SV Spirit of Education March 2007

Published by the Steel Valley School District
Inside This Issue...
SV Grads Recognized . . . . . . . .
Career Training Seminar . . . . . .
Read Across America Day . . . . .
District Wellness Day . . . . . . . .
Meet New Middle School Teachers
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Online Supplement
Vol. 2 - No. 2 • March 2007
Students Selected for
PMEA District One East
Junior High Band Festival
News Just In!!!
• History Teacher Mark Fallon and his 8th grade
students will be welcoming Tom Hubka to the Middle
School on March 8 and 9. Hubka is a professor of
architecture at the University of Wisconsin and is
writing a book on the architecture of Homestead area
homes. During his visit, he’ll be sharing information on
the importance of local architecture and involving
students in hands-on drafting activities.
• District students will be participating in a research
study sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University
examining if they learn math concepts more effectively
when given examples relating to regular problem
solving. Study results will help the District gain insight
into the ways students problem solve.
• French Teacher Toni Besh was named an Honoree in
the Teacher Excellence Program! She’s invited to the
Celebration of Teaching event on April 19 at the
Carnegie Music Hall and will learn if she’ll receive a
$2,500 grant for the District. Nominations came from
parents and students. And, only 101 Honorees were
chosen from 5,000 nominations in 81 school districts
across Western PA.
• In February, Middle School Teachers Rebecca Kristen
and Sue Salapa held their second annual Spelling Bee.
Sixty-five students participated and 6th grade student
Logan Perry won the event. He received a Waterfront
gift certificate and will participate in Pittsburgh’s
regional bee. The winning word was “cryptic.”
• Middle and High School Counselors are working with
the Allegheny County Children’s Initiative and Turtle
Creek to begin group counseling, character building
and goal setting sessions with students. These group
sessions teach students the skills they need to build
healthy relationships and proactively problem solve and
mediate conflicts.
Taylor Wellman (flute), Timothy Hardy (tuba), Jacque Joll (French
horn), and Meghan Wolf (bass clarinet) participated in the PMEA
District One East Junior Band Festival on Jan. 27 at Elizabeth Forward
High School. Congratulations!
Middle School and High
School Completing
First Stage of
Curriculum Revision
Process
D
irector of Secondary Education Bethany Fenyus has been working
with teachers to create a course syllabus for every class offered at
the Middle and High Schools. Teachers met with the other members
of their department and began to organize the content of the courses that
they teach. Each course syllabus will include a course description,
requirements, essential skills aligned with standards and anchors, and a
pacing guide that will include a quarter-by-quarter content summary. The
syllabus will also indicate how the teacher plans to assess students and
how they plan to integrate technology and writing into their course.
Encouraging teachers to organize their course content in this way
will help ensure consistent lesson planning that relate to state
standards and requirements. Fenyus hopes that the course syllabi will
be accessible online by late spring. The creation of course syllabi is
the first step in her curriculum plan that will later provide teachers with
the opportunity to map their course according to the PA standards and
anchors. Fenyus would like to thank all participating teachers for their
support and hard work throughout this curriculum revision process.
page 2
March 2007
Recognition of Steel
Valley Alumni
2
000 Graduate Ed Piskor was recently
featured in Pittsburgh’s City Paper.
Piskor was asked by comic book icon
Harvey Pekar to illustrate his new graphic
novel, Macedonia, which is about how one
small country in the Balkans avoided war in
the 1990’s. It is due out May 1. In the
article, Ed explains how doing this type of
work continues to inspire him to create his
own original works. We want to congratulate
him on his contribution to the arts and to
acknowledge his passion as a cartoonist.
Jim Tomsula, 1985 graduate, was
recently appointed as defensive line coach
for the San Francisco 49ers. He had a great
record of success as a head coach in NFL
Europe.
After a coaching career that included
stops in NFL Europe as the head coach of
the Rhein Fire and defensive line coach with
the Scottish Claymores, Tomsula was
recentlly named defensive line coach of the
San Francisco 49ers.
2005 Graduate, Tony Bonacorso, was
recently featured in SPARK magazine out of
Tempe, Arizona. Bonacorso, a junior at
Arizona State University, is the captain of the
Sun Devil Hockey Club. He has been
selected to play for team USA at the World
University Games in Italy. Although he has a
passion for hockey, his first priority is his
education and his plan to continue studying
business and pursue his degree in supply
chain management.
Students
Participating in
Student Council
Spring Conference
S
everal students from Steel Valley High
School will be participating in the
Pennsylvania Association of Student
Councils’ District 3 Spring Conference at
Gateway High School on March 16. Student
government members Michael Piskor,
Niguaila Parker, Linya Sun, Michelle
Grove, Nicole Drane, Courtney Lesser,
Louann Davis, Candice Wise, Samantha
Shields, Tiffany Dixon, Jesse Eagle, Kim
Hartnett, and Sandy Lutka will be attending
the conference along with other students
from schools in western Pennsylvania.
The conference, themed My Many
Colored Days, is designed to strengthen both
student and advisor leadership skills with a
series of workshops and speakers. In
addition, Certified Speaking Professional Jeff
Tobe will speak to the participants. Tobe
uses humor and contagious energy to
motivate students with his presentation
“Coloring Outside the Lines.”
Barrett Elementary Black History
Month Photo Highlights...
Student Dayjha Betts
on the Freedom Train.
Barrett Elementary
Principal Sharon Fisher
and friends sang for
students in the
afternoon assembly.
Students enjoyed learning
African Dance from Intern
Niche Faulkner.
Front Row: Kierra Walker, Kierra
Jonson, Evelyn Greene, Keyonna
Hardy, Jessica Gardner and
Jasmine McCutcheon.
Back Row: Shelby Casamento,
Destinee Malloy, Shauna
Ingraham, Sapphire Yancy,
Tyteonnia Tomman, Amina
Wilson, Precious Jetter, Joscalyn
Ecklin, Andrea Givner, Melanie
Dobnak and Counselor/Intern
Niche Faulkner.
Students Visit Mattress Factory
Video Productions Teacher Meagan O’Toole’s students recently visited the Northside
museum “The Mattress Factory.” In addition to the field trip experience, the District
has an "artist-inresidence" (Anne
Angyal) who will
be working with
O’Toole’s 5th
and 6th periods
to create a piece
of installation art
for the basement
Technology
Department
hallway. Costs
for these
opportunities are
generously being
covered by the
Institute of
Museum and
Library Sciences.
page 3
March 2007
University of Pittsburgh Presents
Career Training to Steel Valley
High School Students
Dad’s and Kid’s Gather for
Breakfast at Barrett
Elementary
O
n Feb. 7, representatives from the University of Pittsburgh
presented an informational career session to Steel Valley High
School Juniors – “Play to Win: New Thinking on Career
Success” during their English classes. The program discussed today’s
job market and highlighted overlooked career paths.
According to English Department Chair Jill Fleming-Salopek, the
event was also held to encourage students to begin exploring ideas for
their upcoming graduation projects.
“Students were exposed to information about continuing education
and changes in the job field. The main goal of the presentation was for
students to start thinking about what path is best for them post
secondary education,” she said.
The presentation was of no cost to the District, and was a prelude
to the upcoming Career Fair for High School students on March 8. “In
addition, the presentation forced students to start thinking about what
professionals/fields they would like to explore on the day of the Career
Fair,” said Fleming-Salopek.
First In Math
Results for the second grading period are as follows:
Phong Chau has earned a whopping 10,158 stickers which
ranks him 9th in the state of Pennsylvania and 15th in the Nation.
Also in the top five sticker earners at Steel Valley Middle are:
Jamie Williams with 2,404, Brian Estochin with 2,389,
Shalonda Davis with 2,363, and Anthony Cutone with 2,028.
Students earn “stickers” by using the First in Math online
program to work on fluency with their math facts as well as
playing the various math games which include the famous “24”
game and working on the PSSA practice areas of the program.
Each Middle School student has been provided with their personal
username and password and can access the program from any
computer that has Internet service.
The following middle school students have earned between 1000
– 1999 First in Math “stickers”.
Vimana Anderson
Lauren Babbie
Ken Baurle
Seth Berneburg
John Besnak
Ben Bobick
Samantha Brown
Abby Catalano
Melissa Cerda
Jessica Coddington
Rachel Dudas
Zachary Edelmann
Kelli Findlay
Allie Fisher
Kristen Franklin
Zach Graham
Tim Hardy
John Harrison
Tu Duc Ho
Phelix Houser
Taylor Johnson
Jacque Joll
Emily Jones
Tim Ketterman
Ngoan Le
Don Lewis
Angela Marcone
Alec Meadows
CJ Mikell
Thayne Mitrik
Paige Mitrik
Alex Mitro
Sydney Monkelis
Leighton Montgomery
Maria Morrison
Joell Nesbit-Jackson
Emily Olson
Loren Ostrosky
Logan Perry
Amanda Potoma
David Salapa
Bria Scott
David Siegworth
Jordan Smith
Taylor Stevens
Haley Taylor
Ryan Tuttle
Edward Walker
Jaimee Weems
Logan Wenger
Aaron Zeransky
O
ver 75 “dads” and 75 children attended a Dad's and
Kid's Pancake Breakfast at Barrett Elementary on
Wednesday, Jan. 24. The event, which was
sponsored by the Title I program, invited each child to bring
one male "parent" to the school for breakfast. In addition, each
dad and child received a book to read together at home and a
personalized certificate of appreciation.
According to Barrett Counselor Alyson Fisher, “It was a
fabulous morning … Barrett Principal Sharon Fisher's
husband, LaNeer Fisher, was the featured speaker. He
brought their daughter Charity and spoke to the dads about
validating their children and directing them, loving them, and
being a part of their life. He spoke to the children about
obeying and respecting their parents.
Principal Fisher closed the program by thanking the dads
for attending and making the time to join their children for the
morning.
Correction
Under "Services for Pre-School Aged
Children" in the insert from our last
newsletter, we listed various
organizations offering assistance to
District families. The following
organization has a new address and
telephone number:
Alliance for Infants and Toddlers
2801 Custer Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15227
(412) 885-6000
They offer services for children through
age 3. Young children experiencing
developmental delays for physical or
mental disabilities are eligible for their
early intervention services.
page 4
March 2007
Schools Celebrate Read
Across America Day
Barrett Elementary Activities
Celebrity guest readers including
Reporter Tonia Caruso from WQED’s On
Q Magazine, Reporter Andrew Stockey
from WTAE TV, and Patricia Rooney,
wife of Chairman of the Pittsburgh
Steelers Dan Rooney, joined the
celebration of Read Across America
Day at Barrett Elementary School on
Friday, March 2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback Charlie Batch read to
students on Wednesday, Feb. 28. This
year marks the 10th anniversary of the
event, a nationwide literacy celebration
held in conjunction with children’s
author Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
Throughout the school day, every
classroom at Barrett Elementary (grades
1 – 5) had at least one guest reader from
various walks of life including Steel
Valley School District School Board
members, administrators, and
employees, local government officials,
and police officers.
“These honored guests shared with
students how reading has impacted their
lives, as well as how they use reading to
do their job,” said Barrett’s Library Media
Specialist LuAnne Szczypinski.
The day concluded with a Family
Night event held at the school from 6 –
7:30 p.m. for students and their
families. A huge birthday party for Dr.
Seuss was held with a variety of funfilled activities.
Szczypinski saw the day’s events
as a chance to promote reading and for
parents to enjoy time with their
children by reading to them. “Dr.
Seuss books provide a wonderful
opportunity for adults to take a step
back into childhood, recalling their
favorite memories of reading with
someone special,” she said.
Park Elementary Activities
Park Elementary School celebrated
children’s author Dr. Seuss (real name
Theodor Seuss Geisel) with a week of
special events March 1 – 8. March 2 is
Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
According to Instructional Resource
Teacher Maria Heddleston, the
weeklong celebration is another way to
promote reading in the Park classrooms
and in students’ homes. “This is a week
we set aside to bring that spark back
into storytelling and allow teachers to
reminisce on their childhood Seuss
memories,” she said. “As toddlers, some
of the first books children encounter are
Dr. Seuss books—he had a very unique
style to his books that led many
generations of children to discover the
joy of reading,” she continued.
Special events taking
place throughout the
week included:
• Community leaders serving as
guest readers in the classrooms.
• A “door parade.” Teachers
chose a book title to decorate
their doors. Students then went
on a “door parade” and tried to
match book titles to the doors.
• In the computer lab students
visited www.catinthehat.com
and sent the Cat a 50th birthday
e-card. For every e-card sent,
Random House will donate one
book (up to 1 million books) to
First Book. First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single
mission: to give children from
low-income families the
opportunity to read and own
their first new books.
• Parents received packets
containing information about
reading with their child.
• Students studied about Dr.
Seuss in art and music classes.
The daily schedule included:
• Thursday, March 1: Hat Day
• Friday, March 2: At 2:36 p.m.
The Cat in the Hat was read by
Park Principal Beth Tully over
the intercom. (The Cat in the
Hat was written using only 236
words and it is the Cat’s 50th
birthday.)
• Monday, March 5: Silly Sock
Day and Door Parade
• Tuesday, March 6: Seuss
Character Dress-up Day
• Wednesday, March 7: Wacky
Wednesday – In honor of the Dr.
Seuss book Wacky Wednesday,
where everything is different
than the way it should be,
students were encouraged to
dress in an unusual manner
(such as shirts on inside out,
mismatched shoes, crazy
hairstyle, etc.)
• Thursday, March 8: PTO/Family
Reading Night held at Park from
6:30-8 p.m.
Franklin Primary Joined in the
Fun Too!
Kindergarten students at Franklin
Primary celebrated Dr. Seuss’ Birthday
with special events on March 2.
Throughout the day, classes made
Seuss hats based on The Cat in the
Hat and Horton the Elephant.
Students also dined on Green Eggs
and Ham.
Sixth Grade Students
Participate in Book
Challenge
Pictured are the Grade 6 children in Language Arts
Teacher Nicole Adams’ class who read two books
in Scholastic Books’ “ClassroomsCare” 100 Book
Challenge program. While they didn’t reach their
goal of 100 books, students did read 67.
“We’re really proud to have participated in
this wonderful program,” said Adams.
Forty students read at least one book.
4th Grade Students
Working on Land/Water
Project
4th Grade
Teacher Cindy
Kortz works
with students
on the
Land/Water
Project.
Students in 4th Grade Teacher Cindy Kortz’
classroom are working on a creative project dealing
with land and water. During their studies, they’ll be
working on erosion and how water affects the land.
They’ll be corresponding with the PA American
Water Company to learn about drinking water and
contacting NASA regarding views of the Earth and
its amount of water coverage.
page 5
March 2007
Steel Valley Middle School Holds
Math-A-Thon to Benefit St. Jude’s
Steel Valley Middle School will be holding its annual Math-A-Thon to
benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through March. This
marks the 16th year that the school has participated in the event.
“Our goal with the Math-A-Thon is to help the children of the
world who are stricken with diseases like cancer, AIDS, and sickle
cell anemia. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a world
leader in the fight against these diseases, and they have made
great progress, but only because of the help of people like the
citizens of the Steel Valley area,” said Beth McCallister, math
department chair and coordinator of the event.
After signing up for the program with their math teachers and
having their parents complete a permission form, students received
a sponsor sheet along with their choice of a CD or a workbook to
complete the math problems.
Students are in the midst of seeking sponsors willing to
contribute to St. Jude for the math problems that they complete.
Those collecting $35 or more will receive a t-shirt, certificate and a
free pass to Six Flags Theme Parks. Students collecting $75 will
also receive a St. Jude sports bag. The student who raises the
most money (over $125) will also win his or her choice of a digital
camera, Plug ‘n Play controller with over 50 games, or an MP3
player. Everyone who turns in donations of a least $10 will receive
a certificate and be invited to the Math-a-Thon pizza party that will
be held once all of the prizes have arrived.
“We are asking all citizens and businesses in our area to
support our students as they participate in the program. Any
person or business that would like to make a donation may call the
school at 412-464-3600 ext. 2904 or send a check made payable
to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said McCallister.
The donations can be mailed to: Steel Valley Middle School,
Attention: Mrs. Beth McCallister, 3114 Main St., Munhall, PA 15120.
According to McCallister, participating students learn to do
more than just math problems—they also learn the importance of
helping children who are less fortunate than them. Through the
funds raised by the Math-A-Thon, students are able to help provide
a future for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Children with more than 200 forms of cancer and other
catastrophic diseases find hope at St. Jude. Since its founding in
1962 by the late entertainer, Danny Thomas, the survival rate for
most forms of pediatric cancer have risen dramatically. In fact,
today more than 70 percent of all children with cancer will survive
their bout with the disease. St. Jude fully credits these successes
in treatment to the generous support of people around the world,
including the students at Steel Valley Middle School.
District Staff Holds Health & Wellness Day
Feb. 16th
As part of the District’s wellness initiative, a Health and Wellness
Inservice Day was held on Friday, Feb. 16 for all District staff.
Employees participated in a variety of health screenings, including
vision, hearing, stress, blood pressure, cholesterol, osteoporosis, and
body fat analysis. Classes in aerobics, yoga, and stress reduction
were also offered, along with volleyball and other general physical
education activities.
The inservice day was planned by the District’s Professional
Development Committee.
Rebecca Russell on treadmill
and Amber Thomas on bike in
Fitness Center.
Terrie Hoffman in Fitness
Center.
James Dauray, Ryan Dunmire, Christina
Levkus & Rich Pireaux taking yoga instruction.
page 6
March 2007
More Wellness Day Highlights...
Vonnie
Smid
having her
bone
density
measured.
Front row: Cara Hritz,
Emilee Bedillion,
Christina Levkus Back
row: Eric Gress waiting
for a hand massage after
a parafin wax dip.
Dana Mathews on
treadmill.
Ed
Colebank
receiving a
cholesterol
screening.
Aerobics with Certified Fitness Trainer Pam
Kamensky in the James Campbell Memorial Gym.
Walter Baranowski
receiving a vision
screening.
Teachers particicpating
in a game of basketball.
Speakers provide instruction
on dealing with stress in a
healthy manner.
page 7
March 2007
Meet Our New Middle School Teachers…
They’re Enjoying Their First Year at SV!
In our continuing effort to feature all of our new teachers for the
2006-07 school year, meet the Middle School teachers who’ve
joined our District this school year:
Sara Bouton is teaching 6th grade math this year. She holds a
bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University and is a 2001
graduate of Steel Valley High School. In addition, she serves as
assistant coach for the High School Girls Varsity and JV
basketball teams, and as the assistant High School Girls Varsity
soccer coach.
”I am looking forward to the remainder of the school
year being full of success and excitement,” she said.
Michael Hofbauer holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington
& Jefferson College, and received his teaching certification
from the University of Pittsburgh. He taught for 10 years at St.
Thomas More in Bethel Park. He is teaching 7th and 8th grade
math at the Middle School.
“I look forward to continuing to build a strong
student/teacher relationship with each student in
order to enhance the learning process,” he said.
Heather Huber holds a B.A. from Duquesne University, and an
M.A.T. from Chatham College. She is currently teaching 8th
grade language arts and the PSSA preparation class.
Brian Bungard is teaching 6th grade language arts. He served
in the Army from 1991-1994, and holds a bachelor’s degree
from Slippery Rock University. Prior to coming to Steel Valley, he
was a full-time tutor at McKeesport for three years and taught at
Holy Family’s Alternative Education Program in Emsworth. In
addition, Bungard and his wife are expecting their first baby.
As far as what he is looking forward to for the
remainder of the school year…“Getting the PSSA tests
out of the way,” he laughed.
“
Erin Cain is a 1999 Steel Valley Graduate. She has a B.S. from
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (where she graduated
Magna Cum Laude). Prior to coming to Steel Valley, she taught
for three years in the Los Angeles Unified School District as a
middle school special education teacher. This year she is
teaching life skills support at the Middle School.
“I am looking forward to challenging my students
with even more hands on activities as well as seeing
them grow further as young gentlemen,” said Cain.
Heather Pfeifer holds B.A. and an M.A.T. from the University of
Pittsburgh. She taught 6th grade social studies as a long-term
substitute during the 2005-2006 school year. This year, she is
teaching 7th grade history.
Jennifer Clugsten holds a B.F.A. from Slippery Rock University.
She is teaching art at the Middle School this year.
Patrick Connelly is a 1990 Steel Valley Graduate. He is
teaching 6th grade geography, and holds a B.S. from California
University of Pennsylvania. He also taught for nine years in Kent
County, Maryland (on the Eastern Shore), and was awarded Kent
County Technology Teacher of the Year in 2002.
“I hope to continue to get my feet wet here at Steel
Valley and look towards summer vacation,”
said Connelly.
Hampton Conway is teaching 8th grade pre-algebra: he holds a
B.S. from Clearwater Christian College. Last year, he served as a
long-term substitute at the Middle School.
Jonathan Edwards, a 2001 Steel Valley graduate, holds a
bachelor’s degree from Geneva College. He is teaching 6th
grade geography and 7th and 8th grade history as a long-term
substitute, and is assistant director for the High School Drama
Club's performance of "Into the Woods."
The end of the school year is quickly
approaching and is looking promising for each
of our students. I am looking forward to each
of their successes,” said Huber. “I also cannot
wait to look back on a year finished to see how
I can improve my teaching style and ability to
better serve each of my students academically
and culturally. Thank you for a wonderful first
school year!
”
Jamie Polak is the Middle School Dean of Students. He is a
1993 Steel Valley graduate, and holds a bachelor’s degree from
Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
“I am looking forward to working with our youth
and having a positive effect on each of their lives so
that they can go out and represent the Steel Valley
area and become productive citizens,” said Polak.
Danielle Rutkowski is a Middle School learning support
teacher. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington &
Jefferson College and a master’s degree from Duquesne
University.
Kelly Sabo, a 1997 Steel Valley graduate, holds a B.S. from
Gannon University. She teaches 6th grade math, and is in her
4th year as the Girls’ Head Varsity Basketball Coach. She has
also served as the Junior Varsity Girls’ Basketball Coach and
Middle School Girl’s Basketball Coach.
Steven Singer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the
University of Pittsburgh where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
He served as a long-term substitute language arts teacher last
school year and is currently teaching 8th grade language arts.
Melissa Walters holds a B.A. from Carlow College, and a
master’s equivalency from Gannon University. She is teaching
7th grade language arts at the Middle School. Walters
previously taught 7th grade language arts during the 2005-2006
school year as a long-term substitute.