FALL 2015 UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

FALL 2015

R o b o t s + K i d s + Te a c h e r s = I n n o v a t i o n

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W W W. S TC L A I R . O R G

21 Years

LOCAL Fall 2015 • Volume 21 • Issue 3 www.twpusc.org/magazine/usc-today-home

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Features & Around the Township 10

Township 24

12

A Greener USC for You and for Me

62

My, Oh My—Mammals!

64

Unintended Crescendo Gilfillan’s Garden to Table

17

Pets are Family

18

Coaching Provides the Coach More Than You Might Think

Township Updates Comprehensive Plan

usctoday@uscsd.k12.pa.us

School District 61

28

School District Teachers Receive Awards

38

USCHS Commencement 2015

40

Give Them a Hand

School District Develops Strategic Plan

66

Meet… Presidents of Our Parent Teacher Organizations

92

Profiles on People with a USC Connection

Guides/ Directories 48 Pinebridge 50 Health & Wellness 58 Dining 82 Education Resource 96 Advertiser Index Photo Ops 26 Community Day 2015 43 Public Works Day 46 Night at the Races 78 Spring Fling

Cover

The cover of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY is sponsored by Team RobotiX, a nonprofit organization that provides robotics education for students in grades K-12. Read the featured article on pages 14 and 15.

FALL 2015

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86 36

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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

The official publication of the School District and Township of Upper St. Clair

Publishers Matthew R. Serakowski Township Manager Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole Superintendent of Schools

The award-winning, official publication of the School District and Township of Upper St. Clair UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY is a not-for-profit community magazine that is dedicated to promoting

the Township and School District of Upper St. Clair by recognizing the gifts and contributions of the people who live and work here. This year marks 21 years of our publication.

The 83rd issue of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY magazine is made possible through the combined resources of the staff and volunteers of the Township and School District of Upper St. Clair. Thanks are extended to the staff and volunteers for their enthusiasm and efforts on this continuing project.

Winter 2015 edition deadlines: Articles—September 17 Advertising—September 21

Steering Committee Mark S. Mansfield, Assistant Township Manager Paul K. Fox, School District Representative Editors and Staff Linda M. Dudzinski, Editor-in-Chief Terry Kish, Associate Editor Colleen DeMarco, Office Manager,

Advertising Executive Dorothy Clark, Graphic Designer Alison Hess, Marketing Executive Lynn Dempsey, Advertising Executive Neena Jacob-John, Advertising Executive Brittany Dudzinski, Intern

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY steering committee and staff members include Mark Mansfield, Paul Fox, Linda Dudzinski, Terry Kish, Colleen DeMarco,

Dorothy Clark, Alison Hess, Lynn Dempsey, Neena Jacob-John, and intern Brittany Dudzinski.

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY is a non-partisan Town-

The next issue of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY will be the Winter 2015 issue and will be published in November 2015. Articles that were submitted but not published in this issue are on file for consideration in upcoming issues. Articles and announcements may be sent to:

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY magazine is published

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

ship, School District, and community magazine.

Political advertising and political commentary are not accepted. The publishers of this magazine reserve the right to reject advertising or articles inconsistent with the objectives, image, and aesthetic standards of the magazine. and mailed quarterly to residents and businesses in Upper St. Clair. Extra copies of the magazine are available at the Township of Upper St. Clair Municipal Building and Township Library. If you did not receive a copy in the mail, please call 412-833-1600, extension 2284.

Subscription Information If you know someone living outside the Township who would enjoy receiving UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY, please send $12 to cover mailing and handling for the next four issues with name and address, including zip code, to our address listed above. Add $10 to cover international mailings.

Editor

1820 McLaughlin Run Road Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 or email UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY at usctoday@uscsd.k12.pa.us.

Article Information

Editor-in-Chief Linda Dudzinski phone: 412-833-1600, extension 2681

Advertising Information

Office Manager Colleen DeMarco phone: 412-833-1600, extension 2284 fax: 412-851-2592 Ad file submission: dclark@uscsd.k12.pa.us

Website www.twpusc.org/magazine/usc-today-home Email usctoday@uscsd.k12.pa.us Board of School Directors Frank J. Kerber, President Buffy Z. Hasco, Vice President Amy L. Billerbeck Barbara L. Bolas Harry F. Kunselman Louis P. Mafrice, Jr. Louis M. Oliverio Angela B. Petersen Rebecca A. Stern

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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Township Board of Commissioners Robert W. Orchowski, President, Ward 3 Russell R. Del Re, Vice President, Ward 5 Nicholas J. Seitanakis, Ward 1 Rex A. Waller, Ward 2 Mark D. Christie, Ward 4 Glenn R. Dandoy, At Large Daniel R. Paoly, At Large

Fall 2015

Thank you to our volunteer contributors this issue: Erin Gibson Allen, Cindy Brophy, Deb Conn, John D’Angelo, Tom DiPasquale, Tracy DeCock, Brittany Dudzinski, Ben Edwards, Carrie Walsh Erdely, Paul Fox, Dina Fulmer, Manjri Gupta, Delaney Held, Alison O’Neill Hess, Heather Holtschlag, Frank Kerber, Jessica Kester, Jay Lynch, Jim Meston, Roxy MtJoy, Jim O’Brien, Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole, Helen Palascak, Jim Render, Dr. Eric Reitz, Emanuel Romanias, Ron Sarrick, Gary Schafer, Dr. Gary C. Smith, Mary Lynne Spazok, Dr. Beth Troy, Maribeth Twerdok, Dave Watson, and Jennifer Yates.

Young Writers Guild (YWG) promotes and encourages young writers in the Upper St. Clair School District to provide articles of interest for our community magazine.

Email usctoday@uscsc.k12.pa.us to find out how your student can contribute.

The 83rd issue of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY is a joint publication of the Township and School District of Upper St. Clair. © Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of this magazine, in print or web version, in whole or in part, without the expressed written consent of the Editor, is strictly prohibited.

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY 1820 McLaughlin Run Road Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 Phone: 412-833-1600, extension 2284 Fax: 412-851-2592 Email: usctoday@uscsd.k12.pa.us Township­: 412-831-9000 School District: 412-833-1600 Printed by Knepper Press 2251 Sweeney Drive, Clinton, PA 15026-1818 724-899-4274 Design by DMC Design 412-824-7844 • www.dmcdesign.com

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A Fall Note from the Publishers Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole

Matthew R. Serakowski

Welcome to the fall 2015 edition of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY. While we encourage you to get outdoors at this refreshing time of year, we hope that you also enjoy reading the many informative articles about our township and our schools that you will find in this edition.

The Township news shares an article on the Township’s ten-year comprehensive plan (page 24) that will take our community through 2025. The 2015 Community Day wrap up feature (pages 26–27) showcases memories of that day and sustainability opportunities for all of us are discussed on page 28. The library’s fall programs are kick-starting for adults and children (pages 30–33) and The Outdoor Classroom’s list of events (page 39) will intrigue the outdoor adventurer in all of us.

Don’t forget the many wonderful opportunities that await us at the C&RC, including our active senior group (pages 36–37).

While September suggests that we are now two-thirds into the 2015 calendar year, the School District is just beginning the new school year. There are many stories to share informing you of what’s happening at our schools, USC Township building including awards earned by our teachers (page 61), a tribute to the Class of 2015 with commencement speeches (pages 62–63), and the Strategic Plan overview (pages 64–65) that will carry the District through 2018. Stories about our students can be found throughout the School District section and highlight the USC High School excellence achieved in academics, the arts, and athletics.

Have you committed to a new life undertaking this fall? Our resource guides—Health & Wellness (pages 50–57) and Educational Resource (pages 82–85)—will provide some great ideas about how to stay healthy and active and what to do to keep the mind sharp. Take a look and incorporate some suggestions into your daily routine.

Life is simple; involve yourself in what is good. Through this magazine and as publishers of TODAY, we take pride in relaying the many good things that are happening in our Township. Get involved! As leaders of this community, we strive to make good decisions with your best interests in mind. We hope that you agree.

Yes, life can be both simple and good. Step back and breathe deeply, taking full advantage of the simplicity that the fall season and our wonderful natural surroundings have to offer.

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

Matthew R. Serakowski Township Manager

Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole Superintendent of Schools

Township of Upper St. Clair 412-831-9000 • Fax: 412-831-9882 Website: www.twpusc.org Email: uscadmin@twpusc.org

Upper St. Clair School District 412-833-1600 • Fax: 412-833-5535 Website: www.uscsd.k12.pa.us Email: info@uscsd.k12.pa.us

TODAY, the award-winning, official publication of the School District and Township of Upper St. Clair www.twpusc.org/magazine/usc-today-home

usctoday@uscsd.k12.pa.us

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9

Unintended Crescendo Jay Lynch

Mark Couy (pronounced “koo-wee”) was one of my best buddies in the 60s. A good student, a gifted athlete, and active student government participant, he had a great sense of humor and many friends among our mutual classmates. However, he was a terrible trumpet player. Mark occupied, perhaps dominated, the “last chair” in the trumpet sections of both the Eisenhower and Fort Couch school bands from 1963 through 1967. By his own admission later in life, he was one of the worst trumpet players in the history of the schools and the long tenure of legendary USC music director Angelo Ruzzini.

Mark’s struggle with the instrument began with the 1963 Eisenhower school “evaluation day” for kids interested in learning to play an instrument and, perhaps, joining the student band. Mark and I shared common interests, like shooting our dads’ Iron City cans with BB guns and memorizing MAD magazine cover to cover, but we had different musical tastes.

He liked the blare of trumpets in marching bands, so he waited in line for Mr. Ruzzini Mark Couy (candid to watch him pucker his lips and blow photo, a few years later, air, to see if he had the right stuff to play from a high school a brass instrument. My parents loved bigyearbook) band jazz and the drumming prowess of Gene Krupa, Sandy Nelson, and Buddy Rich. So, they encouraged me to wait in the percussion line for Mr. Ruzzini to evaluate my potential. The screening process wasn’t difficult for aspiring drummers. The ability to move your wrists and count to four without error was the key test. Being tone deaf was a bonus. I met the criteria and Mark was judged to have the right lip structure for the trumpet. Alas, we started taking music lessons from Mr. Ruzzini.

Although my drum lessons were going well, Mark admitted to having a tough time with the trumpet. He liked its shiny brass look, and the volume was impressive. But he couldn’t get the hang of puckering his lips the right way, blowing air with the right force, or mastering finger dexterity. I think trumpet teachers call this “three strikes and you’re out.” But Mark didn’t quit. He kept taking lessons and practicing, regardless of his lack of progress.

His parents eventually lost all hope of their son being the next Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herb Alpert, or even Louis Prima.

They became so annoyed with his loud, off-key noise that they made him practice in the woods behind their house on Brookside Boulevard, even in the wintertime.

Mr. Ruzzini assigned Mark to the last chair of the trumpet section on the first day of band practice at Eisenhower Elementary, which meant his sheet music was mostly rest notes. But, by the time we got to Fort Couch, Mark had mastered a few melodies and Mr. Ruzzini had whipped the rest of us into shape. You may know that Mr. Ruzzini was a USC Halls of Fame music director, an excellent musician, composer, and dedicated teacher. He did not fit the “warm and fuzzy” artistic prototype; he was strict and demanding, and his Italian temper erupted when we made mistakes.

We always knew we were in trouble when he stopped the music, repeatedly clicked his metal baton on his podium, and said his favorite phrase: “Time is precious, don’t waste it.” He intimidated many of the young band members (including me) with 10

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

his insistence on perfection, public embarrassment for minor mistakes, and group punishment (relentless repetition) even when only a few players were struggling. He also insisted on meticulous maintenance of our instruments. Once a week, he would randomly spot-check instruments with white gloves, looking for specks of dirt that would result in demerits or the loss of “chair” status. He also promoted a tough, competitive, risk-reward culture by allowing any student to challenge the status of a player in a higher chair, with a failed challenge resulting in a two-chair demotion. At the time, I thought he was needlessly tough, but I now realize he was preparing us well for the realities of adult life.

But this story isn’t about Mark Couy or Mr. Ruzzini, it’s about Alex Lambert.

The Lambert family moved to USC’s Algonquin Drive from Boston during the spring semester of our seventh grade. It’s always tough to be the “new kid” in school, but far worse if you’re a Red Sox fan in Pirates paradise, rooting for Yastrzemski, but clueless about Clemente. It didn’t help that he was mystified when asked, “Yunz goin dahntahn ta da parts game?” but fully understood, “Pahk yah cah in Hahvahd yahd.”

Alex was a trumpet player, so his parents encouraged him to join the Fort Couch student band, even though it was late in the school year. They said it would be a good way for Alex to meet other kids, impress his new teachers with his musical skills, and give them an opportunity to meet other parents during formal concerts. So, Alex asked to try out for the band.

Mr. Ruzzini explained that the band was preparing for its spring concert for parents, and the try-out window had closed long ago. However, he would let Alex participate in practice sessions, and even the spring concert, if he studied the music selections and was contributing to the band in the few days remaining before the concert. Alex pounced on the opportunity, practicing every song diligently. He was rewarded by being invited to join the band for the spring concert.

Where would he be placed in the trumpet section pecking order?

Normally, a new player started at the bottom and challenged his way up, but Mr. Rossini made an exception this Alex Lambert (photo from time and placed Alex in the second-to1967 yearbook) last chair, ahead of Mark Couy. Mark’s dominance of the last chair was preserved. Later in life, Mark, in his typical self-deprecating way, said that anybody who could breathe was automatically assumed to be a better trumpet player than he was, even without a try-out or challenge.

On the day of the big event, risers (elevated platforms) were constructed Angelo Ruzzini, on the stage of the USC High School former USC music director

auditorium, with the trumpet and drum sections at the back of the stage, on the highest risers, about four feet above the stage floor. Folding metal chairs, music stands, and instruments completed the set-up. Parents, grandparents, and siblings filled the auditorium. Mr. Ruzzini called the band members to attention from the conductor’s podium by clicking his metal baton against his music stand. The concert began with a stirring rendition of “Land of Liberty.”

We had practiced the song many times and, solely for the concert, Mr. Ruzzini added a theatrical enhancement. The song had a long passage that was very quiet, played only by the flute section, while the brass section sat quietly. When the song switched abruptly to a loud passage, the trumpet section was instructed to rise from their chairs, stand straight, and blast the audience with their sectional solo.

As the flutes were playing, Mark and Alex were following orders. Sitting quietly and counting rest notes, but eagerly anticipating the moment they would stand and deliver fortissimo, Alex wanted to be sure his timing was perfect so his parents and brothers in the audience could see that he was fully integrating with his new friends in the trumpet section. As his opportunity to shine came closer and closer, Alex started shuffling his chair backwards to get a little more room to stand. Unfortunately, he backed up a little too far. The rear legs of his chair slid off the edge of the riser. The rest of the chair, with Alex in it, started to flip backwards. He tried to prevent himself from falling by grabbing Mark with the hand that wasn’t holding his trumpet, but it was too late. Over he went. Mark later recalled that he felt a tug on his arm and then saw two size-nine penny loafers flying straight up and then down.

The delicate flute solo was loudly interrupted in two ways. First, there were the sounds of a metal chair, a 130-pound kid, and a trumpet hitting the stage floor after a four-foot fall. In addition, there was Alex’s scream as he fell: “FUUUUDDDGGE!” Only he didn’t say “fudge.” His colorful expression was heard throughout the auditorium by the band players, family members, and Mr. Ruzzini. Easily understood, it carried none of his Boston brogue.

Nobody except the last row of trumpet players knew what had happened. The flutists stopped playing and the stage went quiet, except for band members whispering, “Holy cow, did you hear that language?”

Mr. Ruzzini clicked his music stand furiously in an attempt to gain control of the band. Then, it got worse. Miraculously unhurt (except for his pride), Alex made even more noise by throwing his badly broken folding chair and crushed trumpet back up on the riser. Then, in an attempt to avoid the embarrassment of walking to the front of the stage and up the risers, he climbed up the back of the riser. As he struggled to pull himself up, with his legs dangling and no help from Mark or his giggling trumpet-mates, he continuously ruffled the rear stage curtains with every move. So the audience, freshly appalled by hearing the screaming language and the thunderous crash, could see the curtains waving from ceiling to floor each time Alex kicked at them.

Alex made it back to the top of the riser, but his chair was destroyed. He grabbed his trumpet, kneeled, and waited for the music to resume. Mr. Ruzzini clicked the podium three times (which was code to resume from the spot you last played) and the flutes dutifully continued. When it was time for the brass section solo, a very red-faced new kid stood beside Mark and the other trumpet players. The bell of his trumpet was crushed, but since the valves still worked, it made music. And, as they say, the band played on.

Alex’s parents thought his concert-interrupting behavior and foul language would ensure he’d never make new friends in USC. It was quite the opposite. He became an instant celebrity and hero to his band mates (me included) for surviving the fall, boldly climbing back up the riser, flustering the unflappable Mr. Ruzzini, and, of course, his colorful use of language we all knew, but rarely had the guts to use. The new kid from Boston was suddenly “one of us.”

We became lifelong friends and laugh about the event to this day. Mark said his perpetual ownership of the last chair was actually a blessing. It allowed him to be an eye-witness to the first back flip off a four-foot platform by a future USC athletic star.

Alex, now a commercial pilot, says it was his first successful take-off and landing. n Angelo Ruzzini passed away in May of this year at age 87. He spent 34 years in USC’s music department and was an inspiration to many. Alex Lambert lives in Atlanta, was a Navy pilot and is a captain and pilot for Delta Airlines. Mark Couy owned Couy Insurance Agency in Mt. Lebanon, and Jay Lynch lives in USC on Blairmont Drive. Alex, Mark, and Jay graduated from USC in 1971.

Contact Jay at bkefather@yahoo.com with your thoughts about this article and your memories of USC. Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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Gilfillan’s Garden to Table—Grow, Gather, and Give Mary Lynne Spazok

Gilfillan’s “Grow, Gather, and Give” partners with Common Ground, an eco-friendly nonprofit group founded to increase fresh food donations to local food pantries. Volunteers endorse recycling, composting, growing of organic food, and safeguarding wildlife areas. Master gardener Susan Myers concurs that “few spaces are more calming and Zen-inducing than a bountiful garden. It’s hard not to feel at peace when you’re surrounded by flowers, vegetables, and the sounds of nature. Farming is messy and imperfect, but in the end, it is fulfilling in the truest sense of the word.”

Food is at the center of existence, and, therefore, everyone should have access to a healthy, garden-fresh diet. Using only sustainable and organic agricultural ways, Common Ground grows nutritionally-dense crops on local farms while providing instructive programming through volunteerism and social outreach. Paramount to cultivation is developing and maintaining healthy soils by applying practices that balance crop rotation, green manures, composting and reduced tillage (decreases erosion), and destructive runoff. Soil health is fostered by eliminating synthetics such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers, which are all toxic materials. Common Ground rejects the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and chemically treated seeds. Natural, composted “aged” manure boosts soils microbial activity. A crumbly, black, odor-free soil amendment, it is a perfect combination of nitrogen and carbon. Expanding biodiversity and reducing pollution of air, soil, and water through responsible agronomy, wildlife population is sustained and promoted through quality-controlled habitats.

Whether urban or suburban, wildlife will find the food, water, shelter, and space that it needs to survive. Pennsylvania’s ecosystems include forests, agronomic lands, wetlands, and streams. Within this broad spectrum, wildlife differs by habitat classification and quality. To encourage a specific group, territory management involves manipulating diet variety and amount or arrangement of food, water, and cover for the purpose of making the locale more suitable for specific species. Residential courtyard gardens, window boxes, or simple patio planters attract bees, birds, butterflies, ladybugs, and a myriad of beneficial anthropods.

Consider home-based gardening to lower your food budget.

Whether it is a plot of earth or containers from salvaged materials, improve self-reliance and certify nutritional food security (no chemicals!). Garden-fresh is not a diet, it’s a sustainable lifestyle!

To grow, gather, and give, community farming delivers opportunities for social get-togethers, setting in motion the

development of support networks to strengthen neighborhoods. Flora cultivation at outdoor learning venues has been known to motivate challenged individuals and disaffected young people. Instilling a sense of accountability affords the option of further education and employment.

Realized as well is the delivery of government agendas related to social inclusion, health, climate change, education, and regeneration of communities and their fiscal well-being. Individually, you may wish to diminish your carbon footprint and lessen your personal waste and renew, reuse, recycle. Each is a stepping-stone to a sustainable society.

Some past and present Common Ground activities include: • The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank coordinates volunteer groups of ten to 20 persons twice each week to assist with harvesting produce and farm chores.

• Fresh Farm Stands. Five Thursdays throughout the summer they set up a farmers’ market booth in the hilltop section of Mt. Washington and distribute free produce to the community. The 2014 partnership was with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

• Farm to Family (F2F) allows ten families to pick their own produce in the summer and fall and support a strong local food system while learning about sustainable agriculture practices.

• The Barn Owl Recovery Network is a conservation service learning program that monitors barn owl nest boxes in Western Pennsylvania to help reestablish a breeding population in our region for this near extinct bird.

• In August 2014, Common Grounds rescued the 96-year-old granary barn from Bedner’s Farm. Relocated to Gilfillan Farm, it serves as Common Ground’s visitor and volunteer welcome center.

• Total produce donations as of September 30, 2014, were 2512 pounds. The goal for 2015 is 3655 pounds.

Bedner Farm’s log cabin was relocated to Gilfillan Farm in 2014.

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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

Join Us for Our Exciting Productions!

MAINSTAGE SERIES

FAMILY MATINEE SERIES

Dead Accounts

Letters to Sala

A bold comedy with a surprising criminal twist

Filled with inspirational courage and astonishing humanity

Sept 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 Area premiere

Prelude to a Kiss Oct 1-3, 8-10, 15-17

Part love story, part “Twilight Zone”

Letters to Sala

Area premiere

Oct 22-25, 29-30; November 1, 5-7

Oct 25 & Nov 1 Area premiere

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Nov 13, 16, 25 & 28; Dec 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 16 & 19 A lovely opportunity to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas

Filled with inspirational courage and astonishing humanity

The Grand Manner

Nov 12-14, 19-21, 27 & 28 Area premiere A glimpse into the glorious heyday of Broadway

Inspecting Carol Dec 3-5, 10-12, 17-19

A wildly funny holiday comedy that guarantees hearty belly laughs

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

Visit www.littlelake.org or call 724.745.6300 500 Lakeside Drive South, Canonsburg, PA 15317

Adjacent to Route 19, Gilfillan’s perimeter path is a place to enjoy a stress free zone right here in our community. The nearby highway’s hard surface radiates “heat islands” that permeate surroundings. Fortunately, trail plant life refracts the heat and neutralizes this effect. Quoting Laura Ingalls Wilder, “Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” Get out and enjoy a lap or two around Gilfillan!

Along the way, connect with the heartbeat of Mother Earth and make every effort to tolerate annoying pests. Why? Nearby is an army of beneficial insects, spiders, reptiles, and birds waiting to have a pest for lunch.

Why do gardens have such an effectual impact?

• They soften our man-made environment; • They are responsive, but nonthreatening; • They enable us to change or improve our personal lifestyle; • They have a predictable cycle of life that provides comfort in our time of rapid change; • They form no opinions or judgments about their caregivers and welcome all.

To garden is to believe in tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Gilfillan’s “Grow, Gather, and Give.” n

Scarecrow at Gilfillan Farm

A volunteer picks the harvest

For additional information or to remit questions and comments, email president@hsusc.org and commongroundpa@gmail.com.

Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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— R o b o t s + K i d s + Te a c h e r s = I n n o v a t i o n

Leading the Way for Robotics Education Team RobotiX, a nonprofit organization located in Upper St. Clair, engages professionals from the community to provide robotics education that inspires life-long learning in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) for K-12 students and teachers. They incorporate “A,” the arts, into traditional STEM education because of the creative process that is inherent in innovation.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, today’s American high school students test significantly lower in math and science than the international average. This downward trend begins in middle school, especially for girls and students from low-income families. With the world’s top-paying jobs increasingly tied to technological, scientific, or mathematical innovation, school districts have been scrambling to improve student interest and knowledge of STEAM subjects.

Robotics is a great way to get students of all ages excited about STEAM because it allows for hands-on, project-based exploration of these concepts. Team RobotiX offers a variety of experiences for K-12 students and teachers, including competition teams, workshops, field trips, and its newest initiative, the Pittsburgh Robotics Library.

Robotics Competition Teams Team RobotiX sponsors fall/winter FIRST and VEX robotics K-12 competition teams. Both FIRST (www.usfirst.org) and VEX (www.vexrobotics.com) organizations strive to inspire young people to become science, engineering, and technology leaders by engaging them in teamwork. As an educational organization, Team RobotiX encourages teamwork as a way to foster self-confidence, communication, and leadership skills.

Upper St. Clair teams enjoyed an impressive 2015 competition season. Some of their accomplishments included: • VEX IQ Team #10325, Vexothermic, a team of brothers from Eisenhower Elementary and Fort Couch Middle Schools (Matthew, Connor, and Ryan Hyatt), along with the Gangopadhyay brothers (Orion and Dilan, who recently moved to Virginia), competed at the 2015 VEX World competition. Competing at VEX Worlds were 15,000 elementary through college-age students, comprising 850 teams, which represented 29 countries.

To qualify, the team won the Excellence Award, the highest award presented in the VEX IQ program, which chooses one team for its overall excellence in creating a high-quality robot, engineering notebook, and autonomous/driver-controlled computer programs. Vexothermic also won first place for its STEM research project. At Worlds, Vexothermic was one of the top three teams in its age division that was selected to showcase its STEM project, a wearable water device developed to help special needs children. Before creating two prototypes, the team worked with Dr. Kevin Kelly, director of Neurology at Allegheny General Hospital, to understand sensory processing disorders, Vexothermic team members seizure disorders, and Dravet syndrome.

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Fort Couch student Olivia Gregory, building a robot

• FIRST Tech Challenge Team #7060, Fried Fuzes, a group of Upper St. Clair middle and high school students—Sahil Doshi, Pramod Narayanan, Zach Gregory, Shreyas Vivekanandan, Matthew Hyatt, Olivia Gregory, Chanel Menard, Daniel Rhoton, and Michael Menard—won the Rockwell Collins Innovation Award. This award “celebrates a team that not only thinks outside the box, but also has the ingenuity and inventiveness to make their designs come to life. This award is given to the team that the judges feel has the most innovative and creative robot design solution to the 2015 FIRST Tech Challenge game.” Under the team’s coaches, Kim Hyatt, Jay Clayton, and Michael Dischner, this impressive group of students also has a great community service record. Highlighting some of their recent activities, they are leaders for the organization’s “kids teaching kids” program, they prepare kits for the Robot Library program, and they mentor the younger teams.

This team was invited to Google to discuss innovation with the company’s lead engineers.

Fried Fuzes team members

• FIRST Lego League Team #7033, Deep Fried Oreos, a group of Upper St. Clair elementary students—Landon York, John Scherer, Gordon Groninger, Aniketh Vivekanandan, Connor Hyatt, and Ryan Hyatt—took second place of the 65 competing teams for their Lego project. They created a moveable Lego version of an assistive batting device to help autistic children who participate on Miracle League baseball teams. A special “thank you” goes out to Sean Casey for his input. Under the direction of coaches Subha Venugopal and Katie Scherer, this team’s creation really impressed the judges.

• For the upcoming 2015-16 season, Team RobotiX added its youngest edition: FIRST Jr. Lego League Team. This Upper St. Clair K-2 robotics team, coached by Suzanne and Adam Wynne, includes team members Ella Unice, Johnny Unice, Eli Unice, Robert Elliot, Jack Elliot, Ava Wynne, and Julia Wynne.

The older teams are looking forward to mentoring this younger group in the coming season.

Deep Fried Oreos team members

Team RobotiX fiscally sponsors new and established competition teams in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh. With donated services from Eckert Seamans Law Firm and DeBlasio & DeBlasio Associates Accounting Firm, Team RobotiX drafted and implemented a fiscal sponsorship agreement. It started the 2013-14 season with five kids on one team; by the end of the 2014-15 season, more than 140 kids joined the program.

Robotics Workshops The 2015 summer workshop series was coordinated by Team RobotiX technology specialist Erin Cawley and supported by WQED’s Hillman Center, BirdBrain Technologies, and Remake Learning Digital Corps, an initiative from The Sprout Fund. A few of the workshop topics included bionics and soft robotics, programming (RobotC and Java), and designing and building robots (Hummingbird, Arduino, Lego, VEX and Tetrix). A highlight of the summer program was the father and daughter workshops (grades K-3 and 4-6), designed specifically to introduce more girls to robotics.

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute graduate students Alvin Chou, Gene Merewether, Mitch Kosowski, and Gautam Narang hosted a couple of the workshops. They also recruited their friends from the CMU robotics program to plan a future workshop series.

They became involved with Team RobotiX when Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business selected Team RobotiX as a Capstone Project during the 2015 spring semester. As a result, students and professors helped to develop sustainable business, marketing, and strategic plans to ensure the long-term success of the organization.

Upper St. Clair elementary student Ava Wynne Upper St. Clair elementary student Meredith Huzjak, with her dad, Ryan

Pittsburgh Robotics Library This past spring, Team RobotiX introduced the Pittsburgh Robotics Library. This library provides professional development, curriculum, technology, and support to teachers who want to integrate robotics into their classroom. Team RobotiX partnered with Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy to implement a program that promotes computational and algorithmic thinking. The National Science Foundation believes that computational and algorithmic thinking are new basic skills that all K-12 students must learn.

Unfortunately, professional development is quite costly and robotics equipment is too expensive for most public school districts to purchase and maintain. Therefore, the Pittsburgh Robotics Library provides STEAM materials needed to learn these critical 21st-century skills.

A kids teaching kids program in the Pittsburgh Robotics Library

Once teachers complete a training workshop, they may borrow robotic materials for use in their classroom. Team RobotiX specialists assist classroom teachers as they incorporate robotic lessons into their traditional classroom instruction. Research has shown that technology alone does not improve PSSA scores in math and science, but coupling high quality professional development and in-classroom support can have a significant positive impact.

The kick-off event for the Pittsburgh Robotics Library was part of another program offered: a “kids teaching kids” community service program. A few members of Team RobotiX FIRST Tech Challenge Team #7060—Upper St. Clair students Sahil Doshi, Matthew Hyatt, Olivia Gregory, Zach Gregory, and Shreyas Vivekanandan—taught robotics to Peters Township Middle School students during their technology education classes this past May. With supervision by coaches Kim Hyatt and Jay Clayton and classroom teacher Joe Bayto, they used VEX IQ kits from the Robotics Library. According to Peters Township Middle School principal Adam Sikorski, “Our middle school students were able to build and drive robots within their regular 41-minute classes.

It was amazing! Having members of Team RobotiX Fried Fuzes there to support our students demonstrated the power of crossschool collaboration. They served as role models for all of our students, both male and female. We hope this robotics event was just a launching pad into many more collaborations with Team RobotiX.” Conclusion To provide these wonderful opportunities for students and teachers alike, Team RobotiX relies on contributions from individuals and organizations. If you would like to help, please consider donating your time to mentor kids in the robotics programs. The organization is always looking for current or retired engineers, computer programmers, business leaders, teachers, and technology specialists.

Consider making a tax-deductible donation by visiting www.teamrobotix.com, a contribution that could help train the next generation of global innovators. Team RobotiX is organized as a corporation under Pennsylvania law and has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit organization under Section 501 (c)(3) of the U.S. Tax Code. All donations, individual or corporate, financial and/or in-kind, will help to build the robot library, support the teams, and train the teachers. Finding a few corporate sponsors is requisite for the organization’s growth.

As the kids from Team RobotiX say, “Invest in our future, so we can make a difference in yours!” n For additional information about donating to Team RobotiX, contact Upper St. Clair residents Kim Hyatt, founder and president, or Suzanne Wynne, treasurer, at teamrobotixinc@gmail.com. You can also sign up on the website to receive emails about upcoming workshops and activities.

Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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Offering Advice Perhaps it’s inevitable

that, as parents, we project our own childhood issues onto our children, and the wisdom we offer them is what we wish we had known. We advise our prior selves through our role as parents.

Here is a sampling of some good bits of advice that I offer today’s youth, sub-titled “My middle-aged self hereby and formally advises my teenage self.”

The Rumpelstiltskin rule. When given the impossible straw and asked to spin it into gold (e.g., the 30-page book report in tenth grade on the Iliad, with citations), accept the task gladly and trust in the creative process. Imagine the task is a crossword puzzle and fill in the easy words first. Think hard on the difficult words and sleep on it. Move on to other tasks and trust that the recesses of your brain will solve your problems. The human mind is remarkably good at turning straw into gold, but not if you procrastinate. If it’s the night before and you’re just starting your footnotes, for example, you are in trouble (especially if word processing has not yet been invented). Your grade will suffer and your project will be some sort of cheap yellow-colored plastic Easter grass; straw stalled on its way to becoming gold.

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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Spend your money on experiences. Once you pull yourself together and earn some money (again, have faith you will someday earn a paycheck), do not accumulate random stuff.

You come back a changed and better person after you travel. Music is good, too. Enjoy your cherry red Sony Walkman with your “Loverboy” cassette, but maybe not so much the dozens of Spencer earrings and five pairs of stirrup jeans. Reassess what you think you want. Years from now you won’t even remember what those precious, must-have items were.

Live below your means. This oft-repeated advice is worth repeating. Related to the point above, take the money you save from forgoing a dozen tubes of Bonne Bell lip smackers and the extra extra-large Forenza sweater and third pair of Dr. Scholls, and just put it in a bank account.

You really will be grateful later.

Stay active, eat healthy. Don’t obsess over the latest fitness trend or diet. Enjoy the outdoors. Skiing is great—keep up with that.

Cut back on processed foods. Diet Coke and Twizzlers from the Commons is not a lunch of champions. Neither are the plain M&Ms. Find a banana.

Challenge yourself. Not only is life most interesting when you’re a little scared about what you’ve signed yourself up for (e.g., horseback riding, zip lines, studying abroad), but Fall 2015

Erin Gibson Allen

your experiences make you a more interesting person. And surviving your fears makes you stronger. Strong is cool. Weak and easily overwhelmed is not.

A few specifics I can’t resist (gentle hand on shoulder here). Less aqua shimmer eyeshadow. Abandon the hot roller hair experiments. Don’t wear that Little Bo Peep dress with the giant ruby red bow to Fox Chapel’s prom (they are a few years ahead of USC in fashion tastes and it could make for a long evening).

The painting hobby you envision—let that go.

That will be a pricey foray into creating one, and only one, study on the color burnt orange.

I have a whole filing cabinet full of wisdom tidbits such as these. Really, this is just the beginning. Please feel free to have your teens call me anytime for this valuable stuff. I can guarantee very little, other than a likely eye roll.

And the eye roll is fair. In the end, we all deserve a chance to create a better version of ourselves, as we see fit. Without some (okay, copious amounts of) aqua-shimmer eye shadow, how do we develop a sense of humor and humility? n I’d like to hear your thoughts on contemporary parenting in Upper St. Clair.

Share your ideas about my column with me in person or email your thoughts to me at e.gibson.allen@gmail.com.

Pets Are Family The Littles, November 2000

Alison O’Neill Hess

Two black, furry kittens were the

last of their litter at the animal shelter in Connecticut. Six weeks old and abandoned, they were tiny and loud, meowing through sharp baby teeth and trying to climb all over us. And in the fall of 1994, we took them home.

We had a few rough months as we tried to name them. The problem was that they kept changing, as kittens do, and we kept mixing up their names! So rather than continue to call them by the wrong names, we ended up with the Big Guy and the Little Guy. It was obvious which was which by the time they were full-sized—the Big Guy was easily six pounds heavier than the Little Guy. And together they were The Littles.

Five years after The Littles came home, we decided to add a fluffy puppy to the mix. Buster was a Shetland sheepdog who bounced and jumped and nipped at everyone, including The Littles. His energy knew no bounds, and we settled into a routine of running the dog during the day and petting the cats as we relaxed in the evening.

Our children came next, and this was a new challenge for all of us. The Littles were just as aloof with the babies as they were with Buster, but the Big Guy grew to love their cuddles. Buster protected the kids, just as a good sheepdog should, even going so far as to growl at unfamiliar visitors who got too close to the crib! Our focused time with the pets diminished, but they were always there as the children grew and changed.

When we settled into our house in Upper St. Clair in December 2003, the pets settled in, as well. The Little Guy roamed the new neighborhood, making friends and enemies. He also brought us an unbelievable number of presents: birds, mice, and chipmunks. The chipmunk population must have gone nearly extinct on our block because of him! Buster loved walking along the street and running in the yard with the kids. He had a few favorite spots, but always perked up and ran to bark at the mailman, UPS driver, and anyone else who dared enter his driveway. And the Big Guy lounged around the house. He was an easy-going and sweet boy who didn’t mind when the kids carried him around like a baby, as my daughter often did.

One day in February 2008, I couldn’t find the Big Guy. He had passed away, tucked behind some boxes in our storage room. We were devastated. And then I thought of the Little Guy. How do you tell a cat that his brother has died?

The Little Guy knew. I don’t know if he had found him first or if he sensed it, but he acted differently from that night on. Not one to linger or ever jump in my lap, the Little Guy stayed closer for a change. He roamed the house, sniffing for his brother.

He meowed a sound that to me sounded like crying. And together we mourned the loss of the Big Guy. Buster and the Little Guy developed a new relationship after that, too. They weren’t close and never cuddled together, but they had an understanding. A peace formed.

Sometime in 2011, Buster started to decline. He was arthritic and tired easily.

He had trouble finding a comfortable spot in all of the usual places. And he rarely slept through the night. Even with medication, he was not able to rest. In the dark night, if I didn’t come right away when Buster called, the Little Guy meowed at the door until I did. It was his way of trying to help his friend.

On a sunny day in February 2012, we all sat beside Buster in his yard, on his blanket, and we gave him one last hug. The vet was quick, and the medication eased Buster’s

Buster, 2012

suffering once and for all. We sniffled, we sobbed, we felt our hearts break. But we knew that he was finally at peace.

And the Little Guy grieved once more in his own way. He was the last one, and at 20 years old this past year, the Little Guy was still ruling our home and our yard. But his time with us grew shorter and shorter as his own illnesses took over. When he wasn’t sleeping, his calls pierced the house night and day. Arthritis hit him hard as well; the medication only gave relief for so long. And this spring, we had to make the incredibly painful decision to say goodbye to our friend and constant companion for over 20 years.

Pets touch our lives in unexpected ways.

As I cared for them in their later years, I marveled at how they had become a dear part our family. We all grieved differently when we had to say goodbye, and now we each treasure different memories of our time with them. But the Big Guy and the Little Guy and Buster were true members of our family in every way, and I’m so thankful for all of the time we had with them. n

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Coaching Provides the Coach More Than You Might Think Featuring Dr. Jeff Rudolf Jim Render, USCHS Head Football Coach Dr Jeff Rudolf, with a patient

Quite often I think about how fortunate I’ve been in my career as a high school coach to have worked with so many marvelous young men. I have been very lucky in a lot of ways and have had the opportunity to be surrounded by many quality people. Note, that I did not say football players, but rather people.

Over the past few years, I have given thought to returning as a volunteer for UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY, writing about some of the guys whose foundation began in the classrooms and on the fields at Upper St. Clair. U.S. Army General Douglas McArthur once said, “On the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds, which in other years and on other fields will bear the fruits of victory.” In short, I am a proud coach, and I would like to share success stories about some of the men who are making a difference in our world.

Recently in the security line at RSW Airport in Fort Myers, 18

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

Florida, I found myself looking at a lady whose sweatshirt read something about women building homes. Her travel companion noticed me and asked, “You’re Coach Jim Render, are you not?”

At this point, I was unsure if I wanted to admit it, but I gave him an affirmative “yes.”

As I came to learn, the man, Brian D’Onofrio, was one of my former football players. He graduated from USC in 1993. We began to chat and I learned that he is now a psychology professor at Indiana University in Bloomington. I asked him about his brother, Mark, USCHS Class of 1991. He told me that he is an orthopedic surgeon in the Columbus, Ohio area. Mark was a pretty good high school linebacker.

You don’t get much time to talk in an airport security line, and so we quickly went our separate ways; Brian and his wife headed for the Indianapolis gate and I headed for my flight back to the

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’burgh. My flight companion that evening was a friend from Mt. Lebanon, Dave Jancisin, who is a Merrill Lynch director of wealth management and a former football player at Pitt. On my phone, his name comes up as “Mt. Lebo Dave.” I liken us to a pretty accurate version of the odd couple.

On that evening’s flight, the normally talkative Mt. Lebo Dave was rather quiet as we boarded the plane. We exchanged only a few words. Of course, the 6' 5" Dave got an aisle seat and the smaller JTR was relegated to a middle seat. Dave settled in for a nap as the cabin quickly grew darker and much quieter. Just as our plane was about to take off, Mt. Lebo Dave questioned out loud, but to no one in particular, “I wonder how many high school coaches run into their former players who are now college professors and have brothers who are also former players who are now surgeons?”

During the flight home, probably somewhere above Georgia to West Virginia, I decided that I would ask the TODAY editing staff if I could profile some of USC’s outstanding football alums who are now doing fabulous work in their respective professional fields.

With a resounding “yes!” from TODAY, we begin this recurring feature article for our community magazine.

The first person I would like to profile is a guy who will soon be a USC Halls of Famer as an athlete and a scholar. Now known as Dr. Jeff Rudolph, back in the day we used to call Jeff and his younger brother, Mark (also quite a good football player), “Rudy.”

The boys moved here from Kittanning with their parents, Fred and Janet Rudolf (who still live in USC), and their siblings, Rich and Cheryl. What a great 1981 addition to USC to have this family move into our community and enroll in our schools! Jeff was quite an addition to our high school football team, which was

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already very good at the time. As a coach, do you really ever have enough big linemen?

In 1984, Jeff was named All Conference and an all area selection for the Panthers. A true scholar athlete, he was recruited by the coaching staff at Yale and matriculated there in the fall of 1985. He started at left guard in his second year and was an All Ivy League performer for his junior and senior years. He graduated in the spring of 1989 as a biology major.

If you know anything about college football, you are aware that Yale has a long and storied history in this game. The Yale Bowl was the first stadium in the country to completely surround the playing surface with seating. My late great friend, the incomparable Beano Cook, who knew more about college football than anyone, always selected the Yale fight song “Bulldog-Bulldog” for his introduction when he hosted or did a guest spot on TV and radio interviews. Notre Dame’s world famous song and Ohio State’s Buckeye Battle Cry were second, at best, to the Yale fight song in Beano’s mind. Since 1914, Yale has selected 67 “Legends of the Bowl.” Jeff Rudolf was picked as a Legend representative and was honored in 2014. He was presented to the crowd on hand this past fall at a game in the Yale Bowl.

As great as his football career was in high school and in college, it pales in comparison to his eventual career as a physician at Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital. Jeff graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1994. From 1995 to 1997, he interned and did his residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. This led to a four-year pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which included a post-doctoral research fellowship in 2001. Later, Jeff Continued on page 20 Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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Continued from page 19

Coaching Provides the Coach More Than You Might Think was elevated to a research instructor of pediatrics until 2004 when he became an assistant professor of pediatrics for six years at Cincinnati Children’s. In 2009, he was recruited once again, this time by the doctors and administrators of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. At the very young age of 42 for this type of medical appointment, Dr. Rudolph was named Director of Intestinal Care and Rehabilitation in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology. In short, Dr. Rudolph works with children who have intestinal failure and whose mortality rate is high. He explained that his work is centered in the use of TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition), which means “through the vein” and further described as “brought into the body through some way other than the digestive tract.” His initial goal with each patient is to prevent liver and intestine infection. A greater goal is to try to prevent the need for a transplant.

Pittsburgh Children’s is one of the leading transplant hospitals in the world.

Jeff jokes that he wants to put the hospital out of business. In all actuality, he and his team of nine—three other doctors, two nurse practitioners, and four assorted specialists—have already reduced the mortality rate of these very sick patients with complicated cases by an amazing 20%!

One of Dr. Rudolph’s colleagues and team member, Dr. Robert Squires, told me that Jeff leads one of the most outstanding intestinal failure programs in the nation. Dr. Squires made my chest swell a bit when he said that the job requires a “head coach mentality.” Another colleague, Dr. Marian Michaels, upon our introduction, blurted out, “We love Jeff Rudolph at Children’s!”

Jeff and his Ohio native wife, Kris, live in Wexford with their two sons, Charlie and Luke.

It’s stories like this one that make me proud to have known some wonderful students who have gone on to become great people. I hope to continue sharing similar success stories of the people I’ve been honored to know in future editions of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY. n 20

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

A Personal Sermon from the Curbstone Pulpit Jim Meston

I was recently invited to speak at the Washington Health System Sports Medicine Banquet. An affiliate of Washington Hospital, Washington Health System partners with three area high schools to receive nominations each month for top student athlete performers. A committee selects three nominees every month of those determined to be the best in their sport, regardless of the school. Academics and extra activities are factored into the selection. At the end of the year, top athletes from the previous months’ winners are selected as the top performers in their sport. This banquet honors the winners and all participants.

I’d like to share with you some of my speech comments. Preparing the talk was a good opportunity to review and reflect on some fundamental behavioral choices everyone is confronted with, not just young high school kids. While leaving out some personal references and attempts at humor, below is my speech at the sports awards banquet.

Being so successful at your sport provided you with an early head start in building your sense of self worth. Your sports participation has afforded you the satisfaction of some of the basic needs most people strive for: respect, prestige, feelings of importance, recognition, appreciation, and accomplishment. Through sports you’ve also learned some of the basic behaviors for success in life; for example: showing up on time, striving to improve, learning how to gracefully win and lose.

It is important to honor those who have been your strong supporters: your parents, your coaches, your teammates. Your success at an early age has been a huge boost to your self-confidence, which is a powerful attribute for you to carry into the next phase of your life.

Many of your classmates have not been as fortunate as you. They have not yet discovered their special talent. It might be someone who is being hazed or bullied, who is overweight, and who has a poor self-image. You may have opportunities to befriend someone

who is not a teammate of yours, but who might appreciate your friendship. Athletes tend to hang out with their teammates and might ignore other students. Reaching out to others outside of your teammate circle could be a meaningful event to someone who might need some attention.

Every person has untapped potential, a fuse waiting to be lit. Years from now when you attend a class reunion, you might discover that the “nerd” is now the owner of a successful business.

Your fuse was lit through sports. Others are still searching to find their potential and ignite their own fuse.

Each of us is our own public relations firm.

How we treat people determines how they view us. Every person has similar basic needs. In addition to a monetary tip, a waiter might appreciate a compliment about the good job he did serving your food. Make a habit of making other people feel tall, not small.

A great deal of your future success hinges on your ability to convert the risks inherent in any change to opportunities. You have already begun to develop your sense of being successful, having a sense of confidence to take a risk and accept an opportunity outside of your comfort zone. Surely, the ability to take risks is easier because of the self-belief you have gained in your young sports career.

Many of you will continue on with your education, others may follow a different path.

Whatever you choose, make your own good choices and reach your goals. As part of your goals, pledge to help ignite untapped potential in others, and show them kindness. You have learned to be a team player; continue to harness that trait.

Congratulations for the good choices you have made, and never forget to thank the many people who have helped you along the way. n

Each of us is our own public relations firm. How we treat people determines how they view us.

Fall 2015

Jim blogs, where he shares his perspective on life. Visit http://curbstonepulpit.wordpress.com.

Russian Dwarf Hamster is No “Moe” Jim O’Brien

I buried my friend and former pet, Moe, on a sunny Sunday afternoon almost 20 years ago, but I still think about him from time to time when I walk into the room that was once the bedroom of my youngest daughter, Rebecca, and Moe’s home, as well. A Russian dwarf hamster, he could fit in the palm of your hand if, that is, you didn’t mind him nipping at your fingers as you held him.

As pets go, Moe didn’t allow you to get too friendly, but I fed him dutifully each day, made comments about him, talked to him a little, and thought we had some things in common—especially when I watched him running furiously on his wheel, but getting nowhere. He was either in a frenzy, making a mad dash here, there, and everywhere—the same way I work in my office on a chair with wheels—or curled up in a ball doing nothing, like me on the family room couch watching TV. Moe originally belonged to Rebecca, and then he was mine to care for. Isn’t that the way it usually works with family pets?

I kept him by choice; he was company when my wife, Kathie, was off at work and Rebecca and my oldest daughter, Sarah, were away at school. One of the qualities I liked about Moe was that he let me talk, uninterrupted.

My wife, Kathie, should be the culprit in the murder mystery game of “Clue.” She killed Moe with the help of Mr. Clean in Rebecca’s room. One day, after she thoroughly cleaned the inside of Moe’s glass home, using Mr. Clean, Moe licked the glass… a fate that would do him in.

For the casket, I chose a small box from The Express that once held a necklace. It had a soft white cotton liner, which seemed suitable. For Moe’s grave marker, I chose a red brick somebody had given me a few years earlier. The brick seemed holy to me since it was an extra from the building of a church extension. I surprised myself when I momentarily choked up as I carried him to his final resting place. I think it reminded me that those we care about can die on us.

I buried Moe on the side of the house, opposite where I once buried Frankie, our turtle, about 15 years earlier when my kids were toddlers. We’d found Frankie slowly roaming our backyard and kept him for a few weeks.

Before I closed the lid on Moe, I picked a few petals from some potted pink flowers on my back porch and sprinkled them over him and placed a little shiny buckeye that I’d picked up while visiting Rebecca at Ohio University one time. The buckeye is an eternal reminder to Moe about the Buckeyes of Ohio State who would crush my beloved Pitt football team, 72-to-nothing, within a week of Moe’s passing. If Johnny Majors and I had to suffer, why not Moe? My young friend next door, John Franyutti, a fifth grader at Boyce Middle School, heard about the demise of my hamster and felt bad for me. John brought over a long-stemmed pink carnation and stuck it alongside the memorial brick as his way of saying goodbye to Moe. Days after Moe’s unfortunate passing, John was to have watched Moe when I was to have been away.

Followers of my columns in The Almanac and the South Hills Record came up to me at South Hills Village and Century III Mall and offered their condolences after reading my printed stories

about Moe. They shared some of their own warm-hearted pet stories and experiences.

As a kid, I buried three ducklings—Huey, Dewey and Louie— who were wiped out on the same night by some neighborhood vermin. I had bought the ducks as chicks at Murphy’s 5 & 10 and didn’t want to give them up. Their burial ground consisted of six Belgian block stones, the sort that once made up so many streets in Pittsburgh. Their burial ground resembled Stonehenge. I still have a photograph of it. I think I even hummed “Taps” when placing the final stone in the circular patterned plot.

I once brought a hamster home from my biology class at Allderdice High School. My mother made me keep it out on the porch, until one cold evening caused the hamster to freeze to death.

It took a long while for my mom to forgive me for bringing a snake home from the woods and letting it loose in the house.

It scared the bejabbers out of her when it slithered across the kitchen floor while she was cooking one evening. I had a place in my heart for all the little guys I brought home.

I had my own dog for a few weeks. Named Jet, it was the cutest little jet-black mongrel ever. At the hands of a neighbor, Jet died from eating some hamburger with glass slivers in it. Nice neighborhood, huh? I never had a dog after that; it hurt too much to see Jet die.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve become allergic to some dogs and all cats. The last time I got too close to a cat, feeling sorry for a shabby gray one named La-Mew (as in Mario Lemieux) while in Bedford, he sank his claws into my leg, right through my denim jeans. I lit up like a Christmas tree on the drive home, and itched like crazy for a couple of days.

More recently, we buried the ashes of Bailey, Rebecca’s pet dog and companion of 15 years, in our backyard. Bailey’s ashes were put in a powder blue box and placed under a big rock at the base of our bird feeder. A black cat named Panther hangs out under a tall pine tree next to that rock and has been known to pounce on a few birds from time to time. I find feathers around the rock and know Panther has struck again. I am not sure how Bailey feels about that.

Like with all our pets, we held proper ceremonies to say goodbye to Bailey, the most beloved pet in our family. Kathie even said a prayer on Bailey’s behalf.

We have many stray visitors to our backyard, including deer, squirrels, rabbits, ducks, moles, groundhogs, and—ooh!—even a skunk. I sit on my back porch, watching the animals and watching the birds—blue jays, robins, cardinals, finches, woodpeckers, wrens, ravens, and humming birds—that come to the birdfeeder.

Another Bailey, my neighbor’s beautiful calico cat, mysteriously disappeared this past year (another Clue card needed here). I think someone may have picked it up and taken it home. My neighbor hopes that’s the case, and that Bailey is alive and well and being looked after by some kind, generous cat thief. I certainly hope so, too; I don’t want the duty of having to bury another Bailey in my lifetime. n Jim O’Brien has been living in Upper St. Clair for 36 years and has written 21 books during that period, including his latest book, Golden Arms— Six Hall of Fame Quarterbacks from Western Pennsylvania. For more information, visit Jim’s website at www.jimobriensportsauthor.com.

Fall 2015

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T Township Commissioners

Robert W. Orchowski

Russell R. Del Re

Day 412-831-9000 Evening 412-854-1868 2015*

Day 412-831-9000 Evening 412-287-9076 2015*

President, Ward 3

Nicholas J. Seitanakis

Vice President, Ward 5

2015 Township of Upper St. Clair Meeting Dates

Rex A. Waller Ward 2

Ward 1

Day 412-831-9000 Evening 412-220-4434 2015*

Day 412-831-9000 Evening 412-854-5065 2017*

Mark D. Christie

Glenn R. Dandoy

Daniel R. Paoly

Day 412-831-9000 2017*

Day 412-831-9000 Evening 412-944-3957 2015*

Day 412-831-9000 Evening 412-862-5995 2017*

Ward 4

At-Large

• The Board of Commissioners meets at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building. The regular public meeting is held the first Monday of the month in the Board Meeting Room. The informational and general affairs meeting is held the last Monday of the month in the Board Meeting Room.

• The Planning Commission meets the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

• The Parks and Recreation Board meets at the C&RC the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m., no meeting in December.

• The Zoning Hearing Board meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 8 p.m.

• The Civil Service Board meets as needed.

• The Building/Fire Codes Appeals and Advisory Board meets as needed.

• The Library Board meets as needed.

At-Large

*Date indicates expiration of term.

All business regarding the operation of the Township is conducted at the regular meetings of the Board of Commissioners. Citizens are invited to comment on any Township matter.

Complete Board minutes can be found at the Upper St. Clair Township Library or on the website at www.twpusc.org. For more information, call 412-831-9000.

Township Administration

Matthew R. Serakowski Township Manager

Mark S. Mansfield Asst. Township Manager & Director of Administration

Mark P. Romito Director of Finance

Douglas W. Burkholder Chief of Police

Amy Sommer Director of Information Technology

To reach Township personnel, call 412-831-9000 and follow the automated directions.

Administrator Extension Matthew R. Serakowski........................................................216 Township Manager Mark S. Mansfield.................................................................219 Asst. Township Manager & Director of Administration Douglas W. Burkholder.........................................................238 Chief of Police Mark P. Romito......................................................................218 Director of Finance TBD.........................................................................................501 Director of Planning & Community Development Amy Sommer Director of Information Technology George Kostelich, Jr...............................................................271 Director of Public Works Helen M. Palascak.................................................................247 Director of Library Paul Besterman......................................................................656 Director of Recreation & Leisure Services Other Services Police–Administration............................................ 412-833-1113 Tri-Community South EMS–Administration........ 412-831-3710 USC Volunteer Fire Department–Administration.... 412-835-0660 Animal Control..................................................... 412-833-7500 Community & Recreation Center....................... 412-221-1099 Cable 7................................................................... 412-831-1030 Emergency–Police, Fire, EMS ............................. 412-833-7500

George Kostelich, Jr. Director of Public Works 22

Helen M. Palascak Director of Library

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Paul Besterman Director of Recreation & Leisure Services

Fall 2015

USC Township website:

www.twpusc.org

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Highlights of the Board of Commissioners’ Meetings March 2, 2015

April 6, 2015

May 4, 2015

Approximately 18 people attended.

Approximately 5 people attended.

Approximately 42 people attended.

Recognition • Commissioner Waller presented a Proclamation to Kasey Colcombe, of Boy Scout Troup #366, recognizing his attainment of the Eagle Scout Award. Kasey’s Eagle Scout project involved expending over 300 hours refinishing and reupholstering 49 chairs in the Peelor Chapel of Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park.

Recognition • Commissioner Waller presented a Proclamation to Helen Palascak, USC Township Library Director, in recognition of National Library Week, April 12–18, 2015.

Recognitions • Commissioner Dandoy presented a Proclamation to Phil Vargo, Supervisor of Tri-Community South Emergency Medical Services (TCS EMS), in recognition of National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 17–23, 2015.

Helen Palascak and Commissioner Rex Waller Phil Vargo and Commissioner Glenn Dandoy Kasey Colcombe and Commissioner Rex Waller The Board • Continued Public Hearing Re. PLC15-0001–South Hills Village Mall–Amended Tentative Approval Nonresidential Planned Development to the April 6, 2015, Regular Meeting of the Board.

• Authorized the Memorandum of Understanding between the Upper St. Clair School District and the Township of Upper St. Clair Police.

• Adopted Resolution No. 1599 appointing Anderson Bailey to fill one vacancy for an alternate member of the Zoning Hearing Board.

• Approved the following appointments to Township Boards and Commissions: Library Board Barbara Zimmt (term expires 12/31/2017) Planning Commission Kevin Turkall (term expires 12/31/2017) Building and Fire Codes Appeals &Advisory Board Anthony Pitassi (Alternate; term expires 12/31/2017) Municipal Authority T.A. Ward (term expires 12/31/2016) Charles E. Mertz, Jr. (term expires 12/31/2017) Karen M. McElhinny (term expires 12/31/2018) Approval of Contracts Street Resurfacing • El Grande Industries, Inc. Monessen................................................. $1,501,926.50 2015 Annual Street Resurfacing w/Alternate Storm Sewer Video Inspection • Robinson Pipe Cleaning Co. Year 2015.....$63,675.00 Pittsburgh Year 2016.....$65,710.28 Storm Sewer Video Inspection Year 2017.....$69,282.87

The Board • Approved Decision USC-PD 1-2015 Re. PLC15-0001–South Hills Village Mall–Amended Tentative Approval–Nonresidential Planned Development.

• Adopted Resolution No. 1600 for Plan Revision for New Land Development (Planning Module) for PLC150001–South Hills Village Mall–Amended Tentative Approval–Nonresidential Planned Development.

• Continued Public Hearing Re. PLC15-1301–Amendment to Chapter 130 of the Township Code entitled “Zoning” to establish regulations for Distributed Antenna Systems to the May 4, 2015, Regular Meeting of the Board.

• Adopted Bill No. 3-15 Re. PLC15-0005–Dunkin’ Donuts– Final Land Development Approval.

• Adopted Bill No. 4-15 Re. Amendment to the General Employees’ Pension Plan Document.

• Adopted Bill No. 5-15 Re. 2009 Bond Refunding/2015 General Obligation Note.

• Adopted Resolution No. 1601 authorizing the disposal of Township records in accordance with the Municipal Records Retention and Disposition Schedule referenced in Chapter 11.7. of the Township Code.

• Adopted Resolution No. 1602 authorizing the filing of an application for Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program (GTRP) funds with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

• Approved the appointment of Jennifer Bowen (four-year term expires 6/30/2018) to the Youth Steering Committee.

Approval of Contracts • Walsh Equipment Prospect...............................................................$59,216 One (1) 10'6" Aluminum Dump Body Upfit • Walsh Equipment Prospect...............................................................$91,900 Two (2) 9' Aluminum Dump Body Upfits

Fleet Vehicles • Hunter Truck Sales Butler..............................................................$84,128.90 One (1) 2016 International Model 7400 SFA Cab & Chassis XL (Public Works) • Woltz & Wind Ford Heidelberg Two (2) 2016 Ford Sedan Police Interceptors....$54,190 One (1) 2016 Ford Utility Police Interceptor.... 29,157

$83,347 Public Works Equipment • Walsh Equipment Prospect One (1) Terex 730 Wood Chipper.................$31,153.50 (Less Trade-In of 1993 Bandit Chipper)......( 6,500.00)

$24,653.50 Pesticide Applications • Commercial Turf Fertilization Mars....................................................................$51,681 Category 07 Pesticide Applications for...........(annually) Athletic Fields, 3-Hole Golf Course, and Boyce Mayview Facility–years 2015 and 2016

Fall 2015

• Commissioner Seitanakis presented Proclamations and Certificates of Achievement to the following members of the Upper St. Clair High School Boys’ Swim Team and Head Coach David Schraven for their wins in several events at the 2015 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) championships: Martin Bacik, Ryan Dudzinski, Jake Johnsen, Patrick Lersch, Kevin Liu, Fynn Minuth, Ole Minuth, Tomos Williams, and Braedon Wong.

Commissioner Nicholas Seitanakis and members of the USCHS Boys’ Swim Team and their coach David Schraven The Board • Continued Public Hearing Re. PLC15-1301–Amendment to Chapter 130 of the Township Code entitled “Zoning” to establish regulations for Distributed Antenna Systems to the June 1, 2015, Regular Meeting of the Board.

• Granted the applicant’s request for the continuance of Public Hearing Re. PLC15-0003–CVS Pharmacy–Unified Conditional Use and Preliminary Land Development Approval to the June 1, 2015, Regular Meeting of the Board.

• Continued Public Hearing Re. PLC15-0003–CVS Pharmacy–Unified Conditional Use and Preliminary Land Development Approval to the June 1, 2015, Regular Meeting of the Board.

• Adopted Bill No. 6-15 Re. PLC15-0006–Bedner Estates PRD Phase 1A Revision No. 2–Preliminary and Final Subdivision Approval.

• Adopted Bill No. 7-15 to amend Chapter 57 of the Township Code entitled “Fees.”

Approval of Contracts • Musco Lighting Pittsburgh..........................................................$665,900 Lighting foundations, poles, various fixtures, controllers, software and warranty for Boyce Mayview Lighting Project • Plavchak Construction Jefferson Hills....................................................$598,400 Labor–Boyce Mayview Lighting Project • Liokareas Construction Company, Inc. Bethel Park........................................................$351,000 Municipal Building Re-roofing Project

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Township Updates Comprehensive Plan The Township has been working diligently over the past two years, updating the community’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan will serve as a blueprint for the next ten years in Upper St. Clair and will identify the significant influences and goals associated with land use, infrastructure, connectivity, and resources within the community. In addition, it will serve as a guide to Township improvements for ten years, 2015 to 2025, and establish a refined framework of insights so that community leaders may work in the coming decade to set forth and deliver realistic aspirations.

Community input is the foundation for drafting a comprehensive plan. As part of this plan’s update, residents and USC Township leaders shared many ideas about what makes Upper St. Clair a desirable place to live and work. Through a community-wide survey, residents also shared what possibilities could be attractive to the Township’s continued evolution as a distinct place to live, learn, and work.

In addition to thousands of residents participating in this effort’s community-wide survey, the Township conducted a series of focus groups, illuminating many important aspects of how Upper St. Clair’s assets—and the municipality’s decisions about them—are interwoven. From the public’s appreciation of many aspects of the Township, including community civic spaces, businesses, municipal public services, and the level and detailed attention to maintenance of public investments, the focus groups’ members recognized how the Township is conscious of the importance of making decisions with care and informed thought. Success can only be achieved in continuing to do so; striking a balance between the tangibles (time and resources) is necessary in order to uphold the high standards that are realized as part of living in Upper St. Clair.

Upper St. Clair is a community brimming with both tradition and innovation.

Township of Upper St. Clair municipal building These two philosophies exist well together in the Township because of the realistic, methodical way in which the community evaluates balance and pursues decisions that benefit the community as a whole. Upper St. Clair’s Township leaders evaluate many choices regarding the characteristics of the community and ways in which to invest in its quality of life. Much like investing in anything—a home, an education, or a family—investing in a township takes logic, timing, and trust.

The thousands of residents and dozens of focus group members contributing to this comprehensive planning effort have expressed overwhelming support for the Township’s continued pursuit of high quality services.

The Township believes that solid, long-term returns for its greatest assets—its residents—require continued commitment. These commitments are geared toward advancing ideas, community responsibility, quality of civic spaces, connectivity and effectiveness of outreach. With this planning update’s framework of vision, goals, objectives, and actions, may the community’s decisions in the coming decade enrich the quality of life for all who live, work, and play in Upper St. Clair.

The following are a few of the goals and objectives that have been identified through the process of updating the plan: • Continue offering residents a great place to live, learn, and play.

• Maintain efforts to be a readily identifiable and distinctive suburban community.

• Cultivate responsibility; provide leadership in effective delivery of public services.

• Offer all a safe, clean, and friendly environment. Maintain the current high standards of public safety and public works.

• Lead by example among all Township Departments, applying sound community planning values and communication.

Using these goals and objectives, the Comprehensive Plan focuses on specific topics that influence the quality of life for Upper St. Clair. These areas of focus are: • Review and expand the effectiveness of land use and zoning for housing and other opportunities.

• Promote continued excellence in public services, public safety, and municipal departments.

• Provide for the safe and effective management of stormwater runoff through the Township’s stormwater management efforts.

• Continue to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the community’s infrastructure and facilities.

• Identify the community’s needs and priorities related to recreation, parks, and cultural services.

The Township’s Comprehensive Plan is an essential resource for the community and will provide recommendations for the Township to advance its goals and objectives. The Township would like to thank everyone who participated in the process of drafting the plan. We are all invested in this community and will strive to build upon the many successes of the past. n

Upper St. Clair is a community brimming with both tradition and innovation.

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Upper St. Clair Citizens’ Police Academy Upper St. Clair Citizens’ Police Academy A free opportunity for people who live, work, or conduct business in Upper St. Clair

Graduates of the Class of 2014, left to right, front row: Donna Bowser, Kathy Sekeras, Rose Lynn, Kathy Knopp, Tish Goodman; middle row: assistant USC fire chief Drew Gerlach, Tri-Community South director Nora Helfich, Ann Dennig, Rick Cobb, Bob Feldmeier, Natalie Mihalek, Robin Fingert-Zinger, Judy Stultz, Norene Christiano, Jeri Williams, Jeff Lynn; back row: Rich Nagel, Doug Dennig, Bob Jenkins, Roy Lanz, Darren Moore, Tom Lloyd, John Williams, Lieutenant John Sakoian

Sign up now for the 2015 Citizens’ Police Academy beginning in October.

Upper St. Clair Police Department 2015 Citizens’ Police Academy Application Name: (last, first, middle) _____________________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________________ Home Phone: ____________________________ Cell Phone #:__________________________________ Employer and Phone Number:_____________________Social Security Number:_____________________ Date of Birth: ______________Email Address:________________________________________________ Have you ever been arrested?_______If yes, please explain:_____________________________________ Signature:_____________________________________________________________________________ The final decision on class participants is at the sole discretion of the Upper St. Clair Police Department.

Please mail or deliver to:

Upper St. Clair Police Department • 1820 McLaughlin Run Road • Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 Emergency 412-833-7500 • Administration 412-833-1113

The Upper St. Clair Police Department is hosting its 2015 Citizens’ Police Academy.

Classes will be held seven consecutive Tuesday evenings, beginning October 6 and ending November 17, 7–9:30 p.m. The interactive academy classes are conducted at the USC Volunteer Fire Department on Route 19. There is no charge for the academy and it is open to adults of all ages.

Why watch it when you can live it?

Citizens’ Police Academy course objectives and overview: • An overview of the criminal justice system, local and global • Active shooter(s) and crisis management in the schools and workplace • Cyber crimes and identity theft issues and prevention • Firearms safety, the Castle Doctrine, use of force, and self-defense tactics • Patrol procedures, traffic stops, speed enforcement, and felony stops • Criminal case investigations, local ordinances, and vehicle code issues • Domestic crimes, custody disputes, and missing children • A night with the USC Fire Department and Tri-Community South EMS • The role of the District Attorney and the courts • The United States Constitution and citizens’ rights • Local crimes, current investigations, programs, and public issues Mail or deliver the completed application found on this page to the Upper St. Clair Police Department, 1820 McLaughlin Run Road, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241. If you have questions or need further information, contact the Police Administration office, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. at 412-833-1113.

The mock DUI was held at the high school’s parking lot.

Mock Crash Scene Drives Home Drunk Driving Risks A mock DUI crash scenario, coordinated by the Upper St. Clair Police Department with the assistance of the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department, Tri-Community South EMS, and the USCHS school police, was presented to the USCHS student body this past May. The purpose of the project was to alert students to the consequences of driving while intoxicated and how to make good decisions regarding their personal safety and the safety of others. Participating in the project were USCHS drama students, under the direction of guidance counselor Dr. William Rullo. n Fall 2015

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Community Day 2015— 2015—— Upper St. Clair Community Day, while held amongst raindrops, was a safari of family fun like none other! From the morning’s 5K race along the streets of USC, to the parade, booths, 1830 Log House, and scheduled events near McLaughlin Run Road, to the main firehouse and Gilfillan Farm along Route 19, the festivities that began at 9 a.m. went until late in the afternoon for a roaring good time for everyone. Enjoy our wrap up of events and candid photos sure to please.

Community Day Race Results…... and the Winner Is…...…

Age Group

Male (Time)

Female (Time)

8 & Under 9–11 12–14 15–19

20–29 30–39 40–49 50 & Over

Teddy Amur (33:33) Abelardo Hernandez (20:33) Ethan Mann (20:30) Bennett Sneath (17:56) overall male winner Eric Brindle (18:18) Blake Olack (22:16) Conrad Jooste (19:59) Ron Romanoff (21:42)

Meredith Rhodes (32:53) Grace Hetz (24:05) Nicole Naumann (24:23) Savannah Shaw (21:03) overall female winner Jocelyn Alfera (27:21) Maria Brown (23:06) Angie Burns (25:25) Sharon Heilman (32:37)

Who Won the Bikes?

Officer Dean Majcher and police intern Jake Leber presented Niko Manning and Emily DeJohn with the bicycles they won during a drawing at USC Community Day. Helmets and other prizes were also given away to lucky youngsters who stopped by the booth.

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Fall 2015

The winners of bikes and other prizes gather around Officer Dean Majcher.

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St. Clair Safari Bakeoff Winners It’s one of the “sweetest” parts of Community Day—the Community Day Bake-Off, sponsored by Coldwell Banker Real Estate. Listed are the winners from this year’s bakeoff.

Grand Prize/Best in Show: Jillian and Gabrielle Fishell Most Patriotic: Sydney Kirk Most Original: Lila Neal Favorite Book, TV, or Movie: Ella Neal

Jillian and Gabrielle Fishell took the bakeoff’s grand prize with their entry “Faked Potato.”

Who’s the Hottest Dog? Hard to Choose!

The Hottest Dog Contest, held at USC’s 2015 Community Day and sponsored by Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, inspired many entrants to come out and show their stuff. A few of the awards went to: • Look Alike: Charlie, and handler Rebecca • Most Talented: Simon, and handler Violet • Cutest: Torrie handled by Heather; Cooper, handled by Santina; and Toby, handled by Maya Contest judges were Howard Hanna agents Susan Highley, Sandi Lamar, Bob Ellison, and Sue Musulin, along with Sparky, the Firedog. All money raised from the event was donated to the Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund.

Some of the Hottest Dog contest winners

Thank You to Our 2015 Community Day Patrons: The following businesses and organizations supported USC’s 2015 Community Day: The Almanac, ARAMARK, Ardolino’s Pizza, Bruegger’s, Chuck’s Complete Auto Service, Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair, Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Gateway Engineers, Inc., Giant Eagle, Lorenzato Automotive Service, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Northwood Realty Services, Pittsburgh Fleet Feet Sports, Restorations Physical Therapy, Rex Glass & Mirror Company, Inc., South Hills Financial Group, St. Clair Hospital, Taylor Rental, Traffic Control Equipment & Supplies Co., USCEA #4270–Upper St. Clair Teachers Association, and Washington Wild Things.

Fall 2015

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A Greener USC for You and for Me Ron Sarrick, Building/Ground & Sustainability Administrator Curbside Automated Recycling

The automated recycling program has been well received by the majority of our residents. There have been more than 500 requests for the larger 96-gallon cart, with some residents being placed on a waiting list until additional larger carts arrived.

Remember the words “single stream” when you recycle. All of your recycling items go into one bin, including cardboard.

Just break down the cardboard or roll it up and place it in the bin with your other recyclable items, including glass, plastic, and paper as identified and detailed on the Township’s website at www.twpusc.org under menu item “Township Services,” for “Trash & Recycling.”

Waste product should be removed from containers, but washing is not necessary. It was previously printed incorrectly that the Township accepts #6 plastic, a styrene-based product. Type #6 plastic is not accepted as a recyclable item (including Styrofoam) and should be discarded in your regular trash.

When placing your recycling cart curbside to allow for proper automated pick up, the cart’s lid should be closed with no stray recyclables on top or resting near the cart.

The lid’s opening should face the street and the lid’s hinge and the cart’s wheels should be nearest the house (see photo).

A minimum clearance of at least three feet is necessary between the cart and other objects, including trash receptacles, a mailbox, or any other matter, for the automated arm to properly pick up the cart. Should you occasionally have an overabundance of curbside recyclables that don’t fit into the cart, please save the overage for the following scheduled pick up.

E-cycling The recycling of electronics occurs every second Saturday of the month, except February. The one television per vehicle limitation remains in effect per the ecycling contractor. This program continues to be very successful in diverting an average of about five to seven tons of e-cycling material per month from the landfill.

Remember, there is a nominal charge for removal of Freon from all refrigerators, A/C units, dehumidifiers, and like items.

Document Destruction The document destruction program continues to be well supported. The Township has collected 4298 pounds of shredded documents that will never see a landfill as a result of this collection. The paper will be reused in other forms of products instead of using base raw materials to begin the process. The next document destruction date is Saturday, October 10 and concurrently runs with e-cycling that day. Kill two birds with one stone and bring your one-time batteries, bulbs, and electronic junk to the Township lot adjacent the Veterans Park for discard along with your sensitive documents for destruction.

Note: The current contractor, JVS, does not have scales to weigh bulk paper. As a result, the bulk price will no longer be in effect. The pricing in effect is $5 for a single bankers box or the equivalent, $8 for a double size box.

Rechargeable Battery Disposal The Township remains very active with the “Call 2 Recycle” program for rechargeable battery disposal. The drop off box is in the Township’s main library entrance.

Follow the instructions at the drop off site

Lid opening should face street, lid hinge (and wheels) should face house

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and bag your battery(s)—AA, AAA, D, C, and 9-volt. No single units heavier than eight or nine pounds will be accepted.

Three hundred and twenty pounds of rechargeable batteries have been recycled to date. This program is for rechargeable batteries only; please do not drop off your used single-use batteries.

Retire Old Glory During 2015, there have been two flag retirements. The Boy Scouts of Troop 366 in USC retired over two hundred flags on April 21 and June 9. The ceremonies took place at the recreation building fire circle off McLaughlin Run Road. The presentation includes opening remarks which state the meaning of the flag, what it stands for, and how it should be retired with dignity. n Check the Township’s website (www.twpusc.org) under Township Services to learn more about recycling in our community.

Pump It Up

Brittany Dudzinski, USC TODAY Intern Few may notice the newly renovated pump station located in Deerfield Manor near the intersection of Pinetree and Circle Drives, but it serves a greater purpose than being pleasing to the eyes.

The exterior remodeling was recently completed as a part of the second phase of a four-phase renovation, and was listed as a General Township accomplishment in 2014 in the Township Budget Overview. The pump station serves a very important function: to keep neighborhoods sanitary and waste-free.

The pump station located at 721 Circle Drive, also known as the Brush Run pump station, which was once a one-story building, was enlarged to a two-story building this past year. This renovation helped to raise the equipment inside the building above the area’s floodplain, avoiding future damages and increasing the longevity of the equipment within the pump station.

The second pump station, located at the intersection of Circle and

T 2565 Boyce Plaza Road Pittsburgh, PA 15241 412-551-0520 www.TorrenteUSC.com

Brand New, Luxury One and Two Bedroom Apartments conveniently located in Upper St. Clair near the intersection of Boyce Road and Mayview Road.

Featuring an Elegant Clubhouse with a 24 Hour Fitness Center, Party Room, Heated Pool, Grill, and Fire Pit, Torrente Apartments are Professionally Managed with On-Site Maintenance, and is a Pet Friendly Community!

Seven Different Floor Plans with Granite Kitchens, Stainless Steel Appliances, Master Suites, Walk-in Closets, In Suite Washers and Dryers, Private Garages, and Elevatored Buildings

Turnberry Drives in Deerfield Manor, serves the same purpose.

This single story pump station, with its red brick exterior, is more demure.

The wastewater from the Township’s subdivisions of Deerfield Manor, Old Farm, and Chapelwood flows through gravity sewer lines to the Brush Run pump station. From there, the wastewater is pumped through a 3500-footlong force main to a manhole on Boyce Road. After arriving at Boyce Road, the wastewater flows strictly by gravity through to another sewer, and finally to ALCOSAN (Allegheny County Sanitary Authority), located along the Ohio River on Pittsburgh’s Northside. ALCOSAN treats wastewater at a rate of 128,000 gallons per minute and maintains 90 miles of sewThe newly refurbished two-story pump house at the corner of Pinetree and Circle Drives allows the equipment to be raised above the floodplain ers within its service area.

The pump stations are inspected and serviced daily by USC Public Works labor force personnel, with relevant information logged as necessary. On a bi-yearly basis, the pump stations are cleaned from sediment that enters the sewer lines; the sediment is removed annually. These acts of maintenance ensure that the wastewater is properly taken care of and that our neighborhoods remain sanitary.

Upper St. Clair Township has implemented a strict regimen of care and maintenance for all of its pump stations, which demonstrates the high standard of living the Township wishes to provide for each citizen of Upper St. Clair. n

One-story brick pump house at corner of Circle and Turnberry Drives

Useful links for further information are: http://www.twpusc.org/finance/pdf/11_township_goals.pdf, http://www.twpusc.org/public-works/sewers, and http://www.twpusc.org/public-works/pdf/SANITARY-SEWAGE-MOMREPORT5-30-12.pdf.

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From the Director’s Desk:

Connect to Your Creativity @ the Library Helen Palascak, Library Director We are, each of us, natural creators. Everyone has a voice, and everyone can find a way of expression they enjoy. Finding this zone can help you develop a deep-rooted sense of health and happiness.

In Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World (Scribner, 2012), Tony Wagner, Innovation Education Fellow at Harvard’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Center, says the link between creativity and better mental and physical health is well established by research. Creating helps make people happier, less anxious, more resilient, and better equipped to problem-solve in the face of hardship. “Look inward,” Wagner says. “Ultimately the path to innovation requires a certain kind of inner strength, a spiritual discipline. It’s important to cultivate the discipline of listening to yourself.” We are all lifelong learners. “It’s in our DNA,” Wagner says.

Creativity, imagination, and innovation usually find us during moments of play. Take time off and find ways

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.

—Maya Angelou to recharge your creative and physical energy, Wagner suggests. Read, listen to music, volunteer.

Helen Palascak Fortunately the USC Township Library happens to be a destination full of triggers to stimulate your creativity. Where else can you find books on almost any topic imaginable, attend instructional and educational programs, and connect with others who share your Adopt A Magazine interests? From the tots’ craft weekends to the adult writers group, we have activities for all ages that can Adoptions for the 2016 be creative learning experiences. Make a promise to calendar year begin midyourself to be mindful of creative opportunities the October 2015 and run next time you visit the library. Take a look at new through November 2015. books for a topic that interests you. Register for a Share your love of reading; program. Talk to us about volunteering. adopt your favorite Taking time for creativity is one of the best investmagazine today! ments you can make for your mind, body, and spirit.

I WANT TO BE A FRIEND! ❑ Yes, I'd like to sign up today.

Please accept my tax deductible donation payable to Friends of the Library of USC. $10 per household + $____ (donation) = ____Total Name:_______________________________________ _____________________ Date:___________________ Address:_____________________________________ ____________________________________________ Phone:_______________________________________ Email:________________________________________

❑ Yes, call me for volunteer opportunities.

1820 McLaughlin Run Road Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 www.twpusc.org 30

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National Friends of Libraries Week, October 18–24 Help the Friends celebrate by joining the Friends today. Your membership dues help support the library by funding library purchases, programs, and services. Recent purchases of furniture and equipment by the Friends helped create a new Explore to Learn center on the kids’ floor, which focuses on STEM activities. The popular Music in the Stacks programs are made possible by funding from the Friends.

Use the membership form found on page 30 to sign up now today!

2015 Annual Author Luncheon Author of The Perfume Collector, Kathleen Tessaro, shared a presentation on the essence of perfumes after a wonderful lunch at St. Clair Country Club. The audience was also entertained by dramatic readings from excerpts of the book by local actress Robin Walsh. After the program, guests sampled unique perfume smells Kathleen Tessaro and Robin Walsh that appear in the book, such as snow, grass, new baby, and dirt.

Fall Tea: Tall, Dark & Wicked with Madeline Archer Thursday, September 17, 1–3 p.m.

Local resident, Madeline Archer, who writes under the name Madeline Hunter, published her first romance in June 2000. Since then, she’s had 24 historical romances and one novella published. Her books have been translated into 12 languages, with more than six million of her books in print. She is a seven-time RITA finalist and two-time RITA winner. Twenty-three of her books have been on USA Today’s bestseller list and she also has had titles on The New York Madeline Archer Times printed list.

Madeline is the featured author for the fall tea, and her newest book, Tall, Dark & Wicked, is due out October 6. Register early; seating is limited.

Adult Fall Programs Many exciting presentations await!

Choose what interests you.

September • 14 (Monday): Autism­­­—The Family Next Door, with Heidi Hess • 17 (Thursday): Fall Tea, featuring author Madeline Archer, 1–3 p.m.

• 24 (Thursday): Birds of Pennsylvania, with Doris Dumrauf • 28 (Monday): The Art of Changing Your Life, with Michele Kristakis

Under the Umbrella Tree A screening and discussion with film producers and director Monday, October 5, 7 p.m.

More than 2.5 million children are orphans in Uganda. Under the Umbrella Tree is the true story of the life of Victoria Nalongo Namusisi, and the founding of Bright Kids Uganda, her children’s home in Entebbe. This documentary film, directed by Leonard A. Lies and produced

by Carlow University’s Pauline Greenlick and Pauline Greenlick University of Pittsburgh’s Louis A. Picard, follows Victoria’s journey from growing up as a poor fisherman’s daughter to becoming a journalist, and then founder and director of Bright Kids Uganda. The story of Victoria and Bright Kids Uganda is one of inspiration, hope, and love. Pauline and Louis will also display colorful handmade craft items from Uganda. You will have the opportunity to donate to Bright Kids Uganda after the screening. Please attend.

Louis Picard

Pauline Greenlick is an adjunct professor at Carlow University and serves on the board of directors of Bright Kids Uganda. Dr. Louis Picard is the director for the Ford Institute of Human Security and is a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Leonard Lies, of Dream Catcher Films Inc., has done work on theatrical films, documentaries, and educational productions.

Lunch with Laura–Cemetery Tales Pittsburgh’s buried art and history Thursday, October 22, 1–3 p.m.

Laura Ainsley from the Frick Museum will present Cemetary Tales, highlighting Pittsburgh’s picturesque cemeteries and how they have been transformed into revered and oft-visited park-like spaces. Colorful slides show the evolution of the art and design of tombstones and memorials, and equally colorful vignettes tell the stories of the notable and interesting Pittsburghers who lie beneath them. A light lunch will be served.

Register early; seating is limited.

Express Yourself!

Writers group with Jodi Steiner Every other Wednesday, 10 a.m. to noon, September 9–December 16.

Facilitated by freelance editor Jodi Steiner, the focus of this group is to share writings and receive feedback from the group. Members will serve as a resource and writing inspiration for one another. Come express yourself this fall!

October • 5 (Monday): Under the Umbrella Tree, with film producers Pauline Greenlick and Louis Picard, and director Leonard Lies • 12 (Monday): What’s Wrong with My Eye, with Dr. John Barber • 22 (Thursday): Cemetery Tales, Pittsburgh’s Buried Art and History, with Laura Ainsley, 1–3 p.m.

• 29 (Thursday): Climate Change, with Rod Elder Fall 2015

November • 2 (Monday): Promoting Books That You Author, with writer Ann Howley • 3 (Tuesday): The Wonder Women of World War II, with Todd DePastino • 19 (Thursday): House of Colour, with Julie Peterson

Events take place at 7 p.m. in the library’s multipurpose room, unless noted otherwise.

Phone the library to register.

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T Kids & Teens Dear Parents, ner. Soon it will be time Fall is just around the cor ich s for young children, wh for the library’s fall classe our g rin Du al. ion and educat are designed to be both fun ir kids, with the help of the r offe we ns, six-week sessio ss cla ch Ea w. gro learn and caregivers, the chance to end att o wh en ldr ss and chi builds on the previous cla of skills and knowledge. ay arr an e regularly acquir to ng children learn how • Our classes help you behave in a group setting. to practice being patient • Kids have opportunities and wait their turn. and what you can learn • Kids learn about books from books and stories. yming is an important • Kids learn rhymes. Rh ps kids learn to read. It phonological skill that hel nics. is a warm-up skill for pho lls are introduced.

• Letter and number ski seeing you and your young We’re looking forward to n. child at the library real soo Sincerely, Deb Conn Your Librarian

Alphabet Activities at the Library Learning the alphabet is an important pre-reading skill. To be able to read, kids need to learn the letter formations—both upper and lowercase—and learn the letter sounds. As a parent or caregiver you can help your child acquire these skills.

Here are some of the alphabet resources that you’ll find at the library: • Alphabet books are an easy way to begin. Use various alphabet books repeatedly and often to help kids learn letter shapes and sounds.

• Play-to-Learn kits for alphabet recognition.

• Play-to-Learn and kindergarten kits for upper and lowercase letter matching.

• Play-to-Learn and kindergarten kits for letter sounds.

• Some alphabet kits can be borrowed for home use.

Beginning mid-September you’ll find rotating alphabet activities on the children’s floor of the library, featuring one letter at a time. Activities will include letter sounds, recognition, and formation practice. Also featured will be educational kits and iPad apps.

Art in the Park Whether it was shaving cream, sidewalk chalk, or spin art, kids enjoyed exercising their creativity during the library’s annual “Art in the Park” event.

412-835-5540

USC Township Library Hours www.twpusc.org

Monday–Thursday, 9:30 a.m.–9 p.m.

Closed Monday, September 7 (Labor Day) Friday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday, 1–5 p.m. Closed summer Sundays through Labor Day Outside book and video return available 24/7 32

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Upcoming Classes

Crafting Fun at the Library

This fall, the library will offer a wide variety of classes for children of all ages.

The popular storytime sessions will begin Monday, September 28 and run through Friday, November 6. This six-week series offers children, parents, grandparents, and caregivers many opportunities to visit the library, hear stories, and have a good time.

Registration for all fall classes begins Wednesday, September 16. A complete listing and all program information can be found at www.twpusc.org/library/kids.

Celebrate Halloween Get ready for Halloween by creating some great crafts in the library. Parents must accompany their children during their craft time.

Thursday, October 22 through Saturday, October 31 Mondays–Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Sundays, 1–4:30 p.m.

Babies & Toddlers Children ages 4 to 24 months with a caregiver Mondays, 10 a.m.

Tuesdays, 10 a.m.

Twos & Threes Children 2 to 3 ½ years of age with a caregiver Tuesdays, 11 a.m. or 1:45 p.m.

Wednesdays, 10 a.m.

Celebrate Thanksgiving Get ready for Thanksgiving by creating some great crafts in the library. Parents must accompany their children during their craft time.

Thursday, November 12 through Tuesday, November 24 Mondays–Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Sundays, 1–4:30 p.m.

Celebrate Winter Holidays Get ready for Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa by creating some great crafts in the library. Parents must accompany their children during their craft time.

Monday, December 7 through Wednesday, December 23 Mondays–Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Sundays, 1–4:30 p.m.

Pre-School Storytime Children 3 ½, 4, or 5 years of age who are ready to spend a half hour on their own Thursdays, 10 a.m. or 1:45 p.m.

Fridays, 10 a.m.

Math Mites Children 4 and 5 years of age who are not yet attending Kindergarten Wednesdays, 1:15 or 2:15 p.m.

Library Explorers: Science & Math in the Library!

Children who are currently in Kindergarten Tuesdays, 10 a.m. or 1:45 p.m.

BookTrek: Explore to Learn!

Children grades 1–4 Tuesdays or Wednesdays, 4 p.m.

Family Storytime Children 2 to 7 years of age with a caregiver Thursdays, 7 p.m.

Dates to be announced.

The Explore to Learn Center, on the library’s kids’ floor, was provided with funds from Friends of the Library.

Enjoy library programs?

Want the latest library news?

Sign up now to join the library’s email list and get the latest news about upcoming library events and programs. It’s easy! Just click on the link at the bottom of the library homepage from the Township website (www.twpusc.org) to fill out a simple form or cut out this one. You can also stop by any library desk and a staff member will help to sign you up.

Mailing List Sign Up Stay current with the latest news from USC Library!

First Name_____________________ Last Name__________________________ Email address_______________________________________________________ Subscribe to Library

❑ Adult Mailing List ❑ Kids Mailing List Fall 2015

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Is Open!

With the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of The Clubhouse of the Miracle League of the South Hills celebrated this past May, Upper St. Clair kids have another amazing place to play without leaving the Township! The Clubhouse, located next to the Miracle League Field at Boyce Mayview Park, is a one-of-a-kind playground that addresses accessibility, provides age-appropriate developmental play equipment, and includes sensory-stimulating activity for all users.

The playground was made possible through Casey’s Clubhouse charitable foundation, which has raised funds for the entire Miracle League Field complex, and with the assistance of major donors, including the Casey Family Foundation, Allegheny Regional Asset District, Pirates Charities, FedEx Ground, the Healy Family, the Nicklas Family, Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust, the Township of Upper St. Clair, as well as significant contributions from the Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair and the generosity of numerous other individuals, associations, and businesses.

If you haven’t already, come check it out and stay to play. n

Partners’ Baseball Tournament The second annual Partners’ Baseball Tournament, hosted by Baldwin High School, was held this past April at the Miracle League Field at Boyce Mayview Park. A day filled with lasting memories, 170 children with cognitive or physical disabilities from 17 different school districts across Allegheny and Washington Counties participated. More than 100 volunteers from Comcast Cares, FedEx Cares, and participating school districts, along with staff and spectators, brought the total to over 400 attendees.

The children had the opportunity to play a two-inning game on the Miracle League Field and then move across various playful activity stations involving baseball skills. Vocelli Pizza provided lunch and the Pirate Parrot visited while a video crew from Pirates Charities captured the event. Local dignitaries from Upper St. Clair and a special visit from The Miracle League of the South Hills vice president Mandi Casey added to the excitement.

The many volunteers from various organizations, including Baldwin Whitehall and the administration and staff of the Township of Upper St. Clair, along with Sean and Mandi Casey and the staff of The Miracle League of the South Hills and Casey’s Clubhouse, made the event possible. n

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USC Parks Baker Park Beadling Soccer Field Boyce Field Boyce Mayview Park Brookside Park Byrnwick Park Clair Park Gilfillan Park Johnston Park Marmion Field Morton Complex Municipal Park Ravine Park Trotwood Park Tustin Park Veterans Park Wiltshire Park

Renovations to Clair Park

Gary Schafer, Parks and Forestry Administrator The Township has wrapped up the Wiltshire Park improvements and started renovations at Clair Park. A hidden gem in the Township, Clair Park is tucked away in English Village.

Located along Phillips Drive and at the cul-de-sac of Clair Drive, it offers a quiet, serene place to take in the peace and energy of the outdoors.

While the park is in good condition, some minor renovations to Clair Park are underway. The pavilion is being replaced with a new wood-beamed structure and a steel roof. A new electrical panel will serve high efficiency LED lights that are replacing the existing walkway lights. The splash pad is being renovated with a new concrete surface and a touch activated button to turn it on. The basketball court is getting a new fence and two new basketball posts and goals, and the court surface will be repainted to match the blue and green courts found throughout the Township. Some new amenities, including park benches and trash and recycling receptacles, will be placed throughout the park.

Visit Clair Park soon and check it out! n Fall 2015

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USC Recreation and www.twpusc.org

Recreation Department Arts & Chocolate Spectacular

chocolate treats from local chocolatiers and bakeries. After sampling sweets from each vendor, patrons voted for their favorites: • Best Dessert Presentation: Batter & Dough (Bridgeville) • Best Chocolate Dessert: Life is Sweet Bakery Café (Mt. Lebanon) • Best Chocolate Candy: Victoria’s Fudge-a-licious (Upper St. Clair) • Best Candy Presentation: My Favorite Sweet Shoppe (Bridgeville)

A sampling from My Favorite Sweet Shoppe

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than at the C&RC’s annual Arts & Chocolate Spectacular! Event attendees were surrounded by a variety of delicious

Save the Dates Blood Drive Date: Thursday, September 3 Time: 12:30-5:30 p.m.

You are eligible to donate blood if you: • Are in good physical health and at least 16 years old (with parent permission) • Weigh at least 110 pounds • Have not donated whole blood in the past 56 days NFL Punt Pass & Kick Date: Sunday, October 4 Time: 1 p.m.

This national skills competition is for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 15. Participants will compete in punting, passing, and placekicking. The PPK program is free, although participants must pre-register online at www.nflppk.com. *In case of inclement weather, a make-up will be scheduled for Sunday, October 11, 1 p.m.

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Patrons take time out for a smile.

Freaky Friday Date: Friday, October 30 Celebrate Halloween at the C&RC! During the morning hours, children are encouraged to come in costume and parade throughout the building, where they will receive special treats along the way! Later in the evening, stop by to make some spooky crafts or take part in the Scary Swim! Contact the C&RC for more details.

Fall Feast 5K Date: Saturday, November 7 Time: 9:30 a.m.

Start training now! Gather three of your closest friends or family members to join your team of four. Participants of all ages and fitness levels are welcome to compete in this fun eat and run relay. Everyone on your team will eat a designated amount of a specified food item, and then run the course. More details coming soon!

Fall 2015

In addition to tasting lots of sweet treats, attendees could participate in plenty of family-friendly activities, including face painting, t-shirt screen-printing, and painting with chocolate. Visitors also had the opportunity to watch a variety of performances from amateur artists, and visit the student art gallery, which showcased artwork from USC, Canon McMillan, and Peter’s Township School Districts, as well as artwork from Westminster Nursery School and the Goddard School.

The following students were voted as “People’s Choice” winners: • Elementary winner: Lily Gessel, Upper St. Clair • Middle School winner: Christian Chiu, Upper St. Clair • High School winner: Emma Engel, Canon McMillan n

Date: Saturday, November 7 Time: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Festivities will include arts and crafts, C&RC Plunge with the Pumpkins, cider tasting, baking contest, S’more making, fall crafts, Apple Sling Shots, hikes, petting zoo, live music, food vendors, and much more. Plan to spend the day enjoying all that fall has to offer while taking in the sights and sounds of Boyce Mayview Park.

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Leisure Services 412-221-1099

C&RC—A Great Place to Work, as Well as Play This summer,

the Community & Recreation Center celebrated its sixth anniversary. During these six years, the C&RC has provided USC residents with a vast array of amenities and programs that support an active, enriched lifestyle. From children’s swim lessons to adult group exercise classes and senior pickleball games, there is something for everyone!

“I’ve been in the fitness industry for more than 30 years. The Upper St. Clair Recreation Center is the most refreshing, the most inviting, and the cleanest fitness center environment I have ever been involved with,” said Ralph Schmidt, a personal trainer at the C&RC. Although the C&RC offers wonderful amenities and great programs, it is the dedicated staff and generous volunteers who make it the success that it is. “I have been working at the C&RC for four years, first as a group exercise instructor and now as the group exercise coordinator. I can only hope that my children also find a career where they truly love what they do!” said Cari Lackner. The C&RC employs more than 200 part-time staff members in the summer months and retains nearly half that for the remainder of the year. The C&RC staff is made up of individuals, ages 15 and up, from multiple communities, with over half of them from USC. Approximately 250 volunteers to date play a large role in the growth and development of the Township’s Recreation Department programs and events. Both the Bounty at Boyce Mayview Park (held in November of each year) and Arts & Chocolate Spectacular (held in April) depend Continued on page 95

Friday Fun

Older Adults

Every Friday, the C&RC offers the Seniors at Leisure series. This program is free and open to all USC Township and surrounding community residents age 55 and older; no C&RC membership is necessary. Reservations are requested, but drop-ins are also welcome.

• First Friday of each month, 1:30–3 p.m., is Brain Fitness where the group will do exercises, puzzles, and games to keep ourselves sharp.

• Second Friday of each month, 1:30–3 p.m., is Art Experience where professional artist Rikki Walsh will offer a hands-on art activity. Options include watercolors, pastels, sculpting, and more!

• Third Friday of each month, 12:30–3 p.m., is Movie Matinees where seniors from around the area enjoy viewing old favorites on a big screen with a pizza lunch and light refreshments offered.

• Fourth Friday of each month, 1:30–3 p.m., is Game Day. Cards? Mahjong? Jigsaw puzzles?

Tripoley? Grab your friends or make new ones and play the afternoon away.

Fall into Fitness

Don’t let the change of season slow you down.

The C&RC offers great group exercise classes for seniors of all fitness levels!

Zumba Gold Zumba Gold takes the same exciting Latin and international dance rhythms created in the original Zumba workout and brings them to the active older adult, the beginner participant, or anyone who thinks they cannot dance. Zumba Gold is also wonderful for the seasoned Zumba participant who wants to improve his or her dance ability or brush up on technique.

Zumba Gold Dance, Strength & Sculpt This Latin/international dance inspired Zumba fitness party is perfect for seniors, beginners, or anyone wanting to add variety to their exercise regimens. The routines are designed to target specifics areas to strengthen your core and sculpt the body. Improve muscle strength, posture, coordination, and mobility while rocking to golden oldies, Latin sizzlers, or the latest pop hits!

Senior Fit Senior Fit is a training class that is designed for seniors to increase stamina, strength, range of motion in joints, and muscular flexibility in a fun and safe environment. Activities are performed both seated and standing.

Gentle Movement Based on guidelines set by the Arthritis Foundation, this gentle, yet effective, water class takes place in both the shallow and deep ends of the indoor pool. This class focuses on range of motion exercises for the joints and improving stamina and flexibility and balance in a very safe, low impact environment.

Aqua Blast This fast-paced, challenging water workout has participants performing a wide range of cardio and resistance training exercises to increase their heart rate and burn calories.

Water Walking A great alternative for anyone who frequently walks indoors or outdoors, participants in this class will use a variety of aerobic movements to push against the water’s natural resistance.

Boomer Bootcamp Boomer Bootcamp is an exercise class specifically designed for our “boomers.” Class format varies daily and includes weight training for strength and balance, stretching for flexibility and cardio for our hearts!

Boomer TRX TRX Suspension training is a safe, effective, and enjoyable exercise modality used for older adults.

The class consists of exercises using the suspension trainers for: • mobility of the ankle, hip, spine, and shoulder • muscle strengthening exercises for the lower and upper body • dynamic balance enhancement exercises

Contact the C&RC at 412-221-1099 for a complete list of senior group exercise classes, schedule, and pricing information.

Resources for Seniors

Gold Card

Offered by the USC School District to residents age 62 and older.

Card admits holder to School District drama and musical performances, athletic events, and other events free of charge. Applications taken at School District reception desk at 1820 McLaughlin Run Road.

Silver Card

Offered by USC Township to residents age 62 or older. Card admits holder to the Municipal three-hole golf course, outdoor tennis facilities, specified Community & Recreation Center programs, and other activities designated and sponsored by the Township of Upper St. Clair. Applications are available at the Community & Recreation Center at Boyce Mayview Park.

ACCESS 65 PLUS is a shared-ride transportation service program for senior citizens age 65 and older. Contact Chaz McCrommon, assistant community programs coordinator, at 412-221-1099, ext. 603, for information about this program and for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Senior Citizen identification card for the Port Authority Transit (PAT) system.

Fall 2015

For more information on any Older Adult programming, contact Chaz McCrommon, assistant Community Programs coordinator, at 412-221-1099, extension 603, or mccrommon@twpusc.org.

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T My, Oh My—Mammals!

Jessica Kester, Program Manager, The Outdoor Classroom I’m sure it’s safe to say that everyone in the South Hills knows about, and probably has had an encounter with, a wild mammal at some point in their lives. Now be honest, what’s the first mammal encounter that popped into your head? (We’re talking four-legged and furry, not your wild and crazy cousin!) Was it the rabbit that was eating the lettuce in your garden, the groundhog eating your flowers, the mole tunneling through your yard like it was a WWII front line, or the doe-eyed deer that was roaming the neighborhood? Unfortunately, in our everyday lives we tend to have negative, passing encounters with our warm blooded, furry neighbors.

I’m one of the lucky few, however, that sees wild animals in their natural habitats, doing what wild animals are meant to do, on a somewhat regular basis. Seeing a chipmunk with cheek pouches bulging and scurrying through the forest is definitely more serene than watching one dig up your flower bulbs, Jessie, in her younger days, and her cousins there’s no question about it. So for this article I decided to share a few facts and pet a tranquilized young black bear before it was relocated by the PAGC. encounters of the positive kind in hopes that it will entice you to take a leisurely stroll through a nearby park. I could recommend a nice park in particular where tons of wildlife prevails—the 475 acres of Boyce Mayview Park, of course, where The Outdoor Classroom is located.

Now, getting back to the adorable little seed hoarding chipmunk, did you know that their cheek pouches can stretch up to three times as large as their skull? Sure these cute little critters can eat your flower bulbs, but a quarter-inch mesh hardware cloth can keep them at bay. Moving up in size is a critter many of you may not even know as a separate species, the eastern fox squirrel.

The largest of our tree squirrels, the fox squirrel can grow up to 15 inches long from nose to tail and feeds mostly on tree nuts and seeds. It is not common to find it roaming your lawn. The grey squirrel, which can be grey, black, or red in color, is more common, and loves to nest in my attic.

I was lucky to encounter a fox squirrel while hiking along Chartiers Creek. It was “chuck chucking” at me as I entered its territory and from the scars on its face, I would say it did a good job of defending what was his. While working in Virginia, I caught a glimpse here and there of Jessie, in her younger days, with her dad and a red the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel. It was a game while driving through the Chincoteague fox that he trapped National Wildlife Refuge to yell “squirrel” near a bunch of tourists and watch them eagerly try to catch a glimpse of the endangered furry critter. Needless to say, we had to make our own fun during the down time.

Larger furry critters of note in Boyce Mayview are the red-tailed fox and the eastern coyote.

Yes, we have both of these in and around the park, but don’t start crying wolf just yet. These animals are not looking to interact with us. Fox are very skittish and will run for the dense underbrush rather than chance a run in with me on the trail. Besides, they are wonderful predators of the small mammals that many of you may find to be a nuisance. Mostly we find Fox squirrel their scat (droppings) on the trails. Yes, identifying scat is one of the fun aspects of an environmental educator’s job. Fox scat has a higher amount of berries, less fur, and is smaller than that of their cousin, the coyote.

I have personally seen three coyote in the park, but only for a split second. Coyote are secretive canines and will eat just about whatever they can find or catch, making them opportunistic omnivores. On a warm evening and if you listen intently, you might be able to hear their yipping bark bouncing around the night air as they communicate with other local coyotes. Although you may think of the mid-west when it comes to coyotes, they have been in Pennsylvania since the 1930s and according to data collected by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, they’re now more common than other mammals such as black bear, bobcat, and the adorable river otter.

It’s no surprise though that coyote are more prevalent than bobcats or otters in Pennsylvania. Bobcat numbers had dropped so low in the 1950s that a hunting and trapping ban was placed on them until their numbers in the wild rebounded enough to safely allow a hunting season to be opened on them again in 2000. Otters were almost eradicated from Pennsylvania by the 1800s, with only a small population surviving around the Poconos. But with the help of conservationists, fishermen, landowners, and many others, the river otter was River otter; photo credit reintroduced in the 1980s with otters collected and brought here from places like Louisiana. River otters Joe Kosack, PGC

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can now be found in every major water basin in the The Outdoor Classroom Events state. The reintroduction effort is why you see otters on some Pennsylvania license plates!

Finally, the largest mammal we’ll see in the park is the black bear; although there’s no evidence of a black August October bear taking up permanent residence here. We have 22 GeoPupping III: Geocaching 3 RADical Day at the Classroom seen them roaming through in the spring and early with your Dog (free) (free) summer as the young leave their mothers and embark 28 Cozy Campfire Night 4 Mammal Study Merit Badge on their quest to find a new home range of their own.

29 Moonstruck Full Moon Hike 10 Ladies in the Woods This spring, we were lucky to find some bear scat on September 18 Cub Scout Adventure Day one of the trails! It’s such a rare find for us that we 1 Volunteer Opportunity: 18 Whoo Rules the Night Owl actually took pictures and sent it off to our friends at Garden Gang Search the Pennsylvania Game Commission for confirmation.

12 ABOARD Family Day at the 24 Volunteer Opportunity: As I write this, Classroom Fundraiser Mailing we’re eagerly awaiting 20 Fall Wild Edibles 24 Geocaching 101 Workshop the WILD About Bears 26 Cozy Campfire Night 24 Geocaching Autumn workshop at the end Adventure (free) 28 Moonstruck Full Moon Hike of June where (fingers 24 UN-Spooky Hike crossed) participants 27 Moonstruck Full Moon Hike will get to help process, or take scientific data on, a live bear November that the Game Commission has caught and will later relocate 3 Volunteer Opportunity: to a safer location. Until then, we’ll make do with teaching Garden Gang Closing students about this large passer-by with our mounted black 7 Bounty at Boyce Mayview Park bear, “Henry,” that is graciously on loan from local hunter Fall Fest Bob Mullen.

8 Cool Critters I hope these little tidbits of information and personal 14 SOD Hike: Fall Birding encounters have left you with an urge to explore the nature that is right here in Upper St. Clair, and I look forward to Black bear cub; seeing you on the trails and in class soon. n photo credit Hal Kerber, PGC Fall 2015

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Give Them a Hand

More than applause, why not put a little something extra in those USCVFD and TCS envelopes?

Paul Fox And now, a word about our local first-response heroes. On-call 24/7, no matter the conditions, they stand ready to jump in and save our lives, property, homes, and businesses to ensure that Upper St. Clair remains an orderly, comfortable, safe, and healthy community.

The Township’s ambulance service, TriCommunity South EMS (TCS), receives no direct subsidies from the municipalities it serves, nor does it receive any revenue from the Local Services Tax (formerly named the Emergency and Municipal Services Tax). TCS relies on its annual subscription service and insurance reimbursements for funding. The TCS drive is sponsored each fall for the residents of Bethel Park, South Park, and Upper St. Clair. As a subscriber, you are protected from any unnecessary fees or charges in the event that you need emergency medical service. Subscribers are responsible for 50% of co-pays or deductibles. Even if your insurance company says you have coverage for ambulance service, most insurance companies do not reimburse 100% for ambulance transports.

Non-subscribers are responsible for the remaining balance of the bill and 100% of the co-pays. Treatment and non-transports for lift assists are covered services by insurance companies.

The services that TCS provides are highly rated. Many residents may be unaware of a fact posted on its website: “Tri-Community South EMS has trained more individuals in CPR, AEDs, First Aid, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support than any other organization in Pennsylvania.”

Upper St. Clair’s Volunteer Fire Department (USC VFD) receives its funding from three sources: the annual fund drive (50%); state relief fund (30%), which is earmarked for the purchase of equipment that protects the firefighter, such as bunker gear and air masks; and the USC Township general fund (20%).

Money raised from the VFD’s annual drive is used toward the upkeep and maintenance of the two fire stations, seven pieces of fire apparatus, training, insurance, equipment, and daily operating costs.

According to USC Township manager Matthew Serakowski, “Tri-Community 40

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

The women supporting the volunteers pose in front of one of USC’s fire trucks during a Breast Cancer Awareness event held at the Route 19 fire station.

South’s annual subscription drive and the Volunteer Fire Department’s annual fund drive are important because the two services are vital for the public safety and welfare of USC residents and business owners.”

As they say “every little bit helps.”

Please know that your donation to USC VFD and TCS helps provide extras, including training workshops, special equipment, and technology updates.

The Township of Upper St. Clair is at the top of many lists regarding its services, and among them is fast response times for emergency calls, an observation that was personally demonstrated to me on more than one occasion. It literally hit home one night when my wife, Donna, was experiencing a gallbladder attack, which included symptoms that resembled a heart attack. I called the Upper St. Clair police, who responded within three minutes. It took one mere minute longer for Donna to be placed on oxygen from the oxygen tank that the officer brought in as a precaution from his police car. Two minutes later, TCS

arrived at my doorstep. After a quick evaluation and getting her stabilized for transport, EMS took Donna by ambulance to St. Clair Hospital. No one should ever take this incredibly rapid action for granted!

During another incident, Donna and I were having dinner at Chipotle Mexican Grill at the corner of Route 19 and Fort Couch Road. Experimenting with a switch on the wall, a little girl standing in line accidentally pulled the fire alarm, summoning Upper St. Clair’s finest to the restaurant. As I quickly carried my food to the outside tables (and watched how most everyone else stayed in the restaurant as the bell was ringing—shame on them!), I started the stopwatch on my phone. In exactly three minutes and 24 seconds, a firefighter in a pick-up truck pulled up to the restaurant to confirm that it was a false alarm. In another 45 seconds, we heard sirens, and then watched as a USC fire truck negotiated the confined spaces of the parking lot. Very impressive service!

District Judge Ron Arnoni (center) addresses those at the USC VFD Breast Cancer Awareness event Fall 2015

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HONESTY, INTEGRITY & LEADERSHIP

Building Your Empire One House at a Time A Team of Realtors dedicated to results and raising standards to give you the service you deserve!

James M. Roman, PhD (ABD), MBA Keller Williams Pittsburgh South

Realtor®

Office: 412-831-3800 Cell: 724-931-1803 james.roman@thejimromangroup.com

www.TheJimRomanGroup.com

World Headquarters: 1500 Oxford Drive #300, Bethel Park, PA 15102 Team Members include: Natallia Aksenenko, Michael Bryant, Chanae Clark, Kathie Doehring, Tabitha Pauley, James Roman, Damian Thomas, Wendy Ward, and Holly Wholey.

While complimentary words are one thing, I decided to put my money where my mouth is, and made an extra donation to the USC VFD towards the purchase of more tablet computers. The fire department leadership was most appreciative, and this past October, I was invited with others to drop in to USC VFD’s main firehouse (#1) on Washington Road, across from Gilfillan Farm. When I walked into this state-of-the-art emergency response command center, it was like being warmly invited to a family dinner—albeit a very large gathering—sharing great amounts of food, refreshments, fun, laughter, and stimulating conversation.

Sporting pink ball caps and t-shirts, family members and firefighters were participating in a Breast Cancer Awareness event. I was struck by the displays of brotherhood and sisterhood among all who gathered. It was a privilege to take photos of those who posed in front of one of our well-outfitted, shiny, sparkling-clean fire engines.

After a brief tour of the facility, USC VFD president Jerry Kopach and fire chief Steve Moore brought me to the library and showed me the commemorative plaque

in memory of the late Township manager Douglas A. Watkins, who was one of the earliest champions of the modern-day USC Volunteer Fire Department.

USC VFD secretary Russ Rauch demonstrated the new computer tablets earmarked for the chief and assistant fire chiefs to take on calls. Innovative computer software allows instant and onsite access to maps and information about the buildings in the Township and surrounding areas, including most floor plans and locations of fire hydrants on commercial properties.

As USC residents, we are blessed to share the comforts and amenities of a wonderful community of vibrant, gifted, dynamic, and industrious family members, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, professionals, and business associates—kind and compassionate people who enjoy the fruits of a high quality and responsive municipal government, school district, with many local services.

Township manager Serakowski said, “We are most proud of those who provide not only monetary support but also their time and talents. We owe a great deal of thanks to the residents and non-residents who volunteer their personal time to Fall 2015

assist these organizations and protect our community.”

You, too, can make a difference! I encourage you to consider depositing “a little something extra” this year whenever you are asked to renew your subscription membership to Tri-Community South EMS and receive a donation request letter from the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department. Let’s lend a hand to assist our firefighters, EMS, and other first-responders! n

A plaque dedicated to former USC Township manager Douglas A. Watkins hangs at the fire station.

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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TCS EMS Receives Award Tri-Community South EMS received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience a STEMI, or ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

Unfortunately, a significant number of people don’t receive this prompt treatment. Mission: Lifeline® seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Mission: Lifeline’s® EMS recognition program recognizes emergency responders for their efforts in improving STEMI systems of care and improving the quality of life for these patients.

Emergency Medical System providers are vital to the success of Mission: Lifeline ®. EMS agencies provide access to 12-lead ECG machines (devices that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat and can help medical personnel determine if a heart attack has occurred), and follow protocols derived from American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines. The correct tools and training allow EMS

providers to rapidly identify the STEMI, promptly notify the medical center, and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.

Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Award have demonstrated at least 75% compliance for each required achievement measure for the entire year and treat at least eight STEMI patients for the year.

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can shave precious minutes off life-saving treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals. We applaud Tri-Community South EMS for achieving this award that shows it meets evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”

“Tri-Community South EMS is dedicated to making our unit among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® program is helping us accomplish that by implementing processes for improving STEMI systems of care with the goal of improving the quality of care for all STEMI patients,” said Nora Helfrich, Tri-Community South EMS director. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in emergency medical care for STEMI patients.” n

Controlling High Blood Pressure John D’Angelo, Tri-Community South EMS

A previous article appearing in UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY discussed high blood pressure (hypertension) and the dangers to a person’s health that living with high blood pressure can cause.

If you recall, high blood pressure is defined as a top or systolic number of 140 and above and a bottom or diastolic number of 90 or above. A number of prescription drugs exist that can be used to control blood pressure in an individual, but, as is the case with most prescribed drugs, some potentially unpleasant side effects can result from their use. Our aim, therefore, should be to alter our lifestyle to the extent that prescription drugs are unnecessary or, at the very least, that their use is kept to a minimum. Altering one’s lifestyle can be difficult, but, if a person can make the following changes, he or she should live a longer and healthier life.

First, lowering one’s daily salt intake has been found to lower blood pressure numbers anywhere from two to eight points. To lower your salt intake, you must avoid junk foods and processed foods. You must make a habit of reading food labels to learn the salt content of foods you normally eat. You must also avoid adding salt to the food that you prepare. Reduction of salt intake is especially important for those over the age of 50 and for AfricanAmericans.

Next, you must lose weight. Blood pressure increases as one’s weight increases. It has also been found that carrying too much weight around your waist significantly increases blood pressure.

Men with a waistline greater than 40 inches and women with a waistline greater than 35 inches are at a greater risk of having high blood pressure. Thirty to 60 minutes of physical activity five days a week combined with a diet consisting mainly of grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables will show significant weight loss in a fairly 42

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

short time. Physical activity has also been found to lower stress which can be another factor in raising blood pressure. Always consult your doctor before developing an exercise program so that he or she can ensure that the program you choose is appropriate for your age and physical condition.

Next, stop smoking and limit alcohol intake. It has been shown that the nicotine in one cigarette can raise blood pressure up to ten points. Thus, if you smoke regularly or are exposed to second-hand smoke, your blood pressure will be at an increased level all day. Alcohol, on the other hand, has been shown to lower blood pressure if held to two drinks or fewer each day. More than two drinks will raise blood pressure significantly. Therefore, you must avoid alcohol altogether if you cannot limit your drinking.

Also, if you do not drink now, do not start drinking in order to lower blood pressure.

Other steps that you can take to lower blood pressure without resorting to prescription drugs include lowering caffeine intake, monitoring blood pressure daily, and visiting your doctor on a regular basis.

None of the steps outlined above are easy to accomplish. But, if you are serious about improving your health and your prospects for a longer life, you must change your lifestyle accordingly. You will find that you will be more successful if you make the changes gradually, rather than attempting to change all your habits at once.

Finally, support from family and friends is essential in order to make dramatic changes from your previous lifestyle. n See precursor article “What is Blood Pressure?” found on page 70 of the summer 2015 issue of TODAY. For more information, contact Tri-Community South EMS at 412-831-3710 or www.tcsems.org.

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Public Works Day a Hit!

Highley

It’s rumored to be the favorite field trip of the year for the youngest class of students in Upper St. Clair! With equipment demonstrations, gardening, customizing their “hard hats,” and decorating one of the Township’s snowplows, USC kindergarten students had a great time visiting the Public Works Department’s Open House on May 20. n

Dedicated Knowledgeable Accessible Dependable

Susan Highley ABR, CRS, SRES

$180 Million Sales in 24 Years

“Your Real Estate Needs Are My #1 Priority”

412.833.3600 ext 268 Cell: 412.889.1214

www.shighley.howardhanna.com

Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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T General Election—Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Polls Open 7 a.m.—8 p.m.

Monday, October 5, 2015, is Voter Registration Deadline Date.

(Date subject to change pending Pennsylvania legislative action.)

If you have questions regarding the election, registration, or absentee ballots, please call the Allegheny County Elections Department at 412-350-4500 or visit www.twpusc.org. The Township Library and the post office have voter registration forms.

Check the Township website to verify the location of the polling place closer to the General Election date.

Ward District Polling Place 1

1

Township Building, Library Multi-purpose Room, Ground Floor–McLaughlin Run Road

1

2

Baker Elementary School, Gymnasium–Morton Road

1

3

Fort Couch Middle School–Gymnasium Miranda Drive entrance

1

4

Fort Couch Middle School–Gymnasium Miranda Drive entrance

2

1

Fort Couch Middle School–Gymnasium Miranda Drive entrance

2

2

Westminster Presbyterian Church–Washington Road

2

3

Fort Couch Middle School–Gymnasium Miranda Drive entrance

2

4

Fort Couch Middle School–Gymnasium Miranda Drive entrance

Ward District Polling Place 3 1 Recreation Center–McLaughlin Run Road 3

2

St. Louise de Marillac Business Office (rear)–McMurray Road

3

3

Recreation Center–McLaughlin Run Road

4

1

Baker Elementary School, Gymnasium–Morton Road

4

2

Boyce Middle School, Gymnasium–Boyce Road

4

3

Boyce Middle School, Gymnasium–Boyce Road

4

4

Boyce Middle School, Gymnasium–Boyce Road

5

1

Wesley Spectrum Services, Gymnasium–Johnston Road

5

2

Wesley Spectrum Services, Gymnasium–Johnston Road

5

3

Boyce Middle School, Gymnasium–Boyce Road

Sanitary Sewer Backups AND your homeowner’s coverage The Township maintains over 158 miles of underground sewer lines.

There is no way to predict when the next sanitary sewer backup will occur.

And while only a handful of our residents experience a significant sanitary sewer backup each year, we know that when it does occur, it is a distressing situation. It can be even more devastating if a resident is not insured for losses—losses that can easily run into tens of thousands of dollars.

Sewer Backup Insurance Homeowners can alleviate possible sewer-related damage expenses by contacting their property insurance provider to verify that they have sewer backup coverage. Most homeowners’ insurance policies do not automatically include coverage for these occurrences. Given the potential for significant loss, it would be advisable for homeowners served by a public sewer system, particularly those with finished basements, to obtain some level of coverage.

Lastly, if you experience a floor drain backup or otherwise suspect a sanitary sewer problem, contact the Township’s Public Works Department immediately at 412-831-9000, extension 271.

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UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

2015 Trash-Recycling Holiday Collection Holiday Collection Date Labor Day............................... Thursday, September 10

and Friday, September 11 Thanksgiving.......................... Friday, November 27

2015 Fall Yard Debris/Leaf Waste Collection—Saturdays

Place your fall yard debris and leaf waste in compostable bags, then place the bags at curbside by 6 a.m. the morning of pick up. Collection will take place the following six Saturdays: October 24, 31; November 7, 14, 21; and December 5.

!

RECENT CFUSC EVENTS

• The Career Exploration Opportunity (CEO) provided support for students to have job shadowing experiences.

• A Hauber Foundation Grant was accepted by CF to fund a USCHS Choir Alumni Reunion.

• “Becoming A Competitive College Applicant” seminars, with various colleges represented, continues.

• Funding was provided to USC’s annual Arts & Chocolates event for screen painting of souvenir T-shirts by children.

2015 Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair Board of Trustees

Seated (l-r): Angela Petersen, Leanne Adamo, Beth Ellis, Stacie de la Parra Standing: Gregg Zegarelli, Ponny Conomos Jahn, Steve Stockton, Lauren Trocano, Paul Fox, Diane Vater, Terry Rubright, Beth Erlanger, Tim Wagner, Joy Rullo, Rachel Lowden, Ray Berrott Missing from picture: Jim Bennett, Buffy Hasco, Michael Roeschenthaler, John Tarcson

!

• The Innovation Hub at the High School, accepted as an eligible program under the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC), led to a $10,000 donation and will be used for SHOP@USC, which is part of the Innovation Hub. • “Big Hero 6” was selected as the Sixth Annual Free Outdoor Family Movie, to be shown on the C&RC Multi-Purpose Field.

• A $5,000 grant helped fund “The Verdi Requiem” in the USCHS Theater.

• Funding was provided to support Casey’s Clubhouse Playground at the C&RC.

The COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF USC invites you to the

Sixth Annual “Free” Family Outdoor Movie

!

AUGUST 20th— at dusk

•BOYCE MAYVIEW PARK MULTIPURPOSE FIELD • USC COMMUNITY & RECREATION CENTER • 1551 MAYVIEW ROAD • USC

BIG HERO 6

BRING A PICNIC BASKET — SIT UNDER THE STARS WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS — AND WATCH THIS CURRENT POPULAR SUMMERTIME MOVIE!

!

CONCESSION STAND WILL BE OPEN FOR POPCORN AND WATER.

NO RAIN DATE. In case of inclement weather it will be moved to the Boyce School Theater.

The COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF UPPER ST. CLAIR thanks the TOWNSHIP of USC & the USC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION for their support of this event.

QUESTIONS? EMAIL: theadamos@verizon.net

Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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!

Oktoberfest Craft Beer Tasting

Join us for the third annual casual evening

of craft beers and tasty bites.

Saturday, October 3, 2015 !

7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

St. Thomas More Family Life Center 134 Fort Couch Road • Upper St. Clair, PA 15241

samples of American and European brews) !! and Deadline for registration: September 25, 2015 Please visit www.cfusc.org to register online.

$50 donation per person (includes souvenir glass

Must be 21 or older to attend. Please bring proper I.D. All proceeds benefit the Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair.

A NIGHT AT THE RACES

May 2, 2015 ~ St. Clair Country Club

To see more pictures from A NIGHT AT THE RACES, go to the CFUSC website, www.cfusc.org 46

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

USC BOOK CLUB ~ Sponsored by the

Community Foundation of USC Everyone is welcome to attend.

The USC Book Club had its first book discussion session on November 12, 2014. The next session, on Thursday, September 10, 2015, will discuss THE GOLDFINCH and will be the fifth book discussed.

When: Thursday, September 10, 2015! ! Where: USC Community & Recreation Center! ! What Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm ! !! !

Repeat at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm !

RSVP encouraged, but not necessary.

QUESTIONS & RSVP: berlanger@verizon.net

Copies are available at SHV Barnes & Noble and on Kindle.

!!

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE!

Community Day Duck Race

A big “Thank You” to the Community Foundation Trustees who donated the Duck Race prizes below, and to the members of the community who supported CF by “adopting” a duck for the race.

NEW DUCKS IN TOWN

Thanks to LINDA SERENE whose vision and energy founded CF and developed the DUCK RACE that has become one of the favorite activities on Community Day, and for donating the retiring “water logged” ducks.

Be sure to watch for the inaugural race with the new “DUCK FLEET” in 2016.

Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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P IN EBRI DGE Pinebridge Commons

1580 McLaughlin Run Rd Pittsburgh PA 15241

412-257-1150

••••••••••••••••• Abacus Settlement Co. Cardinal Endocrinology Emma’s Market & Deli, Inc.

Piccolina’s Restaurant

133 West Allegheny Road Imperial PA 15126

Pgh. Stone & Waterscapes

Peter Gialames & Associates

Questa Petroleum Co.

Interior Designs/Furnishings

Randal Agency, Allstate Ins.

by Mary Kay Chaffee

Eric J. Reitz DMD &

Jennings & Co., CPA

Beth Troy, DMD

Jimcor Associates, Inc.

Richardson Family

Timothy Kerr, DMD &

Cindy Brophy, State Farm Ins.

Romana Pautler Kerr, DMD

724-695-0133

Our primary goal is to give your child positive memories that instill lifelong hygiene habits.

Suburban Dry Cleaners Travel Leaders, Kiernan Ent.

Melissa D. Michel, LPC Midway Financial Services

724-942-4840

Pediatric Dentistry South

Design Image Salon, Joe Ruffalo

Larry E. Manalo, DMD

4000 Waterdam Plaza McMurray PA 15317

Pediatric Alliance

Wininsky Law Offices Xcoal Energy Resources

•••••••••••••••••

McLaughlin Run Road at Lesnett Road www.pinebridgecommons.com Leasing Opportunity – Avison Young (412) 944-2138

Office hours are Monday through Friday.

Evening appointments are available.

S O MU C H TO O FFE R ...

FAMILY AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Let us make you smile!

T imothy J. K err , D.M.D. R omana P autler K err , D.M.D.

KK 412-257-4250

Pinebridge Commons Suite 207

kerrdmd.com 48

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Chairside Whitening System

Fall 2015

COMMONS Larry E. Manalo, D.M.D.

Complete General & Specialty Dental Care Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry Prosthodontic Specialist

Your smile is the greatest gift of all!

1580 McLaughlin Run Road, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241

412-221-2221 • www.manalosmiles.com

. . .O N E S TO P C O N V E N I E N C E The orthodontic office of Dr. Eric Reitz and Dr. Beth Troy provides care for the communities of Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park, and the South Hills of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Reitz and Dr. Troy take the time to place and adjust braces on every patient, giving individualized attention in a caring environment.

Schedule your complimentary consultation today!

• Orthodontic services for children and adults Pinebridge Commons location: 1580 McLaughlin Run Road, Suite 200 Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 412-221-0392 Bethel Park location: 2414 Lytle Road, Suite 100 Bethel Park, PA 15102 412-831-2188

• Individualized care in a friendly and patient-focused environment • Convenient appointment hours, including Saturday mornings • 24-hour emergency services

You Are Here

In the heart of Upper St. Clair

• Most major insurance plans accepted

Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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Health and Wellness Considering a future in Health Care?

Take the first step today!

WHS School of Nursing Become a nurse in 16 months through our School of Nursing program.

Tuition is approximately $22,000.

For more info: (724) 223-3167 | whs.org/schoolofnursing

New Patients Welcome Top Ten Children’s Hospital Training Small Office Caring Gary C. Smith, MD

WHS School of Radiologic Technology We are currently accepting applications for the Class of 2016-2018 at The School of Radiologic Technology.

Classes start August 2016.

Providers Stephanie G. Sussman, MD

2001 Waterdam Plaza, Suite 105, McMurray, PA 15317 (724) 942-6499 whs.org

For more info: (724) 229-2084 | whs.org/schoolofradiology

Do You Expect the Best for Your Child?

Gary C. Smith, M.D., Washington Health System The practice of medicine has always been regarded as equal parts science and art. This certainly applies to the practice of present day pediatrics, with rapidly advancing science guiding new recommendations which need to be transferred to the real world in which your child lives. Is your child’s care being delivered by a pediatrician in a setting that optimizes these goals?

Applying science to pediatrics requires a strong base of knowledge and dedication to lifelong learning. While the majority of doctors are board certified as competent, that does not mean all doctors are the same. Pediatricians care exclusively for children and therefore have a depth of specialized experience that cannot be achieved by practitioners who face the challenge of caring for patients across the entire lifespan. Moreover, some pediatricians completed residency training at nationally-recognized children’s hospitals which are the most competitive and selective programs in the country. These prestigious programs provide a high volume and diverse learning experience as well as instill an ambition to provide the very best care for children. Investigate where your child’s doctor trained; this is much more meaningful than the name of the practice on the sign.

Applying experience and knowledge to caring for children requires the artistic side of medicine. Personality, relatability, and access are important components in delivering excellent pediatric care. The best pediatricians are able to relate to both parents and children with equal ease as they must work with both during most encounters. Making children feel comfortable during a potentially 50

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stressful time is a critical skill for pediatricians. The right “bedside manner” can make all the difference in performing accurate exams and gaining important details from both parents and children. Another important feature in providing the best care is access. Pediatric offices should provide same day sick appointment when necessary (not just refer patients to an urgent care facility where they will be seen by an unfamiliar practitioner who may be a doctor or a mid-level provider).

Children should not be treated like numbers. Some larger pediatric offices set quotas for doctors to see eight patients per hour (that’s seven minutes per visit!) and often in these larger offices, children see a new doctor each visit, making it impossible to develop a relationship. Optimal care cannot be delivered in an assembly-line fashion by doctors without any relationship with their patients or experience with their medical histories.

Your child deserves the best care possible. Asking the right questions will help you to choose the best pediatric office for your child.

The best pediatric offices are committed to be the best in both the science and art of pediatrics. n If you have questions, would like more information, or wish to make an appointment, contact Gary C. Smith, M.D. or Stephanie G. Sussman, M.D. at WHS Pediatric and Adolescent Care, Waterdam, in Waterdam Plaza, McMurray, at 724-942-6499 or www.whs.org. See ad for Washington Health Systems on this page.

Health and Wellness

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Health and Wellness Bedner’s Farm Market We have all you ds r Halloween & fall nee Halloween & Fall Decorations Gourds & Jack Be Littles Potted Mums Corn Stalks Pumpkins Straw

412-221-5525

Mon.-Fri.: 9am - 7pm Sat.-Sun.: 9am - 6pm Holidays: 9am - 3pm 1520 Bower Hill Road Pittsburgh, PA 15241 www.bednersfarmmarketusc.com

Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center ATTENTION UPPER ST. CLAIR RESIDENTS

Skate With Us at the MT. LEBANON RECREATION CENTER Open Year Round with Something for Everyone Friday Night Teen skate with D.J. from 8:10 - 10:30pm.

Learn-to-Skate Classes/ Beginner & Advanced Hockey Clinics Youth Developmental & Adult Hockey Leagues Public Skating Figure Skating Sessions Daily Adult Skating & Instructional Programs Speed Skating * Broomball Birthday Party Packages Call the Recreation Center at 412-561-4363 for times and rates Or visit us online at www.mtlebanon.org

Do You Have Text Neck?

Maribeth Twerdok

With millions of Americans owning cell phones and the explosion of social media, people are constantly texting, checking emails, or playing games, all with their heads held in an unnatural position. When you lean your head forward away from its neutral position with the ears and shoulders aligned, its normal weight of approximately 12 pounds increases dramatically. As your neck bends forward and down, the weight on the cervical spine begins to increase. At a 15-degree angle, the head’s weight is about 27 pounds, at 30 degrees it is 40 pounds, at 45 degrees it is 49 pounds, and at 60 degrees it is 60 pounds. As your neck remains in this position for a long period of time, it becomes sore and inflamed, causing muscle strain, pinched nerves, and herniated disks. Over time, the cervical spine’s natural curve is affected, resulting in what is known as a reverse curve. A reverse curve used to take decades to develop; however, with the overuse of electronic devices it is now being diagnosed in young adults, and even children, at a much earlier age. Ask yourself, is your neck stiff and aching more than usual? Do you feel an uncomfortable tightness across your shoulders and upper back, or numbness and tingling in your arms? Have your children been complaining of frequent headaches? An increasingly common condition known as text neck may be to blame. A term coined by Dr. Dean L. Fishman, text neck refers to overuse syndrome or a repetitive stress injury, occurring when you have your head hung forward and are looking down for extended periods of time.

D r. M a rc M i c u c c i , o f D & M Chiropractic in Upper St. Clair, states, 52

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“We’ve been seeing a huge influx of patients with neck conditions as a result of constant cell phone and computer use. We’ve especially seen an increase in kids coming into the office with complaints due to the forward flexing of their necks while texting. Research from the National Library of Medicine shows that on the average, adults spend two to four hours a day using their phones, while teenagers often spend twice that amount of time. Parents should be watchful for the development of this condition in both themselves and their children.”

If left untreated, text neck can lead to chronic inflammation of the neck muscles, arthritic damage, and postural problems, due to the abnormal curvature of the spine. Poor posture has also been linked to headaches, depression, and heart disease. Experts say it can reduce lung capacity by as much as 30%. Misalignments of the spine can also disrupt and compromise the nervous system, resulting in neurological conditions.

Chiropractic care can be very effective in the treatment of text neck, helping to restore misaligned vertebrae to their proper positions in the spinal column, alleviating muscle spasms, pain, and other symptoms, and preventing further damage. With special exercises and adjustments, the neck’s proper curve can be restored and maintained non-invasively and without the use of medications. Dr Micucci adds, “I advise people to schedule a consultation right away if they are noticing symptoms of text neck in themselves or their children. Even without symptoms, if they are frequently looking down at their cell phones or laptops their necks and spines may already be affected, and they should be checked. I have definitely noticed an increase in the severity of these neck conditions in my patients. It has unfortunately become very prevalent.” n See ad for D&M Chiropractic on page 53.

Health and Wellness Texting Can Be a Pain in the Neck!

Do you or your child have these symptoms?

Stiff/ aching neck or headache?

Sore/ tight shoulders?

Upper back pain?

You may be suffering from ‘Text Neck’ –a condition which may become worse over time

We Can Help The doctors of D&M Chiropractic and Therapeutic Rehab are specialists who are trained in relieving many conditions; including back and leg pain; arm, shoulder and neck pain; sports and disc injuries; headaches and neurological problems; carpal tunnel and TMJ syndromes, and chronic joint pain.

(Call us for a free consultation)

Your Upper St. Clair Chiropractors

Drs. Marc and Deana Micucci 2555 Washington Rd., Suite 620 Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 412-833-1101 dmchiro.com Fall 2015

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Health and Wellness A Healthier U(SC) Runners, Strike Your Pose It’s not too late to register for dance classes!

Beginner through advanced levels Specialized classes for ages 2-18 Mommy & Me starting at 18 mos.

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Thomas Dance Studio South

111 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 412-257-2000 www.thomasdance.com

Heather Holtschlag

No matter whether you are a runner training for an upcoming event or enjoy just a daily run, you may want to stop and heed the advice of local experts and strike your (yoga) pose.

“Runners can benefit greatly from a consistent yoga practice,” said April Jackson, a local yoga instructor and Upper St. Clair resident.

“To start, yoga can help runners improve their breathing, which helps build their aerobic endurance and gives them the ability to run longer. Yoga can help build a runner’s core strength, improve balance, and increase stability, which can help with gait and performance. The muscle strength runners need in their lower body and the flexibility they gain helps with endurance and promotes a run free from injury.”

There are a number of benefits that runners can experience from yoga, according to Jackson. A good yoga practice can humble you, empower you, and teach you about your strengths and weaknesses, thereby giving you the ability and confidence to handle the mental exercise that running often requires.

“Physically, runners can gain strength from yoga in key muscle groups that the body relies on for running,” Jackson explained. “Yoga

“Growing Dancers Since 1967”

Continued on page 56

The “Clear” Choice for Oral Health

Dr. Beth Troy and Dr. Eric Reitz Clues to your overall health can still growing can have positive orthodontic manifest in your mouth, and problems in results that may not be possible once the your mouth can affect the rest of your body. face and jaws have completed their growth.

Never before has there been a stronger link A good dental foundation can be established, between oral health and the health of your providing enough room for eruption of all entire body. permanent teeth. This early correction may Many people seek orthodontic treat- prevent later removal of permanent teeth to ment with esthetic goals only: straightening correct overcrowding and/or surgical procrooked teeth and making their smile and cedures to align the upper and lower jaws. overall appearance more attractive. Having Adults and teenagers especially appreciate straight teeth and a healthy bite, however, the benefits of a beautiful, healthy smile. provides a functional, esthetic result that will Advances in technology and treatment methremain stable throughout your life. Straight ods, such as “clear” aligners or Invisalign®, teeth are also easier to brush and floss, pre- have more teenagers and adults than ever venting the overgrowth of oral bacteria from interested in orthodontics. causing oral diseases such as gingivitis and Invisalign® uses a series of clear aligners periodontitis. Orthodontic treatment places that others can barely tell you are wearing each tooth in an exact location in the mouth and is made with 3D computer imaging where it is in harmony with the lips, cheeks, technology. Not only are the aligners basitongue, and other teeth. When this equilib- cally invisible, they are removable, so there rium is established, the teeth will function are no diet restrictions while in treatment. together properly.

Because braces and wires are not used, Orthodontic treatment can be success- brushing and flossing is much easier and less ful at any age, from early-phased (Phase I) time-consuming than if wearing traditional treatment to adulthood. Children who are metal braces. The clear aligners are also 54

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comfortable, with no metal hooks or cleats to cause rubbing and mouth ulcers during treatment. In addition, no metal and no wires usually equates to spending less time at the orthodontist’s appointment getting adjustments, reviewing oral hygiene instructions, and repairing loose brackets and bands.

Each set of aligners is worn for about two weeks, removing them to eat, drink, brush, and floss. As each aligner is replaced with the next in the series, teeth will move until they have straightened to the final position.

You will visit the orthodontist approximately once every six to eight weeks to ensure that treatment is progressing as planned.

Parents, you do so much for your family... now it is time to do something for yourself!

The choice is clear; consider orthodontic treatment with clear aligners to get the healthy smile you have always wanted, without braces. Begin your journey toward a healthier mouth and a healthier you. A consultation with your orthodontist can determine if orthodontics is right for you. n See ad for Drs. Reitz and Troy on page 49.

Health and Wellness Bragdon • Stofman Plastic Surgery Group Board Certified in Plastic Surgery

Robert W. Bragdon, M.D., F.A.C.S. Guy M. Stofman, M.D., F.A.C.S. John P. Brosious, M.D.

Complete plastic surgical services including: • breast augmentation • breast lift • facelift • brow lift • liposuction • tummy tuck • rhinoplasty www.plastic-surgical-assoc.com

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The Best Senior Activity to Start Now—Walking Baptist Homes Society Wellness Team Inexpensive, simple, and almost anyone can do it, walking as a regular exercise has almost no obstacles and can provide a myriad of health benefits for seniors. These include a stronger heart, a better mental outlook, improved balance, and prevention of weight gain, dementia, osteoporosis, and disease. Ultimately, for seniors, it means an increased chance of remaining independent.

Walking, a low-impact, easily modified form of exercise can be suitable for people of all ages and most abilities. And, with the temperate fall weather approaching, it is a perfect time to take advantage of the many parks, walkways, and other accessible and scenic areas in and around Pittsburgh. If you aren’t out on our local trails and pathways, you are missing something very special about our region. In Upper St. Clair alone, there are 14 parks. Downtown Pittsburgh boasts 24 miles of accessible Residents who enjoy walking Providence Point’s expansive courtyard pathways are helping researchers.

riverfront trails. Even area malls have plenty of open indoor space to accommodate a brisk daily walk.

Researchers continue to find new benefits to walking. In fact, Providence Point’s Wellness department is currently participating in a three-year research study with Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the University of Pittsburgh.

The randomized trial, which is being held at various senior living and community centers throughout the Pittsburgh area, will compare two different exercise programs to improve walking in older adults.

The study will provide Baptist Homes Society campuses with an opportunity to assess its walking programming and activities, and all residents who participate will benefit from the exercise and knowledge gained.

Baptist Homes Society’s director of wellness Fabiana Cheistwer, who often holds walking meetings with staff, points out, “The ability of a brisk walk to boost mood and energy is undeniable.

We’re excited about the further information that the study will provide. Walking can be a social activity or a meditative experience; it can relax or invigorate. Providence Point serves a very active group of seniors who already realize that the important thing is to get up and move. They are excited about being able to help others through participation in the study,” she said. n See ad for Providence Point, a Baptist Homes Society Community, on page 18.

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Health and Wellness Home Safe Home

It’s the place you go to relax and retreat: your home. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 47% of injuries requiring medical attention occur while in your home.

Keep an eye out for these common injury culprits.

Falls. Seniors 65 and older top the list of ER visits for injuries caused by falls, but they’re not alone. Falls also are the top injury cause for middle age adults and preschoolers. Here’s what to do: • Keep stairs and floors in high traffic areas clear.

• Adequately light your home, and rely on nightlights or flashlights when it’s dark.

• Use baby gates to keep toddlers in safer areas.

• Make sure all rugs have a non-skid backing.

• Wipe up spills immediately.

• Clear walkways, stairs, and sidewalks after a snowstorm, treating them with a de-icer product or a natural alternative to limit ice buildup.

Strikes. A box tumbles down from a closet shelf and bumps you on the head or

you slip in the bathroom and slam a wrist against the tile. Injuries that occur when something strikes you—or when you strike something hard—are common accidents that could send you to the ER. Here’s what to do: • Reduce the number of items on upper levels of cabinets, closets, and bookshelves, and keep them organized.

• Securely position ladders before climbing on them and climb only to the top recommended step.

• Add a protective surface under swings and children’s play areas.

• Close cabinet doors and drawers immediately after use.

• Install sturdy handrails in seniors’ bathrooms.

• Cushion sharp table edges at least until your toddler is standing and walking steadily.

Overexertion. Rearranging your furniture may cause a back strain. Shoveling snow too long might bring on a shoulder injury or even a heart attack. Listen to your body when it tells you to take a break. Here’s what to do: • Get help from others when needed.

• When lifting, keep your knees bent and lift from your legs.

• Take frequent breaks.

• Avoid twisting your torso when reaching for something.

• Use ergonomically designed tools to lessen the chance of injury.

• Stretch before if you take on a vigorous activity.

Cuts. Whether you miss the mark while slicing a bagel or get a puncture wound by stepping on something sharp, cutting and piercing injuries also commonly occur at home. Here’s what to do: • Keep knives sharp. Using a dull blade, which needs more pressure, can lead to slips.

• Clean up workspaces before you leave the project area.

• Reduce distractions and pay attention when using sharp implements.

• Wear shoes outside.

• Wear gloves when working with tools.

• Keep your tetanus vaccination current. n Article compliments of State Farm®. See ad for Cindy Brophy, State Farm® agent, on page 48.

Continued from page 54

Runners, Strike Your Pose also really helps runners develop their long, lean muscles, which are relied on for long-distance running.”

According to Jackson, all runners can benefit from a yoga practice, whether a novice or an elite runner. “I personally highly recommend it for everyone who runs or who wants to run,” she said. “It is a good balance to the competitive spirit that running often promotes, as yoga is very non-competitive. Runners should be mindful to remain humble and patient with a yoga practice. Start off slow and build a practice from which you can truly benefit.”

Jackson, who teaches yoga classes for runners at the C&RC and at Mecka Fitness in Mt. Lebanon, said she has quite a few runners in her classes, many of whom run in triathlons and marathons and those who run as part of their regular exercise.

“I often suggest that runners practice yoga a minimum of once a week,” Jackson noted. “A little yoga goes a long way, and with the number of yoga channels on television and online, that is very doable. However, know that having a professional, personal instructor is the best way to learn how to do and understand the postures and remain safe in the practice. All of the other forms of classes on TV, online, and on DVDs can provide additional benefits to help individuals create their own personalized practice.”

Jackson said that there are a number of postures that can enhance a runner’s routine and aid the muscles that help them to run better, with less injury. These include: • Downward Dog for hamstrings and calves • Upward Dog for hips, breathing, and back 56

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• Triangle for inner thighs and hamstrings • Bound Ankle pose for hips and inner thighs • Head to Knee pose for back of the legs and back • Pigeon pose for hips, glutes, and back • Warrior I, II, III series for quadriceps • Breathing exercises to increase lung capacity and create mindfulness • Uttanasana for back, hamstrings, and IT band “Strength and flexibility gained in the core, quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors are specifically beneficial for runners,” Jackson explained. “These muscles help runners to run more efficiently. The combination of active and passive stretching in yoga helps runners stay injury-free. Active stretching creates warmth and suppleness in the tissues. Passive stretching occurs when a person holds a posture for at least one minute and allows the muscles to lengthen. Be sure to include both types within your practice, and practice often!”

Runners training for a race need to be careful when incorporating yoga into their training routine, as you never want to start something new in the midst of training, Jackson noted. She suggested to begin a yoga practice before training begins or earlier on in the training period. “When training hard and amping up mileage or speed, a runner might benefit from a more gentle yoga practice.

When training eases, runners can increase their yoga practice but remember to always be humble, and treat yourself and your body with respect. Unlike running, yoga is not competitive or necessarily goal-oriented. It is for you to reach your maximum potential in mind, body, and soul.” n

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Why You Need Life Insurance Tom DiPasquale, Farmers® Insurance Agency As we journey through life, we often get sidetracked and may relegate the task of buying life insurance to the bottom of our to-do list. As we grow older, get married, start families, and open businesses, we come to realize more and more that life insurance is a fundamental part of having a sound financial plan. Depending on your type of policy, life insurance is fairly inexpensive. You’ll find comfort in knowing money will be available to protect your loved ones in the event of your passing. It’s worth the investment when you are healthy. Here are five reasons why having adequate life insurance is so important.

1. Protect Your Family and Loved Ones. Buying life insurance helps keep your family’s hopes and dreams alive. If your loved ones depend on your financial support for their livelihood, then life insurance—which replaces your income if you die— is a must. This is especially important for parents of young children or couples whose partner will find it difficult if they no longer have the source of income provided by their partner. You will also need to provide enough money to cover the costs of hiring someone to cover the day-to-day household tasks, including cleaning, laundry, cooking, childcare, and anything else a growing family needs.

2. Leave an Inheritance. Even if you don’t have any other assets to pass to your heirs, you can create an inheritance by buying a life insurance policy and naming them as beneficiaries. This is a great way to set your kids up for a solid financial future and provide for monetary needs that will arise.

3. Pay Off Debts and Other Expenses. In addition to providing income to cover everyday living expenses, your family needs insurance to cover any outstanding debt, like the mortgage, credit cards, and car loans. Other expenses include funeral and burial costs that can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

You don’t want your spouse, parents, children, or other loved ones to be left with the extra financial burden in addition to the emotional burden they’re already suffering.

4. Add More Financial Security. Like most parents, you probably want to know your kids will be well taken care of when you’re gone. You not only want to provide them with the opportunity for a college education, but also for other life ventures, including getting married or starting a business. For these reasons, additional coverage is essential while your kids are young and still at home.

5. Bring Peace of Mind. No amount of money can replace a person. But more than anything, life insurance can help to provide protection for the uncertainties in life. None of us know when we’ll pass; it could be today, tomorrow, or 50 years into the future, but, inevitably, it will happen. Life insurance helps your heirs through an otherwise difficult time of loss and provides them (and you) a sense of security. n Tom DiPasquale is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, currently residing in Upper St. Clair. Reach him at 412-531-1615 or by email at tdipasquale@farmersagent.com. See ad on this page.

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Dining Guide

dine in-carry out-delivery-catering

412.531.6666 412.531.8666 670 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, PA, 15228

www.jadegrille.com Eating for Energy: Four Seasons of Real Food The late afternoon sun warmed the cherry tomato that I plucked from the vine and popped into my mouth. Walking further through my father’s garden, I snapped two big peppers off their bush. Memories like these of my father’s garden are just one reason I’ve dedicated the last six months to writing a cookbook.

Due out in October 2015, Eating for Energy Cookbook: Four Seasons of Real Food, highlights food by its season. Whole, real foods give us the energy and nutrients we need to live our most Kathy Parry at the Farmers’ energetic lives. And choosing foods based on season allows us to eat more foods that are locally sourced. Below is the perfect Market, held in the parking lot recipe for the bounty of a late summer harvest. Enjoy! Look for at Westminster Church, summer Thursdays, 4–7 p.m. through the book due out just in time for the holidays. n September 24

Kathy Parry, a food coach, is a professional speaker, author of two books, mother of four, and a mild dark chocolate addict. Learn more about what she does at www.KathyParry.com.

Summer Quinoa Salad with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Quino, the nutty grain from South America, cooks quickly and is full of nutrients and protein. Use it as a base for many classic summer combinations, including this one.

Ingredients 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package and cooled (yields approx. 2 cups cooked) 1 cup chopped fresh basil 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 cups diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes 1 cup shredded zucchini 58

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1 cup fennel bulb, chopped fine ½ cup olive oil Juice of one lemon ½ cup feta (optional) ½ tsp. sea salt (or to taste) Pepper (to taste)

Directions Cook the quinoa according to the package and cool. Add basil, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, and fennel to the quinoa. Toss until well combined. Drizzle olive oil over the salad and add lemon juice. Toss well. Add feta and salt and pepper to taste.

Dining Guide

!

NEW

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SD Upper St. Clair School District Board of School Directors

Buffy Z. Hasco Vice President 412-833-5712 2017*

Frank J. Kerber President 412-833-4873 2017*

Louis P. Mafrice, Jr. 412-851-0622 2017*

Louis M. Oliverio 724-941-4584 2015*

Amy L. Billerbeck 412-833-2712 2015*

Angela B. Petersen 412-831-7182 2015*

*Date indicates expiration of term.

Barbara L. Bolas 412-833-9841 2015*

Harry F. Kunselman 412-851-1115 2017*

The 2015 -2016 regular meetings of the Upper St. Clair Township Board of School Directors are held at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at the Central Office Board Room, unless otherwise noted. No regular meeting is scheduled for July.

Rebecca A. Stern 412-220-0745 *Date indicates expiration of term.

2015*

School District Detailed Monthly Calendar—Visit www.uscsd.k12.pa.us.

School District Central Office Administration

To reach personnel, call 412-833-1600, and follow the automated directions.

Administrator

Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Sharon Suritsky Assistant Superintendent/ Deputy Superintendent

Dr. John Rozzo Assistant Superintendent

Frosina Cordisco Director of Business and Finance

Dr. Judy Bulazo Director of Curriculum and Professional Development

Ray Berrott Director of Technology

Melissa Garvin Supervisor of Special Education

Sheila Gorgonio Director of Advancement

Eloise Stoehr Supervisor of Pupil Personnel

Secretary/Email Address Extension

Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole................................ Mary Ann Stabile............................. 2201 Superintendent of Schools mstabile@uscsd.k12.pa.us Dr. Sharon Suritsky................................... Donna Faccenda..............................2218 Assistant Superintendent/ dfaccenda@uscsd.k12.pa.us Deputy Superintendent Dr. John Rozzo................................................................................................ 3211 Assistant Superintendent jrozzo@uscsd.k12.pa.us Frosina Cordisco........................................ Dawn Machi.....................................2220 Director of Business and Finance dmachi@uscsd.k12.pa.us Dr. Judy Bulazo.......................................... Donna Faccenda..............................2218 Director of Curriculum dfaccenda@uscsd.k12.pa.us and Professional Development Ray Berrott.................................................. Doreen Leech....................................2211 Director of Technology dleech@uscsd.k12.pa.us Eloise Stoehr............................................... Terri Lott...........................................2283 Supervisor of Pupil Personnel tlott@uscsd.k12.pa.us Melissa Garvin............................................ Cheryl Ellison...................................2116 Supervisor of Special Education cellison@uscsd.k12.pa.us Sheila Gorgonio.....................................................................................................2826 Director of Advancement sgornonio@uscsd.k12.pa.us Jonn Mansfield........................................................................................................ 3450 Director of Transportation School District Building Administration

Dr. Lou Angelo............................... High School Principal Dr. Timothy Wagner ..................... High School Associate Principal for

Programming Planning and Innovation Daniel Beck.................................... High School Assistant Principal Christine Mussomeli...................... High School Assistant Principal Joseph DeMar ................................ Fort Couch Middle School Principal Amy Pfender................................... Boyce Middle School Principal Erin Peterson.................................. Middle School Assistant Principal (Grades 5-8) Dr. Patrick McClintock-Comeaux... Baker Elementary School Principal Mark Miller.......................................Eisenhower Elementary School Principal/

Supervisor of Elementary Education Dr. Claire Miller............................. Streams Elementary School Principal Bradley Wilson............................... Supervisor of Customized and Online Learning

USC School District website: www.uscsd.k12.pa.us 60

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SD

School District Teachers Receive Awards Frau Deanna Baird, world language curriculum leader at USCHS, was chosen for the Nominator’s Choice Award at the Champions of Learning event sponsored by the Consortium of Public Education. As a candidate and eventual recipient of the award, Deanna “exhibited a vision, imagination, and energy that helps the region’s students prepare to become the workforce of tomorrow,” according to the consortium’s mission.

Deanna said, “The award revolves around teaching and leadership accomplishments, but Deanna Baird the nomination by my colleagues also focused heavily on my international activities: exchanges within the department, international marketing competition, International Studies course, International Education Week, etc. Twenty-first century students need international skills!”

The Champions of Learning event honors individuals, organizations, and businesses that create and support extraordinary learning opportunities for youth throughout the Pittsburgh region.

The Consortium of Public Education is a nonprofit organization working with school districts across Western Pennsylvania on educational initiatives.

A graduate of Clarion University (B.S. secondary education chemistry) and the University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D. analytical chemistry), Dr. Frollini started teaching at Upper St. Clair High School in the fall of 1997.

In recognition of this honor, Dr. Frollini was presented with a plaque and a $1250 honorarium at the annual SSP awards banquet in May at Duquesne University’s Power Center ballroom.

The Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, along with its sister society, the Society of Analytical Chemists, are non-profit organizations dedicated to furthering science education in Western Pennsylvania.

Andrew Lucas, mathematics teacher at Fort Couch Middle School and Middle School Mathematics curriculum leader, has been selected by a students’ online vote as the winner of the 2015 Blended Schools Students’ Choice Award.

The Blended Schools Students’ Choice Award is bestowed to an online or blended teacher by popular vote of their students through the Blended Schools Network Andrew Lucas website. Students’ Choice Award winners are active users of Blended Schools Network curriculum and technology. This recognition gives a voice to the largest group of users in the network—the students.

Previously, Andrew was nominated by his peers and selected as the 2012 Teacher of the Year for the Blended Schools Network.

Amy Pfender, principal of Boyce Middle School, has been selected by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) for the Wanda McDaniel Honorary Membership Award.

She was presented with the award this past May at the PASA Women’s Caucus held in Hershey. This honorary membership is awarded to an aspiring school administrator who shows evidence of great leadership Amy Pfender potential.

Amy’s employment with USC School District began in August 2005 as a special education teacher at Boyce Middle School. She assumed the position of Elementary Special Education Department chairperson in the 2009-10 school year, followed by her election as Special Education curriculum leader in the 2010-11 school year. In March 2012, Amy was appointed as the Middle School assistant principal for grades five through eight and was promoted to Boyce Middle School principal in July 2013.

Amy holds a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. In addition to her administrative principal certification, she also holds certifications in K-12 supervisor of curriculum and instruction and K-12 supervisor of special education, as well as five Instructional II certifications (K-12 mentally and/or physically handicapped, early childhood, elementary, mid-level English, and mid-level mathematics).

Dr. Dominick Frollini (aka “Doc” Frollini), Upper St. Clair High School AP chemistry teacher, received the Keivin Burns Award from the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP).

Named after the outstanding astronomer, spectroscopist, and teacher at the Allegheny Observatory and the University of Pittsburgh, the purpose of the Keivin Burns Award is to recognize excellence in Dr. Dominick Frollini the teaching of science at the secondary school level.

Dr. Frollini was nominated by USC’s science curriculum leader Lynn Kistler, who endorsed “his commitment to students and dedication to science education.” In addition, Dr. Frollini completed an application describing his work in professional organizations and summer activities, and his philosophy of education.

High school social studies teacher Ben Edwards received the Richard P. and Dorothy Simmons Award for Excellence in the Study of Economics. Ben earned this award through his sponsorship and coaching of students participating in the Economics Challenge sponsored by EconomicsPennsylvania, and was honored at the 2015 Adam Smith Distinguished Leadership Award luncheon this past May. The mission of EconomicsPennsylvania Ben Edwards is to ensure that every young person in Pennsylvania understands essential economic and financial literacy concepts, benefits by using economic ways of thinking and problem solving skills, and has a continuous understanding of the nature and structure of the global economy and its relationship to individual liberty and freedom. n Fall 2015

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SD USCHS Commencement 2015 Opening Remarks

Frank J. Kerber, President, Upper St. Clair Board of School Directors Members of the Class of 2015, on behalf of the Board of School Directors of the Upper St. Clair School District, I extend to each of you our warmest congratulations and best wishes upon your graduation. This is truly a night for you to celebrate! This ceremony is the culmination of your efforts— your accomplishments in academics, in sports, in the arts, in service activities, and in your personal growth—from youth to young adults. Your diploma is recognition that we certify that you have acquired the necessary skills to proceed on to the next stage of your life, whether that is higher education, the military, or the workplace. Those who have supported you in this process—your family, your teachers, your friends—share in your happiness this evening.

It was just five short years ago that I sat on this platform to watch my own son’s high school graduation. Last year he graduated from a university. It was 45 years ago that my wife graduated from Upper St. Clair High School. Our family’s history is entwined with this District and we are thankful for the educational experience and preparation that this school provides.

For myself, just a couple weeks ago I traveled to Cincinnati to participate in my 50th high school reunion. It was a fun event, providing the opportunity to speak with many classmates whom I had not seen for 50 years. It was also a time to reflect on the 30 classmates who had passed away since my graduation day. That experience caused me to reflect on the significance of high school graduations.

The adults seated in this stadium—your family and friends, your teachers, and those of us on this platform—look at you in your caps and gowns, and have a mixture of feelings. Of course, we share your happiness and excitement on this occasion. We are proud of you and what you have accomplished. We are filled with hope as you leave this ceremony and begin the next stage of your life. But we are also filled with vicarious anticipation.

We see in each of you the potential for success. You force us to think back on our own life experiences and how we have lived and how we have spent the time and resources given to each of us. Each of you holds the future in your hands. You are living vessels of opportunity and progress. The

Frank Kerber

world beyond Upper St. Clair High School will be affected by your work, your curiosity, your friendships, and your vision.

Don’t be afraid of rejection. The world is yours to claim; not because of the diploma in your hands, but because we have each other and our lives are intertwined. Success is about using your skills and talents to do something bigger in this world for all of us.

Sometimes our journeys are uncertain, but every step brings us closer to understanding why we are here. If things don’t go as expected, make the unexpected work in your favor.

Yes, the adults in this stadium are gazing at you with vicarious anticipation because you are at the next stage of your life’s journey. Your future is a clean slate waiting to be filled. The world is waiting to see what you will do. n

Superintendent’s Address Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole, USC Superintendent of Schools I would like to start my remarks by letting the Class of 2015 know just how wonderful it feels to share this special day with you. Thank you so much for all that you have done to maintain and elevate the rich tradition of educational excellence at Upper St. Clair High School.

This is my ninth opportunity to address a USC graduating class, and I ask our graduates to view my remarks as your final five minutes of instruction. Tonight, I will talk with you briefly about how your uniqueness and special talents fit into an often times standardized world. You know this standardized world by now. Recently you have been exposed to it through the requirements of final exams, AP and IB tests, and college admission requirements.

I started thinking about this topic while talking to some of your parents and teachers, who pointed out the distinct differences in all of you. In fact, we have yet to find two students exactly alike at USC; even siblings are much different from their brothers and sisters.

Ever since you arrived at USC, which for most of you was August 2002, you brought 62

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with you your own special gifts and talents.

Not the “every kid gets a trophy” definition of special, but your own special interests, personalities, inclinations, learning styles, and more.

At school, your uniqueness was introduced to what we call requirements and standards. In fact, you are on the verge of receiving a diploma based on graduation requirements and standards. The word “standards” connotes sameness, likeness, uniformity, and benchmarks. In fact, you are dressed in robes that signify you are one uniform group—the USC Class of 2015.

Take note of politicians who speak about education. They almost always promote high standards and common curriculum for all students. I often think, wouldn’t it be refreshing if just one politician stood up and said this about education: “Standards are important, but we must foremost recognize that all students are unique, and all possess special gifts and talents.”

But this idea of uniqueness in education is not new. Learning theorists as far back as the 1800s, when Friedrich Froebel created the concept of kindergarten, reinforced the Fall 2015

Dr. Patrick O’Toole

notion of uniqueness. Froebel found that each student has his or her own specific needs and capabilities for learning, and schools should nurture this uniqueness.

I feel fortunate to lead a school district with a mission that challenges our staff to nurture the uniqueness of each child.

This dichotomy, this “give-and-take” if you will, between the competing notions of your uniqueness vs. standards may play out in the following scenario in the coming weeks: Tonight your parents may put their arms around you and tell you how special you are. Then, a few weeks from now, you may begin a pattern of not coming home until late at night (or early in the morning) and your help around the house may become lax. At that point, your parents may use a different tone to remind you that you aren’t

Chosen to Speak Meredith McDonough … But don’t misunderstand me If there’s one thing I’ve been shown: This high school education is The most precious thing we own.

For one, there’s joy in learning In and of itself.

Exploring life’s great questions, Finding answers for yourself.

Brian Tsui … It’s beautiful to see how everything at Upper St. Clair has been so intricately built to set a foundation for our development. And although I use the English department as an example, this foundation, or Banyan tree as Mr. Shefler says, applies to every department in this school, and all the sports, clubs, and activities into which our teachers, sponsors, and coaches so dutifully poured their time and hearts into. It is a foundation for what our teachers truly wanted for us—our success. Walking the halls of this castle for the past four years, our fingers outstretched on both sides, we lived inside success. Every teacher strove to give us the opportunity to find our own loves, whether it be the philosophical implications of the human condition from Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” or the derivation of the next great aeronautic feat that could let us touch the face of heaven once more.

so special after all, and you must follow the rules of the house!

Uniqueness and special talent are not just the province of great athletes, musicians, business leaders, and famous people. Each of you possesses attributes, strengths, and perspectives that set you apart. Moreover, your individual strengths are needed to enhance the teamwork and the productivity of larger groups, including your families, workplace, communities, and our nation.

There is no absolute formula or metric to determine when it is best to display your individual uniqueness and special talents or when it is best to play by the rules, fit in, and work toward a collective standard. It will require self-reflection, analysis, mentors, teachers, a supportive family, and true friends. Most of all, it will take your wisdom, and sometimes it will take your courage, to determine your best direction.

Based on your record of achievements and accomplishments at Upper St. Clair, I am certain that you will have the wisdom and the courage needed to know which path to take. Moreover, you will understand how to blend your unique and special talents with the requirements of a standardized world. n

SD Brooks Wilding … As teenagers, we face many difficulties in expressing our gratitude to the people who deserve it the most. It is not easy to express your gratitude to your history teacher when he assigns you a 20-page research paper or your English teacher when she requires your complete memorization of a Shakespearean soliloquy. It is not easy to say “thank you” to your coach when he pushes you to run one more sprint, do one more rep, or swim one more lap. It is tough to feel grateful when your mom or dad nags you to study for the SAT or encourages you to join an after-school club. Yet none of these people who motivate us every day are acting out of self-interest. It is easy to get caught up in our own ideas of what is best for us. We teenage know-it-alls struggle to appreciate the people who most want to see us succeed. Therefore, on behalf of the class of 2015, I’d like to extend my warmest gratitude to all of our teachers, coaches, and parents for ignoring our teenage stubbornness and showing persistence in your help to shape and transform us into the young adults we are meant to be, and ultimately, the grown-ups we aspire to become. n These three members of the USCHS Class of 2015 were chosen to share their thoughts at commencement. Shown are excerpts from the speeches. To view them in their entirety, visit TODAY’s website at www.twpusc.org/magazine/usc-today-home, click on “Past Issues,” and view the “Features” section, where all the 2015 commencement speeches are listed.

Class of 2015 Academic Achievers

Valedictorians shown above; names listed alphabetically below

Valedictorians: Richard Alfera III, Andrew Bartusiak, John Benhart, Austin Cassidy, Louis Collins, Abigail Drucis, Douglas Hapeman, Melissa Levine, Kevin Monpara, Deepika Narayanan, Eliana Ondrejko, Teja Polisetty, Brooks Wilding, Lawson Wilkinson, Olivia Wright

Graduation photos courtesy of M&M Photography Fall 2015

S u p e r i n t e n d e n t ’s A c a d e m i c Awardees: Rachel Coggins, Kelly Conner IB Full Diploma Candidates: Ananya Cleetus, Morgan Cook, Rishabh Kewalramani, Melissa Levine, Bautista Martin, Kevin Monpara, Deepika Narayanan, Eliana Ondrejko, Shivani Patel, Sriparna Sen, Deepikaa Sriram UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

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Eisenhower

Streams

Boyce

Fort Couch

USCHS

School District Develops Strategic Plan The Upper St. Clair School District has completed the required comprehensive planning for public school districts that will lead the District through 2018. In addition to the required planning, the District has also invested in a robust strategic planning process. Dr. John Rozzo, the District’s assistant superintendent, served as chair of this process. Co-chair was Amy Pfender, Boyce Middle School principal.

The process began in September 2014 when the District announced it was seeking applicants to participate in the Comprehensive/Strategic Plan Visioning Team. The responsibilities of the team included assisting with developing recommendations for the District’s vision, mission, shared beliefs, and goals.

There was an overwhelming response from more than 60 applicants made up of USC School District parents, business representatives, and community members. To tap into the varied expertise of these individuals, all applicants were invited to participate. Adding to these team participants were USC students, administrators, teachers, professional and support staff members, and School Board members that totaled more than 140 persons on the visioning team.

The first meeting of the visioning team was held in March 2015 to introduce and describe the Comprehensive/Strategic Planning process with the team’s members. Chairs and co-chairs of five subcommittees gave presentations: Professional Learning Communities, Safety and Security, STEAM, Technology, and The High School Experience. Following that meeting, visioning team members were requested to complete a survey to identify the subcommittee on which they would like to serve.

Below is a summary of the work accomplished by the five subcommittees over a three-month period of time in which three meetings were held, March to May.

Professional Learning Communities The Professional Learning Community Strategic Planning vision team (PLC) comprised 11 community members, seven USC professional staff members, and two USCHS students.

Working together, the team examined the essential components of professional learning communities. The collaboration between staff members, community members, and students was critical in developing the goals for the PLC vision team. The goals are as follows: 1. To implement a set of “Beliefs for Student Learners” for each District level.

2. To develop District-wide consistency for PLC practices so that core beliefs are afforded to each student.

In addition, the input of community members, staff members, and students helped to develop a draft for the Beliefs for Student Learners that will guide the PLC work for current and future students.

The Professional Learning Community vision team chair, Mark Miller, Eisenhower principal, and co-chairs, Erin Peterson, 64

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Fall 2015

assistant middle school principal, and Shannon Dominick, Eisenhower teacher and elementary math curriculum leader, continued to implement steps for these goals throughout the summer.

Safety and Security Eloise Stoehr, supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services, chaired the Safety and Security vision team. Co-chairs were Lauren Madia, Fort Couch guidance counselor, and Dr. Patrick McClintockComeaux, Baker Elementary principal.

Through the help and involvement of approximately 20 participants, this committee considered the history, needs, dilemmas, and future of safety and security efforts in the District to create goals and action plans to be addressed during the next six years.

Upper St. Clair School District has been intentional in implementing a mission statement that includes not only nurturing children, but also promoting their happiness and success. This goal can be reached only if the students and staff feel safe and secure. Therefore, the Safety and Security initiative of the School District is to continually assess ways to plan and provide for the physical and emotional well being of students, staff, and families.

The Safety and Security vision team laid the groundwork for the development of action plans to address three distinct areas: 1. Examine and prioritize safety and security needs in its physical plants.

2. Systematically monitor and adjust policies and procedures to maximize the safety and security of its students and staff.

3. Effectively implement programming and services to prevent incidents and respond to student personal well-being and safety concerns, and to enhance student relationships and connectivity to school.

The chairs and co-chairs of this team look forward to continued team member input as they seek to develop future plans for safety and security in the District.

STEAM Dr. Judy Bulazo, the District’s director of Curriculum and Instruction and Professional Development, served as the chair for the STEAM vision team. Co-chairs were Steve Miller, USCHS mathematics curriculum leader, and Lynn Kistler, USCHS science curriculum leader.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Strategic Planning vision team included 13 USC professional staff members and 17 community members, many who serve or have served in STEAM careers. This enthusiastic group spent considerable time reviewing the possibilities for STEAM education, learning about what is currently offered in USC, and identifying gaps in USC’s programming. Working from a STEAM self-evaluation tool from the Carnegie Science Center, the group spent time providing input into the three established goals for STEAM education in USC:

1. Increase the depth and breadth of STEAM curriculum offerings and improve the integration of STEAM across the curriculum at all levels and for all students.

2. Enhance inquiry-based instructional practices and projectbased learning applied in real-world settings along with flexible scheduling options to accommodate this type of instruction.

3. Equip teachers to educate students in STEAM areas by ensuring that they obtain STEAM content, pedagogy, and technology experience through professional development.

The outcome of this process was three action plans, which will address the vision (shown below) for STEAM education in USC. STEAM education in USC will integrate and connect all content areas, as students pursue an inquiry-based approach to learning in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

Through a problem-solving and design-process approach, students will apply their learning in ways that promote creativity, collaboration, and innovation. All students will be provided with systematic STEAM-focused experiences in their K-12 educational progression.

Technology The Technology vision team reviewed the District’s current progress with technology goals and objectives. During several working sessions, discussions continued regarding the current technology used in USC schools, the District’s long-term plans, and the role of technology as it relates to learning. In addition, the team reviewed the latest research regarding 1:1 learning initiatives, online learning, and professional development. The following goals were finalized: 1. Determining the best practices for expanding 1:1 learning opportunities.

2. Determining the necessary infrastructure, tools, and human capital to support the District’s tagline, “Customizing Learning, Nurturing Potential and Delivering Excellence.”

3. Determining best practices for self-directed, self-paced, and personalized learning in blended and online environments.

The Technology vision team chair, Raymond Berrott, the District’s director of Technology, and co-chairs, Brad Wilson, supervisor of customized and online learning, and Matt Henderson, Boyce Elementary teacher, continued formulating plans this summer and will continue to formulate plans throughout the 2015-16 school year.

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The High School Experience The High School Experience vision team members were excited about the advancement of the strategic planning process.

A group of nearly 40 members worked together to develop goals and action plans in four key areas of focus: social emotional learning, technology, Professional Learning Communities (PLC), and time and schedule. Given these four areas, team members began their process by reading professional articles related to the topics and reviewing preliminary research conducted by USCHS faculty members in February 2015.

The outcome of the team’s work was a set of essential activities that were categorized into short-term and long-term goals.

The team discovered the significant extent to which the four key areas overlap and how reimagining the high school experience can be more efficient as each area works in concert with the others.

The High School Experience facilitators Dr. Louis Angelo, the high school’s principal, high school assistant principals Dan Beck and Christine Mussomeli, Melissa Tungate, high school English curriculum leader, and Dr. Tim Wagner, high school associate principal for Program Planning and Innovation, worked this summer to finalize the vision statements for each key area of focus while coordinating potential solutions for the specific needs expressed by students, families, and teachers.

The District’s tagline aligns with the District’s mission statement ... “to develop lifelong learners and responsible citizens for a global society, served by a responsive and innovative staff, who in partnership with the community, provides learning experiences that nurture the uniqueness of each child and promotes happiness and success.”

The School District was very fortunate to have so many parents, business representatives, community members, students, staff, and School Board members involved in the Comprehensive/ Strategic Plan process as members of the Comprehensive Plan Visioning Team. Each was an invaluable resource to the future of the School District when the long-range planning through the year 2018 was developed.

“Our strategic plan is the District’s means of determining our intentional goals and priorities for the coming years,” stated Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole, Ed.D, USC superintendent. “I am enthusiastic about the support from all of our stakeholders who have provided input and guidance during the planning process.” n Additional information regarding the District’s Strategic Plan can be found on the District’s website at www.uscsd.k12.pa.us under Information, Strategic Plan.

Joint Statement of the USC School District and the USC Special Service Federation The Upper St. Clair School District and the Upper St. Clair Special Service Federation announced the ratification of a new three-year collective bargaining agreement effective September 1, 2015, through August 31, 2018. The current contract was due to expire on August 31, 2015. The new contract represents an average 2.2% increase in salaries, partially offset by an increase in contributions to health care premiums, resulting in a net increase of about 1.8%. After staff ratification on March 21, 2015, the Upper St. Clair Board of School Directors voted unanimously to approve the new agreement.

School superintendent Dr. Patrick O’Toole commented, “This new agreement was possible due to the strong partnership that

exists between the Federation and the Upper St. Clair School District. We are fortunate to have such skilled, loyal employees working on behalf of our students and community.”

The classified union members of over 170 include custodians, maintenance, mechanics, teacher aides, secretaries, and nutrition center staff.

Federation president Andy Ruffalo stated, “Both the Federation and the District were committed to reaching a fair contract. We did just that and our members voted overwhelmingly to accept the new contract. This new three-year agreement continues the solid labor management relationship we have with the District.” n Fall 2015

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Presidents of Our Parent Meet… the Teacher Organizations

As the school year starts again, it seems appropriate to introduce our residents to a collection of parents who are willing to organize so many activities and educational efforts at each of our schools and at the Council level. If you get a call from one of them, please respond generously with your time and talents.

Council President: Holly Spina Spouse: Joe Spina Kids’ names and ages: Sam (15), Gabi (13), Stephanie (11), Gigi (7) Occupation: Council president What you like to do in your free time: I don’t have much free time, but when I do, I enjoy scrapbooking, reading, cooking and baking, and walking my dog.

Why you chose to volunteer as CounHolly Spina cil president this school year: Council is a wonderful way to be in touch with all USC schools. It is rewarding to give back and to work with such talented and dedicated volunteers and School District employees.

USC High School President: Melissa Epler Spouse: Alan Epler Kids’ names and ages: Austin (17), Allison (15) Occupation: Full time mom and volunteer What you like to do in your free time: Shop and spend time with family and friends.

Melissa Epler Why you chose to volunteer as USCHS president this school year: I have always enjoyed volunteering at my children’s schools, and as they get older, it is the best way to stay connected! The teachers, staff, and administrators at USCHS do so much for our students, and my hope is that PTSO can be there to support them in all ways possible.

Fort Couch Middle School President: Daphna Gans, Ph.D Spouse: George Gans Kids’ names and ages: Jonathan (19, student at Duke University), Ella (12) Occupation: University professor and researcher in the fields of health policy, health access, health care delivery, quality improvement, and evaluation research, particularly for vulnerable populations across the lifespan includDaphna Gans ing individuals with developmental disabilities, life-threatening conditions, individual with limited English proficiency (LEP), individuals with chronic and life limiting health conditions, and the geriatric population.

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What you like to do in your free time: My free time is devoted to my family. I enjoy spending time with my two children and husband. I also enjoy hiking.

Why you chose to volunteer as president this school year: With our family relocation to Pittsburgh due to my husband’s work, we carefully researched and searched for the right school district.

We visited several schools and our daughter, Ella, selected Fort Couch as her top choice, which we respected.

I know that USC School District is one of the best in the nation and that Fort Couch is a phenomenal school. I feel very fortunate to have joined this wonderful community of administrators, teachers, staff, and families. I want to contribute to this community and feel that I am bringing with me a new perspective from my many years of involvement at a different high-achieving school district in California, as well as my professional knowledge of college education.

My perspective as a college professor at the School of Medicine at UCLA allows me to look at where USCSD students need to be when they graduate in order to make it to the top schools. I used this knowledge personally with our older son, now a freshman at Duke, and shared it in our previous district (LVUSD).

At our previous school district, I served in many capacities, including, for example, the chair of School Site Councils of all schools’ PTAs (elementary, middle, and high school), an elected representative on the district curriculum council, a member of the district technology committee, a community representative on the district student wellness committee, the chair of the committee for student safety at all schools’ PTAs, and many other roles.

I was also the liaison between the school and the city and have volunteered in many roles in the city in which I previously lived.

While I certainly take pride in my professional work, my highest priority is volunteering in my community and the schools. It is an honor for me to serve as president along with all the wonderful parents who serve on the executive board.

Boyce Middle School President: Brenda Tomsheck Spouse: Chad Tomsheck Kids’ names and ages: Madeline (12), Griffin (9) Occupation: Stay-at-home mom What you like to do in your free time: Reading, playing tennis in warm weather, skiing during the long Pittsburgh winters, and volunteering.

Brenda Tomsheck Why you chose to volunteer as president this school year: I was asked to be vice president before either of my kids entered Boyce, but it seemed like a great way to get involved with Boyce at the same time that my daughter was entering fifth grade. It is a valuable opportunity to contribute at Boyce while meeting new people and staying informed of happenings in the District. I feel fortunate to live in a district where the parent-teacher groups provide such outstanding opportunities and programs for our students, and I am excited to be a part of these efforts at Boyce this school year.

SD Your Satisfaction is My Goal!

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Office: 412-833-3600 ext. 219 Cell: 412-491-6984 dhorvath@howardhanna.com Kimberly Cooper, Food Services Director Joe Wightkin, Support Services Director

Baker Elementary President: Kristin Polochak Spouse: Jake Polochak Kids’ names and ages: Jakey (9), Ava (6), Jemma (4), Marco (2) Occupation: Stay-at-home mom What you like to do in your free time: I love to take long walks on Gilfillan trail and traveling to the beach as much as possible.

Why you chose to volunteer as presiKristin Polochak dent this school year: Having four young children, it is important to me to learn as much as possible about the USC School District. I believe that volunteering in this capacity is the best way to become involved with the schools and I am looking forward to meeting many people in our community.

Eisenhower Elementary Name: Amy Garces Spouse: George Garces Kids’ names and ages: Georgie (10), Thomas (6) Occupation: I am a former middle school English teacher and curriculum specialist who is now a stay-at-home mom.

What you like to do in your free time:

Howard Hanna–USC Office 180 Fort Couch Road Pittsburgh, PA 15241

I love to read, travel, do all things foodie, and scour estate sales for more totally unnecessary things for my home.

Why you chose to volunteer as president this school year: Having a role in planning many of our wonderful programs and activities is important to me and allows me to help enrich the Eisenhower experience for all students.

Streams Elementary President: Alissa Mammana Spouse: Giuseppe Mammana Kids’ names and ages: Briella (11), Liborio (9), Marcus (5) Occupation: Stay-at-home mom What you like to do in your free time: I like to read, exercise, cook and bake, volunteer, and spend time with friends and family.

Alissa Mammana Why you chose to volunteer as president this school year: I like being involved in the community and in the schools. I feel it is important to continue and expand the wonderful programs that are already available and supported by the many parent volunteers. The teachers, administrators, and community are always looking out for the best interests of our children, and this is a great way for me to give back to the community in which I grew up. n

Amy Garces

Fall 2015

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New Name, Slightly New Vision— USC Parent Teacher Council Many of the volunteer units in the USC School District have new names and an exciting new focus on enhancing parental service to our schools. On April 8, 2015, USC Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Council voted to dissolve their affiliation with the state and national PTA, forming the new USC Parent Teacher Council. USC parent volunteer organizations are set up so that Council is the umbrella organization that brings all volunteer units together twice a month for meetings to share ideas and news about each unit.

During the monthly meetings in the early part of the 2014-15 school year, it became increasingly evident that many of the volunteer units were not satisfied with the guidance and support offered to them through the state and national PTA, despite the five dollar per member fee they paid each year to PTA. Council officers agreed to investigate alternatives to belonging to the state and national PTA.

Dr. O’Toole, USC superintendent (far left), and Brooke Tarcson, PTC board advisor (far right), with students JP Schrott, Larry Manalo, and Cullen Murin, after presenting a donation to the Kids Helping Kids club at USHS on April 8 at the last USC PTA Council meeting before dissolving to become the USC Parent Teacher Council.

After meeting with each unit individually, realizing that many units were going to pursue dissolution from the PTA, and acknowledging that Upper St. Clair High School PTSO was not a voting member of PTA Council, nor would they ever be as long as Council remained affiliated with the PTA, PTA Council began the process of dissolution from state and national PTA and formed a new entity: USC Parent Teacher Council (PTC). Each unit pursuing dissolution met weekly for several months to create uniform bylaws and mission statements that reflected the new goals and vision of the incorporated and established 501(c)(3) volunteer organizations that would replace the current PTA model.

Delegates from each school unit voted to pass the dissolution of PTA Council on April 8. Following that vote, Streams and Eisenhower Elementaries, and Boyce and Fort Couch Middle Schools voted to dissolve their PTA units at each of their general meetings throughout April and May 2015. Steams, Eisenhower, and Boyce PTOs, and Fort Couch PTSO are all up and running for the start of the 2015-16 school year. Baker Elementary remains affiliated with PTA for the 2015-16 school year, and anyone interested in joining PTA from other units are welcome to join Baker PTA and still support state and national PTA lobbying efforts.

In the newly formed organization, all units in the USC School District have a vote and an equal membership at Council meetings. All students in USC have the option to participate in Council’s new

Members of the 2015-16 Parent Teacher Council board, pictured left to right, are Beth Huzjak, vice president; Lisa Henricks, treasurer; Rachelle Engel, secretary; Dr. Patrick O’Toole, second vice president; Holly Spina, president; and Brooke Tarcson, board advisor

arts program “Arts in USC” and will be able to volunteer in the new Outreach program, partnering with the Education Partnership and the high school’s Kids Helping Kids club.

Knowing that Council was going to introduce two new programs in our District, donations were made to each school unit’s library and art programs to increase awareness of the new PTC presence in USC. Council also invited students from the high school’s Kids Helping Kids club to talk about their work in the Wilkinsburg School District through Blessings in a Backpack, which helps provide weekend meals and necessities that might not otherwise be available to school children who rely heavily on state-funded school lunches.

The students accepted a donation from Council to help their efforts.

All of the USC volunteer units and PTC are very excited for the start of this school year and to begin implementing the new ideas and focus. This is an exciting time to be a part of USC volunteering, so whether it’s called a PTA, PTO, or PTSO, please join your local school unit! n

USC School District Calendar 2015-16 August 25–First Day of School for Students September 7–No School (Labor Day) October 9–Half Day Early Dismissal for Students (Teachers’ Professional Development) 26-27–Teacher Inservice. No School.

Parent/Teacher Conferences November 3–Teacher Inservice. No School 6-27–No School (Thanksgiving Recess) December 24-January 1–No School (Winter Recess)

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January 18–Teacher Inservice. No School February 12–Teacher Inservice. No School 15–No School. (Presidents’ Day) March 21-25–No School (Spring Recess) 28–Teacher Inservice. No School May 6–Half Day Early Dismissal for Students (Teachers’ Professional Development) 30–No School (Memorial Day) June 8–Last Day of School for Students (Pending Snow Make-Up Days) 20–Kennywood Day

Fall 2015

Upper St. Clair School District Notices Online The required annual notices to parents of children who reside in the Upper St. Clair School District are available online. To view the District notices and immunization regulations for the 2015–2016 school year, visit the District’s website at www.uscsd.k12.pa.us. n

Dr. Louis Angelo Named High School Principal After serving as the USC High School’s acting principal since January of this year, Dr. Louis Angelo was promoted to high school principal effective June 1, 2015. He replaces Dr. Michael Ghilani, who resigned to take a position with the Montour School District as deputy superintendent.

Dr. Angelo began his career in Upper St. Clair as a high school English teacher from1999 through 2004. From July 2004 through November 2006, Dr. Louis Angelo Dr. Angelo was the athletic director for his high school alma mater, Baldwin High School. In November 2006, Dr. Angelo returned to the District as a high school assistant principal, and in March 2012, he was promoted to the high school associate principal.

“I am excited and honored to be selected as the high school principal. I am especially grateful to Dr. O’Toole and the Board of School Directors for placing their trust and confidence in me. I am fully aware of the expectations for excellence that we have in our community, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity to lead, meet, and hopefully exceed those expectations,” said Dr. Angelo.

“It is important to me that each student’s high school experience is positive, motivating, and impactful. The high school years are an important time to cultivate a mindset of aspiration, motivation, and perseverance in every student. My goal is to help our students reach their fullest potential, and I am confident that by working together, our team of parents and educators can inspire our students to do so,” he said.

Dr. Angelo holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, a master’s degree from Duquesne University, and a doctoral degree (Ed.D) in educational leadership and management from Drexel University. Dr. Angelo resides in Peters Township with his wife, Whitney, their sons, Louis and Jonathan, and their daughter, Greta.

“I am proud that Dr. Angelo has become our high school principal at Upper St. Clair High School, a student-centered

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school with a rich tradition of academic excellence. He is the individual whom I trust to lead our team of high school educators, students, and community toward our mission of developing lifelong learners and responsible citizens for a global society,” stated superintendent Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole. “I fully expect that with the influence of Dr. Angelo’s leadership, USCHS will continue to grow as an organization that enhances the unique learning experiences of each student. Specifically, Dr. Angelo’s commitment to leadership qualities such as teamwork, integrity, and inclusiveness, and his track record of sharing these ideals with staff and students, has set him apart as a leader.” n Letter from Dr. Michael Ghilani Dr. O’Toole and the Upper St. Clair Board of School Directors wish to thank Dr. Ghilani for his leadership of the high school from 2006 to 2015. Below is a letter provided by the School District to the USC School community on Dr. Ghilani’s behalf, announcing his departure.

Dear Parents, Students, and Community Members of USC: It is with mixed emotions that I tell you that I have accepted a position as Deputy Superintendent with the Montour School District.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 14 years that I have spent as part of the Upper St. Clair School District. It has been a true honor to work in such a wonderful district and to get to know so many great people. I feel that my life has been positively impacted by the relationships that I have built and I am truly appreciative for all that the community has done for my family and me.

I have always felt supported by the parents, students, and the School District regardless of the challenges we were facing. It has been a pleasure to work in a community where kids truly do come first and the primary value is providing a world-class education.

My ties and loyalty to Upper St. Clair have made this decision very difficult, and I will certainly miss being an Upper St. Clair Panther.

Sincerely, Mike Ghilani

Dr. Timothy Wagner— Our New USCHS Associate Principal

Dr. Timothy Wagner

Dr. Timothy Wagner will be staying in USC, but starting a new job when school begins this fall—that of Associate High School Principal for Program Planning & Innovation at USCHS. An Upper St. Clair graduate, Tim began his teaching career in the fall of 2007 at Streams Elementary, teaching first and second grade. He moved on to teach fifth grade English and social studies at Boyce Middle School, and then served as a gifted coordinator for grades seven through 12 at Fort Couch Middle School and the high school. He also served the District as the Middle School English Language Arts curriculum leader for two years, from 2013 to 2015.

Tim holds an appointment as an adjunct faculty member in the education department at Washington & Jefferson College, where he teaches a fall course in literacy, reading, and writing, and a spring seminar in child development. Tim received his BA in child development and education from W & J in 2007. In 2009, he obtained his MS in applied developmental psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he also completed his doctorate in education in 2013.

Tim was the producer of the Upper St. Clair High School fall play and spring musical from 2013 to 2015. He was the sponsor of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) during the 2012-13 school year and served as the assistant girls’ tennis coach from 2005 to 2009. n

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SD Upper St. Clair High School One of America’s Best U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) has again ranked Upper St. Clair High School (USCHS) as one of the best high schools in America. USNWR ranks USCHS as the number one high school in the Pittsburgh region, fourth among Pennsylvania’s 673 public, magnet, and charter high schools, and 400 of more than 21,000 high schools nationwide.

Schools are evaluated based on the key principles that a great high school must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college bound, and it must be able to produce measurable

academic outcomes to show the school is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators.

Performance on state proficiency tests is used as a benchmark, as well as college-readiness performance that is determined using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data.

“As superintendent, I congratulate our students for their outstanding performance,” stated Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole. “Our ranking demonstrates Upper St. Clair community’s commitment to delivering excellence in education.” n

Author A.S. King Visits High School As part of the high school’s

celebration of National Library Week, April 12–18, the PTSO generously sponsored award-winning author A.S. King on April 23.

A.S. King’s young adult novels include Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, Reality Boy (New York Times Editor’s Choice), Ask the Passengers (Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner), Everybody Sees the Ants (Andre Norton Awards Finalist), Please Ignore Vera Deitz (Michael Printz Honor Book), and The Dust of 100 Dogs (ALA Best Book for YA).

Ms. King gave two presentations to the students. First, she provided a creative writing workshop and discussion for students in Liz Cecelia’s creative writing class, along with other interested students.

The author shared that Paul Zindel’s book, The Pigman, inspired her when she was in high school. She loved that he wrote about real teenage issues and included believable adult characters in his story and decided then that she wanted to become an author.

In tenth grade, her English teacher had students keep journals, but never read

Creative writing workshop with A.S. King 70

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them, giving Ms. King the freedom to write from the heart, knowing that her words were for her eyes only.

Ms. King emphasized that it took her 15 years to learn how to write and that she draws inspiration from her own life experiences. Ms. King stressed that most authors have to write several books before one gets published. Although she wrote her first book at age 24, it took her 16 years to be published; her first book was published for only $2500. To date, Ms. King has written 22 books and currently has a book deal with Scholastic Books for which she will write one book a year through 2017.

In answer to a student’s question about writer’s block, Ms. King responded that she takes a walk or reads something new to get her ideas flowing again. She generally spends six to eight hours writing between 1000 and 2500 words daily. Unlike most authors, who outline their plot and fill in the details and characters as part of their writing process, Ms. King’s books are character driven, meaning the characters lead the story.

Another student asked Ms. King about her relationship with her editors and the revision process. She replied that the first draft of a book is 25% of the work and the remaining 75% is revision. Typically, she will send her manuscript to her editor, who reads it and sends it back to her with a list of things to change. Ms. King noted that this editing and proofreading process usually goes back and forth about seven times.

Fall 2015

Author A.S. King

The author’s large group presentation “How To Be a Superhero: Speaking out about bullying and staying safe in school and beyond” related her own experiences in school and as an adult to bullying, safe relationships, respectful friends, and what to do if you are a bystander to bad behavior.

Her signature “Who packs your suitcase?” presentation helped many students consider taking control of who they allow into their decision-making space.

Ms. King related many personal instances when she felt bullied and isolated as a youngster. She told of her own feelings of unworthiness and despair as a child, and how she managed to develop self-respect and self-confidence through her writing and journals. Students commented that Ms. King’s presentations were “awesome.”

Ms. King is primarily known for her young adult novels, although she also writes adult novels and short fiction. Currently, she lives with her husband and two daughters in rural Pennsylvania, where she teaches writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program. n

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High School Art Awards Each May, a spring art exhibit takes place at the high school. Any member of the student body is allowed to submit a work of art to be displayed, and the art teachers try to include something created by every student who took an art class during the school year.

The Upper St. Clair League for the Arts comes in to judge the show, awarding students Honorable Mentions, High Honors, Highest Honors, Best in Show, and a scholarship for a student continuing on to study art in college. The spring art awards day was held on May 27, with the following students taking top honors: Best in Show: Teddy Staats Highest Honor: Alexander Lindstrom–Digital art Highest Honor: Cat DeLo and Jula Herold–Plaster and watercolor on canvas, graphite drawing, chicken wire and sheet metal roses High Honor: Anne-Sophie van der Poel–black and white photo High Honor: Nan Tian Qiu–Origami flower sculpture High Honor: Leah Day–Graphite drawing of orchids High Honor: Jahnavee Mittal–pen and ink design In addition to these awards, The Anna M. Smith scholarship was awarded to Manoli Despines, who will study filmmaking in college. He won a Highest Honor for his short film, “Gizmo.” Teddy Staats, who will study art in California, was awarded the William R. Shaffalo Scholarship. n

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APPLICATION FOR ATHLETIC PASSES FOR THE 2015-16 SCHOOL YEAR

The Ultimate Panther Pass includes general admission for regular season home events: football, soccer, basketball, swimming, wrestling, lacrosse, and volleyball (approximately 75 paid events).

ADULT PASSES ULTIMATE PANTHER PASS (All Events Pass to 75 events) (General Admission to all sports events: Fall, Winter, and Spring Sports for $70).... #____ of passes @ $70 = $____ Contact the athletic office regarding winter and spring reduced rate adult passes.

GENERAL ADMISSION FOOTBALL ONLY PASS

#____ of passes @ $30 = $____ PANTHER (STUDENT) PASSES ULTIMATE PANTHER PASS–STUDENT (Student All Events Pass to 75 events) (General Admission to all sports events: Fall, Winter, and Spring Sports for $40).... #____ of passes @ $40 = $____ JR. PANTHER–Elementary/Middle School Student (Football Only Pass)................................ #____ of passes @ $10 = $____ Your Name___________________________________________________ Your Address_________________________________________________ Upper St. Clair, PA. 1524___

TOTAL REMITTANCE $___________

Mail completed application and check payable to USC High School Athletics to:

Athletic Office Upper St. Clair High School 1825 McLaughlin Run Rd. Upper St. Clair, PA 15241

Passes will be mailed when processed. For the complete football schedule, see below. For more information on athletics, visit www.uscsd.k12.pa.us.

Lost or stolen passes will not be replaced.

2015 USCHS Varsity Football Schedule Fridays, 7:30 p.m. kickoff

USCHS Varsity Sports Scorecard 2014-2015 Sport

Win-Loss-Tie

FALL Cross-Country (Boys)

3-3-0

Cross-Country (Girls)

3-3-0

Field Hockey

6-8-1

Football

4-6-0

Golf (Boys)

9-4-0

Golf (Girls)

9-3-0

Soccer (Boys)

18-2-1

Section Champions Soccer (Girls)

11-3-5

Section Champions Tennis (Girls)

10-4-0

Volleyball (Girls)

13-2-0

Section Champions WINTER Basketball (Boys)

18-7-0

Basketball (Girls)

13-10-0

Wrestling

3-5-0

Swimming (Boys)

7-2-0

Swimming (Girls)

8-1-0

Section Champions Rifle

0-10-0

Ice Hockey

20-11-0

SPRING Baseball

6-9-0

Date

Opponent

Location

Softball

4-12-0

September 4 September 11 September 18 September 25 October 2 October 9 October 16 October 23 October 30

Penn Hills Peters Bethel Park North Allegheny Woodland Hills Baldwin Canon McMillan Montour Mt. Lebanon

Home (Youth Night) Away Home Home Away Away Home (Halls of Fame/Homecoming) Away Home (Senior Recognition)

Tennis (Boys)

17-2-0

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Fall 2015

Section & WPIAL Champions Volleyball (Boys)

10-7-0

Track (Boys)

0-4-0

Track (Girls)

0-4-0

Lacrosse (Boys)

10-7-0

Lacrosse (Girls)

8-9-0

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Crew Celebrates 25 Years in USC Jennifer Yates

Men’s JV 4+ boat competing at nationals

When Upper St. Clair rowers gathered for their spring 2015 banquet, they were celebrating more than just another successful season. They were also celebrating 25 years of history.

The team started with just four members who borrowed the expensive equipment needed to row. The team has grown into a competitive, interscholastic club sport with eight boats and more than 20 rowers, five of whom competed at nationals this past year.

As a three-season sport, students who row are challenged to not only excel on the water but also academically, and many team members have gone on to row competitively in college.

“Rowing is a tremendous sport and the benefits far exceed just the physical aspect. Our rowers learn about discipline and time management and make friendships that last a lifetime,” said R.J. Pisani, who rowed while a student at the high school before returning 15 years ago as USC head coach.

“Many students are attracted to the low pressure sport of rowing because there is no experience necessary to get started,” Pisani said.

“Unlike other sports, such as baseball and soccer, which kids start playing at a young age, there are so few opportunities for young people from this area to learn to row before getting to high school; something the team is hoping to change.” he said.

“We are offering rowing camps this summer at the C&RC for kids as young as fifth grade, hoping to expose them to the sport earlier and get them interested in pursuing crew at the high school level,” he said. “We’re also constantly looking to raise the profile of the sport and let residents know that we do indeed have a team.”

Because crew is a club sport, the management and organization of the team is completely parent-driven and includes an elected board, which works closely with the team’s four coaches. Parents and students participate in fundraisers throughout the year, including the well-received pie sales in both the fall and spring. Dues paid by team members cover travel, lodging, and food at the regattas, which the team travels as far away as Cincinnati or to Virginia.

The USC crew team at the last regatta of the season in Erie

This year, the men’s junior 4+ team qualified for a spot at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America national event in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The team of Ajinkya Rai, Connor Halloran, Steve Wagner, Brendan Boettger, and coxswain Tyler Clark made it to the semifinals during the May race, only the fifth boat in USC’s team history to make it to nationals.

“We’ve got tremendous momentum going into the 2015-16 season and we are excited to build on our success from the past year,” said USC Rowing Association president Andre Boettger. “With great parent volunteers and dedicated, hard-working rowers, the future of rowing in Upper St. Clair looks really bright and we’re ready to row into the next 25 years.” n

A crew practice on the river

USCHS Clubs and Activities 2015-2016 Anime/Manga Club Art Club Athletes Taking Action Badminton Club Biology Club Cause for Paws CHANGES (Community Helping Alliance for Neighborhood Goals in Education & Service) Cheerleading Chess Club Choral Groups Clairvoyant (yearbook) Classic Rock Club

Color Guard Computer Programming Club Crew (Rowing) Dairies for Charity Dance Team Environmental Awareness & Recycling Fall Play FBLA (Future Business Leaders) Film Production Club Fishing Club Forensics (Speech and Debate) French Club FRIENDS (Finding Relationships in Every New Direction)

Future Med Gay-Straight Alliance German Club Girl Childhood Network Golf Club Hip Hop Dance Team Ice Hockey Interact Invisible Children Italian Club Japanese Club Jewish Student Union Junior Classical League Kids Helping Kids Lacrosse Club

Latin Club Law Club Library Media Assistants LINK (Leisure Interaction Networking Kids) Majorettes–Marching Band Make-A-Wish Marching Band Mathematics League MENC Tri-M Music Honor Society Montage (literary publication) Multi-Cultural Club Music Production Club National Honor Society Natural Helpers

Orchestra Outreach Club Pantherettes–Marching Band Pep Club Photography Ping Pong Club Quidditch Club Robotics Science Club Ski Club Spanish Club Spring Musical St. Clarion (school newspaper) Stage Crew Student Council

Teens for Casey’s Clubhouse Thai Club Thespian Society Ultimate Frisbee UNICEF Club World Affairs Club

F o r i n f o r m a t i o n , c a l l U S C H S a t 4 1 2 - 8 3 3 - 1 6 0 0 o r v i s i t w w w. u s c s d . k 1 2 . p a . u s .

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Ben Edwards and Dave Watson, Co-Head Coaches, USC Speech and Debate The Upper St. Clair Speech and Debate team capped off a terrific season in 2015 in what was thought to be a rebuilding year. Twelve of the most decorated members in the team’s history graduated in 2014, leaving both a void of leadership and competitive success.

This void was deftly filled by new team president Rishabh Kewalramani, who created a new leadership structure and made the team more student-led and student-centered beginning with the first days of school. The team picked up right where it left off, including the team’s fifth straight PHSSL district championship and a third place team finish at the state level.

The team competes in three leagues: PHSSL, a Pennsylvania state league, and CFL and NSDA, both which are national leagues. The PHSSL tournament concluded in March and the national tournaments were held in May and June, respectively.

In declamation­—an event for only freshmen and sophomores where students memorize and present a speech previously presented by someone else—Caleb Troughtzmantz’s second place finish qualified him to CFL Nationals with a piece from a high school commencement address entitled “Why You Are Not Special.”

Sophomores Natalie Urban and Amy Chai were the first and second alternates in the event.

In prose—an event where students cut a selection of prose to ten minutes and read from that cutting, portraying all characters and voices—sophomores Hannah Sanner and Natalie Urban both qualified for PHSSL with their selections “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Best of Bombeck,” respectively. At states, Natalie reached the second day of competition and came in seventh overall as a semi-finalist.

In poetry—an event similar to prose, except with poems—junior Erin Graham put together an impressive season with several top finishes locally, followed by a well-deserved qualification to PHSSLs as district champion and CFL Grand Nationals. Erin placed fifth at states with her selection “Anxiety Group/Paranoid” in her first year of competition. Fellow junior Aarya Wadke was the first alternate to states in poetry, as well.

In dramatic interpretation—a ten-minute memorized event where students portray all characters without props, sets, or costumes—Saraj Quinto took a few tournaments to find the right selection, but she placed third at CFL qualifiers, making her second trip to nationals with “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” Freshman Wyatt Keating also made the PHSSL qualifier final in his first competition in this forensics category.

In the sister event, humorous interpretation, USC touted two of the best competitors in the region throughout the season. First-year junior Katherine Starr took “Search for Signs of Intelligent Life” to PHSSL, while senior Sriparna Sen achieved a rare feat. Sriparna not only won all three qualifiers, which is extremely rare, she placed second only once during the entire season on her way to nearly sweeping all five final round judges at states en route to a state championship with “Law and Order: Fairytale Unit.”

In original oratory—an event where students write their own seven- to ten-minute memorized speech intended to either inform or persuade—sophomores Vicki Wang and Tana Mahajan and 74

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Fall 2015

Representing forensics are, left to right, student Hunter Lantzman, teacher-sponsor Ben Edwards, and student Brian Kaplan

freshman Krisha Monpara, all of whom were first-year competitors in the event, made impressive showings, with Tana serving as the alternate for states and CFLs, Vicki winning the PHSSL district championship, qualifying to CFLs, and placing seventh at states, and Krisha qualifying to states and placing fourth overall.

In extemporaneous speaking—an event where students have 30 minutes to craft and memorize a speech regarding a current event— the “Speaking Panthers” continued their dominance of the event at all levels. Junior Chase Miller accomplished the prestigious achievement of qualifying to all three postseason tournaments, winning tournament championships at both national qualifiers and placing in the top six at his third straight state tournament. The remaining district championship went to junior Gaurav Bhushan, who placed fifth at PHSSLs and qualified second to CFLs. Senior Brian Tsui was an alternate to both states and NSDA nationals, while sophomore Rod Smith served as an alternate to the state tournament.

In parliamentary debate—a three-on-three extemporaneous debate offered only at the state level—the team of sophomores Arushi Kewalramani and Macey Kaplan, and junior Thomas Mologne won USC’s sixth straight district championship and placed fifth at states.

Furthermore, sophomore Amna Amin and juniors Hunter Lantzman and Justin Brandwein were the alternates and “swing debaters.”

In Lincoln-Douglas debate—a one-on-one philosophical debate—sophomore Raahema Durrani advanced as the “swing debater” to take fifth place at states. Fellow sophomores Amna Amin and Caleb Troughtzmantz qualified to CFL nationals and placed sixth at NSDA qualifiers. Freshman Spencer Miller was the first alternate to CFL nationals and Ariana Chiu went 5-0 in prelims at the Bethel Park tournament, where Neale Misquitta also performed admirably.

In public forum debate—a two-on-two current events debate— USC established a historic run early in the season where the top two teams accumulated a record of 48-2 over a two-month time period, and USC placed three teams in the top six at three various tournaments. At qualifiers, the team of Arushi Kewalramani and Macey Kaplan were first alternates to CFLs, while the team of seniors Rishabh Kewalramani and Eliana Ondrejko qualified to states and CFLs, placing third at states. Senior Brian Kaplan pulled off the hat trick of district championships, with the added caveat of doing so with two different partners, first-year senior Morgan Cook for states, where they placed fifth, and jack-of-all-trades Hunter Lantzman, who accompanied him to both national competitions.

At the Fort Lauderdale National Competition, public forum debaters Brian Kaplan and Hunter Lantzman placed in the top ten.

Brian and Hunter went a combined 13-5 on ballots, and were only knocked out by the eventual national champions.

Yes, it was a fabulous forensics year, indeed! n

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Am I Permitted to Work?

Brittany Dudzinski, TODAY Intern As a 15-year-old, I recall wanting to gain some independence and have some money of my own. The solution: get a job!

What came first, I would learn, was a required work permit issued through Upper St. Clair High School. Without a work permit, my desire to work would go unrealized.

I was not alone in this ambition and found out that an average of 219 students per year from Upper St. Clair High School have been issued work permits over the past four years. Under the Pennsylvania Child Labor Act, minors, ages 14 to 17, can be granted and obtain a work permit, whether the student has a job lined up or not. The permit is valid until the student turns 18. At age 18, a work permit is not required.

To help answer your or your student’s questions regarding the requirements and issuance of a work permit, UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY interviewed the School District’s work permit issuing officer Nancy Dunn, who works in the high school’s main office.

TODAY: Is there only one form of the work permit, or are different forms used based on the age of the applicant?

ND: There is only one form for a work permit, which is used for students ages 14 to 17.

TODAY: How long does it take to process a work permit?

ND: When a student applies for a work permit, I complete as much of the information that I can as provided by the student. Then, he or she takes the permit application home to be signed by a parent or legal guardian.

The student returns the completed, signed application to me and provides me with proof of identification. I then issue the work permit to the student.

TODAY: What identification does the student need to provide to be issued a work permit?

ND: The acceptable forms of identification are: 1) transcript of birth certificate, 2) baptismal certificate or transcript, 3) passport, 4) other documentary evidence, such as a student ID or drivers’ license, 5) affidavit of parent or guardian accompanied by physician’s statement of opinion as to the age of the minor.

TODAY: Is there an expiration date of the permit, and does it need to be renewed?

ND: A work permit is good from the point it is issued until the student turns 18. It does not need to be renewed.

TODAY: Where should the student go to request a work permit?

ND: The student should report to the main office of the high school.

TODAY: Can a work permit application be completed online?

ND: No, the student must report to the main office.

So, there you have it. The process for obtaining a work permit is a simple one and should not discourage you from following through with a passion for work, gaining independence, and earning a little cash to call your own. If you are between the ages of 14 and 17, getting a work permit is the first step to starting your first real job. n Nancy Dunn provides a work permit application to a USC student who is interested in getting a job.

USCHS 40th Anniversary Band Festival

Join the USCHS marching band at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, as the band celebrates its 40th anniversary of the Upper St. Clair Marching Band Festival.

Bands performing at Panther Stadium for this milestone event include Bethel Park

High School, Mt. Lebanon High School, Baldwin High School, Canon-McMillan High School, Carlynton High School, Cornell High School, The Pittsburgh Steeline, West Virginia University Mountaineer Marching Band, and the USC

Alumni Band conducted by James Bennett.

In addition to these performing bands, the band is calling all USC band and auxiliary alumni to perform with USC’s current student band. Alumni event admission is free and includes dinner before the show. n

The deadline for registration is Monday, August 31. RSVP online at uscsd.k12.pa.us/domain/47. Contact Rhoda Smith at 412-851-0757 or prsmitty@comcast.net if you are an alumnus with questions or need additional information.

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Mathletes!

Pennsylvania Mathematics League

This past spring, Boyce Middle School conducted the annual Pennsylvania Mathematics League (PML) Grade Six competition. After several weeks of completing practice tests and discussing answers and solutions, over 100 students gathered in the school’s nutrition center and spent 30 minutes solving 35 non-routine math problems. Prizes were awarded in the following categories: Fifth graders studying sixth grade math: first place–Keya Loding; second place (tie)–Bear Bottonari and Sophie Chen Sixth graders studying Algebra I: first place–Christian Chiu (highest overall score of 34 out of 35) Sixth graders studying pre-algebra: first place (tie)–Buddy Goodwin and Jenny Huo; second place (tie)–Grace Suter and Henry Zou Sixth graders studying sixth grade math: first place (tie)–Sadhana Boddhula and Ben Bacdayan; second place (five-way tie–Zain Aizooky, Casey Barker, Donovan Kohler, Lauren Korpics and Ishaan Shah; third place (six-way tie)–Topher Bishop, Vanessa Rainier, Kyle Ralyea, Michael Safko, Sammie Seewald, and Jason Zhang Team champions (highest scorer on each of the sixth grade teams): Team Predator (tie)– Lauren Korpics and Donovan Kohler; Team Energy–Casey Barker; Team Wind–Sadhana Boddhula; Team Fire Ben Bacdayan; Team Sixth grade PML honorees pose with their Solar Power–Michael medals, trophies, and gift certificates.

Safko.

The Fifth Grade Pennsylvania Mathematics competition was administered to 80 eager problem solvers at Boyce Middle School in late April. The overall winners were Aly Childs (first place overall and Team Eagle champion), Allen Ho (Team Galaxy champion), Saif Durrani (third place overall and Team Comet champion), and David Wang (second place overall and Team Challenger champion). Honorable mention students were Nivedha Suresh, Kaitlyn Clougherty, Shivani Jajoo, Jeet Sutreja, Milan Giroux, and Trinity Murphy.

Math Counts

Yates—participated in the Regional 24 competition held at the Jefferson Hills Municipal Center this past May. Both Devan and Brooke placed in the top four for the seventh and eighth grade division; Brooke finished with a silver medal and Devan won the gold. Meghan and Braden competed in the platinum round, where the 24 patterns included exponents, decimals, fractions, integers, and algebraic values. Megan earned the silver medal and Braden finished with the gold medal.

Boyce students attending the regional competition were sixth graders Christian Chiu, Declan Gessel, and Emily Gianni and fifth graders Esha Lahoti, Shivani Jajoo, a n d D a n i e l Wa n g .

Christian took first in the sixth grade competition and Emily Left to right, front row: Emily Gianni, Esha second. For the fifth Lahoti, Shivani Jajoo, Declan Gessel, Christian Chiu, Daniel Wang; back row: Brooke graders, Daniel Wang Christiansen, Juls Gianni, Meghan Joon, Sam placed second.

Burt, Braden Yates, Devan Ekbote

Math Council Competition

In April, 25 USC middle school students participated in the preliminary round of the 2015 Mathematics Council of Western Pennsylvania First Year Algebra/Integrated Math II Contest, which was held at Baldwin High School. Of the top 29 students in Allegheny County, 18 of them were from Upper St. Clair. The following students continued to the final round of the competition at Derry Area Middle School in May: Angela Belack, Christian Chiu, Jason Choi, Harrison Chui, Peyton Ciesco, Jack Clark, Claire Chen Joon, Shalmalee Joshi, Graham Kretschmar, Suemin Lee, Yuna Matsuda, Katie McCurrie, Jonah Murray, Brendan Neal, Pravalika Ravula, Aleksa Rodic, Anika Sinha, and Chand Vadalia.

The final round consisted of ten questions, and points were awarded for the correct answer and for showing the steps leading to the answer. Jonah Murray, enrolled in Algebra I as a sixth grader, won first place overall. Jason Choi, a seventh grader in Algebra I, earned second place. Sixth-grader Christian Chiu took the third place honor. n

Over USC’s spring break, four students attended the State Math Counts Competition in Harrisburg and competed against 24 teams from around the state. Fort Couch students Sam Ding, Braden Yates, Dina Leyzarovich, and Jason Choi won third place overall for the state. Individually, Sam Ding finished 11th and Braden Yates finished 36th out of the 150 individual competitors.

Regional 24 Competition

In March, Fort Couch and Boyce Middle Schools each held their own school-wide “24” competition to determine the top students for each grade level. Challenge 24 is a math card game where players compete to be the first to make “24” with four numbers.

The top students from Fort Couch—Sam Burt, Brooke Christiansen, Devan Ekbote, Juls Gianni, Meghan Joon, and Braden 76

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Jonah Murray and Jason Choi Christian Chiu

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USCHS Student Studies in China with Scholarship Anthony Abinanti, a senior at USC High School, was awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship for 201516, studying Chinese in China this past summer.

Anthony is one of only 620 competitively-selected students from across the United States who received a scholarship to study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish overseas this year. While in China, Anthony received formal instruction and informal Chinese language practice in an immersion environment.

When Anthony first heard of the NSLI-Y program, he could not wait to apply. “As an avid foreign language student who is studying Spanish and Chinese, the NSLI-Y program was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I dreamed of participating in,” said Anthony.

The long and competitive application process began September 2014 when Anthony started writing essays and completing a 36-page application.

He submitted his application in October and received notification in December that he was a semi-finalist. After an additional set of interviews, Anthony was announced as a finalist in April of this year.

Through the NSLI-Y program, Anthony studied Chinese language for seven weeks this past summer in Xiamen, China, while living at Xiamen University for the first four weeks and with a local host family for the remainder of the program.

Anthony began learning Chinese during his sophomore year of high school. Under the instruction of his teachers, Mrs. Lixia Kang and Mr. Zan He, he began to develop a passion for the Chinese language and culture. “I am excited and blessed to have had the opportunity to represent my school and country this summer,” said Anthony, who plans to study international business and linguistics in college.

The NSLI-Y program seeks to increase the number of Americans who can engage with native speakers of

critical languages. The goals of the NSLI-Y program include sparking a lifelong interest in foreign languages and cultures, and developing a corps of young Americans with the skills necessary to advance international dialogue and cross-cultural opportunities in the private, academic, and government sectors. n

Anthony Abinanti Fall 2015

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Spring Fling USC middle school students enjoyed “Spring Fling” with their friends this past April. Held at the C&RC, children in grades five through eight participated in activities that included a dodge ball tournament, bingo, a velcro wall, and dancing to a DJ. The event was sponsored by USC Cares for Kids, an initiative of the USC Youth Steering Committee. n

Boyce Blankets Make a Difference The student council at Boyce Middle School operates with a major goal in mind: provide the students with leadership opportunities. Students are encouraged to submit leadership request forms to their teacher-sponsor in an effort to explore new opportunities. Over the past several years, countless request forms have been reviewed and a few ideas were put into action. Very rarely is an event requested twice.

During the 2011-12 school year, a request was made for Boyce to begin a blanket-making club. Paige Keith, a former student council member, borrowed the idea from a group she was involved with outside of school. With Paige’s leadership, dedication, and very hard work, the Boyce Blanket Club became a huge success, meeting after school to create tie blankets. The club of over 20 members completed and donated 21 blankets to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Paige had been a patient at Children’s, and she wanted other children who were admitted to Children’s to have a soft blanket.

Two years later, student council received a request from Harper Keith and her friend Bridget Lloyd to renew the blanket club that Paige had started. Harper and Bridget recruited students from both 78

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fifth and sixth grades to help with the club, and they researched how to make tie blankets and ordered several different blanket designs from local craft stores. With help from Irene Koestner, head secretary at Boyce Middle School, the blankets were cut to size and prepped.

The club and its mission were again a huge success. This time, 17 blankets were completed.

Harper wanted to donate the blankets to a place that was very close to her heart, the Denny Sipe Infusion Center at St. Clair Hospital. Paige and Harper’s mother, Christina Keith, had received treatments for multiple schlerosis at the Sipe Infusion Center, and Harper noticed that Christina always took a blanket with her.

Christina told Harper that the feel of a soft blanket was just what she needed to get through a treatment.

While Christina is no longer at the Infusion Center, she is happy that the blankets were delivered there. She said that Harper and Bridget had her choose one of the blankets before they were delivered to the hospital. On days I am not feeling well, I wrap myself up in my special blanket,” said Christina. “It really does make a difference!” n

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Trip to High School is “Fab” STEAM is everywhere these days—articles, websites, summer camps, and after-school programs that give young learners the opportunity to experiment in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Students working with Mary Quinn, Gifted/Enrichment resource teacher at Streams Elementary, have engaged in a number of STEAM challenges, and capped off the 2014-15 school year with a field trip to Upper St. Clair High School’s new Fab Lab and Innovation Hub. After receiving a Target field trip grant, Mary worked closely with Streams art teacher Angela Stevenson and Streams librarian Stephanie Kellner to create a STEAM challenge, integrating art and technology. Streams tech aide Bernice Andrews also assisted students in the project. Small groups that included students in grades two, three, and four were given iPads to take pictures around the Streams campus and then learned how to use Photoshop software to enhance and manipulate the images. Once each group had created a final digital image, all fourth grade students voted on the one image that best represented the school. Colin Eccher, Calla Dressler, Maxim-Levi Shevchenko, and Yuhong Shi were the creators of the winning image.

Now the exciting part began—a field trip to the brand new Fab Lab and Innovation Hub at the high school. Tech ed teacher Fred Peskorski and STEAM teacher Stephen Stroyne hosted 29 Streams students in an unforgettable morning as the image was reproduced as vinyl stickers using the Fab Lab printer. The elementary students saw equipment and completed projects using three-dimensional printing, laser engraving, vinyl cutting, wood routing, three-dimensional scanning, and computer design programs. As impressive as this was, the most excitement came from seeing high school students engaged in STEAM activities in the classroom. Fred’s engineering students tested their Rube Goldberg machine for the elementary audience, and expressed their own enthusiasm for the classes and options available to them.

Graduating high school senior Mihir Gite shared his own projects and talked extensively to the captivated elementary students about the experiences that have shaped his high school career and future plans. An interest in radio-controlled planes has become a passion for aeronautical engineering, which Mihir hopes to pursue in college. His words and the Fab Lab itself had a profound impact on the students. Fourth grader Kyle Kerber reflected that it was “a place to express your thinking. You can make anything your mind can come up with,” he said.

Wi t h t h e h e l p of USCHS English curriculum leader Melissa Tungate, who coordinated the visit with Mary Quinn, elementary students had a close-up view Streams Elementary students before their trip to the high school’s Fab Lab. of STEAM in action.

“The resources available to our students are remarkable,” says Mary. “We wanted them to see what is possible, and then start to dream about the impossible. The Innovation Hub is a great start to making those dreams come true.” n

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Trash Bags for Sale

After years of raising money for their Deer Valley trip by selling wrapping paper, Boyce students are going green. This year, support the students at Boyce Middle School and the Deer Valley Earthwarden Program by buying something every household needs: trash bags! The 100% recycled plastic trash bags that are for sale this September will meet all needs—bathroom, kitchen, and even outdoors! Check out the following options: • 18 gallon – white (1.2 mil thick) 60 per roll • 30 gallon – black (1.5 mil thick) 40 per roll • 33 gallon – pink (2.0 mil thick) 20 per roll • 39 gallon – yellow (2.0 mil thick) 20 per roll • 55 gallon – green (2.0 mil thick) 15 per roll This fundraiser, organized by the Boyce PTO, makes sense for everyone by supporting our students, supporting the environment, and keeping your house neat and tidy! n To get your bags, be on the lookout for Boyce students who will be selling in their neighborhoods, door-to-door, or visit http://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/Page/8508, contact Boyce teacher Matthew Dudley at 412-833-1600, extension 5125, or email deervalley@uscsd.k12.pa.us.

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Collin Kerr

Collin Kerr Selected for National Lacrosse Classic Collin Kerr, a USCHS junior, was named as a 2015 Brine National High School All-America, representing Pennsylvania at the 2015 Brine National Lacrosse Classic held at the River City Sportsplex in Virginia this past summer.

The Brine National Lacrosse Classic brought the top high school lacrosse players in the nation to one venue, where regional teams competed for national recognition in front of NCAA lacrosse coaches.

“Purple Up” for Military Kids Event On April 15, students and staff at all three elementary schools, Baker, Eisenhower, and Streams, wore purple to support military kids and their families. Purple symbolizes all branches of the military, as it is the combination of Army green; Marine red; and Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force blue. “Purple Up!” acts as a visible way to show support and thank military youth for their strength and sacrifices.

CCA International Marketing Competition Mary Cugini, Chris Adamo, Geet Punjabi, and Thomas Mologne represented USCHS in the Cultural Communications Alliance’s (CCA) International Marketing Competition this past April at the University of Pittsburgh. For the 2014-15 competition, the target country was Indonesia and the product was Dr. Scholl’s Insoles.

The CCA works with Pittsburgh area high schools to introduce international business concepts to students using an international case competition. The teams work on their project throughout the year, with final presentations in the spring. CCA works in cooperation with Bayer USA and other entities to create and administer the events and competition, which is open to all students studying a world language.

Jump Rope for Heart Congratulations to Streams Kindergarten student Nolan Wilson for being the top fundraiser for the 2015 Streams “Jump Rope for Heart,” a program coordinated annually by physical education teacher Barbara Rahr. During “Jump Rope for Heart” week, students practice a variety of jump rope skills and learn about the importance of heart health. Through the generosity of the Streams’ students, families, and staff, $7016 was donated to The American Heart Association.

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Nolan Wilson

Fall 2015

IB Cross Grade Level Get Together Frequently throughout the school year, students at Streams Elementary get together in a cross grade level fashion to learn about concepts that support the “Olweus” Bullying Prevention Program or to engage in an action supporting Upper St. Clair curriculum standards and activities. For example, at one get together, students wrote letters to veterans, describing their thanks and appreciation for their service. At the latest cross grade level get together, students learned about characteristics important in a friend, what a good friend does, the importance of friends, and how to make friends. Together, the students read The Rainbow Fish

by Marcus Pfister, and created a friendship chain, which detailed characteristics of good friends in their school.

Super Speller Congratulations to Boyce student Daniel Wa n g , w h o p l a c e d second at the Western Pe nns ylva nia Sc r ipps Regional Spelling Bee at Robert Morris University this past March.

World Affairs Council Paul Abrams, Gaurav Bhushan, Thomas Mologne, and Dan Pituch took first place in the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh’s 2015 Academic World Quest, earning the team a spot competing for the national title. Gifted coordinator Pat Palazzolo coached the students.

Thai Gala The annual Thai Night Gala was held on May 2, celebrating the various aspects of Thai culture with food, performances, crafts, and exhibitions. This year marked the tenth anniversary of the program. To date, 1286 students and teachers from Thailand and USCHS and residents of Upper St. Clair have participated in the program in a variety of capacities; including 407 students from Thailand and Upper St. Clair participating as exchange students, 747 Upper St. Clair students ser ving as ambassadors for Thai students, and 91 families in the community participating as host families.

The program has sponsored 41 teachers from Thailand and Upper St. Clair High School.

Future Business Leaders of America Seventeen USC students were medal winners at the FBLA State Leadership conference, with 11 of them finishing in the top three in their event, which qualified them for nationals, including: • Management Decision Making: Chris Adamo, Rishabh Kewalramani, Geet Punjabi • E-Business: Kevin Monpara, Brian Tsui • Sports and Entertainment Management: Anthony Abinanti, Lauren Schoeppner, Jess Sourbeer • Marketing: Arushi Kewalramani, Macey Kaplan,Vicki Wang

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Programming Whiz Kids Boyce, Fort Couch, and USCHS students participated in the annual regional Computer Fair held at Carnegie Science Center this past spring. Students entered in a variety of categories including animation, digital movie, graphic design, programming, web page design, and logo design.

Four USC students earned recognition in their respective categories: Fort Couch student Julia Fennell (second place, logo design), USCHS students Alex Brufsky and Jacob Lantzman (second place, logo design), and USCHS student Connor Byrnes (third place, programming).

Chemical Society Poem Winner Carmella McNally, a fifth grade student at Boyce Middle School won first place in the regional American Chemical Society’s illustrated poem contest. Carmella wrote and illustrated a poem about snow as part of the “Chemists Celebrate Earth Day” theme contest. The contest was sponsored by Boyce teachers Susan Fleckenstein and Kristin Cilli.

Left to right are Kristin Cilli, Carmella McNally, and Susan Fleckenstein

High School Student Wins First Place in Japanese Speech Contest This past spring, 11th grader Allison Mesinere, was awarded first place (intermediate level) in the 2015 High School Japanese Speech contest, sponsored by The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, The Asian Studies Center, and the University Center for International Studies of The University of Pittsburgh. Students were required to write a speech on the theme of environmental resources in answer to the question, “What I would do to save resources?” The scoring was based upon the students’ ability to express themselves in an original self-written speech and in Japanese. Allison was advised and sponsored by USCHS Japanese Left to right are Dan Beck, Christine Mussomeli, Junko teacher Junko Kapples.

Kapples, Allison Mesinere, and Dr. Lou Angelo.

Future Problem Solvers After a series of practice problems and a state-qualifying problem concerning the topic of propaganda, two USCHS Future Problem Solving teams earned spots at the state competition in Carlisle this past April. The problem-solving topic for the state competition was enhancing human potential. Students on the tenth grade team were Tommy Bednarz, Tyler Besselman, Tyler Clark, and Joe Violi. Eleventh grade team members included Gaurav Bhushan, Michael Nastac, Misha Rameswarapu, and Steve Wagner. Gifted coordinators Pat Palazzolo and Tim Wagner accompanied the students to the state competition.

Mock Trial The High School Mock Trial team earned a spot in the Pittsburgh finals of the 2014-15 Pennsylvania Bar Association competition this past spring. After four rounds of competition, the team presented as the prosecution, competing against Eden Christian School, taking second place in the Pittsburgh region. Team members included Amna Amin, Kevin Monpara, Erin Graham, Abbie Wagner, Melissa Levine, Arushi Kewalramani, Wyatt Keating, Katherine Starr, Rishabh Kewalramani, Natalie Urban, and Tyler Clark. USCHS alumnus Sam Hornak served as the team’s mentor lawyer and gifted coordinator Pat Palazzolo served as the school sponsor.

Saunders Published in CICADA This spring, USCHS sophomore Ashton Saunders learned that the Cricket Magazine Group editorial board decided to commission, print, and distribute three edited selections from her collection of poetry—“Wishing? * Well,” “Looking up, extremely High,” and “The silhouette of snowflakes”—in an edition of CICADA©.

The online edition of CICADA, a magazine “fascinated with the lyric and strange, and committed to works that speaks to teens’ truths,” is available at http://www.cicadamag.com.

Ryan Harkleroad Named Positive High School Athlete Ryan Harkleroad was recently named a C Harper positive High School Athlete in the sport of boys’ basketball. Wayne Wagner, a parent of another player on the basketball team, nominated Ryan, who beat cancer earlier this year.

Wilding Named WPIAL Scholar Athlete Congratulations to Brooks Wilding on being named a WPIAL scholar athlete, one of ten male athletes out of 107 across all the WPIAL schools. He received a plaque and a $1000 scholarship. This fall, Brooks will attend Virginia Tech and study aerospace engineering and wrestle.

Ashton Saunders

Kids of Steel On May 2, students from Streams Elementary, along with some students from Baker Elementary, participated in the Pittsburgh Kids Marathon, earning the title “Kids of Steel.” These students, some of the youngest participants, ran one mile through the city of Pittsburgh.

Ryan Harkleroad and Hines Ward

Brooks Wilding and USCHS athletic director Matt Mellinger

Keya Loding is Benjamin Carson Scholar Boyce Middle School student Keya Loding was inducted as a Benjamin Carson Scholar this past May. The Carson Scholars Fund awards $1000 college scholarships to students in grades 4–11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities.

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Educational Resource Guide Transitioning to Upcoming Changes to the SAT, PSAT, and ACT Manjri Gupta, Director, Chyten Educational Services The 2015-16 academic year will bring some widely anticipated changes to the SAT, PSAT, and ACT tests. In particular, the PSAT and SAT are going through a major overhaul. Changes to ACT are more subtle and have been ongoing for the past few test cycles. There is much information available about the new formatting of these tests and more will continue to be released in the upcoming months.

So that the graduates of 2017 and 2018 can better plan for and maneuver around these changes, the following lesser known facts and implications of this transition will be helpful.

Timeline of the Upcoming Changes • ACT Essay – Saturday, September 12, 2015 • rPSAT (New PSAT) – Wednesday, October 14, 2015 • rSAT (New SAT) – Saturday, March 5, 2016 Test Score Scale The SAT is reverting back to its original 1600-point scoring scale.

In addition, CollegeBoard is reclassifying the “Writing” portion of the test, and the “Essay” component will become optional, as it is with the ACT. Grammar and Reading will now be combined into one category called “Enhanced Reading and Writing.” Unlike today where many colleges ignore the SAT writing scores, this change will allow students to focus equally on reading and writing, Contact mgupta@chytenpittsburgh.com for more information. See ad for Chyten Educational Services on this page.

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PSAT Changes: Schedule, National Merit Scholarship Information • The October 2015 PSAT will be offered only on Wednesday. There will be no Saturday testing.

• Current SAT scores will suffice as “confirming” scores for National Merit Scholarship purposes, even though 11th graders will be taking the rPSAT. Top rPSAT scorers will not be required to take the rSAT if they performed well on the current SAT. Every tenth grader (Class of 2018) should take the rPSAT this October. It may take some time to begin comprehending how best to interpret the new scoring scale from the rSAT. Therefore, having a rPSAT score will serve as a strong baseline when students begin to prepare for their junior year testing plan.

As far as the rPSAT as it relates to the Class of 2017, we suggest that unless a student is a strong National Merit Scholarship contender, focusing on the PSAT alone will waste valuable time and energy that would be better spent in advancing the timeline for when high school juniors should be taking the actual test. High school juniors should be focusing on preparing and taking the actual SAT and/or ACT. SAT Changes: Scaling, Concordance, Scoring Delays, Interchangeability Collegeboard is finalizing when it will release different score tables and how it will correlate with the current score tables. Below is the initial timeline announced by Collegeboard during the spring regional conferences held around the country: • The first official concordance table for the old PSAT and the rPSAT may not be available until December 2015 or January 2016, about the time when the 2015 October rPSAT scores will be released.

• Score results from the March 2016 SAT may be delayed from the usual three-week timeframe.

• Concordance between current SAT and rSAT will not be available until summer 2016.

• Concordance between rSAT and ACT will only be a derived concordance between current SAT and ACT and current SAT and rSAT. Students might consider avoiding taking the rSAT for the first few administrations of the test since there will be many unknowns, particularly in scoring, that will need to be resolved. Since there are no major changes planned in the formatting of the ACT, the better strategy might be to have students focus on preparing for the spring 2015 ACT. • Juniors (Class of 2017) should not wait until the spring to take their tests, especially the SAT, for the first time; fall of 2015 and winter of 2015 would be the more ideal test time.

• Students who are considering applying for early admission to colleges that have rolling admissions policies should work with the current SAT rather than waiting to take the rSAT. • Student athletes vying for NCAA scholarships usually need to share their test scores with coaches and recruiters by the spring of their junior year. Delays in getting rSAT test scores may negatively impact scholarship decisions. Choose to take the current SAT. n

Educational Resource Guide Carnegie Squirrel Hill Upper St. Clair 412-429-2122 www.pghma.com

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Music Develops Lifelong Skills Carrie Walsh Erdely, The Pittsburgh Music Academy Are taking music lessons in today’s modern world of instantaneous results and gratification still valued and do they still have a place? The answer is a resounding “yes!” Being a part owner of a music school for more than five years and a violin and viola teacher for 15, I quite often get many questions from inquiring parents like: How long will it take my child to actually start playing? How old should he be? How much should she practice?

Every activity we sign our children up for is a commitment for both the parent and the child. Actually, the younger the child, the more of a commitment it is for the parent than the child. Music lesson training and educational studies are different from other types of commitments.

Music has been scientifically proven to be the one activity that best stimulates the brain. It is a known fact that a musician’s mind accesses more brain area

simultaneously during musical activity.

There are many wonderful academic benefits that come from musical study.

While the above questions asked by many parents who are contemplating music for their child (and parents’ questions in general) are valid and totally understandable, let me ask you: How much time does it take to get a child to understand and command patience? How much time and at what age does a child clearly convey his or her emotions? How long does it take for a child to feel confident in himself and his abilities that he can share his skills with others? Of course, the correct answer is that there is no one answer. Every child is different, and every child develops various skills that are dependent upon his or her commitment, work, enthusiasm, and love for the subject matter.

The undisputed fact is that music helps to develop all of these skills. The Fall 2015

opportunity is certainly worth exploring when the associated benefits of music are so rewarding and vast. n See ad for The Pittsburgh Music Academy on this page.

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Educational Resource Guide Local Expression of the Arts

Delaney Held, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater

In 1960, members of The Junior Women’s Committee of the Carnegie Museum of Art had a vision: they wanted a way to give the city of Pittsburgh access to the arts outside of museum walls. This past June, Pittsburgh celebrated the 56th year of the tradition they created.

Now produced by Dollar Bank and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and often boasting crowds of around 400,000 people, the Three Rivers Arts Festival began with the goal of bringing the arts to everyone. Now, every summer, tens of thousands of people of all ages flock to Point State Park and the Cultural District in Downtown Pittsburgh. They brave high temperatures, heavy traffic, and often notoriously tricky weather. They set aside time in their busy schedules to take part in this long-standing and loved Pittsburgh tradition. Against all odds, the community comes together through the arts.

For the first time ever, this year’s festival had a theme; “Unseen/ Unheard,” which showcased artists who had never performed in the area and/or whose work highlighted issues surrounding groups of people who may be underrepresented in our society.

Veronica Corpuz, director of festival management and special projects with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, was pleased with the overall outcome of the festival and the new discussions generated from this theme. “I developed a love of the arts at a young age through attending the festival. And now, I bring my son and get to experience it with him,” she said. “I believe that early age introduction is so important to sparking a lifelong interest and creating the next generation of those who appreciate the arts.”

One of the core values of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is providing access to the arts to anyone in the region. Younger demographics are sometimes not as exposed to the arts, thus issues that pertain to that demographic and issues in education are overlooked. The Trust focuses on igniting that interest within younger crowds with its Trust Arts Education Center, EQT Children’s Theater Festival, Buzzword Pittsburgh, college student ticket discounts, and more. With this, the Trust strives to ensure these youth-related issues are not unseen and unheard.

One of the youth organizations working toward that common goal is Dreams of Hope, Pittsburgh’s only arts-focused organization for LGBTQA youth and one of the participants in this year’s festival. Dreams of Hope was established in 2003 by Susan Haugh when she recognized the youth of Pittsburgh were in need of creative outlets. Since 2003, the organization has grown exponentially, hosting a number of performances and workshops in the Pittsburgh region every year, including at area schools.

Another local artist, Dr. Tameka Cage Conley, has been encouraging students to find their voices through literary arts. Conley has taught at local universities including Chatham University and the University of Pittsburgh. She is a poet, playwright, and new mom. As a result of playing all those roles, the idea of a world without incorporating arts into education troubles her. “As a parent, I feel it is ultimately my job to lay a foundation of the arts for my child so that what he receives from school is a supplement to experiences and education my husband and I provide at home,” Conley said. “As an educator and teaching artist, I am gravely concerned about budget cuts because the arts ground our humanity, our sensitivity, empathy, and compassion. In schools, arts are a gateway to discuss social and cultural difference and can foster community building and relationship development.”

Students in the Pittsburgh area certainly have vast opportunities to explore the world of arts and culture outside of the classroom, and various organizations and individuals are working tirelessly to sustain those opportunities. But it is absolutely vital to continue to push for the presence inside the classroom.

Conley said, “The arts grant permission for students—and all of us—to allow our intellects to expand in a way that can surprise and enlighten.” n Delaney Held, a fourth-year student at the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford campus, is a public relations major with a minor in political science and the editor of the university’s student newspaper, The Source.

See ad for Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater on page 85.

Yes, You Can Dance, Too!

Yes, You Can Dance! (YYCD) is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of dance. USC resident and USC Board of School director Becky Stern founded YYCD in 2011 with the mission of using dance to support wellness for those with special needs, disabilities, and chronic degenerative diseases.

YYCD began operations with its innovative Special Needs Ballroom Program designed for teens (ages 16+) and adults with intellectual challenges or other disabilities. The goal is to provide a fun, safe environment for students to learn ballroom dancing. Participants meet for one hour on Sundays at Steel City Ballroom in Mt. Lebanon or DancExplosion Arts Center in the 84

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North Hills. Professional dance instructors teach dances, including the waltz and merengue, during the six-week program. The program also offers advanced-level classes and exhibition dance teams that perform at special events throughout Pittsburgh.

YYCD collaborates with the Partners in PE program at USC High School to teach ballroom dancing to students.

YYCD partners with USA Dance, local senior citizen programs, and senior care organizations to provide opportunities for seniors to experience the joy of dance.

Events are scheduled throughout the year, including an annual dance at the C&RC sponsored by USC Township’s Recreation and Leisure Services Department through its older adult programming.

Fall 2015

YYCD recently established its new headquarters in Mt. Lebanon and is working to expand its reach throughout the region. n

YYCD participants pair with trained volunteer dance mentors who provide individual attention and support.

For more information, contact Becky Stern at 412-341-1286.

Educational Resource Guide PROFESSIONAL THEATER DOWNTOWN & IN YOUR TOWN!

6

Spectacular

Season

2015•2016 SEASON

Tickets

50

start at

$

SHOWS! 2015 Alexander, Who’s

Not, Not, Not, Not, Not

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October 18-25

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February 7-13

2015

2016

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November 15-22

January 10-17

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Theatre Lights Up the Way to Lifelong Success

Roxy MtJoy, Little Lake Theatre Artistic Director When Thomas Sudhof, recipient of the Nobel Prize the bunny from Goodnight, Moon sing to them. These fun shows for medicine and physiology, was asked “Who was your most ignite that first spark of love for theatre.

We also love it when local students join us for matinee perforinfluential teacher, and why?,” he replied, “My bassoon teacher, Herbert Tauscher, who taught me that the only way to do some- mances in the fall. According to a study published by researchers thing right is to practice and listen and practice and listen, hours, in the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, field trips to live theatre enhance literary knowledge, tolerance, and hours, and hours.”

While that may catch some people off guard, the arts do play a and empathy among students. This year’s students are lucky to vital role in enriching our lives and developing our brains. That’s see Letters to Sala, the unbelievable true story of a 16-year-old why we are so proud of our educational outreach efforts here at girl who survived five years in seven different Nazi work camps Little Lake Theatre. From our Theatre Arts Summer Camp to and managed to conceal and collect over 350 letters she received our Looking Glass Theatre series to our high school apprentice from friends and family.

And while a field trip to Little Lake is a fun way for kids to get program, we bring the transformative power of live theatre to the out of the classroom, it is also a great way to keep kids in school. area’s children and teens.

I’ve been the artistic director here for just a short time, but I’ve It is proven that students who are exposed to live theatre have already seen the impact our programming has on young people. improved school attendance and lower high school dropout rates.

We know that most of our young theatregoers and apprenOur apprentices, I can see already, are some of the kindest, smartest, and hardest-working students around. They come from many dif- tices will not go on to a life in professional theatre, but that isn’t ferent school districts—Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon, and Peters, the point. Theatre gives you valuable skills, regardless of career to name a few—but when they get here, they are a true team, choice: budgeting, team building, public speaking, time manageunited in their efforts to help us make the best theatre possible. ment, thinking on your feet, and more. We’re not just cultivating Our Looking Glass Theatre season—Little Lake’s theatre for future Tony Award winners; we’re the nurturing ground for the young audiences—has brought three beloved classic children’s future Nobel Prize scientists and savvy entrepreneurs; for thinkers books from page to stage. There is nothing quite like the joy on and creators; and for just the very best people, really. n kids’ faces when they see Paddington Bear walk onstage or hear See ad for Little Lake Theatre on page 13.

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Around the Township The Rotary Club of Upper St. Clair – Bethel Park (Breakfast) Serving our community for over 25 years What Is Rotary?

Rotary International is a service organization whose

stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and build goodwill and peace worldwide. Their “Five Avenues of Service” denotes the five elements of Rotary service: club, vocational, community, international, and new generations.

The Rotary Wheel emblem represents “Civilization and Movement.” At the Rotary’s beginning, a simple wheel was displayed. Engineer members advised that the geared-wheel logo was flawed and required a “keyway.” In 1923, with 24 cogs and six spokes, the center keyway was added.

The focus of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise. Their “four-way test,” a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide used for both personal and professional relationships, has been translated into more than 100 languages.

Rotary welcomes and encourages new members. Secular in its makeup, membership is open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, or political preference. There are more than 34,000 Rotary clubs worldwide and over 1.2 million universal members.

With leadership fundamental to Rotary, their youth clubs and youth programs assist emerging leaders to advance their skills.

ROTARACT, made up of universities and communities worldwide, organize service activities and develop leadership and professional skills. INTERACT(grades 9–12) unites youth ages 12 to 18 desiring to connect with others in their community or school, while carrying out service projects and learning about the world. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a developmental program where participants can be any age, including secondary school students, university students, or young professionals. RYLA events are typically three to ten days and showcase presentations, activities, and workshops that cover a variety of topics. n

Rotary Events and Activities—Future and Past 27th Annual Rotary Chicken BBQ When: Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Westminster Presbyterian Church What: Dinner includes ½ barbecue chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, roll, dessert, and drink How: Eat in, drive-thru, or takeout Price: $10 in advance or $12 at the door The Chicken BBQ has benefitted the Early Learning Institute, YMCA Camp Aim, Military Connections, Neighborhood Academy, Camp Kon-O-Kwee, South Hills Interfaith Ministries (SHIM), Patriot Guard, Hair Peace Charities, Family Hospice, CORE, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, Operation Troop Appreciation, Southwinds, and many other benevolent organizations.

The event is scheduled rain or shine.

Last year’s festivity served approximately 3000 dinners amassing $41,000 for works of goodwill. Left over chicken, coleslaw, and other sides are donated to the needy.

This secondary charitable purpose results in zero food waste.

Check out Cable 7 or The Almanac for more information.

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USC Farmers Market (change of command from USC Lions to Rotary beginning this year) When: Thursdays, 4–7 p.m., through September 24 Where: Westminster Church south parking lot along Route 19 What: Fresh, locally grown produce and flowers; wine, bread, cheese, and prepared foods, including BBQ, Greek, burgers, pierogis, and more.

Barnyard Beer Benefit Was a Great Success Held at Gilfillan Farm on Saturday evening, May 23, proceeds benefitted the USC Historical Society as a fundraiser for the Gilfillan Farm. Serving more than 300 guests, there were six beer vendors and five food vendors. Entertainment was provided by the Red Barn Band and the Pittsburgh South Hills Keystone Chorus. The event included a silent auction provided by Sammar Accessories.

Don’s Appliances Event This past spring, the Rotary club was invited to Don’s Appliances for an evening of food and fellowship. Don’s sales associate and Rotarian Jase Garrity hosted the gourmet feast prepared by executive chef Anthony Marino.n For more information about the USC-BP Rotary, visit www.USCBPRotary.org or www.facebook.com/USCBP.Rotary, or contact president Scott Churchill at appraisal@churchillrea.com.

Fall 2015

Act Three for Little Lake

Tracy DeCock, Little Lake Theatre Board Member Little Lake began its 67th season this year with a three-act play, Our Town; and as I sat through that wonderful production and the play’s third act, I thought it was analogous to Little Lake’s own story and my experience with it.

ACT ONE, Scene One is set in 1949 when Will Disney founded “The Lake” in a barn just off of Route 19 (across from Donaldson’s Crossroads). It was most assuredly several scenes later in Act One when I first visited Little Lake. I remember seeing young audience plays with my mom and grandmother, sitting “in the round.” At another play downtown a bit later in my youth, I was disappointed that we sat so far away; it was no Little Lake to be sure.

ACT TWO, Scene One. In 1993, Sunny Disney Fitchett and her husband, Rob, moved back to the area from California to run the theater. Sunny became the artistic director and Will’s legacy continued through the love and commitment of his daughter, who had grown up in the barn. During this act, my husband and I boomeranged to USC from Chicago and it only seemed natural that my toddler, Carly, and I would attend young audience plays with her grandma at Little Lake.

A few years later, I saw an audition call for Madeline’s Christmas and I asked Carly if she was interested. She said, “Yes, and I am going to be Madeline!” I explained that I was sure they had a “Madeline,” but maybe she could be in the chorus. A few weeks later, Carly was offered the role of Madeline and I grimaced when I heard her tell Sunny, “My mom did not think I would get it.”

After seeing all 11 performances of Madeline’s Christmas, we broadened our involvement. My husband, Gary, and I tried out a few

mainstage shows. The day Carly turned 14, she signed up to be an apprentice and our son, Mitchell, Roxy MtJoy, Little Lake Theatre tags along to plays, clean-up day, artistic director, and Bob Rak, Little and cooking cast dinner events.

Lake Theatre managing director With a little coaxing from longtime USC resident Jerry Fulmer, I joined the Little Lake board.

Our family has gotten to know and appreciate all that Sunny and Rob did for this community gem. That is why the tears flowed at the end of ACT TWO, as we learned that the Fitchetts decided to return California and retire there. I asked myself: Is this the end of a beautiful play and a beautiful place?

ACT THREE, Scene One takes place in the board room where it is unanimously decided to keep the 66-year-old theater alive and vibrant, and launch a nationwide search for a new artistic director.

After considering more than 60 applicants, Roxy MtJoy, who also saw and loved Little Lake plays as a child, moves back to this area to become the third creative lead at Little Lake. This is just the beginning of ACT THREE for Little Lake and you can take part!

• Have your child see their first play at Little Lake.

• Enjoy a date night with your husband at one of our weekend mainstage productions (wine, cheese, and chocolate are available).

• Volunteer to help one of our committees: fundraising or youth outreach.

But, most importantly, enjoy the show! n Fall 2015

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Out with the Old, In with the New

USC’s Brookside Farms welcomes neighbors with new sign Heather Holtschlag The Upper St. Clair Brookside Farms neighborhood has undergone a rather small update that makes for a huge welcome to new neighbors, friends, and visitors alike. The neighborhood recently updated the sign that marks the entrance to the development on Route 19, across the street from Westminster Presbyterian Church.

“Two years ago, we began to notice that the sign that marked the entrance to our development was deteriorating. According to USC Township, the old sign is not on their zoning records, indicating that it may be as old as the neighborhood itself,” said Gretchen Herron, the 2014-15 president of the Brookside Farms Woman’s Club. “To purchase a new sign, our club organized a series of garage sales, for which the entire neighborhood contributed items and/or money. Appropriate Township permits were secured and volunteers from the neighborhood replaced the old sign with the new one,” she said.

From the Beginning...

The Brookside Farms neighborhood is rich in history. The area was established in 1913 and was designed to appeal to suburbanites who were looking for homes that had a unique countryesque feel. In fact, the original brochure, used to promote the neighborhood, featured words such as “romantic nooks,” “babbling brooks,” and “broad-hedged lawns.” The neighborhood’s homes featured a various array of architectural styles, most of which still exist today, with additional personal touches from the individual homeowners.

Brookside Farms, a community that today boasts more than 400 homes, was located along the route of the Washington & Canonsburg Short Line trains, which contained ladies’ parlours and comfortable smoking cars, which, according to neighborhood literature, were described as “all front-facing and highly cushioned.”

Fast forward ten-plus years to 1925, when Mrs. G. Hunter Culley founded the The old sign had seen Brookside Woman’s Club. “She invited better days. some of her new neighbors to join her, and together, they formed the club that is now 90 years old,” said Bonnie McKeown, club historian.

All members of the Brookside Farms Woman’s Club live or have lived in Brookside Farms, part of which is zoned Upper St. Clair and part Bethel Park. “The combination of two townships in one neighborhood makes for a nice mix of neighbors who know one another through Lighting the anniversary cake their geographical proximity and not just through school systems,” noted Beth Zelt, candles are Alwyn Jones, original club president, and one of the club’s vice presidents.

G. Hunter Culley

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Brookside Farms Woman’s Club members pose near the new sign.

... to Today The Brookside Farms Woman’s Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month, September to June.

Initially, members met in each other’s homes, enjoying a lunch followed by a 45-minute program on an array of topics. Recently, however, the club has begun to offer some evening meetings to the members who are not able to attend day events. Attendees have enjoyed presentations from gardening experts, health and fitness professionals, law experts, and home decorating and organization specialists, as well as speakers from local businesses, including Gilfillan Farm Historical Society, Heinz History Museum, and Trax Farm.

“Though the timing of the meetings may have slightly changed, the structure has not changed much as all,” noted Juanita Fodor, club member. “The women still gather at a neighbor’s home and chat and catch up and then are served their meals on lap-held trays that are older than anyone remembers!”

According to Carla Rose, a vice president, there is a volunteer food committee for each meeting that prepares a simple lunch for all attendees. The year’s meeting homes and programs are finalized by the board of volunteers during the summer prior to the beginning of the club’s year. Every member receives a yearbook of meeting dates and locations, and a directory of member names and contact information.

“We also enjoy field trips in and around Pittsburgh and a holiday party that includes guests and spouses,” said Jill Hawley, vice president.

The club currently serves 31 members, a number that has fluctuated through the years, according to member Cathy Ferree. At one time around the 1950s and ’60s, there were more than 80 members. In the ’70s, the club welcomed more than 100 members. Its objective is to develop the education, civic, and social interests of its members and to advance the welfare of the community. Community service projects and donations over the past few years have benefited South Hills Interfaith Ministries, Sunrise Assisted Living in Bethel Park, the USC Volunteer Fire Department, St. Clair Hospital, and more.

“Anyone in the Brookside Farms neighborhood is welcome to join or attend as a guest,” offered Lisa Reiland, treasurer. “It is an exciting tribute that a woman’s club has existed with such nostalgic roots for so many years.” n For more information about the Brookside Farms Woman’s Club, visit www.brooksidewomansclub.webs.com.

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Consider Retiring to Pittsburgh

Real Estate Round Up by Emanuel Romanias, Berkshire Hathaway Roman soldier, author, and naturalist Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as Pliny the Elder, said, “Home is Where the Heart is.” This may be true, but when asked what characteristics are important in terms of “livability,” the common denominator among the over-50 crowd was safety and convenient transportation as illustrated in a 2014 AARP study. Cited as top issues of concern were an accessible bus stop (within a mile) and greater police presence.

Mention the word retirement and the mind immediately wanders to sun-baked beaches, warm, rolling tides, a good book, and endless mimosa refills. Retire to Pittsburgh? Some would consider the notion laughable as I learned firsthand not long ago.

I am an avid tennis player, and during a recent tournament I had the pleasure of passing the time with the grandparents of one of the junior participants. Zoe and Gus traveled to Pittsburgh from Trenton, New Jersey, to watch their granddaughter compete. We talked mostly about our children, grandchildren, and tennis, but during our time together the subject of retirement crept into the conversation. Zoe and Gus wanted to downsize and were giving serious consideration to moving out of Trenton to get away from the high cost of living. I recommended moving to Pittsburgh. They didn’t exactly find the idea laughable, but there was a definite look of amusement on both their faces; perhaps bewilderment is more accurate.

Interestingly, Zoe and Gus may have dismissed Pittsburgh a tad hastily. According to Forbes, Pittsburgh is one of the 25 best places to retire in 2015. The primary reasons vaulting our fair city

to the forefront were “the overall cost of living and home prices compared to national averages, and general state tax climate for retirees.” Other factors included the low violent crime rate, the number of doctors per capita, and access to walking trails and bicycle paths, all trending positive. Then again, since 2009 Pittsburgh has been labeled “The Most Livable City” multiple times by both Forbes and The Economist. Perhaps then, it should be of no surprise to discover that our backyard is not only a great place to grow, prosper, and raise a family, but also a wonderful place to savor the golden years of life. I envision a new bumper sticker campaign: Pittsburgh, We Got You Covered From Cradle to Grave.

Pittsburgh has routinely been considered a relatively stable real estate market, often avoiding the wild booms and busts that have plagued other areas of our country. Case in point: While most of the nation continued to suffer through tight housing markets in the beginning of the year, Pittsburgh was one of four “bright spots,” says Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at realtor. com. Jonathan continues, “All four of these markets (Jacksonville, Jersey City, Pittsburgh, and Tampa) have very positive economic momentum: strong job recovery, growth in new construction, healthy growth in home prices, and growth in sales and positive demographic trends.”

I wish I had this information handy when I was chatting with Zoe and Gus. n Emanuel Romanias, a Realtor® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty, can be reached at eromanias@thepreferredrealty.com. See ad on page 95.

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Happenings!

USCHS Band Festival Saturday, September 19, 7:30 p.m.

USCHS Stadium See page 75 for details.

S t . G r e g o r y ’s B y z a n t i n e Catholic Church will host “A Tasteful Night.” This restaurant food-tasting fundraiser at the Crowne Plaza on Fort Couch Road, will be held Friday, October 30, 6:30–10:30 p.m. Have fun tasting and sampling food from more than a dozen downtown and South Hills restaurants and enjoy live entertainment by songstress “Antoinette.”

Chinese, silent, and live auctions are sure to please. Ticket price is $60.

Come taste the fun. Call now!

For more information and tickets, contact Sharon Opal at 412-721-3799 or Barbara Stasiuk at 412- 885-2140.

Friends of Family Hospice, a group of Family Hospice and Palliative Care volunteers, are raising awareness and funds in support of the nonprofit organization’s patient and family services. The Family Treasures Sale II fundraising event, to be held Saturday, October 10, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Family Hospice and Palliative Care, will feature high-end items for resale including furniture, home accessories, collectibles, and fashion accessories.

Friends is seeking donations. The proceeds from the sale will go to Family Hospice for the care and comfort of patients and families in the agency’s nine-county service area.

Items acceptable for donation include jewelry, fashion accessories, china, glassware, mirrors, lamps, art work, linens, collectibles, holiday decorations, toys, and furniture.

Drop off donated items Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., to Family Hospice and Palliative Care’s Inpatient Center, 50 Moffett Street, Mt. Lebanon.

Direct questions to info@FamilyHospicePA.org.

Roll for a Reason Bunco will provide an afternoon of fun while helping to raise money for breast and ovarian cancer research. The game is easy and you don’t have to know how to play to join in. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, at USC’s Westminster Presbyterian Church, with games starting at 1:30 p.m.

Registration is required by October 7 with a fee of $25 to reserve a spot at a Bunco table. Registration includes a dessert bar, a goody bag, and chances for door prizes. Raffle tickets for gift baskets and a 50/50 drawing will be sold during the event. Prizes will be awarded for most wins and most buncos, as well as table and door prizes.

For more information, email rollforareasonbunco@gmail.com, contact Karen at 412-212-82831, or check the website www.rollforareason.org.

Traveling with TODAY The Minuth family—Torsten and Britta, orignally from Regensburg, Bavaria, and their children, Fynn, Ole, and Neele—traveled from their home in Wuppertal, Germany, to the United States, and in particular to Upper St. Clair, in 2013, for Torsten’s career move within Bayer AG. The children were enrolled in the Upper St. Clair school system and quickly acclimated to their new surroundings. All very active, the family bikes and walks, and the boys swim competitively and Neele enjoys gymnastics. This fall, Fynn will attend the Britta and Neele Minuth stand under the Schwebebahn, University of South Carolina where he will swim a suspension railway, in Wuppertal, Germany.

Division 1 (another USC!), while Ole (grade 11) and Neele (grade 9) will attend USCHS. TODAY traveled with Britta and Neele this summer to Germany and received a history lesson about Wuppertal and other areas while they visited family and friends.

The Schwebebahn, Wuppertal’s famous suspension railway transit system, was built in 1898 and transports more than 80,000 passengers a day. The city of Wuppertal, which is 25 miles from Leverkusen—headquarters of Bayer AG—has a population of about 350,000 and is known for its steep slopes and its woods and parks. n To learn more about the early history of Bayer AG (1863 to 1881), visit http://www.bayer.com/en/1863-1881.aspx.

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Travel with UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY Read the following criteria to find out how.

• Clear, close-up photo of USC resident(s) holding his or her TODAY magazine.

• Digital photo or hard copy 35mm accepted. ‣‣ For digital, attach jpg (at least 300 dpi) and send via email, including required information (see below) in the body of the email. ‣‣ For 35 mm, attach post-it to back of hard copy photo, listing the required information (see below).

• List name(s) of resident(s), group, and specific photo location.

• List objective of visit—leisure, volunteer, career, etc.

• Include email address or phone number should further contact be necessary.

• Deliver one 35 mm photo with details to the USC Township receptionist in an envelope marked “ USC TODAY,” or • Email one digital photo with details to usctoday@uscsd.k12.pa.us, with “TODAY” listed in subject line.

Note: Submitted photos and information for this feature section will remain on file for upcoming editions until published.

Upper St. Clair Plastic Surgeon Uses Artistry and a Natural Touch at St. Clair Hospital

One of the region’s leading plastic surgeons is helping people renew and improve their appearances through a state-of-the-art outpatient procedure known as “fat grafting.” Simona V. Pautler, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a board-certified plastic surgeon and Upper St. Clair native who is known for the artistry and natural touch she brings to plastic surgery. According to Dr. Pautler, fat grafting can be utilized for cosmetic or reconstructive purposes, usually on the face, breast, and buttocks, and is a refinement of a long-established surgical technique. “Fat grafting is not new, but we have found new ways to process it and so it has made a comeback,” she says. “Its primary use is for cosmetic surgery, particularly in conjunction with facelifts. Fat grafting adds Dr. Simona Pautler volume and contouring so that the patient’s face does not look tight and thin. The fat also contains elements that can help the skin look younger. It does not replace a facelift, but it adds volume to the chin, cheeks, lips, and temple and rounds out hollows. The result is a more natural, softer looking face.”

Fat grafting may last longer than injected artificial fillers, and there is usually less risk of infection than with implants. There is no incision and minimal post-operative pain. But the chief advantage is that it is an autologous transfer of tissue, meaning that it uses the patient’s own tissue so there is no risk of allergic reaction or rejection. “You are your own donor, and you have lots of material for me to work with,” Dr. Pautler explains. “For the face I like to take fat from the belly. It’s nice, soft, buttery fat and it’s accessible. If I am putting the fat into the backside, to contour and shape it, I need more fat tissue so I will take it from the abdomen, from love handles—a very good source. I can sculpt a small new waist and increase the volume in the buttocks. This is a popular new trend in plastic surgery.”

Dr. Pautler performs a full range of cosmetic plastic surgery at St. Clair Hospital in Mt. Lebanon. To perform fat grafting, she handles the fat tissue minimally. “If it is processed too much, it can be damaged,” she says. “We treat it gently. We separate the oil and blood so that we are left with healthy fat cells. The procedure involves using a thin blunt end cannula to inject tiny ‘pearls’ of fat tissue, not clumps, over a wide area.

This way, each tiny parcel of fat is surrounded by a good supply of blood vessels. The fat anchors into the vascular system. This is critical because if the fat lacks a good blood supply, it will be resorbed.”

Fat grafts can be used as part of breast reconstructive surgery, in conjunction with breast implants, or to provide a small amount of augmentation to the breasts. “Fat grafting must be done with prudence in the breasts,” Dr. Pautler cautions. “Transferred fat in the breast can calcify, which can complicate the interpretation of the mammogram.”

Typically, fat grafting requires multiple procedures. “We cannot pack a lot of fat tissue in at once. We use small amounts because to do otherwise will overwhelm the recipient site and available blood supply. Smokers are not good candidates because their blood supply is unpredictable in some areas.”

Post-operative recovery requires keeping the recipient site quiet for six weeks.

Newly transferred fat, says Dr. Pautler, needs to be quiet until it is well anchored, so she advises facial patients to rest, talk less, and keep their faces less expressive while they heal. Recovery is more challenging for those who have fat grafts to the buttocks; they have to carefully sit on their thighs rather than the backside. She warns that weight gain after fat grafting ought to be avoided: the transferred fat can expand along with the rest of the fat cells. “I have been doing these procedures for several years and we have a high rate of success. Fat grafting is safe, and the results can be long lasting and natural looking. The key is to be patient, as it does take a series of treatments. The goal is always improvement, not perfection.” n Dr. Pautler graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and attended medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed a surgical residency at Yale New Haven Medical Center and completed her plastic surgery fellowship at Dartmouth. Dr. Pautler is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

She resides with her husband and family in Upper St. Clair.

To contact Dr. Pautler, whose primary office is located at 3311 Washington Road, Suite 200, call 724-969-0930 See ad for St. Clair Hospital on pages 2 and 3.

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Prof iles

on People with a USC Connection

Know of a resident to profile?

Send information to: Editor,

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY, 1820 McLaughlin Run Road, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 or usctoday@uscsd.k12.pa.us.

This past April, USC student and resident Chloe Kondrich met with Governor Tom Wolf at the Pennsylvania Capitol, presenting him with the SICC (State Interagency Coordinating Council) annual report. The SICC is a governor-appointed council that advises and assists the Department of Health, Education, and Human Services to ensure that a comprehensive delivery system of integrated early interChloe Kondrich and vention programs and services is available Pennsylvania Governor in Pennsylvania to all eligible infants, Tom Wolf toddlers, and young children and their families. Governor Wolf embraced the message, recognizing Chloe for her many abilities.

Dave Murray of Rusmur Floors/Carpet One store in Bridgeville was presented with a custom designed shadowbox containing hallowed steel from the World Trade Center towers attacked on September 11, 2001, from Peter Daniti, a New York City firefighter and representative of the Stephen Siller Tunnel Left to right are Dave and John Murray to Towers Foundation.

The shadowbox is a thank you gift to Rusmur Floors/ Carpet One for its support of the foundation’s Building for America’s Bravest (BFAB) program, which works to build high-tech, specially adapted “smart homes” for military members who have been catastrophically injured in war.

Rusmur Floors donated labor for the Venetia home of Marine Sgt. Doug Vitale, who had both legs amputated above the knee after stepping on an explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011.

Kristina King, Upper St. Clair graduate, Class of 2010, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Germany for the 2015-16 school year for an English teaching assistanceship in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State.

Kristina graduated from Boston University in 2014 with a degree in international relations and a minor in German, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude. Currently pursuing a masters degree in public health through Boston University, she will station in Hamburg, Germany.

Proud parents are Cathy and Paul King of Upper St. Clair.

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The Pittsburgh Business Times selected Dr. Barbara Kutchko of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for an Energy in Leadership Award. Dr. Kutchko was chosen for her research into foamed wellbore cement and oil and natural gas production in western Pennsylvania, conDr. Barbara Kutchko tributions that are helping to develop the energy industry in western Pennsylvania in an environmentally responsible way. The award was presented to Dr. Kutchko at an awards program in May at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe.

Noah Simmons, son of Reid and the late Pearl Simmons, graduated from Yale Law School this past May. Noah joins the law firm of Paul Hastings in Washington D.C. in September.

Noah Simmons

Blu Salt, a minority woman-owned business based in Upper St. Clair, values peace and has created a contemporary global business founded on the more-relevant-than-ever ancient Eastern principles of care, mindfulness, and simplicity. Sourcing and crafting its products thoughtfully and re-prioritizing the lost art of fine Asian craftsmanship, Blu Salt’s beautifully smart products have become the thinking woman’s accessory of choice.

Founder Rohini Shah is both knowledgeable and passionate about minimalistic, sophisticated design. Blu Salt sells accessories that are designed by a top West coast Rohini Shah designer and made with sustainable materials. From earth-friendly manufacturing to savvy travel-friendly RF-blocking linings, the accessories are thoughtfully crafted to meet women’s most essential needs, both practical and intuitive.

For more information, visit www.blusalt.com.

Graduate of SUNY Oneonta and USC graduate (Class of 2011), Dustin Tropp recently authored his debut book Running for Dustin Tropp Local & State Office: 150+ Things You Should Know & Do To Win through the Millennial Candidate Coalition.

Dustin managed his first political campaign for a state house candidate in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 21, where he ran the campaign for Joshua Rawlings, the youngest Republican to ever run in Nashville. Dustin went on to work numerous congressional, state, and local elections in Pittsburgh and in Oneonta, New York, where he attended college.

As a music industry major, Dustin applied his knowledge of band management to the campaigns he worked on. He also volunteered for the Grammy Music Awards through the “Grammy U” program as a recruiter and classroom speaker.

Hard copies of the book are available on Amazon for $8.99 and the E-Book version for $0.99. Dustin can be reached at DustinTropp@gmail.com or 315-404-8754.

Every day you can find Dan Winters painting, a brush in hand and watercolors at his side. Producing artwork for more that eight decades, his masterpieces have been displayed in calendars and at art shows; they’ve even hit Hollywood movies. Most recently, his paintings have been of various landscapes surrounding his Upper St. Clair apartment home at Friendship Village of South Hills, a senior living community.

Dan began to develop his artistic talent as a child.

Gifted in the arts, he was chosen to take art classes alongDan Winters, creating side Andy Warhol his artwork at Carnegie Mellon University when he was 12 years old. Dan continued his paintings, even while fighting in the Korean War and later during his career as an attorney. Throughout the years, he taught his fellow co-workers how to paint.

In 2012, his artwork caught the eye of Upper St. Clair native and movie director Stephen Chbosky, who featured Dan’s artwork in the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

At the age of 87, Dan continues to paint every day. Dan says that even after he’s long gone, he knows his art will last forever. Some of Dan’s artwork is on display at Friendship Village of South Hills.

21 Years

LOCAL

Bonnie Detwiler

Be seen by 20,000 USC residents with your ad HERE Come home to

Northwood Realty Services ,

Office: 412-595-3010 Cell: 412-298-6646

bdetwiler@northwood.com

the official publication of the School District and Township of Upper St. Clair, since 1994.

Visit www.twpusc.org/ usctoday-magazine-home for complete information.

• Experience counts • Multi-million dollar producer • Serving Buyers and Sellers • Resident of the South Hills

Re-Celebrate!

Re-celebrating a ten-year-old baseball travel team tournament victory at the home of Jay and Katie Lynch, were the parents (and a few strays) of the 2005 12-year-old USC Boys Baseball Travel Team. The team, coached by Lou Woistman (front and center), received this trophy ten years ago for placing in the Carnegie tournament.

The trophy, resurrected for the party, will be making its way around familiar USC neighborhoods, looking for a home and another reason to celebrate. n

Gathering to re-celebrate a victory are some USC families Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

93

A History Lesson

The Township of Upper St. Clair Federal and State Elected Officials Federal Government

Elected Executive Officials President Barack H. Obama Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Comments Line: 202-456-1111 Fax: 202-456-1414 Elected Legislative Officials U.S. Senators Website: www.senate.gov Patrick J. Toomey – 412-803-3501 Fax: 412-803-3504 Robert P. Casey, Jr. – 412-803-7370 Fax: 412-803-7379 U.S. House of Representatives Tim Murphy – 18th District 412-344-5583 • Fax 412-429-5092

Pennsylvania State Government Elected Executive Officials

McMillen School students with their teacher, Sadie Himmenger (center, back row), stand in front of the original school building. Circa: early 1900s.

800-932-0784 www.state.pa.us Governor Tom Wolf Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack Auditor General Eugene DePasquale State Treasurer Christopher Craig (acting) Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane Elected Legislative Officials State Senator Vacant (To be filled at the November 3 special election) State Representative John Maher 412-831-8080 • Fax: 412-831-8083 40th District District Judge Ron Arnoni 412-835-1661 Information from Facts for Citizens published by the League of Women Voters – 412-261-4284 www.palwv.org

VOTER REGISTRATION 412-350-4500

Registration closes October 5, 2015 94

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

412-561-5405

info@outreachteen.org

Summer Structure… Somewhat Dear Outreach, My 12-year-old daughter will not come out of her room! It’s as if recently she’s had a complete change in personality. She is very irritable, does not socialize anymore, shows little interest in school, and I often hear her awake late at night crying. What’s going on?

Worried Mom Dear Worried Mom, Adolescence is a time of great change and during this transition your child may experience a lot of mood swings and behave in challenging ways. However, some of the things you are noticing could be signs of depression. It’s not uncommon for depression to get overlooked in children because the symptoms can be mistaken for defiance or typical teen behavior.

For example, as opposed to the sadness you might expect in adults, adolescents often are irritable, angry, lash out at others, and refuse to comply with requests or expectations at school. They might not be able to accurately explain the complex emotions they are feeling or have the motivation to meet the demands of homework. Depressed children might also have changes in sleep and appetite, cry easily, not do things they once found enjoyable, and isolate themselves to their room. In more severe cases, depression can lead to suicidal thoughts or gestures.

Whether it is depression or a more typical transitional issue into adolescence, it sounds like your daughter could benefit from meeting with a counselor. It’s important to remember that depression is treatable but often difficult to do it alone; a counselor can be an invaluable support. n If you need more support, contact Outreach by phone at 412-561-5405 or email at info@outreachteen.org. Outreach Teen & Family Services is a nonprofit, confidential counseling service offering counseling and educational programs to teens and parents that are affordable, accessible, and discreet.

Fall 2015

McMillen School

The original McMillen School building, situated within the boundaries of Upper St. Clair, was on McMillan Road. In 1924, the school building was destroyed by a fire and replaced. The new brick building became part of what is now St. John Capistran Roman Catholic Church.

McMillen School is spelled with an “en” and McMillan Road with an “an.” Offered as a presumption for why this occurred is that two branches of the same family from this area split and chose different spellings of their surname, with the school being named after one family and the road being named after the other. n For geneaology inquiries or to submit old photos, contact president@hsusc.org.

Continued from page 37

C&RC—A Great Place to Work, as Well as Play on volunteers to help with various activities. Other programs also call on volunteers, including Winter Wellness Dash, MLK Day of Service, Pitch Hit & Run, Community Day, Summer Sports Conditioning program, Youth Triathlon, Punt Pass & Kick, Freaky Friday, and the Holidays at the C&RC. Students and adults interested in volunteering should stop by the C&RC to complete a volunteer application.

The Recreation Department goes beyond hiring staff and recruiting volunteers to help with day-to-day operations and events it hosts for the community. The facility provides a positive learning atmosphere and real world work experience for both college interns and special needs students. The USC Life Skills Support program is one example. According to Michelle Zirngibl, USCHS special education curriculum leader, “The C&RC has been an integral part of several components of our program, especially the vocational training, which is very popular. The C&RC is an excellent experience for our students because the staff provides a social environment that is understanding of and genuinely cares about individuals with special needs.” n

Stacy & Emanuel Romanias

USC residents since 1991, with over 13 years of experience.

Simply Put, We Get Results...

B U S I N E S S E S AT Y O U R S E R V I C E

A recurring feature each edition, UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY’s “A History Lesson” will showcase a photo of local historical significance within our community as provided by the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair. We will share photographs with accompanying facts or information, as available.

We hope you enjoy looking back in time with TODAY and our inaugural photo of McMillen School students.

Office 724.941.3000 Cell 412.370.3447

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PRESCHOOL (AGES 2-6) THRU 6TH GRADE OPENINGS AVAILABLE FOR ALL AGES

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Estate & Household Liquidations Fawn Moore Campbell, Proprietor

412-657-9132 The C&RC at Boyce Mayview Park

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Experience is the key to success Fall 2015

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

95

21 Years

LOCAL Advertiser Index

Fall 2015

www.twpusc.org/magazine/usc-today-home

Advertiser Page

Advertiser Page

Affordable Decks & Additions ................................................................ 89 Angelo Associates, Inc. ......................................................................... 43 * ARAMARK ............................................................................................. 67 Arbor Tree Specialist, Inc. ...................................................................... 35 Ardolino’s Pizza ..................................................................................... 59 Bedner’s Farm Market ............................................................................ 52 * Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, The Preferred Realty, Rt. 19 South ..7 BISTECCA - STEAKHOUSE - WINE BAR ............................................... 59 Bob’s Diner ............................................................................................ 59 Bragdon-Stofman Plastic Surgical Group .............................................. 55 Brookside Lumber ................................................................................. 77 * Calabro Tire & Auto Service .................................................................. 77 Center for Theater Arts ........................................................................... 83 Chase Custom Creations ....................................................................... 95 Chinese Acupuncture & Herbs Center, LLC ........................................... 55 Chyten Educational Services ................................................................. 82 * Coldwell Banker–The South Hills Office .......................Back outside cover Coldwell Banker–Lynn Dempsey ........................................................... 71 * Cupelli & Cupelli, Drs. .......................................................................... 79

Keller Williams–The Jim Roman Group ................................................ 41 * Kerr Family and Cosmetic Dentistry ...................................................... 48 Little Lake Theatre Company ................................................................. 13 * Louis Anthony Jewelers .......................................................................... 5 * Manalo, Larry E., D.M.D. ....................................................................... 49 * Mount Lebanon Montessori School and Academy ................................ 95 Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center ............................................................. 52 Northwood Realty Services ...................................................................... 9 Northwood Realty Services–Bonnie Detwiler ......................................... 93 Orthodontics by Dr. Reitz & Dr. Troy ...................................................... 49 Peck International Travel Services ......................................................... 57 Pediatric Dentistry South ....................................................................... 48 * Piccolina’s Restaurant ........................................................................... 49 * Pinebridge Commons Associates .......................................................... 48 Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater ............................................ 85 Pittsburgh Youth Ballet Company........................................................... 71 Premier Home Design Center ................................................................ 19 Providence Point, a Baptist Homes Society Community ........................ 18 * Rusmur Floors ...............................................................Back inside cover

What They Said We’ve had articles and ads in UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY since 2008, and we’re featured on the cover of the Fall 2012 issue. It has been a great way to highlight our practice and to educate USC residents about the importance and effectiveness of chiropractic care. Many patients comment that they’ve read about us in TODAY. —Dr. Marc Micucci, D&M Chiropractic and Therapeutic Rehab D&M Chiropractic & Therapeutic Rehab, Inc. ....................................... 53 * St. Clair Hospital ................................................................................. 2, 3 Dance By Cami ...................................................................................... 17 * Scott Bros. Windows and Doors .............................................................. 9 “Dirt” Dugan Landscaping, Inc. ............................................................. 91 * Sesame Inn ........................................................................................... 58 Executive Home Maintenance Service ................................................... 89 South Hills Endoscopy Center ................................................................. 1 Extended Day Services .......................................................................... 85 Southwest Gastroenterology Associates ................................................ 51 Farmers Insurance–Tom DiPasquale ..................................................... 57 * State Farm Insurance–Cindy Brophy ..................................................... 48 Furgiuele, Natalie, M.D., F.A.C.S. .......................................................... 39 Sydney B. Moore Estate Sales ............................................................... 95 * Howard Hanna USC Office ............................................Front inside cover The Orthopedic Group ..................................................................... 16, 87 * Howard Hanna–Maureen Cavanaugh .................................................... 91 The Pittsburgh Music Academy, Inc. ..................................................... 83 * Howard Hanna–Susan Highley .............................................................. 43 The Romanias Group at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices .................. 95 Howard Hanna–Diane Horvath............................................................... 67 * The Thomas Studio of Performing Arts ................................................. 54 JB’s Lawn Maintenance ......................................................................... 95 Torrente at Upper St. Clair–Luxury Apartments ..................................... 29 Jacksons Restaurant-Rotisserie-Bar ...................................................... 59 Washington Health System .................................................................... 50 Jade Grille ............................................................................................. 58 * Wellington Real Estate–Patty Thomas & Rebecca Lutz .......................... 11 * Keller Williams–Sandy and Marshall Goldstein .................................... 79 UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY thanks the wonderful advertisers who have supported our publication for 21 years.

We couldn’t do it without you! *The above advertisers, who are advertising in this issue, have contributed their support for a minimum of 41 issues. Thank you.

Upcoming guides for the Winter 2015 issue include Dining, Giving, and Life Planning.

96

UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY

Fall 2015

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Global Connections, Local Traditions Hope Bassichis

Noel Bliman

Anita Crago

Barbara Cusick

Lynn Dempsey

Janine Dillon

John Geisler

Elaine Goldblum

Genie Gooding

Andrew Guillot

Leigh Harkreader

Nancy Heffernan

Judy Hlister

Sydnie Jones

Sue Kelso

Kathi Kernan

Jane Krauth

Hedy Krenn

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Ron Loncharich

Nancy Morgan

Arlene Murray

Julie Puzausky

Tulla Rakoczy

Kathy Sekeras

Diane Snyder

Mary Torchia

Carmela Viviano

Faith Williard

Jim Walsh

Mary Ann Wellener

Jane York

Marian McGinley Manager

The South Hills Office 412-833-5405 • 1630 Washington Rd, Pittsburgh PA 15241

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