in the economy, and the importance of saving.

First Grade students learned more about family members' jobs, as well asthe difference between needs and wants.

Second Grade students used posters and games to learn aboutbusinesses, jobsand taxes.

Third Gradestudents learnedabout moneymanagement,while Fourth Gradestudents learnedhow to beentrepreneurs byoperating afictional hot dogstand.

The programgave theelementarystudents anintroduction to theimportance offinancial literacyand provided themwith positive rolemodels in the high

school students. The high school students got valuable teaching experienceand an opportunity to interact in a positive way with the younger students.

Students Learn Financial Literacy On JA Day

BPHS Child Development students did a great job presenting the curriculum toPenn students on JA Day.

Penn First Graders have established a friendship with Columbian literacypioneer Luis Soriano.

The students learned about Mr. Soriano in their Wonders Reading series.Mr. Soriano lives in La Gloria, Columbia, where he shares his love of readingand education with the children in the area. To help bring books to areas thatdon't have many, he began a "Biblioburro," which is a library on donkeys. Hetravels many miles a day with his donkeys, delivering books to children inunderfunded communities.

Mrs. Joseph's students are always fascinated by Mr. Soriano's story andevery year theyask her if he isstill alive. Mrs.Josephresearched thequestion andmade aconnection withMr. Sorianothrough theinternet. Herstudents andMrs. Williams'First Gradestudents usedthe month ofDecember to goon a "KindnessCrusade,"where they raised $150 for Books for Change USA, which is a nonprofitorganization that was specifically set up for Luis and his mission.

To thank the students for their generosity, Mr. Soriano sent the students awatercolor painting, which Mrs. Joseph will have framed and displayed at Penn.

Penn First Graders show their enthusiasm for the work being done by Luis Sorianoto bring literacy to children in Columbia.

Penn

Approximately 50 Memorialstudents stayed after school onThursdays to participate in some funSTEM-themed activities at theMemorial STEM Club!

This nine-week program wassponsored by the Memorial PTA andprovided participating students withthe opportunity to participate in twoenriching, hands-on STEM activitieseach week. Every week had adifferent theme, such as engineeringand architecture, force and motion,magnets, light and sound, androbotics and coding.

Students were broken into eightdifferent groups that combined gradelevels. They were assisted byparents and Independence MiddleSchool students who volunteeredtheir time to help the youngerstudents.

Each week, students learnedabout a famous person associated

with the week's theme and heard a theme-related story, before diving into theactivities.

For the engineering/architecture lesson, students learned about GustaveEiffel, the architect behind not only the Eiffel Tower, but also the Statue ofLiberty. Students had the opportunity to see photos of famous buildings, suchas the Eiffel Tower, Parthenon and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and then theyworked in small groups to build models of these famous structures using Legos.For the second activity, students made a model of a robotic hand usingcardboard, straws and string.

Coordinating the series was Memorial Parent Holly Reichard. The timingof the club was to coincide with the lead-up to Memorial's Annual Science andArt Expo.

Students enjoyed using Legos to build structures such asthe Eiffel Tower and the Parthenon.

Students Stay After School For Some STEM Club Fun

William Penn Elementary Students learned about weather,thanks to a visit to their school by WTAE Meteorologist Kam Tranand a representative from the Carnegie Science Center.

The students learned a great deal about how weather patternsare formed and they especially enjoyed the experiments from the

Science Center,including a“volcano” eruptionand one involvingthe conduction ofelectricity.

The Penn PTOgave a $500 donationto WTAE’s ProjectBundle-Up, and gave Ms.Tran a sheet cake to takeback to the WTAE staff.

Penn students were happy to welcome WTAE Meteorologist Kam Tranand a representative from the Carnegie Science Center to their school.

Winter weather cancellations postponed the 100th Day of School for the2018-2019 school year to Tuesday, February 5, but Penn students didn't mindthe wait.

They participated in a day full of 100-themed activities. Mrs. Joseph’s FirstGrade students were excited to form a "100" on the gym floor and then jump forjoy that the100th Day ofSchool finallyarrived!

The LastDay ofSchool forthe 2018-2019 schoolyear is lessthan a monthaway!

Students Celebrate The 100th Day Of School

Mrs. Joseph’s students jump for joy on the 100th Day of School

Students Meet Literacy Pioneer Luis Soriano

WTAE Brings Weather Assembly To Penn


The 24 students who participated in theSpring Session of the Lincoln Learners had theopportunity to pilot a new science-basedexploration program from WQED and PBS.

The curriculum for this after schoolprogram was created by Lincoln staff membersDawn Douds and Denice Pazuchanics, as aninquiry-based curriculum that pairskindergarten and first grade students (“Littles”)with third and fourth grade students (“Bigs”) towork together on projects to reinforce theirunderstanding of concepts such as sink/float,forces and motion, structures and perspectives.

The idea is for the students to explore andexperiment together. For example, in thesink/float unit, students were given severaldifferent materials, such as Styrofoam plates,

aluminum foil, pool noodles, masking tape, plastic eggs and silly putty, and taskedwith creating something that would float.

After the students built their boats/rafts, they were able to test them in largecontainers of water. Once they had their structures built to their satisfaction, theystarted adding weight, in the form of pebbles, to the structures to see how wellthey were able to stay afloat with the extra weight.

Lincoln Students Love The Lincoln Learners Program

e students were excited to test theirboats to see if they could float.

Lincoln students had theopportunity to work on theirstories for the 2019 WQEDWriter's Contest during theLunchtime Writers Club.

The club met for fourWednesdays in Mrs.DeGregorio's classroomduring indoor recess time,working with staff memberswho volunteered to help thestudents work on strengtheningtheir writing skills as theyprepared their entries forWQED's 2019 Young Writer'sContest.

Students were able to gethelp with developing characterswith a description, building astory with solid story structure,including a beginning, middleand end; and many otherwriting skills.

Once the stories wererevised and edited, they werepublished into 6x9 inch booksin the Lincoln PublishingCenter, with a cover made

from a cereal box covered with wallpaper.This year 77 students wrote and illustrated stories that were entered into

the Writer’s Contest. A second copy of their story was made and is nowincluded in the "Lincoln Authors" Basket that can be found in the Lincoln Library.

Additionally the students received a blank 6x9 book and a pencil as anincentive to continue writing stories.

Good luck to all the students who entered the Writer's Contest!

Students Work On Their StoriesDuring Lunchtime Writers Club

Here are some of the Lincoln students with their finishedoriginal stories that they wrote, illustrated and submitted toWQED for its 2019 Young Writer’s Contest.

Lincoln families have enjoyed participating in the Family Creative LearningSeries, a partnership with Lincoln and WQED/PBS, that brings families back toschool for some fun, hands-on learning projects.

Once a week for four weeks, 15 Lincoln students and their parents returnedto school to enjoy a meal together, followed by STEAM activities that centeredon a particular theme.

Previously, Lincoln families have learned how to code together using PBS’Scratch Jr. Program and learned science principles with the PBS character RuffRuffman. This year Lincoln was going to be one of the first schools in thecountry to use the newest PBS program, but the curriculum wasn’t ready in timefor the Spring Session.

Never fear! Lincoln First Grade Teacher Dawn Douds and LibrarianDenice Pazuchanics wouldn’t cancel the sessions. Instead, they developedtheir own curriculum centered around the Lincoln Community Garden, whichprovides fresh vegetables to the South Hills Interfaith Movement’s Food Pantry.

Students and parents were able to learn how gardens not only sustaincommunities, but they also help the environment. Some of the fun thingsattendees were able to work on included, developing their own salsa recipe,making a butterfly feeder, decorating pots for plants, creating worm compostingbins, making wild seed dumplings and container gardens.

PBS was so impressed with the curriculum developed by the Lincolnteachers, that they are considering adapting it for nation-wide rollout.

The focus of the Family Creative Learning Series is to build community,learn together and focus on the students.

All Bethel Park elementary schools are offering a Family Creative LearningSeries this school year.

Family Creative Learning SeriesContinues At Lincoln

Lincoln parents andstudents look forwardto working togetheron fun projectsduring the FamilyCreative LearningSeries that is focusedon the science ofgardening.

Lincoln

Lincoln Elementary School waspleased to once again host the 2019

Bethel Park Elementary Gifted Expo.The theme this year was "Business

Fair and Entrepreneurial Expo,” and thestudents worked very hard to create a business andall of the accompanying presentation materials,including brochures and business cards. Forty-oneBP elementary school students participated in thisyear's event.

Expo attendees had the opportunity to visiteach of the business owners, listen to a briefpresentation about their business, review theirmarketing materials, and in some cases, samplethe products or participate in a brief activity relatedto the business.

The businesses covered a wide range ofinterests including, construction, professional sportsteams, comic books, pastries and dog walking, to name a few.

Three of the students—Reagan Finnell (Chatty Cat Cards), Sophia Willis(WILLi Love it?) and Adele Stamenov (Delight and Conquer)—were able toshowcase their already active businesses.

The students are taught by Elementary Gifted Coordinator Lisa Yost.

Business Fair AndEntrepreneurial Expo Was ThisYear’s Gifted Expo Theme

Lincoln Second Grader Jack Tenawas excited to share samples of therice he cooked for his business,Golden Palace Garden. Delicious!

Lincoln Second Graders showedwhat big hearts they have by hosting aspecial Valentine’s Day Collection tobenefit the residents at Manor Care inBethel Park.

The students called their project,“Spread the Love,” and they did afantastic job of collecting items such aspuzzle books, pens, Kleenex, lotion,calendars, board games, lip balm, nailpolish, craft kits, fleece throws and socks.

The students made Valentine’s Daycards and packaged the items into Ziplocbags for distribution to the residents.They delivered the items to Manor Careto spread the love this Valentine’s Day.

Second Graders Show Their Love OnValentine’s Day

Lincoln Second Graders were happy to deliver theSpread the Love collected items to Manor Care.


Washington families had fun working andlearning together at the school's first FamilySTEM Night! This event was hosted by theWashington PTO and held in the school'scafeteria.

Families had the opportunity to rotatethrough 10 different stations, including "MakeYour Own Bouncy Ball," "Make FuzzyFountain (elephant toothpaste)," and "BuildYour Own Simple Electric Motor," as well asanswering the questions to "What FliesFarther--A Glider Or Paper Airplane?", "CanYou Fill A Balloon With Gas?" and "Will It SinkOr Float?"

Families could spend about 10-12 minutesat each station, exploring and learning, beforeheading to the next station. If there was a waitto get to the next station, activities such as acup stacking challenge, paper plate maze andpuzzles were available to pass the time andkeep the creativity flowing!

It was a such a fun night that the PTO isplanning another Family STEM Night inJanuary 2020!

PTO Hosts Family STEM Night

Washington students had funparticipating in hands-on activities suchas making a “Fuzzy Fountain” at theFamily STEM Night.

Washington Elementary studentsjoined elementary students district-wide tocelebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday on ReadAcross America Day by doing what hewould want them to do—read!

For the eighth year, Washingtonwelcomed the IMS Readers to their school.The IMS Readers are Independence MiddleSchool Student Council students who visitthe District’s elementary schools every yearto read to the students and talk to themabout the importance of reading. They aregreat reading role models for the students.

The Washington students really getinto the day, coming to school dressed astheir favorite Dr. Seuss characters,including the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 andThing 2, Sam I Am, and even the Lorax!

Keep on reading!

Students Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday By Reading

(Left to right): Ella Waldbaum and JulietteHall show off their Dr. Seuss pictures theycreated for Read Across America Day.

Washington

Washington Second Grade students enjoyed participating in a STEAMCave Art project.

Art Teacher Mrs. Mittner and Librarian Mrs. Minella taught the studentsabout cave art, including a discussionabout how cave art could present a goodpicture of how life was life back then. Theyalso discussed the natural materials thatthe cave dwellers used to create theircave art, including charcoal, ground rockand animal fat.

Mrs. Mittner then asked the studentsto create their own modern day cave art,by painting something that would helparchaeologists in the future to learn aboutwhat life is like today.

To enhance the learning experience,Mrs. Mittner and Mrs. Minella built a caveout of butcher paper in the Library, hungthe students’ artwork in the cave and gavethe students the opportunity to view theirartwork in the cave with a flashlight, justlike an archaeologist.

This was definitely the highlight of thisyear’s Art and Science Fair at Washington.

Second Graders Make Cave Art

Students enjoyed viewing their cave art with aflashlight inside the cave that was built in theschool library by Mrs. Mittner and Mrs.Minella.

This spring, 20 Washington families came back to school forfour evenings of learning together.

Washington was one of three Bethel Park elementary schoolsto partner with WQED to offer the Family Creative Learning Serieswhich focused on learning how to create presentations on an iPadusing the PBS Scratch Jr. coding program.

Families gathered in the Washington cafeteria for dinnertogether before playing some fun trivia games and then learninghow to create presentations that incorporated motion, animation,

sound,voiceovers andmusic.

After fourweeks, the studentswere able to sharetheir presentationswith all of theparticipating families. The final projects wereentertaining!

Coding Program Brings Families Together

Washington families had the opportunity to put the final touches on theirpresentations before sharing them with the rest of the group on the finalnight of the Family Creative Learning Series.

IMS

The Independence Middle School Inventors Club is in its third year, and thisyear the students are learning about the principles of flight.

Approximately 30 students stay after school on Wednesdays to work withPrincipal David Muench in the Steel City Collaboratory area in the IMS LibraryCommons to build their own remote control airplane out of foam board. Mr.Muench hopes that byparticipating in this activitythat the students candevelop an interest in ahobby that they can growwith and have success.

The students are usingequipment such as thelaser engraver, 3D printerand the CNC mill router forthe project. The studentsused the laser engraver tocut the outline of thefuselage (or body of theplane) onto the foamboard. Then the studentsused exact-o knives tofinish cutting out thedesign. They used glueguns to assemble theplanes before attaching the motors.

A $1,209 grant from the Bethel Park Education Foundation helped with thepurchase of the motors, batteries and transmitter/receivers for the group to flytheir planes.

Eighth grader Lilly Puskar is back for a second year of participating in thisgroup, because she says it's "fun." She is interested in participating inengineering classes next year at the High School, and her involvement with theInventors Club gives her an opportunity to pursue her interest in engineering.

Seventh grader Zane Antonich got involved with the Inventors Clubbecause he saw the students working on their planes and decided it wassomething he wanted to do as well.

This year the students took an after school field trip to the PittsburghInstitute of Aeronautics at the Allegheny County Airport to learn more aboutaviation and careers in aviation.

This is the third year for the Inventors Club at IMS. The first year thestudents worked together to build a working go-kart. Last year they took apart abicycle and used the parts to build a wind turbine.

Inventors Club Is In Its Third Year

Students enjoy the hands-on aspects of the Inventors Club. Here, astudent uses an exact-o knife to cut out the fuselage of his plane froma piece of foam board.


Independence MiddleSchool Eighth GraderMatthew Ruffing received aCertificate of Excellence fromthe Prudential Spirit of

Community Awards.The certificate signifies

that Matthew was among the top10 percent of Pennsylvania students whowere entered into this year’s program.

Additionally, Matthew received thePresident’s Volunteer Service Award,which recognizes Americans of all ageswho have volunteered significant amountsof their time to serve their communitiesand their country, which included a letterand certificate from President DonaldTrump.

Matthew was recognized for hissupport of active and former members of the military, sending boxes to deployedsoldiers, containing letters written by students, as well as supplies and clothing.Matthew decorates every box he sends with pictures that are customized to therecipients. He works on this every day during his lunch period and at home.

He was inspired to do this by Independence Middle School Social StudiesTeacher Jennifer Makel, who shared the story of her father’s military service inVietnam with him. Matthew wanted to do something to make active and formerservice members feel appreciated.

Eighth Grader ReceivesCertificate Of Excellence From

The Prudential Spirit OfCommunity Awards

(Left to right): Matthew Ruffing andIndependence Middle School Principal DavidMuench.

The Independence Middle School PTO held its annual GOLD Night for IMSEighth Grade Girls in January, and it was the most well-attended GOLD Nightto date!

GOLD is an acronym for Girls Only Leadership Development, and theevening is designed to help eighth grade girls transition into life as a BethelPark High School student next fall. The evening is packed with lots of activities,including games, music, food and information sessions, including topics suchas what to expect as a high school student, how to get a part-time job anddating tips.

A similar evening was also held for the boys, called BOLD—Boys OnlyLeadership Development.

Helping to lead the sessions were a group of Bethel Park High Schoolstudents called the TLC, short for Teen Leadership Corp. They did a great jobserving as mentors to the eighth graders.

Both GOLD and BOLD Nights were a great night of information and fun!Thanks to the IMS PTSO for working hard to make this event possible.Seventh graders—mark your calendars, because GOLD Night for you will

be Friday, January 24, 2020 and BOLD Night will be Friday, February 7, 2020. See you there!

Here’s a group of IMS girls with the Teen Leadership Corps at this year’s biggest-ever GOLDNight at IMS.

Independence Middle SchoolSeventh Grade Latin Students in Mrs.Aristigui’s room annually stage theplay, “Orpheus and Eurydice” eachspring, but this year, the studentsstaged an additional play for theirparents.

Every year, the students write ascript using the Latin vocabulary theyhave learned so far this school year,based on the Greek myth love storybetween Orpheus and Eurydice, andperform the play for their parents in theLibrary Commons at IMS, includingcreating the costumes, props, scenery,music and playbill.

They did a marvelous job of staging this great story that includes a snake, godsand goddesses and a trip to Hades.

This year the students were so excited to perform, that they wrote a second play,“Diadema,” which was the story of three goddesses—Venus, Minerva and Juno—setin a 1970’s roller disco.

In this play, the goddesses’ friendship was put to the test when Venus lost hercrown and couldn’t find it.

Great job!

Seventh Graders Stage Two Original Latin Plays

Faith Clunan (left) as Eurydice and Nick Allen (right) asOrpheus.

Independence MiddleSchool students in Mrs.Fontana's Family andConsumer Life Skills Classhad fun reinforcing theirknowledge of colors by makingtie-dye shirts!

Before they began theproject, they identified manydifferent colors and thendesigned their own t-shirtsusing their favorite colors.

The results were beautiful!

Showing off their beautiful tie-dye t-shirts they made were (front row,left to right): Bennet Nelis, Gianna Rich and Alex Maskelunas; (backrow, left to right): Tess Stromberg, Benz Ngo and Madison Stromberg.

Students Have Fun With Tie-Dye

GOLD Night Was Biggest Ever At IMS

BPHS

Bethel Park High SchoolFreshman Haley Bell is concernedabout the environment and she haslaunched a campaign to encourageBethel Park residents to turn theirold garbage cans into rain barrels.

Haley has done research onzero waste and she was concerned--now that suitable materials forplastic recycling has been limited--about what was going to happen toall of the old plastic trash cans thatwere being replaced in Bethel Parkwith new cans.

Haley's solution is to turn the oldcans into rain barrels, which not onlysolves the problem of keeping thecans out of landfills, but alsoprovides an environmentally friendlysolution to obtaining water for lawns,gardens and plants.

Haley worked with AndyAmrhein at Evey True Value Hardware to create a rain barrel display in the store,complete with brochures explaining how to turn a trash can into a rain barrel inabout one hour. She has also filmed a segment about this that is airing on BPTVand its YouTube channel.

She used this campaign as her project for the Family, Career andCommunity Leaders of America's State Competition, where she earned a GoldMedal at the State competition in the Environmental Ambassador category, andwill now take her project to the National FCCLA competition this summer inAnaheim, CA.

Haley was helped with her FCCLA project by Bethel Park High SchoolFamily Consumer Science Teacher Mrs. Simpson.

Good luck at FCCLA Nationals, Haley, and thank you for bringing this idea toBethel Park!

Haley Bell and her trash can-turned rain barrel.

Freshman Encourages Community ToTurn Trash Cans Into Rain Barrels


National German ExamsBethel Park High School students were recognized by the American Association of

Teachers of German for their outstanding performance on the 2019 National GermanExam, including three Gold Awards, 11 Silver Awards, two Bronze Awards and sixHonorable Mentions.

Earning Gold Awards for scoring in the 90th percentile or higher on the Level 4 Examwere seniors Jerry Varghese and SonjaHebestreit. Jerry’s score in the 96th percentileplaced him as the second-highest scorer out of the98 Western Pennsylvania and West Virginiastudents who took the Level 4 Exam. Sonja scoredin the 94th percentile and her score placed her asthe fourth-highest scorer in the region.

Junior Jacob Bauer earned a Gold Award onthe Level 3 Exam, scoring in the 93rd percentile,which placed him ninth among the 163 areastudents who took the test.

Nine students earned Silver Awards on theLevel 4 Exam for scoring in the 80th percentile orhigher, with two students among the top 10 scorerson the Level 4 Exam. Senior Lily Wilson finished inseventh place, followed by juniors Brandon Janusand Logan Zivic, who tied for ninth place.

Also earning Silver Awards on the Level 4 Exam were seniors Will Coplan, HollyTroesch, Eve Rosemeier, Alec Wilson, Alyssa Iampietro and Jaysen Snyder. Thismeans that Bethel Park High School German students turned in 11 of the top 20 scores onthe Level 4 Exam.

Sophomores Olivia Tabler and Johnatan Ivanov earned Silver Medals on the Level 3Exam.

Sophomore Ben Sommer and junior Alex Murphy earned Bronze Medals on theLevel 3 Exam for scoring in the 70th percentile or higher.

Six students achieved Honorable Mention status on the Level 3 Exam for scoring in the55th percentile or higher. They are junior Marissa Disori and sophomores Abby Cannon,Sawyer D’Andrea, Anthony Martinelli, Kerrianne Troesch and Ben Rutherford.

As Gold Medalists, Jacob and Jerry are now eligible to compete for a scholarship totravel and study in Germany this summer. Sonja is not eligible because of her frequent visitsto German-speaking countries.

German DayBethel Park High School German students earned nine awards at the American

Association of Teachers of German’s German Day Competition, which was held atWashington and Jefferson College.

Bethel Park students competed against students from 14 other area high schools andearned more awards than any other school in the competition.

For the 17th consecutive year, a Bethel Park High School student won the CultureBowl competition. This year’s winner was juniorLily Wilson, followed by sophomore CarlyRoberts in Second Place.

Lily also earned First Place in the FictionWriting competition for her short story, “Es wareinmal…” which translates to “Once Upon ATime.”

Second Place Awards were earned byjunior Rachel Najdzinski in the Poetry Writingcompetition for her poem, “Die Antwort ist klar,”(“The Answer is Clear”); and sophomoreKerrianne Troesch in Poetry Recitation for“Heidenroslein” by Goethe.

Third Place Awards were earned byfreshman Ella Voskamp in Fiction Writing for“Der grobe King” (“The Great War”) and in theDrawing competition for her rendition of“Krampus.” Additionally Third Place Awardswere earned by freshmen Willow Hernishin in

Folkloric Arts and Crafts for her handmade German birdhouse, and Kaitlyn Wiard inProverb Posters for her rendering of the German proverb, “Zu Nacht sind alle Katzen grau,”(“All cats are gray at night”).

German Soccer Fantasy LeagueThe Bethel Park High School German Club's Fantasy Soccer Team, "Eintracht Bethel

Park," finished the 2018-2019 Bundesliga Total Fantasy Soccer Season in Second Place inthe League's East Region and competed in theLeague Finals which were held in Washington,D.C.

Members of the BPHS Team are freshmenWillow Hernishin, Joshua Libell, MichaelBostaph and Colin Downing. They competedagainst 29 other schools from 11 high schoolssince September.

The Fantasy League is broken into fiverounds, with each team having to answerquestions after watching German languagehighlight videos of Bundesliga soccer gamesand predicting the winners and scores ofGerman top-flight professional soccer matches.

The BPHS Team also won the "PittsburgherDerby" by finishing highest among the six competing Pittsburgh area schools.

This is the highest finish for the Team, besting their Third Place finish in 2016.Bethel Park High School German Students are taught by German Teacher

Christopher Tobias.

German News

(Left to right): Bethel Park High SchoolGerman Exam Gold Medalists JerryVarghese, Sonja Hebestreit and Jacob Bauer.

Winning awards at the AATG German DayCompetition were (front row, left to right):Kaitlyn Wiard, Carly Roberts and RachelNajdzinski; (back row, left to right): EllaVoskamp, Willow Hernishin, KerrianneTroesch and Lily Wilson.

(Left to right): Colin Downing, JoshuaLibell, Michael Bostaph and WillowHernishin.

For the 19th year, the Bethel Park High School Hockey Teamspent a morning skating with some special friends from NAMS andWashington.

Every year, the team skates with Adaptive Physical Educationstudents from these two schools, and the tradition is a much-anticipated one for both the team and the students.

The students met at the Spencer Family YMCA for a morningof skating, followed by alunch and the specialpresentation of banners thatthe students made to cheerthe team on in the PenguinCup Playoffs.

The event is coordinated byAdaptive Physical Education TeacherLinda Graney, with the help of teachersMelissa Toth and Brittany Stevens.Coach Jim McVay also helps with thecoordination.

The event is designed to not onlypromote a love of life-long fitness amongthe students, but it's also become awonderful vehicle for friendships to

develop between the players and students.

Hockey Team Skates WithSpecial Friends

(Left to right): David Gratton and VincentVituccio take a break from skating to pose fora photo. eir smiles tell you how much thisevent meant to both of them!

Bethel Park High School students earned 24 awards at the 2019 DECAState Career Development Conference, which was held in February in Hershey,including three First Place Awards, three Second Place Awards, one Third PlaceAward, five Fourth PlaceAwards, six Fifth PlaceAwards, three Sixth PlaceAwards and three MedallionAwards, with those whoearned Fourth Place Awardsand above qualifying for theDECA InternationalConference in Orlando.

Earning First PlaceAwards were juniors TylerAndreis and Mark Vighetti inthe Buying andMerchandising OperationsResearch event; and juniorsCaleb Shook (Human Resources Management) and Marissa Christenson(Community Service Plan).

Second Place Awards were won by sophomores Julia Casaldi, AmberSimeone and Makayla Yee (Public Relations Plan); and Morgan Beardsley,Lauren Caye and Lianna Robbins (Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan). SeniorLauryn Fusca also earned Second Place in the Female Model event, but will notcompete at the International competition, as her event is a State-level event only.

Seniors Samantha Huwe and Brenna Manko earned Third Place in theFranchise Business Plan event.

Earning Fourth Place Awards were senior Emily Kraska (FinancialConsulting); juniors Josh Capristo and Gabriella Hegedus (Buying andMerchandising Operations Research); Jenna Chernicky and Sarah Gilliam(Personal Financial Literacy); Alyssa Sholder and Rainy Swogger (Learn andEarn); and sophomores Nick Massari and Ryan Puskar (EntrepreneurshipPromotion Plan).

Fifth Place winners were senior Ciara Roach (Financial OperationsResearch); senior Lexi Schanck and junior Brian Torles (Hospitality andTourism Operations Research); junior Olivia Greene and sophomore LuciaCoccagno (Creative Marketing Plan); and sophomores Michael Conroy andLexi Seese (Start Up Business Plan); Emily Engel and Rylee Turoski(Integrated Marketing Campaign—Services); and Christian McClaine(Restaurant and Food Service Management).

Earning Sixth Place were juniors Hunter Dorfner (Hospitality and TourismOperations Research) and Gabrielle Dunn (Integrated Marketing Campaign),and sophomores McKenna Moriarity and Leigha Piazzi (EntrepreneurshipInnovation Plan).

Medallion Awards were given to those students who earned one of the topthree scores in their event for their Test, Role Play A and/or Role Play B.Medallion Awards were earned by senior Caleb Shook (Human ResourcesManagement Test, Role Play A and Role Play B), junior Gabrielle Dunn(Integrated Marketing Campaign Test) and sophomore Christian McClaine(Restaurant and Food Service Management Role Play B).

Additionally, junior Mark Vighetti was installed as a 2019-2020 PA DECAState Officer, serving as the PA DECA District III Representative.

The students were prepared for this competition by Bethel Park High SchoolMarketing Teachers Emily Smoller and Maria Christenson.

e BPHS DECA State Award-Winning Students

DECA Students Win 24 Awards At State Competition


Rotary Students of the MonthThe Rotary Club of Bethel Park

named Bethel Park High School juniorAlexis Kiesling its January Student ofthe Month and senior Jerry Vargheseits March Student of the Month.

Each month during the schoolyear the Rotary recognizes a BethelPark High School student forcommitment to school and/orcommunity.

Alexis was recognized for herleadership role at school, coordinatingthe Glow Fest Dance for National

Honor Society, as well as herinvolvement with the PrincipalsAdvisory Council for Students, theMarching Band, Musical and herchurch.

Jerry was recognized for hisinvolvement in several schoolactivities, his leadership with StudentGovernment, National HonorSociety and the Science Club, hisvolunteer work at the CarnegieScience Center, and hisparticipation in the prestigious Governors School for the Sciences atCarnegie Mellon University last summer.

Congress of Future Medical LeadersBethel Park High School junior Cooper

Shoemaker was selected to be a Delegate to theCongress of the Future Medical Leaders, which willbe held in Massachusetts in June.

This program is an honors-only program forstudents who want to become physicians or go intomedical research fields.

Cooper was selected based on his academicachievement, leadership potential and determinationto serve humanity in the field of medicine.

PACS Staff and Student of the MonthThe Principals Advisory Council for Students (PACS) named

Bethel Park High School Marketing Teacher Emily Smoller theDecember Staff member of the month and junior Lily Wilson theDecember Student of the Month.

Guidance Counselor JimKnapp was named the JanuaryStaff Member of the Month andjunior Terryn Ross was theJanuary Student of the Month.

In February, Custodian DaveCaracci was the Staff Member ofthe Month and senior LaurynFusca was the Student of theMonth.

These individuals wereselected because they have madepositive contributions to the schooland/or community.

BPHSStudent News

(Left to right): Alexis Kiesling andRotary Club President Gary Lee.

Cooper Shoemaker

(Left to right): Jerry Varghese and RotaryClub President Gary Lee.

(Left to right): Mrs. Smoller and Lily Wilson.

(Left to right): Terryn Rossand Mr. Knapp.

(Left to right): Mr. Caracci and LaurynFusca.

Bethel Park High Schoolstudents in Mr.Kszastowski's ComputerIntegrated Manufacturingclass partnered with O.Z.Enterprises to solve realworld problems usingHuman Centered DesignTechniques, as well asmore traditional problem

solving methods.O.Z. Enterprises is a

Pittsburgh-based company that deliversenergy management solutions forschools, hospitals, and commercial andindustrial buildings.

Upper St. Clair High SchoolSTEAM Innovation and Consultingstudents also participated in this activity.Students from both schools met threetimes since January withrepresentatives from the O.Z. Enterprises management team to pitch and refine their ideas, beforetheir final presentation to six O.Z. Enterprises employees at Waynesburg University's Southpointecampus.

The CIM class students were tasked with three problems that O. Z. Enterprises wanted to beaddressed. The problems were:

• Building a kit that O.Z. Enterprises could use at trade shows to demonstrate theirproducts and services. Students Chris Toth and Nick Guimond did a great jobdesigning a professional looking display and travel case that could also be used fortraining purposes.

• Developing an inventory system for O.Z. Enterprises that would help to track surplusmaterials that could be used for subsequent jobs. Students Cullen Stewart and IanMaterkowski recommended a computerized management system and mobile appthat O.Z. Enterprises management called "a great solution from a service standpoint."

• Developing a mechanism that makes it clear to anyone passing by their sensors thatO.Z. Enterprises has done the installation work. Students Anmar Alsaad, Dan Sounikand Justin Fish recommended professional looking, clear backed stickers be placedon the sensors, displaying the O.Z. Enterprises logo and contact number.

Three of the students—Ian Materkowski, Daniel Sounik and Cullen Stewart—representedBethel Park at the SHASDA Student Forum at Baldwin High School and showcased their projects.

SHASDA is an acronym for South Hills Area School Districts Association, and it is anorganization that represents 23 school districts in the southern part of Allegheny County and thenorthern part of Washington County.

For this event, students were encouraged to share projects they are working on at their school.Mr. Kszastowski was proud of his students, describing their presentations as, "excellent,

professional and engaging."

(Left to right): Anmar Alsaad, Daniel Sounik, Ian Materkowski, ChrisToth, Nick Guimond and Cullen Stewart. Absent: Justin Fish.

Students Work With O.Z. EnterprisesTo Propose Solutions To Company

Bethel Park High Schoolstudents are doing their part tomake Pittsburgh Stronger ThanHate by making hearts for thePittsburgh Homemade HeartsProject.

Students in Ms. Potts' SewingClass got the project off andrunning by making 67 hearts thatwere either sewn by machine orhand-stitched and includedsomething to make them hangable.Additionally, the students wererequired to add an embellishment,such as embroidery, lace, gems,top stitching, pearls, buttons, etc.Ms. Potts’ Interior Design Class

made decoupage hearts. All of the hearts had to be between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 inches.The Art Club, sponsored by Mr. Wallisch, also joined the effort, making hearts out of a

variety of materials, including wood, wire and paper mache.Ms. Potts delivered the hearts to the Pittsburgh Knitting and Crochet Festival for random

distribution around the Pittsburgh area. Each heart has a note attached to it, letting thereceiver know that they can either keep the heart or pass it on.

The project was started last year by Barbara Grossman, wife of retired Pittsburgh SteelerRandy Grossman, as a gesture of kindness in response to the shooting at the Tree of LifeSynagogue, and to show that in Pittsburgh, Love is Stronger than Hate.

Each year, Ms. Potts' students participate in some type of community service project, andthis year the Pittsburgh Homemade Hearts Project was the beneficiary of the students’talents.

Students Do Their Part To SupportPittsburgh Homemade Hearts Project

(Left to right): BPHS Sewing Class students Megan Janusek, Kendall Allsopp,Brayden Linz, Alyssa Vetere and Emma Strickling show off some of the heartsthat were made for the Pittsburgh Homemade Hearts Project.


Athletic Update(You can read about all of the Athletic Highlights for the 2018-2019 school year online at:

https://www.bpsd.org/Downloads/2018-2019%20Athletic%20Highlights27.pdf.)

Indoor Track• Emily Carter finished in Seventh Place in the Emerging Elite DivisionOne Mile Race at the National Indoor Track and Field Championships.• The Girls Team finished in Third Place at the TSTCA Indoor Track andField Championships, with one Gold Medal, three Fourth Place and oneSeventh Place awards.• The Boys Team earned one Bronze Medal and one Eighth Place at theTSTCA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Girls Basketball• Advanced to the Second Round of the State Playoffs.• WPIAL Semifinalists.

Wrestling• Luke Montgomery finished in Seventh Place at the State WrestlingChampionships.• Luke Montgomery finished in Second Place at the WPIAL IndividualChampionships and Riley O'Mara finished in Sixth Place.• Luke Montgomery, Jake Dowell, Bryson Bench, Riley O'Mara andKevin Collins qualified to compete in the WPIAL IndividualChampionships.

Swimming and Diving• Sadie Coda finished in Fourth Place at the WPIAL DivingChampionships and qualified to compete in the State DivingChampionships.• Paul Kallaur finished in Eighth Place in the 100 Meter Breaststroke atthe WPIAL Championships.• Eammon Anderson, Madison Becker, Brooke Christian, DominicCortopassi, Emily Guffey, Sally Hathaway, Paul Kallaur, Colby Love,Grace Myers and Rachel Najdzinski competed in the WPIALChampionships.

Rifle• The Team finished in Fifth Place at the WPIAL Team Championships.• Erin Rutherford finished in 11th Place at the WPIAL IndividualChampionships and competed in the State Championships.

Ice Hockey• Penguin Cup Semifinalists

Inline Hockey• The Varsity Team advanced to the Semifinals of the PIRHL Championships.• The JV Team advanced to the Quarterfinals of the PIRHL Championships.

Competition UpdateThe Bethel Park High School Forensics Team is having a great year, with several

students qualifying to compete in State and National competitions.At the Pennsylvania High School Speech and Language League State

Tournament at Bloomsburg University, Caleb Shook finished as a Finalist (Top12) inSenate, and Hannah Gold and Jillian Sullivan were Quarterfinalists (Top 25) inNews Broadcasting. Also competing at States were Tanush Bahl, ChristianMcClaine and Demetrios Patrinos.

Caleb Shook, Tanush Bahl, Christian McClaine and Demetrios Patrinoscompeted at the Harvard International Forensics Tournament, where Calebadvanced to the Quarterfinals in Congress and qualified to compete at the NationalTournament of Champions, which will be held at the University of Kentucky.

Caleb Shook and TanushBahl will compete in the NationalCatholic Forensic League GrandNational Tournament in Milwaukeein the Senate event. At the Regionalqualifying competition, Caleb finishedin First Place and Tanush finished in Sixth.

Additionally, Caleb Shook qualified asthe First Alternate in the Congress Senateevent at the National Speech and DebateAssociation Tournament, which will be held inDallas. He is also one of five area studentswho will compete on the World Schools Teamat Nationals. Also qualifying to compete inCongress at Nationals will be ChristianMcClaine and Tanush Bahl.

The students are coached by Bethel Park High School Gifted Program CoordinatorChristine Robb.

Congratulations to all of these students, and good luck in upcoming events!You can learn more about all of the Forensics competitions this school year at:

www.bpsd.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=6YB0GYY&dasi=2PB.

Forensic News

(Front row, left to right): Jillian Sullivan, Hannah Gold andDemetrios Patrinos; (back row, left to right): Tanush Bahl,Caleb Shook and Christian McClaine.

Three Bethel Park HighSchool students are workingwith the Bethel ParkRecreation Department tohelp them with their publicrelations efforts.

Sophomores JuliaCasaldi, Amber Simeoneand Makayla Yeevolunteered to help the RecDepartment, and they havebeen working hard to spreadthe word about thewonderful programs the RecDepartment offers, includingDrivers Ed Classes,Children's Pottery Makingand Chicken University.

The students created aFacebook Page for the RecDepartment and are in the process of also creating Instagram andSnapchat pages to reach a younger demographic. The students alsomake videos about Rec Programs that air on Black Hawk TV, and writearticles that appear in the Hawk Eye online student newspaper.

Additionally, they created an online survey for residents to complete,which will provide valuable feedback, not only about the types ofprogramming residents would like to see, but also their preferred methodof receiving that information.

The students used this experience as their project for the DECA StateCompetition and received a Second Place Award.

The students are excited to work on this partnership with theRecreation Department, because it gives them an opportunity to hone theirPR and marketing skills in a real-world situation and at the same time,benefit their community. They will continue their partnership with the RecDepartment throughout their high school years.

The students are taught by Bethel Park High School MarketingTeacher Emily Smoller.

(Left to right): Julia Casaldi, Amber Simeone andMikayla Yee with their DECA Competitionpresentation board, detailing their partnership with theBethel Park Recreation Department.

Three BPHS Students PartnerWith BP Rec Department

PJASTwo Bethel Park High School Freshmen earned

Second Place Awards at the 85th Annual PennsylvaniaJunior Academy of Science, which was held inFebruary on the Duquesne University campus.

Meghan Erfort was recognized for her project,“The Effects of pH on Bovine Liver Catalase,” andAnna Levis was recognized for her project, “The

Effects of pH on LeadTesting.”

Science OlympiadBethel Park High

School seniors Tanya Holbert and Patra Hsu earned aSecond Place Medal at the Southwestern PennsylvaniaScience Olympiad, which was held in March at CaliforniaUniversity of Pennsylvania.

The students earned Second Place in the ForensicScience Event.

They were prepared for both competitions by BethelPark High School Science Teacher Barbara Eisel.

Anna Levis (left) and Meghan Erfort(right).

(Left to right): Patra Hsu and TanyaHolbert.

PJASTwo Bethel Park High School students received the

Extra Effort Award for the Second Quarter of the 2018-2019 school year from the Steel Center for Career andTechnical Education.

Receiving the awards were senior Miranda Ruschand sophomore Monica Forte, both students in theCosmetology Program.

The awards are given to those students whodemonstrate outstandingattitude, work ethic,attendance anddependability.

Director’s ListFour Bethel Park High School students were named

to the Director's List at the Parkway West Career andTechnology Center for the Second Quarter of the 2018-2019 school year.

Receiving this honor were senior Sierra Tessari andjuniors Emily Bosko, Madison Cochran and RachelCraven. All four students are enrolled in the VeterinaryAssistant Program at Parkway.

Vo-Tech News

Miranda Rusch (left) and Monica Forte(right).

(Left to right): Madison Cochran andEmily Bosko. Absent: Sierra Tessari andRachel Craven.

Science News


Music News

(Left to right): Connor Remington, Elijah Nice, Jenelle Wu and KobeColeman.

All-State Orchestra

Region Orchestra

(First row, left to right): Julianne Stein, Molly Hoffman, Jessica Abraham, Abby Kauric and AnthonyLucchitti; (second row, left to right): Maddie Scheidler, Kelsey Aronhalt, Kellie Fedkoe, RyanMaerkle, Abilash Krishnachand and Jerry Varghese; (third row, left to right); Andrew Fullerton, BillKumer, Katelyn Marcovecchio, Anthony Will, Brian Pauley and Alexander Antkowiak; (back row,left to right): Collin McCormick, John Gummo and Connor Remington. Absent: Cameron Sillman.

Region Chorus

All-State Orchestra• Kobe Coleman (Bass)• Elijah Nice (Percussion)• Connor Remington (Tuba)• Jenelle Wu (Violin)

Region Orchestra• Kobe Coleman (Bass)• Roma Eisel (Bassoon)• Elijah Nice (Percussion)• Connor Remington (Tuba)• Jenelle Wu (Violin)

(Front row, left to right): Jenelle Wu and Roma Eisel;(back row, left to right): Connor Remington, ElijahNice and Kobe Coleman.

Region Band• Sara Bucci (Clarinet)• Roma Eisel (Bassoon)• Elijah Nice (Percussion)• Connor Remington (Tuba)• Jaxon Stewart (Clarinet)• Theresa Stolpa (French Horn)

(Front row, left to right): Sara Bucci, eresa Stolpaand Roma Eisel; (back row, left to right): JaxonStewart, Connor Remington and Elijah Nice.

Region Band

Junior High District Band• Sam Basile (French Horn)• Rebekah Tupper (French Horn)• Jason Turske (Percussion)• Lucas Varley (Trombone)Junior High District Band

ese IMS students played in the PMEA Junior HighDistrict Band Concert (left to right): Sam Basile, RebekahTupper and Lucas Varley. Absent: Jason Turske.

Hamlisch-Page Student ChoirTwelve Bethel Park High School vocalists performed at Heinz Hall with the

Pittsburgh Symphony during their “A Night At The Oscars” Pops Concert.They were among a group of

61 vocalists performing as theHamlish-Page Student Choir, whichwas comprised of students from sixarea high schools, two universitiesand the Junior Mendelssohn Choir.

Representing Bethel Parkwere: Andrew Fullerton, MollyHoffman, Abby Kauric, AnthonyLucchitti, Katelyn Marcovecchio,Collin McCormick, Brian Pauley,Sarah Pellis, Maddie Podsiadly,Macie Runco, MadisonScheidler and Cameron Sillman.

(Front row, left to right): Macie Runco, Molly Hoffman,Abby Kauric, Maddie Scheidler and Sarah Pellis; (backrow, left to right): Maddie Podsiadly, Andrew Fullerton,Brian Pauley, Collin McCormick, Cameron Sillman,Katelyn Marcovecchio and Anthony Lucchitti.

Elementary Sing Fest• Charlize Donaldson• Carly Dowell• Kayla Matvey• Julia Pierson• Tristan Shay

ese NAMS Sixth Graders participated in thePMEA Elementary Sing Fest (left to right): JuliaPierson, Kayla Matvey, Tristan Shay, CharlizeDonaldson and Carly Dowell.

Elementary Sing Fest

Region Chorus• Jessica Abraham (Soprano 1)• Alexander Antkowiak (Tenor 2)• Kelsey Aronhalt (Soprano 1)• Kellie Fedkoe (Soprano 2)• Andrew Fullerton (Bass 1)• John Gummo (Bass 2)• Molly Hoffman (Soprano 1)• Abby Kauric (Soprano 2)• Abilash Krishnachand (Tenor 1)• Bill Kumer (Bass 1)• Anthony Lucchitti (Tenor 2)

• Ryan Maerkle (Tenor 1)• Katelyn Marcovecchio (Alto 1)• Collin McCormick (Bass 2)• Brian Pauley (Bass 2)• Connor Remington (Bass 2)• Kelsey Rogers (Soprano 2)• Maddie Scheidler (Alto 1)• Cameron Sillman (Tenor 1)• Julianne Stein (Alto 1)• Jerry Varghese (Tenor 1)• Anthony Will (Tenor 1)

Elementary Band Fest• Ethan Alberter (Trombone)• Devin Collier (Tenor Saxophone)• River Hendrych-Bondra (Oboe)• Claire Hoffman (Percussion)• Emma James (Bass Clarinet)• Felix Kammerer (Trombone)• Frederick Mach (Tuba)• Brady McKiernan (French Horn)• Lydia Nirella (Clarinet)• Caleb Steele (Baritone)

Elementary Band Fest

ese NAMS Sixth Graders will participate in the PMEA Elementary Band Fest(front row, left to right): Frederick Mach, Lydia Nirella, River Hendrych-Bondra, Devin Collier and Felix Kammerer; (back row, left to right): EmmaJames, Caleb Steele, Brady McKiernan, Claire Hoffman and Ethan Alberter.

Elementary String Fest• Emma Krchmar(Violin)• Ella Milliken (Violin)• Noah Paola (Violin)• Lyla Walsh (Cello)

Elementary String Fest

ese NAMS Sixth Graders participated in the PMEAElementary String Fest (left to right): Noah Paola, LylaWalsh, Ella Milliken and Emma Krchmar.

www.BethelPark.netMay 13, 2019 Page 55

MEET YOUR HOWARD HANNABETHEL PARK SPECIALISTS!

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services- 180 Ft. Couch Rd, 15241- 412-833-3600

Lauren Coulter724-816-3210

Doug Hyrb412-780-3021

Palmer & Prunzik412-427-7406

Bob Ellison412-552-8290

Beth Ketterman412-589-1006

Anne Scully412-656-6875

Robbins BobbittSales Director412-848-6992

HowardHanna.com

Kelly Fraasch412-580-7665

Hannah Ketterman412-722-3003

Beth Thomas412-865-9865

Bonnie Bagay412-979-2397

Beverly Fusco412-726-4910

Marie Mageras412-389-2367

Wendy Vespa412-965-2059

April Bartley412-804-8521

Scott Herwitt412-973-4159

Denise Marasco412-977-5673

Suzy Voss412-953-3814

Martin Cottrill412-901-6575

Jess Hutchinson412-889-6231

Kathy Narr412-266-1358

Wendy Weaver412-818-4734








HowardHanna.comHowardHanna.comRobbins BobbittSales Director412-848-6992

Bonnie Bagay412-979-2397Bonnie Bagay412-979-2397

April Bartley412-804-8521April Bartley412-804-8521

Martin Cottrill412-901-6575

Lauren Coulter724-816-3210

Bob Ellison412-552-8290

Kelly Fraasch412-580-7665



Scott Herwitt412-973-4159Scott Herwitt412-973-4159

Jess Hutchinson412-889-6231

Doug Hyrb412-780-3021

Beth Ketterman412-589-1006

Hannah KettermanHannah Ketterman412-722-3003





Kathy Narr412-266-1358

Palmer & Prunzik412-427-7406

Anne Scully412-656-6875

Beth Thomas412-865-9865

Wendy Vespa412-965-2059Wendy Vespa412-965-2059

Suzy Voss412-953-3814

Suzy Voss412-953-3814

Wendy Weaver412-818-4734

Bethel Park School District301 Church RoadBethel Park, PA 15102

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Evey True Value Hardwaretruevaluepaint.comwww.eveytruevalue.com

412-835-57805779 Library RoadBethel Park, PA 15102Store Hours: 6 am to 8:30 pm Monday - Saturday9 am to 5 pm Sunday

If you’re installing a French Drain or looking for drainage options aroundyour home, stop by Evey Hardware for HydroBlox – a technically superiordrainage system. Made from recycled thermoplastics, HydroBlox productsdon’t clog, are easy to install and handle, require little or no maintenance, &are high strength and long lasting. For more information on HydroBlox, visithydroblox.com.

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Get Your Amusement Park Tickets!Kick off your summer with discounted Amusement Parktickets through the Bethel Park Recreation Department.Tickets are available for Hershey Park, Idlewild Park &Soak Zone, Kennywood, the Pittsburgh Zoo, Sandcastle,and Waldameer Park and Water World! See pg. 29 formore information and pick up yours today!

Wise WalkThursdays, April 18 – June 209:30 a.m.Open to those age 50 & overEnjoy walking at South Park this spring with your Bethel ParkLibrary friends during this enjoyable 10-week program! Seepg. 5 for registration information.

Recreation Flea Market8 a.m. – 2 p.m.Who doesn’t love a Flea Market?! The season is kicking offon May 18 and will run through Sept. 21 at the Port AuthorityParking Lot at the corner of Lytle and Brightwood Rds. You’llfind all the dates and more on pg. 31.

1st Annual Open House & ‘Touch a Truck’Sunday, May 191 – 4 p.m.Bethel Park Public Works Complex2490 Slater Rd.Tour the new Public Works facility and let the kids “touch atruck!” A list of all the cool trucks on-hand can be found on pg.16 and includes a police car, fire truck salt truck and more!

Memorial Day ProgramMonday, May 27This program is an honored tradition striving towards publicawareness and remembrance of those who gave their livesfor freedom. The event includes a ceremony at the VeteransMemorial featuring Speaker Major Robert C. Meussner, Jr.followed by the Memorial Day Parade, and afterwards, aMemorial Day Service at Bethel Cemetery. Coffee anddoughnuts are also being served in Municipal CouncilChambers prior to the Ceremony. For complete details, seepg. 3.

Slow Down, Relax and Take some Time to Do the Things YOU Enjoy this Summer!

Crafty Saturdays at the LibraryJune 8 – 2910 a.m. – 2 p.m.Grades K-6No need for kids to be bored this summer! Stop by any or all ofthe above dates and create such items as a space shuttle, planetspinners and more! See pg. 7.

It’s Bethel Park Recreation’s Summer Camp Season!Your 6-10 year-olds can enjoy “Day Camp” and the those age11-14 can enroll in “Summer Fun Camp!” Each is an eight-week program sure to keep your kids immersed in fun! See pg.30 for full details!

Summer Spectacular!Saturday, June 295 – 10 p.m.Millennium ParkBring the whole family to this outstanding new community traditioncomplete with live music, outstanding food and fireworks! See pg.10 for details.

Fantastic Four Golf TournamentMonday, July 29Nemacolin Country Club10 a.m. Brunch and RegistrationNoon Shotgun StartGolfer Registration - $200; Dinner Only - $75Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy a great day of golfing whilesupporting the Bethel Park Fantastic Four Charities that makesuch a wonderful impact on the community – Bethel ParkCommunity Foundation, the Bethel Park Educational Foundation,the Bethel Park Historical Society, and the Bethel Park PublicLibrary! See pg. 10 for more information.

Cooking Camp…Cooking Around the World in Three Days!Monday – Wednesday, July 29-3112:30 – 4 p.m.Ages 9-12$95 for Bethel Park residents; $100 for non-residentsBethel Park Community Center Your kids will love this unforgettable immersive experience as theyspend three days making food from different countries around theworld! Each day will feature a different country. To find out moreabout this delicious experience, see pg. 25. NOTE: a nominal$10 supply fee is due at the first class.

Look inside for more School District,Recreation, Library & Municipal news items!

Following are just some of the many unique programs andevents included in this jam-packed issue...

Your Ad Could BeHere!

Advertise in the Aug. 12th issue of Chronicles!

Call Janet Davin at 412-831-6800, x211to reserve your spot.

Ad deadline is July 12th!

Bring Your Kids to Village Green & Simmons Parks

to Enjoy New Playground Equipment!

We’ve added a variety of fun, interactiveplayground equipment for your children to enjoyat both Simmons and Village Green Parks.There’s something for those from ages 2-12;we’ve even added a zip line! Seemore information on pg. 21.

board of school directors - bethel park...teacher robert wargo, librarian michelle minnick and...

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