CMYK Winner’s CIRCLE Abigail, left, and Shirley Pisanchyn were among award recipients at the Best of the Abingtons readers’ choice event. See Page 3.
Wilkes-Barre, Clarks Summit, Pa. Pa.
THE ABINGTON
JOURNAL An edition of The Times Leader
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Strong MANN Clarks Summit resident prepares for regional weightlifting competition in Orlando, Fla. See Page 10.
MAY 2 TO MAY 8, 2012
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Service leads to smiles ABOVE: Artwork by Abington Heights student Irene Torresani on display for Art in the Office at Citizens Savings Bank, Clarks Summit
BY ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER lbaumeister@theabingtonjournal.com
LA PLUME - Each of the students involved in Keystone College’s service and outreach programs have their favorite service projects, unique to their individual interests, passions and goals. Some regularly visit the elderly, preparing meals for them and listening to their stories. Some spend time reading to children in pre-schools or mentoring at-risk youth. Others focus on the needs of the environment, planting trees and picking up litter. All the participating students, however, seem to share one common desire: to make the world a better place, starting in their own communities. Maria Fanning, Director of Community Outreach at Keystone, La Plume, is the person who assists the students in finding the service projects that tie in with their majors, skills and passions. She also serves with them, lending encouragement and a helping hand along the way. She said the outreach programs are an important part of the students’ education and provide valuable experience and good memories for them as well. “We have a lot of fun,” she said. Fanning referred to the service projects as a “win-win” for the students and communities they partner with. “The students gain new skills, make See Service, Page 6
AT LEFT: Abington Heights High School student Colleen Smith and her mother, Elaine Smith, view ’Einstein,’ a painting by Abington Heights Art 2 students Dan Callen, Marissa Carter, Melanie Coles, Sean Corcoran, Zach Eischeid, Jessica Ellis, Alosha Fox, Alexa Karel, Molly Killeen, Brynn Kizer, Kristi Kopicki, Madison Levinson, Laura Linder, Jessica Maietta, Dale Pettry, Anna Smith, Maria Sunick and Dana Williams.
ABOVE: Artwork by Abington Heights student Brianna Benson on display for Art in the Office at Citizens Savings Bank, Clarks Summit. BELOW: Artwork by Abington Heights student Alanna Mecca on display for Art in the Office at Citizens Savings Bank, Clarks Summit ABINGTON JOURNAL/ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER
Banking on CREATIVITY C BY ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER
lbaumeister@theabingtonjournal.com
INSIDE
The Abington Journal
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ArtsEtc. ..............................7 Calendar.............................2 Classified ...........................14 Crosswords.........................4 Obituaries...........................9 School ........................5, 6, 13 Sports ...............................10
ABOVE: Artwork by Abington Heights student William Hamersly on display for Art in the Office at Citizens Savings Bank, Clarks Summit
reativity lined the walls and counters at Citizens Savings Bank in Clarks Summit during the month of April. A variety of artwork was displayed from abstract designs, to paintings inspired by “Alice in Wonderland,” to large collaborative pieces, all created by Abington Heights High School students. The exhibit, titled “Art in the Office” was the bank’s way of celebrating its communities during Community Banking Month, according to Lisa M. Bonacci, Vice Presi-
Award goes to C.S couple “The real heroine…is Major Bea Connell. She is really a model for how we can make a difference anytime, anywhere.”
working side by side with the Salvation Army. I think they are an outstanding organization, helping the community CLARKS SUMMIT - Joyce and local families. They are and David Tressler of Clarks very good at providing help.” Summit will be honored with “The real heroine…is Major The Salvation Army CommuBea Connell,” Joyce Tressler nity Service Award at the organization’s annual dinner ThursJoyce Tressler said. “She is really a model for The Salvation Army Community how we can make a difference day at 6:30 p.m. at the Radisson Service Award honoree anytime, anywhere.” Lackawanna Station Hotel, The Tresslers have volunScranton. out with the mailings, such as at teered with a variety of orgaSalvation Army Major Bea nizations in addition to the Connell said the Tresslers were Christmas time, sending notiSalvation Army and been infications that help is needed. chosen unanimously by the volved in community service She has done an outstanding committee because of their projects, some together as a “dedication and commitment” job there.” David Tressler has also been couple and some individually. to the county. Joyce said some of these ina committed volunteer. One The husband and wife are year, he ran a fund drive for the clude the Voluntary Action active in the local community, Center, United Way, Holy Famorganization and he rings the and David Tressler said they red kettle bells each Christmas ily Residence, Northeast Rehave been involved with the gional Cancer Institute, Salvation Army for the past 15 for its annual collection. “When they need help, I try Deutsch Institute, JT Jolly Volto 20 years. “Joyce has been involved for to help out,” he said. “Actually, unteers, The Mayor’s Prayer I’ve been very much involved a long time,” he said. “One of See Award, Page 13 the main things she does is help in other community activities, BY KELLY LEIGHTON AND ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER Abington Journal Staff
dent, Human Resources. Each branch held a similar event. “We felt the idea of showcasing the artistic talents of our local high school students (grades 9-12) would be a great opportunity to promote the students and their schools in each community,” Bonacci said via e-mail. “We wanted to show how important these art programs are to supporting the student’s personal expression and development and to show them the local businesses care and want to help them reach their full potential.” She said this was the bank’s first Art in the Office program, but they hope to make it an annual event. A reception was held for the student artists See Banking, Page 13
COLORFUL CROP AT THE COMM Waverly Community House 20th Annual House, Garden and Gift Show took place April 28 and 29. The show featured more than 30 vendors, “how to” workshops and a gourmet luncheon each day. AT RIGHT: Drake Collection Personalized Umbrellas appear to blossom along the pathway.
ABINGTON JOURNAL/JASON RIEDMILLER
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See how much money was raised to benefit animals at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter during Shelterfest. See Page 3 for photos and details.
BY ROBERT TOMKAVAGE rtomkavage@theabingtonjournal.com
Local law enforcement officers will be cracking down on impaired driving through increased sobriety checkpoints, roving and saturation patrols, and other enforcement methods over the Fourth of July holiday. Impaired-driving crashes killed 10,228 people in 2010, accounting for 31 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. That’s an average of one alcohol-impaired driving fatality every 51 minutes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, the Fourth of July holiday period (6 p.m. July 2- 5:59 a.m. July 6) is deadly. In 2010 during the holiday, 392 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those fatalities 39 percent were in crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 higher. PennDOT Safety Press Officer Michael Taluto offered basic guidelines to stay safe over the holiday weekend. “Don’t drink and drive or text and drive,” Taluto said. “Make sure you are wearing a seatbelt and that children are in a child care seat, and be aware of aggressive drivers. It’s all about keeping your family safe.”
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Earl Granville (center) is seen lifting the first wall with General Contractor Ken Kurtz (to his left) and President of the Lackawanna Home Builders Association Bart Sacco (to his right). Also shown, Lackawanna County Commissioner Patrick O’Malley (far left).
It’s a home for a HERO
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The Abington Journal
Earl Granville thanks the crowd for their help and support.
SCOTT TWP. - It was a hero’s welcome to Scott Twp. on June 29 for Army Staff Sergeant Earl Granville. With fire trucks on both sides of the road and a huge American flag draped between them, lining the entrance way to the building site. Members of the Wilkes-Barre recruitment company,
See hero, Page 5
See BUDGET, Page 7
Lake Winola resident Joe Peters recalls love of area, theater
Abington Community Library enlists young foodie for teen series.
traditions in the community. It’s a facility that hosts more than 500 events a year.” SCRANTON - When the He said the center hosts Board of Directors offered him a job as executive direc- everything from educational programs, lecture series, band tor of the Scranton Cultural Center, Joe Peters stepped up concerts to dance companies. “We pride ourselves on this to the plate. being a place for the commuSome may remember him as the son of former Scranton nity,” said Peters. “We donate approximately $100,000 mayor Gene Peters. Others may know him as the host of a radio show on 94.3FM. And others may know him as the one running the show for the past 10 months as the new executive director at the Scranton Cultural Center. “It’s an honor to be given the opportunity to shepherd the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple and bring it forward,” said Peters. “It’s an incredible place architecturally. It’s got great BY BEN FREDA Abington Journal Correspondent
BY ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER
F
Friends of the Forgotten and the Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School marching band led Granville, 28, to his new home. The veteran, who was severely wounded in Afghanistan, will have an easier time in the next few months thanks to a non-profit organization,
CLARKS SUMMIT- By a unanimous vote of 7-0, the Abington Heights School Board passed a $42.45 million budget for 2012-13 that has no millage increase. The millage rate will stay at 117.35. A mill is $1 in tax for each $1,000 in assessed property value. The district is using $1.7 million of the approximately $18 million the district has available in its total reserves in order to balance the budget, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Mahon. Mahon discussed some of the sacrifices that had to be made in order to pass the budget. “We eliminated 17 teaching positions in the last two years, along with about 10 percent of our support staff,” Mahon said. “This year there will be an increase in class sizes at the elementary school and with the elimination of two teaching positions at the high school there may some electives cut. “We’ve been really trying to tighten up and build efficiency in our operations, but even with all that we’re still not balanced.” Board member Jeanne Cadman expressed concern that the district has not experienced a drop in taxes despite making several cuts. “We haven’t had a millage rate decrease despite the reduction of staff which is a direct correlation to the fact that expenditures, especially on the employment side continue to rise exponentially,” Cadman said. “That is where our work lies.” Board members Michael
No stranger to the arts
Cooking inspiration rom the time she was a little girl watching cooking shows on television while most children her age were watching cartoons, Anastasia Wardach, of Clarks Summit, wanted to be a chef. “I’ve loved food ever since I was very young,” she said. “I have such vivid memories of sitting on the kitchen counter watching my dad tie a braciole (flank steak filled with cheese, tied with butchers twine, and cooked in a tomato sauce), making bread in tuna cans with my mom and happily serving my family imaginary dinners I had
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BY ROBERT TOMKAVAGE
ABINGTON JOURNAL PHOTOS/JIM GAVENUS
lbaumeister@theabingtonjournal.com
JULY 4 TO JULY 10, 2012
A.H. passes budget
AT RIGHT: A parade of people arrive to honor Earl Granville and volunteer for the Homes for Our Troops organization. AT FAR RIGHT: Earl Granville was on his third deployment when a roadside bomb in Afghanistan left him with severe leg injuries.
By Robert Tomkavage rtomkavage@theabingtonjournal.com
ArtsEtc...............................10 Calendar.............................2 Classified ...........................15 Crosswords.........................4 Obituaries...........................9 School................................6 Sports................................13
Which town recently held a fireworks display? See Page 12 for photos and details.
An edition of The Times Leader
Wilkes-Barre, Clarks Summit, Pa. Pa.
How to have a safe 4th
BLAST OFF
ABINGTON JOURNAL/ ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER
Anastasia Wardach, 17, of Clarks Summit, will instruct a teen cooking class at the Abington Community Library July 11 from 6 to 8 p.m.
created out of sand, shells and seaweed during vacations to the beach.” In summer 2007, Wardach found inspiration and direction for her dream of becoming a chef at the Abington Community Library, where Natural Chef Toby Landon taught a teen cooking class on See Cooking, Page 8
worth of free space for other non-profits to conduct meetings, fundraisers and events. We have almost 200,000 people who come through the doors every year for these various activities.” Although the Lake Winola resident has a career background in law, he is no See Arts, Page 7
During his years attending King’s College, , Joe Peters was president of the King’s Players, the school’s acting ensemble.
ABINGTON JOURNAL/ BEN FREDA
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SPORTS
AUGUST 15 TO AUGUST 21, 2012
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Abington Wildcats hosting tryouts The NEPA/Abington Wildcats 16 & Under Fastpitch Travel softball organization will host tryouts for their fall 2012/summer 2013 teams Aug. 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. and Aug. 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Abington Heights High School. For more information or to schedule a private tryout, contact Vic Thomas at 570.351.5187, Mike Thomas at 570.241.7030, John Kelly at 570.504.4808, or by email atAbingtonWildcats@yahoo.com. The team will be attending several college showcases.
Gavin O’Donnell won four medals at the Keystone State Games.
Lakeland track star competes in Keystone State Games
Panthers forming softball team The Impact Panthers are establishing a 16U fast-pitch softball team for the 20122013 season. Tryouts will be Aug. 25 and 26 at the Abington Recreational Fields on Winola Road, Clarks Summit (near C.S. State Hospital). Registration is at 12:30 p.m., and tryouts begin at 1 p.m. Preregister at impactpanthers16u@yahoo.com.
Rollin Thunder tryouts set The Rollin Thunder 18Under softball team will hold tryouts Aug. 18 and Aug.19 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jessup Youth Sports Complex. Check-in will start at 9 a.m. For more information or to pre-register call Mark at 687.4735 or email ave3024@aol.com
ABINGTON JOURNAL PHOTOS/ALICE STUFFLE
Izzy Drehemsis was the winner of the one-mile race during Christy Mathewson Days in Factoryville Aug. 11. He took 1st place in the overall male category with a time of 6:10.
Fastest in Factoryville
Keystone College President Dr. Edward G. Boehm announces the start of the 1-mile race Aug. 11.
Tee it up for charity The 35th annual Ben Mar/ St. Jude’s Golf Tournament will be held Sept. 10 at Elkview Country Club. The captain and crew format will include brunch, golf and dinner at the Ben Mar Restaurant, Carbondale. The cost is $150 per player.
Isaac Ryon competes in the one-mile race during Christy Mathewson Days festivities Aug. 11 in Factoryville.
Christy Mathewson Days took place Aug. 10 and 11. Winners of the 1- mile race included: Braedyn Genello (6:37); Izzy Drehemsis (1st place overall male 6:10); Molly McGlynn, (7:25); Megan Johns (7:20); Bryce Genello (6:32) and Elizabeth Gumula (1st place overall female, 7:02.) Winners of the Big Six Race were: Dan Davis, 1st overall (19:58) and Samantha Snead, top female, tenth overall (22:02).
On Aug. 4, Gavin O’Donnell, 16, of Greenfield Township participated in the Keystone State Games Championship in Harrisburg. O’Donnell is a member of the Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School Track and Field team, as well as a starter for the school’s football team who recently participated in the United States Track and Field Junior Olympics in Baltimore, Md. ranking 18th nationally in the 400m hurdles and 26th in the 110m hurdles. The rising junior was one of 6,000 participants to compete in the Keystone State Games around the state capital the weekend of August 3-5 and was the sole Track and Field participant to medal in all four of his events (the maximum allowed for his age group of 15-16). The young athlete took gold medals in the 110m and 400m hurdles with times of 16.09 & 1:00.15 respectively, as well as a gold medal in the triple jump with a jump of 39-09.00. Gavin also took a bronze medal in the long jump with a jump of 18-00.25. This was a great end to the athlete’s 2012 Track & Field season which included placing at the PIAA District 2 championship and a trip to Shippensburg for the PIAA State Championship, as well as several gold & silver medals at the USATF Mid-Atlantic Association (West Chester) and USATF Regional championships (Newark, Delaware) winning him a National bid for the USATF Junior Olympics in Baltimore. O’Donnell gave credit for his drive, determination and effort to his Lakeland track coaches, See track, Page 14
Abington Heights tackles concussions head-on Dr. Jack Henzes, who has served as the team doctor for football at Abington he safety of student-athletes, specif- Heights for the last three years and has been the team doctor at Dunmore for the ically information regarding head past 17 years, has noticed a big change in injuries, took center stage at the the amount of attention given to concusAbington Heights High School Auditorium Aug. 9 during a Concussion Work- sions in recent years. “(There has been a significant change) shop with athletes, parents, coaches and in terms of awareness education, undersports medicine professionals. standing the pathophysiology that goes on A panel, that included High School Principal Pam Murray, head football coach with the injured brain, and the signs and symptoms to know the length of time it Joe Repshis and Dr. Jack Henzes, informed parents and student-athletes about takes to fully recover, and know that the athlete is fully recovered,” he said. the proper protocol to follow if signs or Henzes stressed the importance of an symptoms of a concussion are noticed. A athlete coming forward as soon as they concussion awareness video from Sports feel any symptoms of a concussion. Safety International was also shown to “I think the risk is that they will go back inform the audience about the danger and severity of concussions. T.J. Murray, a senior, who plays basketball and football, thought the workshop was informative and important for all parties involved. “I think it’s great that we have the information now,” he said. “The coaches know the possible things that can happen from something like this so it’s safer for ABINGTON JOURNAL/ROBERT TOMKAVAGE us. “We’ll still be competitive, but we have Abington Heights head football coach Joe a better understanding of what can hapRepshis pen.”
BY ROBERT TOMKAVAGE
rtomkavage@theabingtonjournal.com
T
and play, and will run the risk of second impact syndrome where the brain has already been injured…not healed yet, and then take a second trauma to the brain,” he said. “That’s when you really set the brain up for significant damage and potentially long-term issues.” Henzes credited the increased concern over concussions for more student-athletes coming forward recently with their issues. “I think because there is more education about it,” he said. “Probably the most important factor has been athletic trainers at the schools. They do a great job of assessing the players on the field or court, and they are very pro player in terms of their safety. They are always going to err on the side of caution, and because of that we have fewer players who stay on the field. You will probably see fewer problems now because the athletic trainers are more aware of the athletes being injured.” According to Repshis, coaches are taking every precaution to limit head injuries to their players. “Any coach, first and foremost, is responsible for the safety and well being of their athletes,” he said. “I think concussions have always been at the forefront, See concussion, Page 14
ABINGTON JOURNAL/GERARD E. NOLAN
Shown, from left: Eric Onofrey and Cierra Beck
Students run tournament BY GERARD E. NOLAN Abington Journal Correspondent
The fourth annual Comm Classic Tennis Tournament was held Aug. 6 and 7 on the Waverly Community House’s tennis courts. Organized by Abington Heights High School rising juniors and tennis team members Cierra Beck and Eric Onofrey, the tournament drew nearly 30 participants. Players’ ages ranged from junior high students to recent high school graduates. The tournament is held
annually to “help with the upkeep and maintenance of the Comm’s tennis courts,” Onofrey said. While their matches are not held there, many members of the high school tennis team play there recreationally, according to Beck. Peter Kazmierczak of Scranton Prep won the boys draw over Mihir Mulloth of Abington Heights (8-4) and Emily Jonsson of Scranton Prep won the girls draw over Annie Tressler, also of Scranton Prep (8-4).