Downloads - Bethel Park School District

Vol. 10, No. 1 - August 16, 2010
THE OFFICIAL BETHEL PARK MUNICIPAL & SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER
W E L C O M E B A C K TO S C H O O L !
Inside This Issue...
Page
Page
MUNICIPAL NEWS
Recreation Director Retires/New Director in Place................................2
Police Chief Receives Award ......................................................................4
Fall Library Programs..................................................................................5
Back to School Message from the Police Department............................8
Halloween Safety Tips ..............................................................................10
Firefighters Needed ..................................................................................11
Foundation News ......................................................................................13
Fall Clean Up ..............................................................................................16
Pittsburgh Pirates Games ........................................................................................33
Farmers’ Market, Tuesdays, 3:00 - 7:00 pm..............................................................37
Holiday Variety Show Fundraiser, Saturday, Dec. 11............................................38
SCHOOL NEWS
BPHS Sophomore Wins Congressional Art Competition ....................47
Andy Pfeifer Named a National Merit Scholar ......................................48
84 Inducted into National Honor Society ..............................................49
BPHS Students Honored at Awards Night ..............................................50
Congratulations, Class of 2010!................................................................51
NEW classes for Fall:
Red Cross Babysitting, ages 11 – 16 ............................................................................21
Red Cross Pet First Aid, ages 16 & over ..............................................................21 & 28
Beginner Core Strengthening & Toning, ages 16 & over ..................................23 & 29
Zumba Kids, ages 6 – 12 ..............................................................................................23
Boys Lacrosse, Grades 3 – 8..........................................................................................24
Adult “Drop-in” Volleyball, ages 18 & over ..................................................................31
BETHEL PARK COMMUNITY DAY
IS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
...see pg. 32 for details!
RECREATION & LEISURE SERVICES
PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES begin on ................................................................17
Youth Swim Lessons, ages 3 & up................................................................................19
YOUTH BASKETBALL FORM, ages 8 to Grade 12..................................................20
Halloween Trick-or-Treating is
Sunday, October 31, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM
www.bpsd.org
www.bethelpark.net
Page 41
Board of School Directors
David
Amaditz
835-1701
John
Puhatch
851-1499
School District Contact Information
Chuck
Scheuble
833-1858
Cindy
Buckley
835-6037
Dick
Rose
Vice President
835-9166
Russ
Spicuzza
835-9270
Donna
Cook
President
833-6191
Connie
Ruhl
835-7845
Ronald
Sustich
831-1809
Construction Update For The New BPHS
Since mid-April, the construction site for the new
Bethel Park High School has transformed itself from
several large mounds of dirt to the shape of a building
that is built for learning!
The arrival of cranes on the site and the erection of
structural steel has given the high school a physical
shape that is easily detected when driving up Church
Road from South Park Road.
What you see as you drive up Church is the four
story “academic wing” of the building, connected to the
round “rotunda” part of the academic wing, all housing
the new school’s classrooms and labs.
What you see when you drive along Black Hawk
Drive from Bladerunners toward the Stadium are first the
walls and framing for the auditorium, then the steel
framing for the main gym and high school administration,
and finally the galvanized steel erection for the Five beams were put in the BPHS cafeteria—
one for each class and one for staff—and
gymnasium and swimming pool.
These two trips, up Church Road and along Black students and staff had the opportunity to sign
Hawk Drive, complete the “horse shoe” shape of the new one of the beams, which will be put into the
complex, starting with the academic wing on Church new Bethel Park High School.
Road next to Purkey Field and moving up through the
rotunda, connecting to the Auditorium and then turning
back toward Purkey and finishing through the
administration, gyms and pool.
With concrete being poured on all floors in all areas
of the building and fireproofing being sprayed on the
structural steel, utilities are also being roughed in, so that
masonry block, exterior metal studs, insulation and brick
can be completed. After that, window and door framing
can occur.
Even though the project is slightly behind schedule
due to the heavy snows in February and the rain this
spring, it is anticipated that things will still be completed
in time and on budget for the March 2012 building
completion and the August 2012 opening of the new
Bethel Park High School.
It’s starting to look like a school! You can tell
Two parts of the project that will be completed by the a new Bethel Park High School is coming
time the 2010-2011 school year begins are the soon, as you drive down Black Hawk Drive.
improvements to and the widening for turning lanes on
Church Road at Blackhawk Drive, as well as
improvements to Bethel Park Stadium, including new lights on the football stadium and repaving the
parking lot. The lot closed in early June after graduation and throughout the summer has undergone
a much-needed facelift. It will be usable for the first day of school and the first home football game
on Friday, September 3. Church Road has been widened to allow for new turning lanes from both
directions on Church Road turning into Blackhawk.
As always, we encourage you to go to http://www.bpsd.org/BPHSRenovation/ProgressPhotos.html
to see the progress photos that are posted weekly.
VISIT US ONLINE @ www.bpsd.org
www.bpsd.org
INFORMATION ................................................................833-5000
Information Line................................................................854-8407
(Call to hear important district news and school delay/cancellation
information)
Central Administration
301 Church Road, Bethel Park 15102
Dr. Thomas A. Knight, Superintendent........................854-8402
Nancy Aloi Rose, Assistant Superintendent ................854-8420
Matthew Howard, Assistant to the Superintendent ......854-8425
Leonard Corazzi, Dir. of Finance and Operations........854-8425
Lee Mecaro, Director of Human Resources..................854-8404
Idessa Hricisak, Director of Special Services ..............854-8410
Lori Sutton, Assistant Director of Special Services ......854-8410
Ronald Reyer, Director of Technology Services ..........854-8418
Scott Ziehler, Transportation Director ..........................854-8414
Brandon Womer, Director of Facilities and Services ..854-8615
Bob Holleran, Assoc. Director of Facilities & Services 854-8604
Joe Consolmagno, Director of Food Services ............854-8754
Vicki Flotta, Director of Public Relations ......................854-8438
Amy Scheuneman, Athletic Director ............................854-8548
Bethel Park High School
309 Church Road, Bethel Park 15102
Dr. Zeb Jansante, Principal ..........................................854-8581
Brian Lenosky, House Principal....................................854-8584
Jerry Roman, House Principal ......................................854-8591
Sheryl Graff, House Principal ........................................854-8571
Guidance Office................................................................854-8597
Health Office ....................................................................854-8550
Attendance Office ............................................................854-8572
Media Center ....................................................................854-8560
Records Office..................................................................854-8595
Student Activities ..............................................................854-8514
Athletic Office....................................................................854-8548
Independence 7-8 Middle School
2807 Bethel Church Road, Bethel Park 15102
David Muench, Principal................................................854-8677
George Spalaris, Assistant Principal ............................854-8522
Neil Armstrong 5-6 Middle School
5800 Murray Avenue, Bethel Park 15102
Janet O’Rourke, Principal ..............................................854-8751
Michael Brookie, Assistant Principal..............................854-8756
Abraham Lincoln Elementary
1524 Hamilton Road, Pittsburgh 15234
Dr. Dorothy Stark, Principal ..........................................854-8618
Benjamin Franklin Elementary
5400 Florida Avenue, Bethel Park 15102
Dr. Shirley Dickinson, Principal ....................................854-8741
Bethel Memorial Elementary
3301 South Park Road, Bethel Park 15102
Eric Chalus, Principal......................................................854-8506
George Washington Elementary
515 Clifton Road, Bethel Park 15102
Fred Pearson, Principal ..................................................854-8546
William Penn Elementary
110 Woodlet Lane, Bethel Park 15102
Jay Johnson, Principal ..................................................854-8678
The First Day of School
For All Bethel Park Students
Is Tuesday, August 24, 2010
August 16, 2010
Page 42
ADMINISTRATION
A Message From…
THOMAS A. KNIGHT, Ed.D.
Superintendent
The 2010-2011 school year will begin on Tuesday,
August 24, and it has been a busy summer in Bethel Park
preparing for another new school year.
The 2009-2010 school year was a positive one, as the
Bethel Park School District earned several national and
local recognitions. Some of the highlights include:
• The Pittsburgh Business Times, in its Guide to
Western Pennsylvania Schools, ranked the Bethel Park
School district #11 out of 105 school districts in a sevencounty area, based on PSSA scores for the past two years.
Bethel Park moved up three spots, from #14. Additionally,
Bethel Park High School was ranked #11, also up from
#14; Independence Middle School was ranked #13 and
Neil Armstrong Middle School was ranked #10 for fifth graders and #14 for sixth
graders. State-wide, Bethel Park moved up 10 spots, to #32, out of the state’s 501
school districts.
• Great Schools, a San-Francisco-based website designed to provide information on
school performance, ranked Bethel Park as one of the top 10 “Best Schools For Your
Housing Dollar” in the “Homes worth $100,000-$199,999” category. The website,
A Message From…
NANCY ALOI ROSE
Assistant Superintendent
New Frameworks for Instruction
Throughout the vast majority of our summer, the
administration has focused its efforts on curriculum and
instruction. In June our principals participated in a three-day
intensive retreat at the Administration Building to develop the
beginnings of a framework that will have a long-lasting impact
beginning with the 2010-2011 school year and beyond.
The purpose of our work throughout the retreat was to
create the framework for a supportive, cohesive and
comprehensive school-wide system to support our
commitment to all students. In our desire to improve the
educational climate for all learners, we established goals and
objectives to ensure reflective practices for planning, preparation and instructional delivery
in all of our schools.
We began our retreat with a review of the District’s 2006-2012 Strategic Plan. And
while we are well on our way to achieving many of the goals we established for program
implementation and technology integration, we engaged in a dialogue about the work we
still needed to complete.
To that end, we focused on several areas, including the new Pennsylvania Department
of Education (PDE) initiatives as they relate to the Standards Aligned System (SAS)
framework. The components of SAS, which include Clear Standards, Fair Assessments,
A Message From…
DONNA COOK
School Board President
Welcome back to a new school year!
As outlined in Dr. Knight’s message, the 20092010 school year was a successful one, and we look
forward to an equally successful 2010-2011 school year.
I am proud of the Bethel Park School District,
especially our commitment to providing quality
educational programs and services to all of our students,
as well as our efforts to ensure that all students are
prepared for the future.
I am also proud to serve on the Bethel Park
Board of School Directors, as the Board continues to
provide support and guidance to the school district,
August 16, 2010
funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, helps parents to make smart
school choices.
• The Keystone Teachers Association awarded a Certificate of Achievement to the
district’s Science Department in recognition of outstanding performance on the 2009
PSSA Science Exams. Our scores ranked the district #16 among the state’s 501
school districts and placed it in the top four percent of school districts with students
scoring in the Advanced and Proficient categories on the exams.
• The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth ranked Independence Middle
School #7 in Pennsylvania in its 2009 Talent Search. This ranking reflects the school’s
outstanding academic qualities, student abilities and teacher talent, as well as the
school’s leadership, which encourages students to seek educational challenges
beyond the traditional school walls.
• Even the New York Times has taken notice of Bethel Park, commending the high
school in a June 16 article for specially awarding diplomas before the rest of the
graduating class to the 10 members of the Class of 2010 who are enlisting in the
United States Armed Forces.
While all of these recognitions are gratifying, we cannot and will not rest on these
accomplishments. Instead, we will use them to build upon the successes of the 20092010 school year, as we continue to improve our district and keep it among the elite
in Western Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania and the United States.
I look forward to another school year and I hope you share my excitement and
enthusiasm for the coming year. Together we will continue to move forward and
provide excellent education programs that will prepare our students for their futures.
Have a great school year!
Curriculum Framework, Instruction, Materials and Resources and Interventions, helped
guide our discussion. We then examined the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII)
model which provides a multi-tiered approach to enable early identification and intervention
for students at academic or behavioral risk. We also studied the data tools that will allow us
to effectively achieve our goals. Finally, we discussed the professional development needs
of our professional and support staff to ensure our success, focusing on instructional
practices and tools needed to better meet the challenges posed by our students.
Following the initial steps taken during the retreat, our principals continued to work
throughout this summer on establishing short and long range goals related to student
performance, staff development, curriculum revisions and instructional practices for their
specific schools. We hope that these intensive efforts will have a profound impact on
ensuring the success of all students in the Bethel Park School District.
Good News
I am also pleased to report that student achievement is showing positive gains in
Reading and Math performance on the PSSA. We are attributing our continued success to
the implementation of a number of programs such as Academy of Reading, Academy of
Math, Read 180, Let’s Read Let’s Write, Stepping Up tutoring program, and our enhanced
Instructional Support Program in grades K-4.
We have a great administrative team and a supportive School Board who continue to
work collaboratively to ensure that we are adopting research-proven programs and
implementing them with fidelity to ensure the success for all students in the Bethel Park
School District as we prepare them not just for scores on tests, but for their futures.
LINCOLN
Please watch for our December issue, where we will share a more detailed
account of student performance on the 2009-2010 PSSA scores.
keeping the district moving in a positive direction and at the same time ensuring fiscal
responsibility to the taxpayers of our community. The Board strives to maintain the
correct balance in all of these endeavors.
The Board meets twice each month. The Committee Meetings are held at 8 PM
on the third Tuesdays of the month in the Community Room of the Administration
Building (301 Church Road) to discuss the items that will be voted on at the Regular
Meetings, which are held on the fourth Thursdays of the month, also at 8 PM in the
Community Room. All of these meetings are open to the public and you are invited to
attend.
Our meeting agendas are posted at www.bpsd.org, as are our meeting minutes.
If you would like to contact the Board, the easiest way is to send a group email to
[email protected], which will ensure that your message is received by all nine
board members. In your correspondence, please include your name and best way to
contact you (address, phone number or email address) so we can respond
appropriately.
We look forward to working with the administration in the upcoming year and look
forward to seeing you at our meetings in 2010-2011.
www.bpsd.org
Page 43
District Welcomes Fourth Chinese Exchange Teacher
The Bethel Park School District welcomed Lily
Shu as its fourth Chinese Exchange Teacher from
Xing Zhi High School, the district’s sister school in
Shanghai.
Ms. Shu came to Bethel Park in March to teach
“The China Experience,” a social studies class at
the high school, which focused on Chinese culture,
cuisine, language, calligraphy and the arts.
Ms. Shu is an English teacher in China and was
honored to be able to come to Bethel Park to teach
in an American school, where she had the
opportunity to improve her English skills.
Washington fourth grade student Austin Carver shows Chinese Exchange Teacher Lily
Shu the cricket cage he made during his class’ study of China, when Ms. Shu visited
Washington to spend an afternoon talking to the fourth grade classes about China.
Bethel Park School District Presents
Extra Mile Awards To 22 Employees
The Bethel Park School
District presented its eighth
annual Extra Mile Awards to
22 employees who went the
extra mile during the 20092010 school year. The awards
were presented at an
Employee
Recognition
Program held on June 8 in the
Independence Middle School
auditorium.
Several of the 2010 Bethel Park Extra Mile Awardees
attended a luncheon in their honor following the
presentation of the awards.
Receiving the awards this
year were:
• Roxanne Bak, Bus Driver
• Dean Baumgardner, Independence Middle School Social Studies
Teacher
• William Cahill, Neil Armstrong Middle School Custodian
• John Cramer, HVAC Supervisor
• Betty Francis, Memorial Elementary School Second Grade Teacher
• Jean Harrington, Neil Armstrong Middle School Special Education
Teacher
• Barbara Herbster, Mini Bus Attendant
• Rebecca Holko-Tabak, Neil Armstrong Middle School Speech and
Language Teacher
• Charles Kaufold, Bethel Park High School Math Teacher
• Alisa Lucarelli, Lincoln Elementary School First Grade Teacher
• David Muench, Independence Middle School Principal
• Mary Ann Pfeuffer, Bethel Park High School Math Teacher
• Marie Scanlon, Washington Elementary School Secretary
• Sandy Schoedel, Bethel Park High School Cafeteria Employee
• Lynn Sivetz, Bethel Park High School Athletic Department Secretary
• Deron Stock, Penn Elementary School Physical Education Teacher
• Eric Thorniley, HVAC Technician
• Margaret Toretti, Washington Elementary School First Grade Teacher
• Suzanne Vighetti, Franklin Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher
• Mary Wagner, Independence Middle School German Teacher
• Jennifer Yost, Neil Armstrong Middle School Special Education
Paraprofessional
• Charles Youngs, Bethel Park High School English Teacher
All Bethel Park School District employees were eligible to receive these
awards. Nominations were submitted by parents, students and district employees.
FREE/REDUCED BREAKFAST AND LUNCH FORMS AVAILABLE ON-LINE
The Bethel Park School District participates in the National School Lunch
Program and offers Free/Reduced Meals to those who qualify.
Applications for the 2010-2011 school year are available on the Food Services
web page under “Downloads” on the right hand side of the page. Or they can be
picked up at the Administration Building.
Please be advised that if your child(ren) qualified for Free/Reduced meals for
the 2009-2010 school year, you will need to reapply for the 2010-2011 school year.
Questions about the forms and to learn more about the confidentiality of the
process for your child, please call Dana Walker at 412-854-8426.
www.bpsd.org
“I am excited to return to China to share everything I learned with my students,”
said Ms. Shu. She felt it was important to spend as much time as possible in the United
States, to not only share her love of her native country with Bethel Park High School
students, but to also get a better understanding of the language she teaches in China.
“When my students in Shanghai ask me a question about an English word or
phrase, I will now be able to answer them with first-hand knowledge,” she explained.
She had the opportunity to travel during her time in Bethel Park, visiting Niagara
Falls, New York City and Washington, D.C. “I took pictures of so many things while I was
here,” she said, “and now I can share these photos with my students as well.”
During her time in Bethel Park, she also had the opportunity to visit other Bethel
Park schools to talk about China to the students.
She is the fourth teacher from Xing Zhi to teach in Bethel Park since 2004. The
2009-2010 school year was the 15th year of Bethel Park’s sister school relationship with
Xing Zhi High School.
STAFF NEWS
• Neil Armstrong Middle School Learning Support Teacher Jean Harrington
was honored with an Honorable Mention Award for the 2010 Scott E. Follmer
Student, Teacher and Exemplary Practice or Partnering Awards. These
awards annually recognize the outstanding support of children receiving
special education services.
• Bethel Park High School Social Studies Teacher Mark Render received
the General Colin L. Powell Service
Award, which recognizes a high Jean Harrington
school educator who best supports
young adults desiring to serve in the U.S. armed forces
following graduation, at a ceremony held at Soldiers and
Sailors Memorial in Oakland.
BPHS Social Studies Teacher Mark Render (center) is
presented the Colin L. Powell Award by BPHS graduate
and Brigadier General Mark Bellini (second from right).
District Continues
Use Of AlertNow
The Bethel Park School District will continue
using the AlertNow Notification Service to
communicate via telephone and email with
parents and employees.
The primary two uses of AlertNow will be to
call parents and employees as soon as a decision
is made on days with inclement weather, to notify
them of a delay or cancellation, and to email
parents the school district’s weekly E-Mail
Newsletter.
If you have Caller ID, it will display the school
district’s main number (412-833-5000) when a
general announcement is delivered via AlertNow.
The Caller ID will display 411 only if the
message is an emergency.
AlertNow will leave a message on any
answering machine or voicemail. If you are
listening to a recorded message and the AlertNow
message stops, press any key (numbers 1-9) on
your telephone and the message will replay from
the beginning.
At the beginning of the school year, parents
will have the opportunity to provide up to three
telephone contact numbers and one email
address to be input into the AlertNow data base
through a form that will be included with back to
school information, which we hope you will fill out
promptly and return to school with your child as
soon as possible. Should your phone or email
change during the school year, please notify the
school secretary at your child’s school of the
change and she will update the system with the
correct information.
The Bethel Park School District is pleased to
be able to continue using AlertNow as another tool
to improve parent/staff communication and look
forward to having the ability to deliver real time
information about all of the great things that are
happening in Bethel Park.
Edline Now Available
For All Bethel Park
Schools
All Bethel Park parents with
students in grades 1-12 now have
electronic access to their child’s
academic progress through Edline.
Parents of fourth, sixth, eighth,
10th, 11th and 12th grade students can
use the same Activation Codes they
used last year for their third, fifth,
seventh, ninth, 10th and 11th grade
students. All other parents will receive
a new Activation Code for their child via
U.S. Mail by the start of the 2010-2011
school year.
Parents are encouraged to go to
www.edline.net to activate their child’s
account. Once an account is activated,
parents can see their child’s interim
grades posted for the 2nd, 4th, 6th and
8th weeks for assignments, tests and
quizzes, as well as obtain attendance
information and final report card
grades.
Edline eliminates the need to mail
Progress Notices, as parents have online access to this information. Report
cards still will be distributed.
Parents who have difficulty
accessing Edline can contact the
building secretary at their child’s school
for assistance. Parents who do not
have access to the Internet can use the
computers at the Bethel Park Library.
Librarians are available to assist
parents with getting started.
We encourage all parents to stay
up to date with their child’s progress via
Edline.
August 16, 2010
Page 44
NEIL
Students Got Into Battle
Of The Books
This year’s Neil Armstrong Battle of the Books was
a successful one, with 10 teams competing.
Bethel Park Mayor Morton once again served as
the evening’s Emcee.
At the end of the evening, Reading Through Time
(Jack Brownfield, Ryan Gillece, Sean McClaine, Joe
Campion, Austin Stephon and Trey Williams) won
the Battle of the Books. Congratulations!
In other competitions that evening, the Gold Medal
Readers (Lauren Bostedo, Emily Augustine, Aaron
Augustine, Michael DeIuliis and Emily Brooks) won
the Poster Contest and the Scary Stories (Natalie
Lalama, Carolyn Vona, Caroline Greiner and Grace
Brueggman) won the Costume Contest.
A great time was had by all and really, everyone
went home a winner, because they all read books!
Team Eclipse Visits
Food Bank
The teachers on Team Eclipse took their students to
the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank in Duquesne to learn
more about hunger in the area and what they can do to help
those who are in need.
During their visit, the students learned the difference
between a Food Bank and a Soup Kitchen before they were
put to work.
Before their trip, the students collected donations of
peanut butter and jelly, and at the Food Bank, they worked
in assembly line fashion to “repack” the peanut butter and
jelly with a special card each student made for a family in
need.
Additionally, they made “snack bags” for a local school
district, containing juice, a fruit snack, granola bar and
crackers, and also made placemats and decorated lunch
boxes for an upcoming activity at the Food Bank.
During
their visit, the
students
learned
a
great deal
about where
the donated
food goes,
and they had
a wonderful
time learning
how to help
others.
FRANKLIN
Kindergarten Students
Enjoy Battle Of The Books
This year’s Kindergarten Battle of the Books brought
together 26 teams to show off their knowledge of books,
such as Bully Bully and Junie B. Jones.
The theme for this year’s Battle was “Bully Prevention”
and all of the books dealt with the subject of bullies.
It was only fitting that this year’s moderators were
people who know a little bit about how to deal with
bullies—Bethel Park Police Officer Modrak and
Officer Zinsmeister—and those who know a little bit
about books—Miss Elaine and Miss Erin from the
Bethel Park Library!
This year’s winners were Lily Gaston and her
family, followed by Allison Scarlett and her family in
second place. Earning the Spirit Award were Max
Brauer and his family.
Thanks to Kindergarten Teacher Mrs. Vighetti for
coordinating this year’s successful event!
Students work in assembly line fashion at the
Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank.
Fifth Graders Create
Food Web Murals
Mayor Morton poses with the members of Reading
Through Time, who were this year’s Battle of the
Books Champions!
Five Neil Armstrong
Musicians Played In
District Band
Five Neil Armstrong Middle School musicians were
selected to play in the Pennsylvania Music Educators
Association’s Elementary District Band Fest West.
Representing Bethel Park in this event were sixth
graders Emma Davin (clarinet), David Erzen
(trombone), Zach Sedor (alto saxophone), Rebekah
Thompson (French horn) and Joey Wasko (tuba).
The students are taught by Music Teachers Rachel
Snatchko and Eric Lauver.
The fifth graders on Team Ranger studied the food
web and learned about what animals eat and the kinds
of habitats that support them.
As an extension of their learning, the students
worked in groups of three or four to research the
animals that would live in a particular habitat, and then
they made life-size paper depictions of those animals,
which they affixed to gigantic murals that covered
several hallway walls throughout the school.
The murals depicted life on the savannah, desert,
Arctic Ocean and South Pacific.
The hallways at Neil Armstrong looked great!
LINCOLN
(Left to right):
Natalie Brandt,
Cassidy DeLeo,
Noah Bussard
and
Connor
Ferdek
were
some of the
Team Ranger
students who
did a great job
with the food
web murals.
The Battle of the Books Moderators congratulate Lily
Gaston and her family for winning this year’s Battle of
the Books.
Franklin Students
Deliver Supplies To
Humane Society
A group of Franklin students participated in a
service project to benefit some furry friends.
The students collected animal supplies and
delivered them to the Washington County Humane
Society.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the drive
and a special thanks to the students who delivered the
supplies!
MISSION:
These Neil Armstrong Middle School students played in the
PMEA Elementary District Band Fest West (front row, left to
right): Rebekah Thompson and David Erzen; (back row, left
to right): Joey Wasko, Emma Davin and Zach Sedor.
August 16, 2010
To lead an educational partnership with the
Community, maintaining an environment that
challenges all students to reach their potential
as lifelong learners and responsible members
of society.
Franklin students made sure the animals at the Washington
County Humane Society were well taken care of, as they
dropped off some much needed supplies.
www.bpsd.org
L
Page 45
Franklin Welcomes
Guest Readers
Franklin students learned how reading positively
impacts the lives of some successful people, thanks to
the annual Reading with the Stars Program,
coordinated by the PTO.
This year 22 guest readers spent an afternoon at
Franklin, reading some of their favorite stories to the
students and talking not only about what they do, but
also how reading has made a difference in their lives.
Participating in this year’s program were local
businesspeople Judy Murtaugh Volpatti, John
Walsh, Scott Simmons, Athena Simms Sarris and
James Blosel; Bethel Park Firemen Ed Schmidt and
Bob Berry; Bethel Park Mayor Clifford Morton and
Police Chief John Mackey; BPHS athletes Erica
Measures, Sabrina Koenig, Evan Vescovi, Chris
Paglia, Drew Volbers and Matt Bliss; Franklin
Principal Dr. Shirley Dickinson; artist Gretchen
Johnson; Bethel Park Librarian Lynn Hahn and
Lenore Adler from the Carnegie Museum of Natural
History.
There were a few animals that accompanied the
readers: Anastasia the therapy dog, who accompanied
Laura Sokolovic from Three Rivers Hospice; a puppy
from the Animal Rescue League, accompanied by
Janice Barnard; and Mr. Owl and Miss Alligator, who
accompanied Henry Kacprzyk from the Pittsburgh
Zoo.
Fourth Grade State Fair
Uncovers Some
Interesting Facts About
The U.S.!
One of
most
the
anticipated
at
events
Memorial
every spring
is the Fourth
Grade State
Fair, where
students
research a
particular
state, create
display
a
board about Two students work together to give a
the state and presentation about the state of Ohio at this
a year’s Memorial State Fair.
give
presentation
about it to parents and Memorial’s third graders.
Every year the students uncover some littleknown, yet interesting facts about their states. For
example, did you know that the M&M candies that are
produced in Newark, New Jersey are only sold to the
military?
And did you know that the pepperoni roll was
invented in West Virginia and that North Carolina is the
#1 state for producing sweet potatoes?
It was great facts like these that made this year’s
State Fair a terrific event!
PENN
Franklin was pleased to welcome this year’s group of Reading
Stars!
MEMORIAL
Students Enjoy Breakfast
With Mr. Chalus
Fifteen Memorial students earned the opportunity to
have breakfast with Principal Mr. Chalus by being the top
readers in their rooms!
Back in January, all Memorial students participated in
a Read-A-Thon and the students who read the most
minutes from each classroom won a breakfast with Mr.
Chalus at Eat ‘n Park!
Congratulations to this year’s winners: Kindergarten
students Julie Heh, Sarah Page and Anthony Watson;
First Graders Lilly Hunter, Gabriella Johnson and
Alyssa Vetere; Second Graders Hannah Gold, Sasha
Henderson and Will Mallah; Third Graders Alexa
Sepesky, Patra Hsu and Kylie Brice; and Fourth
Graders Kaitlyn Hunter, Elizabeth Hartnett and Anna
McLinden.
Penn Students Learn To
Be Germ-Free
It’s a germy world out there and to prove the point,
Mrs. Germ-Free paid a visit to the third graders in Ms.
Serafini’s room to conduct a few experiments with the
students, who thought they were already doing a good
job of keeping germ-free.
However, she showed the students that even after
washing their hands with soap and water or using hand
sanitizer, there were still germs on their hands.
The students got a better understanding that
germs live on everything they touch—desks, chairs,
paper, pencils and the pencil sharpener, to name a few.
Mrs. Germ-Free was there to teach proper hand
washing techniques and to remind the students that
anytime they come inside, to wash their hands
immediately and always keep their hands away from
their eyes, nose and mouth.
Let’s keep it germ-free!
Penn Names Fourth
Graders As Assistant
Principals
Penn annually selects two fourth grade students
to serve as Assistant Principals for the Day, and this
year Cassie Pikutis and Rachel Hankin were
selected for this honor.
Principal George Spalaris had a full day
scheduled for his
assistants, including
doing
a
safety
walkthrough of the
school with custodian
Mr. Tim, meeting with
the PTO President,
assisting in several
classrooms, meeting
with Bethel Park Police
Officer Zinsmeister
and participating in the
Farewell Celebration Penn Assistant Principals (front
for the Kindergarten row, left to right): Cassie Pikutis
and Rachel Hankin enjoyed
class’ Letter People.
But before they did meeting with (back row, left to
that, they had the right): Bethel Park Assistant
opportunity to meet Superintendent Nancy Aloi Rose
with
Bethel
Park and Principal George Spalaris.
Assistant Superintendent Nancy Aloi Rose to share
some suggestions with her for how the school can be
improved.
The students enjoyed their special day and said
that the best part of the day was being able to call for
an extended recess session for their fourth grade
classmates.
The students were selected from a drawing based
on the number of books they read through the
Accelerated Reader Program.
LINCOLN
Students Have A
Field Day At Lincoln
The good weather at the end of the school year
made this year’s Field Day at Lincoln an extra special
day.
Students had a great time participating in all kinds
of physical and team-building activities. They even
made team names for their classrooms, such as
Liberto’s Lions and Team Espo, and wore similar
colored shirts to identify themselves.
Field Day was the perfect end to a great school
year! Thanks to everyone who organized the fun!
Memorial
students were
all smiles as
they enjoyed
their breakfast
with
Mr.
Chalus.
Washington students gather around Mrs. Germ-Free to show the
results of proper hand washing techniques.
www.bpsd.org
Students have a great time participating in a tug
of war during Lincoln Field Day.
August 16, 2010
Page 46
Lincoln Coordinates
Elementary Volleyball
Challenge
The staff at Lincoln knows a good thing when they
see it, and last year’s Home Again community service
project at Independence Middle School caught their
eye.
Home Again is a great service learning project—
begun in the 2008-2009 school year--where students
and staff at Independence Middle School work together
with area professionals to refurbish the home of a
deserving Bethel Park family over the course of one
weekend.
Fundraising to purchase materials and professional
services is a year-long endeavor spearheaded by the
IMS students, but the Lincoln staff was so touched by
the work done in 2009 that they wanted to be a part of
the 2010 project.
WASHINGTON
Mayor Morton Visits
First Grade
They came up with an idea that would involve their
colleagues at other Bethel Park elementary schools—
an Elementary Volleyball Challenge held in the
Independence Middle School gym.
Teams from Lincoln, Franklin, Memorial and
Washington practiced, made t-shirts and worked with
their schools’ PTA/PTO organizations to get together
food for a refreshment stand and items for gift baskets
that could be raffled.
The teachers worked hard in preparation for the big
day, but they worried—would anybody come? Hey, this
is Bethel Park—of course they would come, not only to
cheer on their favorite school, but also to support this
worthy project.
Not only was the Volleyball Challenge a success in
terms of participation, it was also a huge monetary
success, as more than $3,000 was raised on a
Saturday afternoon.
The Memorial team won the challenge but
everyone who participated was a winner because they
helped a Bethel Park family who needed an extra hand.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the
Challenge and who came out to support the event!
Lincoln Students Host
Historical Tea
First grade students in Mrs. Toretti’s class
welcomed Bethel Park Mayor Clifford Morton to their
classroom.
The Mayor was invited by student teacher Jairia
Tobash as part of the students’ unit on Citizenry and
Leadership.
The students worked hard in preparation for Mayor
Morton’s visit, preparing a list of good questions to ask
him, including “Who is your favorite mayor of all-time?”
At the conclusion of his visit, Mayor Morton gave
each student a Bethel Park street map.
Thank you, Mayor Morton, for taking the time to visit
with us (and for making sure our streets got plowed
during the big snow storm in February!)
Science Fair And Ice
Cream Social Was Cool!
Washington students and their families had a great
time at Washington’s annual Science Fair and Ice
Cream Social.
All participants in the Science Fair won a medal,
and special awards were given, such as “Most
Creative,” which went to third graders Autumn Gorman
and Kiersten Schultz for their “Rocks, Elements and
Minerals” exhibit.
Congratulations to all of this year’s participants for
their great work!
August 16, 2010
Students Create
Nature Mural
A group of special students at Independence
Middle School created a beautiful mural as their entry
into the Nationwide Classroom Mural Contest,
sponsored by the Wyland Foundation.
The IMS students titled their creation, “Let’s Get to
the Point…Pittsburgh’s Connection to Nature!” which
depicted many of the United States, featuring the flora
and fauna native to those areas, plus an ocean scene
and the creatures who live there.
The students in Mr. Javor’s and Mr. Staranko’s
c l a s s e s
collaborated
with Art Teacher
Ms. Coen to
create
this
beautiful mural,
that was not
only
a
fun
activity, but it
also provided
an opportunity
for
social
interaction
among
the
Some of the students who worked together on students.
L
LINCOLN
the nature mural included (front row, left to
right): Kaitlin Streicher, Alyssa Strutt, Ryan
Reitger and Connor Lynch; and (back row, left
to right):Taylor Blair and Lucas White.
IMS Students Excel On
National Latin Exams
It was a blast from the past as Lincoln third graders
hosted their annual Historical Tea for their parents.
The students researched a famous person from
history, such as George Washington, Daniel Boone and
Jackie Robinson, and dressed as that person to give a
presentation on that person’s life and accomplishments.
The students also had the opportunity to perform
patriotic songs for their guests.
It was a
great day of
historical facts!
Here are some of
the
famous
people depicted
at this year’s
Lincoln Historical
Tea.
IMS Ranked #7 In PA By
Johns Hopkins
Independence
Middle
School was ranked #7 in
Pennsylvania by the Johns
Hopkins Center for Talented
Youth in its 2009 Talent Search.
This ranking reflects the
school's academic quality,
student abilities, teacher talent
and the school's leadership,
which encourages students to
seek out educational challenges
beyond the traditional school
walls.
For more information,
please
go
to:
http://www.cty.jhu.edu/ts/topschools/PAtop.html.
Bethel Park Mayor Cliff Morton enjoyed his visit with the
first grade students in Mrs.Toretti’s classroom.
The team from Memorial won this year’s Volleyball Challenge.
IMS
Kiersten Schultz (left) and Autumn Gorman (right) worked very
hard on their “Rocks, Elements and Minerals” exhibit for
Washington’s Science Fair.
Two Independence Middle School Latin Students
were recently recognized for outstanding efforts on the
National Latin Exams.
On the Level 1
Exam, Independence
Middle School eighth
grader Jarrod Cingel
received a Gold
Medal and a Summa
Cum
Laude
Certificate, and eighth
grader
Christian
Hokaj received a
Silver Medal and a Christian Hokaj (left) and Jarrod
Maxima Cum Laude Cingel (right) did very well on the
Level 1 National Latin Exam.
Certificate.
The students are
taught by Latin Teacher Ellen Conrad.
www.bpsd.org
Page 47
Independence Middle
School Honors Eighth
Graders At Awards
Assembly
Independence Middle School capped off the 20092010 school year with its annual Eighth Grade Awards
Assembly, where students were presented the following
awards:
• Mark Woodard and Sophie Krahe – American
Legion Award
• Jamie Smith, Haley Smith, Olivia Dowd and
Sapphire Eckman – Bethel Park Woman’s Club
Award
• Clair Nero and Sam Polen – Principal’s Award
• Brittany Porzio and Logan Vignovic – Assistant
Principal’s Award
• Kavonna Anderson and Dylan Feden –
Counselor’s Award
• Betty Hartman – Suzanne Reid Music Award
• Rachel Unger and Thomas Kolodziej – Stephanie
Petit Award Team 8-A
• Alexandra Meyer and Ben Muscato – Stephanie
Petit Award Team 8-B
• Jamie Cavrak and Logan Tuite – Stephanie Petit
Award Team 8-C
• Chelsea Conway and Jonathan Drozd – Stephanie
Petit Award Team 8-D
• Jarrod Cingel, Kevin Fleischmann, Christian
Hokaj and Brandon Hanson – Stump the Students
Champions
• Jarrod Cingel and Rebecca Hayes – John LeRoy
Writing Award
• Logan Tuite – Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of
Freemasonry Essay Contest Winner
• Ross Martin – Dr. Ben Carson Scholarship Award
for Academics and Service
• Ross Martin and Chelsea Conway – Marissa
Boyan Scholar Athlete Award
• Jarrod Cingel and Christian Hokaj – Latin Awards
• Mary Hannah Swaney, Katherine Yan and Victoria
Jakicic – French Awards
• Brandon Hanson, Valerie Poutous, Tatiana
Ruzzini, Jamie Smith and Tyler Williams –
Spanish Awards
• Jamie Cavrak, Erin McMahon, Logan Tuite,
Zachary Laufer, Kaileigh Poe, William Ruschel,
Katie Zilcosky, Michael Stephenson and Kevin
Fleischmann – German Awards
• Zach Enick and Channing Johnson – Nancy
Gleason Gavola Award in Drama
• Victoria Jakicic, Jorjanna Smith, Nicholas Pilotta,
Troy Dunlop and Dylan McKenna – Fine Arts
Award
• Alyssa Strutt – Spirit of Independence Award
• Sam Gercak, Connor Held, Roberta Scherba,
Logan Tuite, Cassimire Wisniewski, Joseph
Beaver, Kasey Exacustides, Amanda Patricelli,
Nan Tian Qui and Christy Vacsulka – Perfect
Attendance Awards
Independence Middle School Principal David Muench
(back) presented his Principal’s Awards to Sam Polen
(front left) and Claire Nero (front right) at the recent
Eighth Grade Awards Assembly.
www.bpsd.org
BPHS
Sophomore Wins
Congressional Art
Competition
A drawing of actress
Helena
Bonham
Carter,
created by Bethel Park High
School sophomore Lizzy
Nolin, was named the winner
in Congressman Tim Murphy’s
18th
Congressional
Art
Contest.
As the winner, Lizzy’s
drawing will hang in the
Congressional hallway at the
United States Capitol for one
Lizzy Nolin
year. She was invited to be a
part of the ribbon cutting ceremony held to officially
open the art exhibit on June 17 in Washington, D.C.
Each
year
Congressman Murphy
invites submissions
from high school
students
in
his
congressional district.
This year’s entries
were displayed at the
Galleria on May 1,
where Lizzy’s work
was selected as this
year’s winner.
“Helena Bonham Carter,”
a drawing by Bethel Park
High School sophomore Lizzy Nolin, was selected as the
winner in Congressman Tim Murphy’s annual 18th
Congressional District Art Competition.
Students Contribute To
Hiroshima Memorial
Bethel Park High School students in Daniel
Hrvatin’s Social Studies class learned the story of
Sadako, the 1,000 cranes and the Children’s Peace
Memorial during their unit on World War II and were so
touched by the story, they wanted to help keep the
tradition alive.
Sadako was a toddler when the atomic bomb
dropped on Nagasaki and in her teens she developed
leukemia. The Japanese believe that the amassing of
1,000 origami paper cranes
will grant a wish, and Sadako
made 1,000 of them to grant
her wish of staying alive.
Unfortunately, she passed
away at age 16, but her
classmates and friends
continued folding paper
cranes in her honor and
dedicated them as a prayer
for peace. Eventually a
Children’s Peace Memorial
Quinn Sherrill folds one of was erected in Hiroshima
the 1,000 paper cranes that and
dedicated to the
BPHS sent to the Children’s hundreds of child victims of
Peace
Memorial
in the atomic bomb.
Hiroshima.
Since
its
inception,
thousands of individuals and groups around the world
began bringing their collections of 1,000 paper cranes
to the monument to honor those children.
The BPHS students were so touched by the story
that over a two-week period, they folded, decorated
and strung the cranes by groups of 100 and sent them
to the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima.
Liz Creighton Finishes In
Top 10 At DECA
International Conference
Bethel Park High School senior Liz Creighton was
named a Finalist at the DECA International Career
Development Conference in the Internet Marketing Plan
event, which means she finished in the top 10.
Over 13,000 students competed at this annual event,
which was held this year in Louisville, KY.
Seven other Bethel Park High School students
competed at the International event: senior Melissa Dolan,
juniors Billy Dapper, Ashley
Gerst and Meghan Murray,
and sophomores Tom Bailey,
Matt Dupree and Erin Hajduk.
The
students
were
prepared for this competition by
Bethel Park High School
Diversified
Occupations
Marketing Teachers Emily
Smoller and Patricia Willie.
BPHS senior Liz Creighton was a Finalist at DECA’s International
Career Development Conference.
Bethel Park Wins First
Annual Teen Safe
Driving Competition
A team of Bethel Park High School seniors won the
first Teen Safety Driving Competition, sponsored by the
Allegheny County Health Department’s Traffic Safety
Education Project.
Members of the BPHS team were Kaitlynn Conley,
Cameron Jones and Ainesh Ravi. They competed
against teams from eight other high schools in this
competition, which was held at the Pittsburgh Technical
Institute.
In the individual competition, Kaitlynn finished in
Second Place, received a Silver Medal and $500, and
earned the opportunity to compete in the state-wide Safe
Driving Competition.
All participants in the local competition were tested on
driving skills, perceptual skills and knowledge of traffic
safety.
The County Health Department’s Traffic Safety
Education Project is a federally funded program contracted
through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
LINCOLN
(Left to right): BPHS seniors Ainesh Ravi, Kaitlynn Conley and
Cameron Jones finished in First Place in the First Annual Teen
Safety Driving Competition.
We’re on the Web!
Check us out at www.bpsd.org!
The Bethel Park School District web site features
updated information about school district happenings and
recognitions, as well as delay and closing information. Our
individual school pages feature more localized information
as well as lots of photos of student happenings.
If you click on the Latest News sections on each
school’s home page you will see more pictures from the
stories you read in this issue of The Chronicles!
We encourage you to visit our web site often for the
latest Bethel Park School District news.
August 16, 2010
Page 48
Bethel Park High School
Students Honored By
Steel Center Area
Vocational-Technical
School
Several Bethel Park High School students who
also study at the Steel Center Area Vocational
Technical School were recognized for their
outstanding work at the Vo-Tech.
Santo Scarillo was inducted into the National
Technical Honor Society. He is an Electronics student
at Steel Center and previously received the Extra
Effort Award from the school.
Three students received the Top of the Shop
Award for the second semester of the 2009-2010
school year. They were: Nicholas Fedzen
(Carpentry), Maria LoPresti (Cosmetology) and Amy
Wawrzyniak (Cosmetology). These awards are given
based on conduct, attendance, course work
proficiency and professionalism.
Three students received the Extra Effort Award
for the third quarter and four students earned the
award for the fourth quarter. Earning the third quarter
Extra Effort Award were Zachary Nordstrom (Auto
Mechanics), Nicholas Fedzen (Carpentry) and Amy
Wawrzyniak (Cosmetology). Earning fourth quarter
Extra Effort Awards were Nina Burgess (Baking),
Stephanie Campbell (Cosmetology), Thomas
Boehm (Collision Repair and Refinishing) and Kristie
Jones (Cosmetology).
BPHS Phys Ed Students
Enjoy Participating In
Various Activities
This isn’t your mother’s gym class!
Bethel Park High School Physical Education
students enjoy selecting from a wide variety of
physical activities as part of their physical education
classes, such as yoga
and
bicycling,
all
designed to help them
develop life-long fitness
skills.
This year the students
participated
in
two
enjoyable activities—the
new kayaking/intro to
BPHS students did a great job snorkeling and scuba and
maneuvering their kayaks aerobic dance/pilates.
through the BPHS pool.
In the kayak class,
students learned to
maneuver their kayaks through an obstacle course set
up in the school’s swimming pool. Sophomore Asia
Buckley was one of 40 students who participated in
this pilot class and termed her experience “fun.”
This year this nine week class was offered two
days a week and next year will expand to 7 or 8
periods a day. This class was paired with units on
snorkeling/scuba.
There was a lot of
perspiration in the aerobic
dance/pilates
class,
especially when the students
worked with the instructors
from Improvement Thru
Movement,
who
got
everyone’s heart pumping
with dances such as the
salsa, zumba and the hip hop
hustle.
This year almost 60
students signed up for this
BPHS students had fun
class.
while getting fit, doing the
hip hop hustle.
August 16, 2010
Bethel Park Hosts
Special Prom
BPHS Students Excel On
National Latin Exams
It truly was “A Day in Paradise” for a special group of
125 students from Bethel Park, Keystone Oaks, Elizabeth
Forward, Baldwin, Carlynton, Chartiers Valley and South
Fayette High Schools, as they attended a special prom held
during the school day in the South Gym.
Six Bethel Park Latin Students were recently
recognized for outstanding efforts on the National Latin
Exams.
On the Level I Exam freshmen Dylan Reese earned
a Magna Cum Laude Certificate and Julianna Buchwald
earned a Cum Laude Certificate.
On the Level 2 Exam, freshmen Stephen Barnhart
earned a Silver Medal and Maxima Cum Laude Certificate;
Dan Snyder received a Magna Cum Laude Certificate and
Austin Anderson earned a Cum Laude Certificate.
On the Level 3 Exam, sophomore Erin Hajduk
earned a Cum Laude Certificate.
The students are taught by Latin Teacher Ellen
Conrad.
This group of BPHS students enjoyed their “Day in Paradise.”
Thanks to the help of a group of BPHS art students, the
South Gym looked more like the South Seas, with specially
painted murals that adorned the gym, creating a special feel
for the prom-goers.
And in keeping with prom traditions, the students were
entertained by the BPHS Stage Band and a disc jockey, and
enjoyed a delicious meal donated and prepared by Metz &
Associates, the district’s food service provider. They crowned
a King and Queen and had their photos taken as a keepsake
of their special day.
The students were accompanied by the Bethel Park
Friendly Faces group, who throughout the school year have
accompanied these students to special events and served
as friendly faces throughout the campus.
All of the participating schools take turns hosting this
annual event. BPHS Special Education Teachers Lynne
Surrena and Julie Hernandez chaired this year’s event, with
the assistance of many folks from the High School!
Pfeifer Named A
National Merit Scholar
Bethel Park High School senior
Andy Pfeifer was named a National
Merit Scholar and received one of
8,200 National Merit Scholarships
awarded by the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation.
Andy was one of more than 1.5
million high school students to enter
the National Merit Scholarship
Andy Pfeifer
Program by taking the PSAT as a
junior. Last fall, he was one of 16,000 students to be named
a Semifinalist and in the spring was one of 15,000 students
to be named a Finalist.
He will attend Carnegie Mellon University this fall.
Joining Andy as a Finalist this year were seniors Paula
Amin, Brian Brady and Robert Collopy.
BPHS Students Earn Two
First Place Awards At PJAS
Bethel Park High School students earned two First
Place Awards and one Second Place Award at the
Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science State
Competition, which was held on the Penn State University
campus in May.
Earning First Place Awards were Shannon Fagan for
her project, “The Effect of Fertilizer on the pH of Runoff
Water” and Dan Snyder for his project, “Controlling
Chaos.”
Freshman Caitlin Michael earned a Second Place
Award for her project, “Multitasking Madness.”
The students were prepared for this competition by
Bethel Park High School Science Teacher Barbara Eisel.
BPHS Students Visit
Therapeutic Riding
Facility
Bethel Park High School Learning Support and
Autistic Support students were so excited about reading
Black Beauty that
their teachers decided
to give them a real-life
experience
with
horses.
Teacher Regina
Havey arranged for
the students to spend
some time at Horse ‘N
Soul, a therapeutic
riding
facility
in
Washington County.
After taking a tour of Freshman Emily Sullivan received
the
facility,
the instruction how to walk a horse
students learned how from Judy Buckner.
to groom, feed and
walk a horse, and they even had the opportunity to
mount a horse for a ride around the ring.
The students had a great time and the horses
received great care from these caring students.
Bethel Park High School
German Students Earn End
Of The Year Awards
Twelve Bethel Park High School German students
were inducted into the BPHS Chapter of the Delta
Epsilon Phi German National Honor Society.
They were seniors R.J. Lampenfield, Brandon
Rauch and Elsa Yehnert; junior Andrew Glaid;
sophomore Trevor Walter and freshmen Kimberlyn
Curtis, Ryan Lee, Matt Mackowiak, Elizabeth Rotz,
Amanda Ruschel, Jessica Ruschel and Chelsea
Schmidt.
To qualify, these students needed to earn a QPA of
at least 3.6 in German and an overall QPA of at least
3.0. Additionally, they needed to earn one A-grade in
German every three grading periods and were not
permitted to earn a grade of C or lower during any nineweek grading period in their German classes. These
students also demonstrated a commitment to continued
study in the BPHS German program.
In other BPHS German news, sophomore Robby
Dougher received a special certificate of achievement
as the most outstanding chapter member for the 20092010 school year.
Freshman Amanda Ruschel received the Dietrich
Award of Academic Excellence, which is given each
year to the top student in the BPHS German Program.
The students are taught by German Teacher
Christopher Tobias.
www.bpsd.org
Page 49
Bethel Park High School
National Honor Society
Inducts 84
The Bethel Park High School Chapter of the
National Honor Society inducted 84 students at its 2010
Induction Ceremony, including two seniors, 15 juniors
and 67 sophomores.
Students who are selected for induction must
embody the pillars of Character, Scholarship,
Leadership and Service.
Addressing the audience during the induction were
NHS President Kaitlynn Conley, juniors Alex
Pantages, who spoke on Character; Samantha Lynn
(Leadership), Nate Braman (Service) and senior
Cameron Jones, who delivered the speech prepared
by junior Jinjing Lee on Scholarship because she was
unable to attend that evening due to illness.
Delivering the Keynote Address was the Honorable
Robert Wyda, District Magistrate for Bethel Park and
Upper St. Clair, who spoke about the importance of
character and shared his inspiring story of personal
perseverance.
Also addressing the audience were BPHS Principal
Dr. Zeb Jansante and BPHS Guidance Counselor and
NHS Advisor Michael Bruce.
Inducted this year were: seniors Erik Bonn and
Emily Bowman; and juniors Sarah Aronson,
Kimberly Barszcz, Jeffrey Bright, Tavia Butler,
Megan Crawford, Paul Enick, Nicole Ernst, Rebecca
Gales, Ana Jimenez, Allison Krieger, Brett Morgan,
Marco Pilotta, Kristin Rayburn, Mark Render and
Katherine Toner.
Also inducted were sophomores Craig Andres,
Thomas Bailey, Meghan Balogh, Kelsi Baxter,
Brittney
Brueggman,
David
Card,
Nolan
Cavanaugh, Taylor Connors, Nicholas Cvetic,
Charles Davis, Kristina Dodson, Robert Dougher,
Alex Drozd, Jennifer Duff, Kellie Eggert, Emily
Eiben, Kristen Elliot, Patrick Emmett, Brittney
Gregg, Megan Greives, Andrea Groves, Christopher
Harkins, Brian Holland, Lindsay Hudson, Lance
Irick, Cosima Jackson, Rebecca Kennedy, Megan
Kinzler, Matthew Knouff, Michael Konopelski,
Amanda Kuss, Megan Malinowsky, Shannon
Marsteller and Jessica Matthews.
Additionally sophomores Brianna McGraw,
James Measures, Kelsey Metheny, Audrey Miller,
Audrey Moad, Jessica Murray, Chelsea Nelson,
Elizabeth Nolin, Kara Patterson, Stefany Phelps,
Nicholas Poe, Roxanne Reed, Brett Reese, Eric
Rose, Nicole Rupinsky, Evan Schweitzer, Molly
Seng, Emily Smith, Spencer Steinhaus, James
Stevenson, Gabrielle Storino, Alexandra Surunis,
Emily Swogger, Ryan Thorsen, Nikolas Touloumes,
Stephanic Vehec, Samantha Vona, Lauren Walk,
Jessica Walker, Trevor Walter, Terah Williams,
Adrianna Wolos and Cassandra Zekany.
BPHS sophomore Jennifer Duff is one of 84
students who were inducted into the BPHS
National Honor Society in 2010.
www.bpsd.org
Athletic Update
(You can learn more about BPHS athletic achievements/accomplishments at
www.bpsd.org/hsathletics.aspx.)
39 TO PLAY COLLEGE SPORTS
• Alex Baroffio (football) – Washington and Jefferson
College
• Matt Bliss (football) – Washington and Jefferson College
• Erik Bonn (track/cross country) – Duquesne University
• Brittany Boss (soccer) – St. Francis University
• Christopher Bowen (golf) – Point Park University
• Samantha Bruggeman (track) – Slippery Rock
University
• Caitlin Brust (softball) – Franklin and Marshall
• Candace Corcoran (cheerleading) – Slippery Rock
University
• Elizabeth Creighton (golf) – University of Hartford
• Carianna Doyle (swimming) – Ashland University
• Lindsey Gelles (lacrosse) – Utica College
• Anthony Girdano (baseball) –Muskingum College
• Samantha Gribowicz (soccer) – Washington and
Jefferson College
• Taylor Hayes (lacrosse) – Thiel College
• Anthony Herko (football) – Lock Haven University
• Alyssa Hoffman (swimming) – Westminster College
• Katie Kelly (soccer) – Washington and Jefferson
College
• Alyssa Larkin (soccer) – Point Park University
• Adam Lazenga (football) – University of Pittsburgh
• Sara Lewandowski (swimming) – Drexel University
• Jess Lindberg (dance) – Clarion University
• Jonathan Macurak (lacrosse) – Seton Hill University
• John Maloney (lacrosse) – Washington and Jefferson
College
• Lara McMahon (lacrosse) – Kenyon College
• Danielle McNabb (basketball) – University of Rochester
• Chris Paglia (soccer) – Carnegie Mellon University
• Colleen Poploski (soccer) – Point Park University
• Karen Powers (softball) – University of Charleston
• Jared Pratt (football) – Colgate University
• Ainesh Ravi (track) – University of Pennsylvania
• Hannah Saternos (track) – University of Toledo
• Kristen Sauter (golf) – Youngstown State University
• Josh Sebrosky (swimming) – Penn State Behrend
• Corey Spegal (football) – Mercyhurst College
• Paula Valdisera (softball) – Washington and Jefferson
College
• Drew
Volbers
(football) – Case
Western Reserve
University
• Taylor
Walter
(track/cross
country) –
Westminster
College
• Jordan Westphal
(basketball)
–
Washington and
Jefferson College
• Anna Zigmond
(lacrosse) –
Slippery
Rock
University
GIRLS LACROSSE
• WPIAL Quarterfinalist
BOYS TENNIS
• Section Champions for the first time in school
history.
• Advanced to the Quarterfinals of the WPIAL Team
Championships.
GIRLS TRACK
• Section Champions for the first time since 1999.
• Qualified for the WPIAL and PIAA Championships.
• The 3200 meter relay team finished 3rd at WPIALs.
• The 400 meter relay team finished 5th at WPIALS.
BOYS TRACK
• Section Champions
• Qualified for the WPIAL and PIAA Championships.
• Shakeil Carter finished 3rd in the 200 meters at
WPIALS.
BASEBALL
• Anthony Girdano was named All-Section.
SOFTBALL
• Caitlin Brust was named All-Section.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
• Head Coach Jonna Burke was inducted into the
Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of
Fame.
BPHS athletes who will continue their athletic careers in college were honored at a
reception hosted by the Athletic Department in the BPHS cafeteria.
August 16, 2010
Page 50
Students Honored At Awards
Night
Several Bethel Park High School students were honored at the
annual Awards and Recognition Program, held on May 26 in the high
school auditorium. Recognized were:
• Kaitlynn Conley – Congressman Tim Murphy’s Leaders of
Tomorrow Award
• Sarah Bowler – John Deans Memorial Scholarship
• Elizabeth Craig – Bethel Park Kiwanis Scholarship
• Sabrina Koenig – Frank L.P. Edwards Scholarship
• Andrew Roberts – Bethel Park Police Award Foundation
Scholarship
• Adam Lazenga, Danielle McNabb, Paula Amin and Andrew
Roberts – U.S. Marine Corps Awards
• George Touloumes and Samantha Bruggeman – U.S. Army
Reserve National Scholar-Athlete Award
• George Touloumes – USC/BP Breakfast Rotary Club Service
Above Self Award
• Alyssa Perkins, Greg Vater and Kaitlynn Conley – Rotary Club of
Bethel Park Scholarship
• MaggieMae Farthing and Brendan Didiano – Bethel Park
Woman’s Club Scholarship
• MaggieMae Farthing – Bethel Park Lions Club Scholarship
• Samantha Reynolds – Black Association of South Hills Award
• Ainesh Ravi, Justin Fleischmann, Jinjing Lee, Trevor Walter
and Shankar Athinarayanan – Science Bowl Award
• Erin Gerst – William Penn Elementary Rosemary Gainar
Scholarship
• Taylor Lang and MaggieMae Farthing – Franklin PTO Scholarship
• Liz Creighton and Maria Walsh – Bethel Bakery Scholarship
• Caitlin Brust – Ken Waldie Memorial Scholarship
• Natalie Spanner and Jonathan Macurak – Seton Hill University
Tuition Scholarship
• Melissa Dolan and Jared Marks – Joseph “Murph” Irwin Sports
Scholarship
• Nick Dean – Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group Scholarship
• George Touloumes – Caplan-Lieber Human Relations Award
• Erica Measures and Sabrina Koenig – Bethel Park Cheerleading
Awards
• Paul Bosle, Anthony Frangione, Kaci Opferman, Alyssa
Perkins, Mia Reuschling and Rebecca Zych – Sgt. Charles
Bonczek Bethel Park Police Association Scholarship
• Ashley Karpa, Sarah Cullen, Erin Drum, Deanna Weinheimer,
Allison Melczak, Katie Palamara, Aryn Malarkey, Elsa Yehnert,
Kelsey Panicco and Jamie Kern – Art Department Merit Awards
• Brian Brady – Lois Johnson Learning/Child Care Award
• Brian Brady and Jamie Kern – Dr. Gary Cartwright Scholarship
• Elizabeth Metzler – Rachel Carson Book Award
• Jacob Michalski – Brown University Book Award
• Adam Lazenga and Sara Lewandowski – WPIAL Scholar/Athletes
• Andrew Pfeifer – National Merit Scholar
• Paula Amin, Brian Brady and Robert Collopy – National Merit
Scholarship Finalists
• Ryan Bromley, Caitlin Brust, Marcus Dominick, Jeremy Ferlic,
Joshua Kammeraad, Nathan Muscato, Ainesh Ravi and Harriet
Yarroll – National Merit Commended Students
• Marissa Meshanko – National Merit Special Award
• Jinjing Lee – Harvard Book Award
• Nate Braman – Princeton Book Award
• Leslee Keibler – UNICEF Recognition
• Ainesh Ravi, Andy Pfeifer and Justin Fleischmann – Hometown
Hi-Q Semifinalists
• Ainesh Ravi, Cameron Jones, Jill Lindberg and Georgia Ott –
University of Pittsburgh Gene Team
• Alyssa Perkins and Maria Serafini – Principals Advisory Council
for Students Scholarship
• Zane Hahner and Emily Comer-Zello – South Hills Area School
Districts Association Award
• Paula Amin – Valedictorian
• Caitlin Brust – Salutatorian
• MaggieMae Farthing – School Spirit
Award
To see a complete list of all
scholarships earned by Bethel Park
High School seniors, please go to
www.bpsd.org.
Bethel Park High School senior
MaggieMae Farthing was this
year’s winner of the Bethel Park
High School Spirit Award, as
selected by Principal Zeb
Jansante.
August 16, 2010
Music News
Spring Music Trip to Chicago
Bethel Park High School Music
Department students went on two
out of town trips this spring to
compete in two Music Festivals,
where they earned several awards.
At the 2010 Festivals of Music
in Chicago, Illinois, the students
earned six Superior Awards, five
Excellent Ratings, one Second
Place Award, one Section Award
and two Individual Awards:
• Top 21 – Superior Rating in the
Madrigal Choir competition
• Top 21 – Superior Rating in the
Jazz Choir competition
• Symphonic Band – Superior
Rating
• Jazz/Stage Band – Superior
Rating
• Bethettes – Superior Rating in
the Parade Auxiliary competition
• Percussion
Ensemble
–
Superior Rating
• String Orchestra – Excellent
Rating
• Symphonic
Orchestra
–
Excellent Rating
• Concert Band – Excellent
Rating and Second Place
• Marching Band – Excellent
Rating
• Majorettes – Excellent Rating
• Trumpet Section – Section
Award in the Jazz/Stage Band
competition
• Julie Hollis – Top Accompanist
Award
• Sam Rauch – Top Soloist Award
The BPHS Drumline enjoyed competing during the Spring
Music Trip to Chicago.
The Ninth Grade Music students traveled to the
Music in the Parks Festival in Hershey and earned two
Superior Ratings, one Excellent Rating and all three
groups were named Best Overall in their respective
categories:
• Ninth Grade Band – Superior Rating and Best Overall
Award
• Ninth Grade Girls Choir – Superior Rating and Best
Overall Award
• Ninth Grade Orchestra – Excellent Rating and Best
Overall Award.
The students are taught by Instrumental Music
Teachers David Buetzow, Ronald Campion, Michael
Petrossi and Jonathan Derby and Vocal Music
Teachers Todd Kuczawa and Trish Quinque.
Mr. Buetzow (right) arrives at IMS and is
greeted by BPHS Vocal Music Teacher Todd
Kuczawa (left), who explains that he was
brought to IMS for a tribute to his career, not to
fix a technical problem in the auditorium.
Looking on is a cameraman from WTAE-TV.
Mr. Buetzow Surprised with Special
Composition
The Bethel Park Music Department
surprised retiring Music Director David
Buetzow with an afternoon concert, featuring
“Ancient Airs of Erin,” a symphonic piece by
Elliot DelBorgo, commissioned especially for
Mr. Buetzow in honor of his retirement.
Mr. Buetzow was “lured” to the IMS
auditorium under the pretext of a technical
problem in the auditorium and was greeted
by hundreds of students, former students,
parents, friends and family, who gathered to
pay tribute to his 35 year career in Bethel
Park.
Several speakers, including Music
Department colleagues, parents, former
students and his two daughters, shared
stories of Mr. Buetzow’s influence on their
lives and reflected on the legacy he will leave
the Bethel Park Music Department.
The afternoon concluded with a
performance of the DelBorgo piece, in a “Mr.
Holland’s Opus”-type moment.
Ron Campion
Mr. Campion Inducted into Hall of
Fame
Bethel Park High School and
Independence Middle School Music
Teacher Ronald Campion was
inducted into the Festivals of Music’s
Hall of Fame during the Spring Music
Trip to Chicago.
www.bpsd.org
Page 51
Congratulations, BPHS Class Of 2010!
The weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 457 graduates of the Bethel Park High School
Class of 2010, even though the ceremonies were moved to the auditorium to avoid the rains that
swept through the area on Graduation Day.
Disney was the theme of the day, as the speakers quoted Walt Disney or lines from Disney
movies in their message to the graduates.
BPHS Principal Dr. Zeb Jansante described the Class of 2010 as “fun, hard-working and
successful.”
Valedictorian Paula Amin said she was proud to be a part of the class of 2010 and said it was
hard to say goodbye, because of all of the memories BPHS held for her. She urged her classmates
to “figure out what you want to do and don’t be afraid to go for it.”
Salutatorian Caitlin Brust encouraged her classmates to “seek a concentrated life” and “fill it with
knowledge and love.”
Also addressing the audience were Superintendent Dr. Thomas A. Knight, Senior Class
President Melissa Meshanko and Student Government President MaggieMae Farthing.
The Bethel Park Federation of Teachers presented scholarships to Kelsey Fink and Ryan
DeFazio, who will be pursuing careers in education.
Congratulations, Class of 2010 and best wishes to you as you begin this new chapter in your
lives. We will miss you!
Future plans and scholarship information for the Class of 2010 is available at www.bpsd.org.
Ryan DeFazio receives
a BPFT Scholarship
from BPHS Teacher
Jim Pierson.
Kelsey Fink receives
one of the BPFT
Scholarships
from
BPHS Teacher Jim
Pierson.
(Left to right): MaggieMae Farthing, Paula Amin,
Caitlin Brust and Melissa Meshanko were this
year’s student Commencement speakers.
Representatives from the U.S.Armed
Forces were on-hand to present
diplomas to 10 BPHS graduates who
planned to enter the military after
graduation.
CLASS OF 2010 FAST FACTS
Robbie Amrhein
receives
his
diploma from
School Board
Director Cindy
Buckley.
www.bpsd.org
Did you know…
• 457 Graduates
• 72 graduated with a QPA of 3.50 to 3.749
(Honors)
• 73 graduated with a QPA of 3.75 to 3.999 (High
Honors)
• 87 graduated with a QPA of 4.00 or higher
(Highest Honors)
• 98 seniors were members of the National
Honor Society (QPA of 3.85 or higher).
• 1 National Merit Scholar
• 3 National Merit Scholarship Finalists
• 8 National Merit Commended Students
• The Class of 2010’s average SAT score was 68
points higher than the State average and 36
points higher than the National average.
• The Class of 2010 earned $6 million in
scholarships.
Director Dick Rose
presents a diploma
to Julie Hollis.
August 16, 2010