THE CENTRE COUNTY
GAZETTE www.StateCollege.com
Home grown Healthy Harvest CSA cultivates bushels of fresh produce, and shares the bounty with members./Page 16
April 26-May 2, 2012
Volume 4, Issue 17
FREE COPY
2 area teachers among best in Pa. By MARJORIE S. MILLER The Centre County Gazette
SPRING MILLS — Their passion and dedication, both in and out of the classroom, have landed two area educators a place in the semifinals for Pennsylvania’s 2013 Teacher of the Year award. Jacquelyn Wagner, of the Penns Valley Area School District, and Jennifer Zahuranec, of the Bellefonte Area School District, join 37 other teachers in the state who have been selected as semifinalists. Wagner, an academic biology, general biology and advanced biology teacher at Penns Valley High School, has been teaching for 26 years. She’s been at Penns Valley High permanently since 1988, she said.
JACQUELYN WAGNER
“School was my place of comfort,” Wagner said, explaining why she decided to go into teaching. “I found myself surrounded by teachers who had my best interests at heart. I found it to be an energizing environment, never bor-
ing or stagnant.” Another reason the profession appealed to her, she said, is because she loves to be challenged, and to push herself to constantly grow.
“Many of my teachers made their jobs seem like a piece of art, choosing their words and activities carefully as they led us to new adventures,” Wagner said. “I found it very attractive. I knew that if I would bring JENNIFER ZAHURANEC the full force of my personality and my sense of humor into the classroom, children would be motivated, as I was by my teachers, and I could make a real difference.” In a word, Wagner feels “flabbergasted”
to have been selected, for the second year in a row, she said, as a semifinalist for the award. “I guess when one is in the teaching profession, recognition is always a bit unexpected because it is so far removed from the real reason we do our work,” she said. “It is nice to know, however, that someone recognizes my hard work and dedication to my students and my profession.” Wagner, who also is the science department chairperson at Penns Valley, said it is the students at the high school who “keep me going and make me want to do my best.” “Teaching is not for the timid or faint of heart,” Wagner said. Teachers, Page 6
Man to take ride of lifetime By HARRY ZIMBLER For The Gazette
MARK SELDERS/Penn State Athletics
BREAKING THE ICE: Penn State held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Pegula Ice Arena on April 20. From left: Kim Pegula, Terry Pegula, Penn State president Rod Erickson, the Nittany Lion, associate athletic director Joe Battista and Board of Trustees vice chairman Karen Peetz dig in with shovels shaped like hockey sticks.
Ice arena project advances By CHRIS MORELLI editor@centrecountygazette.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — Although there was a gaping hole in the earth behind the stage on the turf field that suggests ground had been broken long ago, Penn State hosted the “official” groundbreaking ceremony for the Pegula Ice Arena on April 20. Under a sun-splashed sky, multi-million dollar donors Terry
and Kim Pegula, along with associate athletic director Joe Battista, Penn State president Rodney Erickson, acting athletic director Dave Joyner and several other dignitaries, used shovels shaped like hockey sticks to dig into boxes of dirt that were about 100 feet from the construction site. “We started talking about this four years ago, and we’re genuinely excited to get to this
point,” Pegula said. “We’re ahead of schedule I’ve been told.” Indeed they are. A mild winter has helped the project along. Earth is being moved at a rapid rate just across the street from the Bryce Jordan Center. Battista has named those involved with the project “Team Pegula.” “I can’t say enough about the job everyone has done,” Battista said, smiling. “We’re happy with Ice arena, Page 6
STATE COLLEGE — After two years of training, Larry Emigh is ready to trade local roads for the open road. Emigh will embark on a bicycle ride across the United States, from Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles to Revere Beach in Boston, beginning in May. He’s making the 3,415-mile ride to raise money for the Children’s Dyslexia Center in State College, an organization that serves children in 15 central Pennsylvania counties. “Doing this ride is something that I’ve thought about for a long time,” he said. “I was a Pennsylvania state trooper and then a sales representative in the toy industry. I never had the time to devote to training. Now I have been afforded the opportunity to train and to commit to the seven weeks it takes to complete the ride.” He retired from the state police in 1993 and his sales job in 2008. At the age of 70, Emigh is in top physical condition and has lost about 24 pounds in his training for the ride at State College’s North Club. He expects to lose
HARRY ZIMBLER/For The Gazette
READY TO ROLL: Larry Emigh of State College will travel over 3,000 miles on his bike to raise money for the Children’s Dyslexia Center. about 5 to 7 pounds more before the trek is completed. Emigh, of Boalsburg, said he believes his age will inspire other people and garner more attention when he speaks to groups Ride, Page 5
Special Olympians go for the gold — and fun By SAMI HULINGS For The Gazette
UNIVERSITY PARK — For many athletes, there is but one goal in competition — win. But for those who competed in the 20th annual Geri Ryan Track Meet, the goal was a bit simpler — have fun. More than 140 athletes from the county participated in Special Olympics Centre County track meet held at the Penn State Multi-Sport Complex on Thursday, April 19. The event began with a parade and a torch-carrying ceremony, both lead Police log .......................... 3 Opinion ............................ 7
PURE JOY: Miranda Fleck, 15, of Bellefonte, and her father, Robert, compete in the wheelchair race.
by Special Olympians and Penn State athletes. T.J Mayo, training coordinator of Special Olympics Centre County, and Sue Paterno gave short welcoming speeches to the participating athletes and the cheering fans. “He’s up there watching you and he wants you to do the best you can today,” Paterno said of her late husband, former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno. After finishing her speech, Paterno helped lead the reciting of the Special Olympic Oath to begin the meet. Olympians, Page 6
Health & Wellness ........ 8, 9 Education ................. 10, 11
Lifestyles ................... 12-15 Centre Spread ........... 16, 17
Submitted photo
Sports ........................ 18-22 Arts & Entertainment 23, 24
What's Happening ......... 25 Group Meetings ....... 26, 27
Business .................... 28, 29 Classified ........................ 31