New & Notable June 2022
Ambridge Resident Pass and Good Neighbor Pass Available at Old Economy
The Ambridge Borough Resident Pass program has been renewed for 2022 at Old Economy Village. The free pass entitles Ambridge residents access to Old Economy Village for the 2022 season, including general admission tours and special events such as Hands-on History Weekend, Erntedankfest, and Christmas at the Village. New for 2022 is the addition of the Good Neighbor Pass for residents that live within the school districts of Ambridge, Freedom and Rochester which allows residents of those areas to receive free general admission for tours. Bring a valid, current ID to Old Economy Village, 270 5th St., Ambridge to receive your pass.
Essey Named Student of the Year by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Fox Chapel Area High School senior Hanna Essey has been named a 2022 Student of the Year by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Hanna and her team, Kick Out Cancer, raised a total of $50,522 during a seven-week fundraising challenge where high school student leaders raise money and awareness for the fight against blood cancers.
Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center Continue to Grow Pediatric VIEW Program
In September 2021, The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center became home to Pediatric VIEW, which cares for children who are diagnosed with cortical visual impairment (CVI). Since its short time at The Children’s Home, Pediatric VIEW has seen over 100 patients, including Marshall, whose story is shared on www.childrenshomepgh.org.
Stalder to Accompany Summer Choral and Instrumental Music Academy
The Beaver Valley Choral Society and Rochester Area School District will be sponsoring the Summer Choral and Instrumental Music Academy during the week of June 13-18, 2022 at Rochester Area High School, 540 Reno Street, Rochester. Wexford native Benjamin M. Stalder will be the Academy’s choral accompanist. A rising sophomore at the University of Richmond, Stalder is pursuing dual degrees in business and music, and is a member of the University’s jazz combo, The Black and White Band. He plays piano, organ, clarinet, and guitar, is a tenor and cantor, and has been composing for seven years. Stalder is a 2015 alumnus of the BVCS Academy, the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra, and the Aquinas Academy High School Choir. To enroll in the Academy, visit www.rasd.org.
DMS Student Selected for PMEA Junior High Chorus
Dorseyville Middle School eighth-grader Alana Calig recently performed with the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 1 Junior High Chorus, which featured approximately 115 students from 40 schools across the Pittsburgh area. The festival concert was held at Bethel Park High School April 30, and the guest conductor was retired Fox Chapel Area elementary music teacher of 27 years, Shawn Funk, who also taught Alana at O’Hara Elementary School.
Sewickley Academy Students Celebrate Special Centennial Birthday
A kindergartner at Sewickley Academy turned a chance encounter into a nearly schoolwide project as he helped celebrate a very important person in the nation’s African American history. Victor W. Butler of Rhode Island, the last of the Tuskegee Airmen, had 73 cards to open from the students of Sewickley Academy when he turned 100 years old on May 21, 2022 thanks to kindergarten student Talon Ivy. Learn more about how meeting Mr. Butler in a restaurant got the whole school involved in commemorating this amazing man.
Students Place at Westminster Model UN Conference
Two Fox Chapel Area High School students placed at the annual Westminster College High School Model United Nations (UN) Conference. The team of seniors Nathaniel Mueller and Siddharth Yende won a second place Honorable Mention. Approximately 98 students from seven western Pennsylvania high schools participated in the Conference.
Sewickley Academy Expands Scholarships to Beaver County Students
Sewickley Academy is expanding academic opportunities to students in Beaver County by launching the For the Future Fund scholarship program. The school is partnering with athletic and business legend Robert “Rocky” Washington to select students from his alma mater, Beaver Falls High School, for the first round of scholarship recipients. The scholarship will provide for up to 90 percent of total tuition as well as transportation to and from Sewickley Academy each school day. It is applicable to students throughout Beaver County starting in Grade 6. For more about scholarships and aid options at Sewickley Academy, visit www.sewickley.org/admissions/scholarships#.
Department of Justice Honors Pennsylvania Researcher with Crime Victims Research Award
The Office for Victims of Crime has presented its Crime Victims Research Award to Dr. John Chapin from Monaca, PA. The award recognizes individual researchers or research teams that made a significant contribution to the nation’s understanding of crime victim issues. As a survivor of childhood domestic violence and trauma, Dr. Chapin used education as his way out of abuse by becoming a first-generation college student. He received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University and started working with at-risk youth in urban New Jersey, which led to life-long research in violence prevention education. Dr. Chapin served as the president of the board of directors of the Women’s Center of Beaver County and was a key partner in the development and execution of the Western Regional Training Initiative, which provides web-based training for 13 women’s centers in 10 Pennsylvania counties.
High School Students Place at County Envirothon Competition
A team of Fox Chapel Area High School seniors recently won first place in the 2022 Allegheny County Envirothon competition. The team includes Maia Gravina, Sydney Inglis, Aurora Sauereisen, Kaylee Uribe, and Anushka Vis. Each member of the winning team will receive a $500 scholarship and qualifies for the state competition. During the Envirothon, teams of high school students compete in field testing using their knowledge in five topic areas—soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and environmental issues.
Students Win Awards at Regional Science & Engineering Fair
Six Fox Chapel Area School District students recently won awards at the Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair (PRSEF) and one student qualified for an international science and engineering fair. Fox Chapel Area High School junior Arvind Seshan was one of four overall winners and qualified to participate in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF). Additionally, Arvind won a sponsor award from Facebook/Meta and affiliated sponsor awards from the Office of Naval Research U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and the Yale Science and Engineering Association. He also won an associate scientist perseverance award. Freshman Rohit Velankar was named the first-place winner in the senior physics and astronomy category and also won a junior scientist perseverance award. Junior Lawrence Liu won second place in the senior division computer science and math category. Sophomore Lakshanya Rajaganapathi was named a fourth-place winner in the senior medicine, health, and microbiology category. Sophomore Adhitya Thirumala won the senior division Carnegie Science Award and an honorary scientist perseverance award. Additionally, Dorseyville Middle school seventh-grader Param Thawani won an ATI Metals sponsor award.
Allegheny Rivertrail Park Announces Summer Concert Lineup Allegheny RiverTrail Park’s free summer concert series, Rock the River, is back and better than ever. The series kicks off the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, May 27 at 7 p.m. with Beauty Slap. In addition to dancing, Three Rivers Outdoors Company will officially open their outpost at ARP that day. On June 19, the park will feature the nation’s number one Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band, Let’s Groove Tonight. Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers will play the park on July 29. Rounding out the series on Sept. 30 are The Clarks. Food will be for sale at each of the concerts, which are held on Octave Hill at the park. Concert goers are also welcome to bring a picnic and a bottle of wine to enjoy with friends.
Prime Stage Theatre Announces New Children’s Theater Programming
Prime Stage Theatre is expanding their program offerings to include Prime Stage Sprouts. The new programming will bring literature to life for elementary students and their families, with productions available for children as young as 5 years old. Its premiere production is The Amazing Lemonade Girl, a true story inspired by the life of Alexandra Flynn Scott. The production will be directed by Allison Weakland and will run June 16 - 19, 2022. Tickets can be purchased at www.ovationtix.com.
High School Students Compete At State TSA Conference
Nine Fox Chapel Area High School students won awards at the Pennsylvania Technology Student Association (TSA) State Leadership Conference. Second-place winners were junior Ananth Kashyap and freshman Swati Mylarappa in the debating technological issues category. Ananth and Swati have both qualified for the 2022 National TSA Conference that will be held in June in Dallas, Texas. Senior Dylan Berman and junior Jonathan Li won fourth places, Swati also won a sixth place, juniors James Harris and Talis Jacob won ninth place, and freshmen Sangyon Park, Samuel Ummer, and Rohit Velankar won tenth places. The Fox Chapel Area High School TSA advisors are teachers Joseph Gass, Mitch Palucis, and Justin Papariello.
Dorseyville Teacher Vensel Chosen to Attend Summer Program
Dorseyville Middle School eighth-grade language arts teacher Scott Vensel has been selected to attend the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) Summer Institute for Teachers. The program is a high-level, intensive academic seminar in which participants examine the Holocaust from the precedents found in the history of antisemitism, to the rise of the Nazi party, to the aftermath of the Holocaust. Vensel was nominated by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. The program will be held June 24-29, 2022, at Columbia University in New York City.
Citizen Science Lab Announces Collaborative for the 3D Printing of Organs
The Citizen Science Lab has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Foundation to facilitate the launch of their new program, C3-PO (the Collaborative for the 3D Printing of Organs). In collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, the Lab will teach students from underserved communities the processes involved in the continually evolving field of soft-tissue biofabrication. This will be done by providing a cohort of 10-15 local high school students with hands-on experience in tissue culturing and the printing of organs. Through the program, the Citizen Science Lab plans to display the capabilities of already-existing 3D printing technology, and its potential impact on the field of modern medicine.
Sewickley Academy Shows Support for People of Ukraine
The students, faculty, and staff of Sewickley Academy recently rallied to show support for the people of Ukraine, and in particular, Global Studies teacher Nataliya DiDomenico, who grew up in the now war-torn country. DiDomenico’s mother and brother still reside in her homeland, and she has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of care and consideration from her school community which included monetary donations and countless necessities that will be primarily donated through two organizations, DT Care and Brother’s Brother Foundation.
Butler Memorial Hospital Nationally Recognized
Butler Memorial Hospital received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for spring 2022. This national distinction recognizes Butler Memorial Hospital’s achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and error in the hospital. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. To see details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
FCEA Takes Part in Community Service Project
The members of the Fox Chapel Educators Association (FCEA) conducted a community service project at the Allegheny RiverTrail Park on May 15. Staff members installed painted and decorated garden stakes at the park which were decorated by Fox Chapel Area School District elementary school students. The stakes were placed in the ground to represent where the riverfront trail will run when it eventually extends from Aspinwall to the Millvale trail. Pictured: Kerr Elementary School students decorate garden stakes that will be used to mark the riverfront trail at Allegheny RiverTrail Park.
Upcoming Events For Adults at Northland Library
Registration required, where noted, to attend these free virtual and in-person programs. For more information and to register, visit www.northlandlibrary.org or call 412-366-8100, x113.
Thursday, June 16 at 1:30 p.m.: Joseph And Rose Kennedy: The Beginning of an American Dynasty
Thursday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m.: Money Management for Women on Their Own
Thursday, June 23 at 6 p.m.: Medicare: Putting the Pieces Together
Classic Movie Night In The Park: Elias Fry Barn, Knob Hill Community Park, 415 Knob Rd., Wexford
Friday, July 15 at 8 p.m. - Orson Welles in The Third Man
Friday, Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. - John Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance
Friday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m.- Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in The VIPS
Dorseyville Student Wins Regional Geography Bee
Dorseyville Middle School seventh-grader Darshen Jayaratnam was named the champion in the seventh-grade division of the International Academic Competitions (IAC) Pittsburgh Regional Geography Bee. He has now qualified to participate in the IAC’s National Geography Bee that will be held this summer. Darshen qualified for the regional geography bee by earning high marks on the Online Regional Qualifying Exam.
Students to Meet with Collegiate Music Representatives
All area high school students that are interested in applying to a collegiate music school after graduation can attend the free 2022 College Fair on Sat., June 18, 2022, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Rochester Area High School gymnasium, 540 Reno Street, Rochester PA 15074. This is a golden opportunity to meet with music representatives Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon universities and Geneva, Grove City and Westminster colleges. The fair is sponsored by Rochester Area School District and Beaver Valley Choral Society in conjunction with the 2022 Summer Choral and Instrumental Academy. Reservations are not required, but arriving early is suggested, due to the anticipated large number of students and parents.
FCAHS Battle Bot Team to Compete at Nationals
A team of Fox Chapel Area High School students, including seniors Dino Iasella and Shrivardhan Thada, junior Adam Zimmerman and sophomore Eduardo Phelan-Vidal, recently placed at the PA BotsIQ 2022 Finals Competition. The team also tied for 13th in the battle bracket and won fourth place for engineering documentation, placing them eighth in the overall grand champion standings. The Fox Chapel Area High School support team members include seniors Andrew Byersdorfer, Zachary Miller, Collin Murphy, and Miguel Quemado; juniors Tatiana Free, Samuel Kuhns, Ramadani Mada, and Nathaniel Merriman; sophomores Ava McCaffrey, Keya Patro, and Lucy Rygelski; and freshmen Benjamin Fiedler, Selin Geylani, Swati Mylarappa, Shreyas Rhotagi, Keegan Scanlon, and Holden Starz.
Seneca Valley Crowns Homecoming King and Queen
Emily Todd was crowned queen and Trey Hixon king at the Seneca Valley High School prom in May at Stage AE. Emily is the daughter of Glenn and Stephanie Todd of Cranberry Township, and Trey is the son of Tammy and the late Donald Hixon of Renfrew. The prom theme was Night at the Casino.
Four Students Receive Top Awards At International Science and Engineering Fair
After presenting award-winning projects during Carnegie Science Center’s Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair on March 22-23, four students from Pittsburgh-area high schools were selected to represent the region at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held May 8–13. Nearly 2,000 students representing 49 states and 63 countries across the globe competed in ISEF, which is the world’s largest international high school competition. Three of the four finalists from the Pittsburgh area won grand awards in their category. The three ISEF winners from the Pittsburgh region are Steven D. Liu, Shady Side Academy Senior School, second place in Chemistry; Michael Zigi Gao, North Hills Senior High School, third place in Cellular and Molecular Biology; and Landon Colaresi, Pittsburgh Allerdice High School, third place in Systems Software. Liu also received a special award from the Air Force Research Laboratory on behalf of the United States Air Force, and a special award from King Abdul-Aziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba). Colaresi also received a special award from the National Security Agency Research Directorate. Arvind Seshan of Fox Chapel Area High School received a special award from the National Security Agency Research Directorate. Learn more at https://www.societyforscience.org/isef.
O’Hara Elementary Student Places in Essay Contest
O’Hara Elementary School fifth-grader Sidera Kingman-Graves recently won second place in the Rule of Law Essay Contest. The essay prompt was “What does the Rule of Law mean to you and to our country?” Entries were evaluated based on focus, content development, organization, and style. As a winner, Sidera was invited to attend a program at the Federal Courthouse, where she met Chief United States District Judge the Honorable Mark Hornak, toured the courthouse, and had the opportunity to read her essay.