June 2023 GreeneScene Magazine

FEATURES

I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY

Fred Morecraft

GREENESCENE OF THE PAST

Paula and Delores Lavins

SHINING THE LIGHT

The Way

VETERANS CORNER

Veterans education at Waynesburg University

PUBLIC SERVICE PROFILE

Bonner Scholars

GREENE ARTIFACTS

Charles Alexander Black

GOING GREENE

Greene County alumni

GOOD NEWS IN GREENE

Awards & acknowledgements within our community

MESSAGE BOARD

Community announcements and opportunities

HAPPENINGS IN GREENE

Check out some fun events from the past month

HOMETOWN HERITAGE

Current and vintage local sports highlights

EXTRAS

GREENE GARDENS

Four-legged gardeners

ARTS IN THE COMMUNITY

Local libraries build poetry pride

COOL AT SCHOOL

Carmichaels Area: Environmental Programs

COOL AT SCHOOL

Central Greene: Recreating Culture with Trash

COOL AT SCHOOL

Greene County CTC: Second Campus

COOL AT SCHOOL

Jefferson-Morgan: Elementary Art Show

COOL AT SCHOOL

Southeastern Greene: History Walk in Bobtown

COOL AT SCHOOL

West Greene: International Travel Class

COUNTY ALUMNI

Molly Cochran Robey

COUNTY ALUMNI

Tori Adams

COUNTY ALUMNI

Sarah Rush

LIBRARY CLUB CELEBRATES 120 YEARS in Waynesburg

COVER PHOTO by Gail Courtwright of Wind Ridge.

I Love this Community FRED MORECRAFT

What I really love about our school is we’re the center of the community. We can walk to the town square.”

Superintendent Fred Morecraft is standing in the lobby of Carmichaels High School, where brightly wrapped school-color walls complete the school spirit atmosphere of this open space where students come to do lunch or study or just hang out. The Mighty Mike mascot has morphed into a new school brand - an electrifying blue letter jacket capital C with a gold and white lightning bolt shooting through it.

GreeneScene is celebrating students and alumni this issue so I’ve come to interview a high energy, positive role model of a teacher, principal, now superintendent to talk about individual leadership. But Morecraft will be the first to remind me in no uncertain terms, that leadership is a team effort, every inch of the way.

Morecraft beams as he points to the new branding on the wall that spells out the steps to scholastic success: “Resiliency…Our Compass. Experiences…Our Pathway. Careers…Our Destination.”

No need to jot down the details – they’re all right here in the folder he hands me, written by him and his administrative team to describe all the career paths the district has to offer. And why.

Things have certainly changed since Morecraft was hired in 2006. “I grew up

in Bobtown. My dad and granddad were coal miners. I remember when I graduated my dad wrote on a card ‘Find a career where you come home with clean hands. I started here teaching sixth grade and I found I loved teaching.”

Back then, the economy just beginning to shift into high tech gear and rural schools with shrinking tax bases were struggling to catch up even as the labor market demanded more skilled workers. With the current state school tax system, it takes ingenuity, trust and teamwork to do it, Morecraft said. “We trust our teachers to try new things for our kids. Education is different now. We’re preparing them for jobs that might not exist yet. We have to think outside the box and so do they.”

The information in the folder notes that 57 percent of district students go on to post-secondary institutions. What about the other 43 percent?

Match that with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting more than 6.3 million job openings, a number greater than the present labor pool and the question is: “What can we do to help our students be successful? We want our students to be able to be placed in jobs soon after graduation if they choose the career route. Studies have shown that we are near crisis mode as a country as far as students entering trades.”

With career pathways as the goal,

“Students will gain the experience in high school with the courses they elect to take, along with internships and apprenticeships to match passion with experience.”

Resiliency is the key, Morecraft stresses. Kids from underemployed America have to be resilient to face real life challenges both at home and in school, to be ready to find a career that is up to the minute with the technology they will be working with in the future.

As educators, “we’re here to give them experiences that will be the pathway to success – which is our goal. They need to draw connections between what they are learning and real life.”

This new era of high tech learning was - silver lining here - speeded up by the pandemic of 2020 and expertly driven home to every Greene County school district by Morecraft and his team of fellow superintendents from Mapletown, Jefferson, Waynesburg, West Greene and the CTC.

When students were sent home on Friday, March 13, 2020, the school districts and their superintendents, support staff and teachers hit the ground running. They spent the next months adding to existing technology projects and upgrading classrooms with Covid funding to create more maker spaces for all the new skills to be learned when the students returned.

Meeting the future where it lives is an ongoing process that all Greene

By Colleen Nelson

County superintendents work on at their monthly group meetings, Morecraft said.

“This year the superintendents decided to meet at different schools and show each other what we’re doing. We compete athletically but academically we want to give all our students great resources so we’re trying to share those resources. Starting next year Carmichaels is offering 3-D modeling through Epic Gaming at Carmichaels and our kids are going to make and recreate historic places like our town square and we’re looking into moon mapping. Kids will write the programs and do the graphics. Jefferson will be doing it too.”

News Reporting and Integrated Communications taught by Jessica Hathaway is an elective that introduces ninth through twelfth graders to different forms of media – print, broadcast, blogging and podcasting. Students can choose, learn and move on to another medium and learn some more. Juniors and seniors have the option to do advanced news reporting on Mikes Nation Live, filming football games, live streaming morning announcements and anything else that needs the media in school, including school board meetings, Halloween parades and fashion shows “so parents could watch at home,” Hathaway tells me. Mikes Messenger, the school paper is both online and in print form.

The futuristic world of Artificial In-

Parker Hewitt, Landen Mitchell, Ayden Adamson, and Ashtin Nesselroad use the media centers exercise machines while studying.

Dayton Reynolds and Dave Franks operate the flight simulator that is part of Carmichaels programs.

Emma Bates, Alexzander Lawrence and Faith Willis prepping for state Envirothon competition. Their theme analyzes and attempts to meditate factors affecting the health of the Brook Trout which is dependent on the water temperature of the stream.

telligence, Digital Fabrication, VR Imaging and Drone Technology is part of the Technology Pathway STEM rotation for seventh through ninth graders lead by Nichole Morecraft. High school students are then ready to work with the latest technology to explore robotics and AI into the future and learn to design and manufacture in-house what consumers want and make a profit for their lab, from custom printed t-shirts to 3D printing and laser cut wraps on mugs. Doing this kind of design and production work is the core lesson learned with hands-on STEM curriculum. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math. Add Art and you have STEAM.)

Lavin Media Center, a total makeover of the old school library concept, has added the equipment that today’s students use to learn – including walking or pedaling on exercise machines while reading books or using laptops or tablets. In

a side room, the school Envirothon team was working on an ecology presentation that might win them a state championship - again. Their environmental theme is creating a riparian zone to mitigate and adapt for the changing climate, using Brook Trout, the keystone species that is greatly affected by warming streams.

(By the time you read this they will have already competed. You can see how they placed at envirothonpa.org)

If you want to see what the future holds in store for the kids coming in to this magic kingdom of future learning possibilities, stop by the Carmichaels School District Facebook page and scroll down to the first graders taking a tour of the high school side of campus.

Those pictures are worth more than a thousand words!

Superintendent Fred Morecraft is passionate about preparing students for the next steps in their educational journey.

Landon Brown, Brayden Andrews, William Murray, Parker Jones, Brooklyn Smith, teacher Nichole Morecraft, and Remington Crooks are part of Carmichaels STEM Lab program.

Mikes Nation Live crew members Gabrielle Yazzani and Mason Lapana proudly stand next to a video produced for Earth Day. Featured in the video are Olivia Toth, Jacob Fordyce, and Jovi Blasinsky.

GreeneScene of the Past

The poster laminated on the wall by the door of what was once Carmichaels High School Library is a loving salute to Dolores and Paul Lavins. This dynamic duo from the class of 1949 made it back to their alma mater on June 10, 2021 for the renaming of Lavins Media Center, a place of “learning that will change the world.”

School media was there to record the moment as Media Specialist Cassie Menhart and Superintendent Fred Morecraft helped the Lavins pull the curtain on the new signage above the doors as a crowd of well-wishers applauded.

Step inside Lavins Media Center today and the world of change that learning offers is on full display. Check out the islands of books and media platforms, study stations, aviation flight simulators and gaming niches, the stock market ticking away above a school store stocked with student designed and manufactured shirts, mugs, yearbooks and whatnots. A snack bar in one corner that accepts both cash and tokens earned for achievement gives Cassie Menhart the petty cash for dayto-day fun stuff. “We just got a massage chair students can use – a dollar for two minutes!” she tells me. The walls are freshly wrapped with images from every yearbook since 1923 – a shout out to all things Mighty Mike.

The photos on the poster in the hall of Cumberland High School seniors Paul Lavins and Dolores Jazwa are taken from the 1949 Cumberlander yearbook that Cassie loaned me for this story.

We did a hand off behind the school - “make a left by Dairy Queen I’ll be in a gray truck!” - and I drove home for an evening of time travelling, back to the post-World War II years of saddle shoes, penny loafers and glistening coiffed hair on nearly every guy. Change was in the air, the rock and roll 1950s were about to crash the scene and these bright eyed “Forty Niners” were ready for it. They were leaving a world of proms, football games, cheerleading and school clubs for the real world, armed with the skills they’d learned in school about teamwork, leadership, cooperation and thinking outside the box.

But first a moment to reflect – and do some bragging. There are no prom photos in the yearbook – it would happen after publication and promised to be the highlight of the year. But the sports scores were in and the Mikes were judged the “best high school football team in Pennsylvania, unbeaten and untied through a grueling schedule of eight games” against Masontown, East Bethlehem, Scottdale, Mapletown, Point Marion, Jefferson, Waynesburg and Brownsville. Senior John Katusa was voted “most valuable player in Greene County in 1948.”

I track down Dolores Jean Jazwa – a self-described coal miner’s daughter - in the senior photos. Her head is tilted, she smiles, her eyes direct and aware. Nickname Jazz. “Jazz is happy and full of fun. With a pleasant smile for everyone.” Girls “C” (sports) Club. Library Council treasurer. Yearbook staff. Gym Program. Career path: Commercial.

This is the first year the school had a full time librarian the yearbook staff noted. “We are very grateful to have Mrs. Crago for now it makes it possible to use our library any time during the day.”

The high-tech tools of 1949 were typewriters, big square cameras and microphones, and kids were making yearbooks and broadcasting sports events. The Student Council supervised school elections, football victory celebrations and were successful in lobbying for more mirrors in “both boys and

girls lavatories.” The history club voted to study local history for a better understanding of “our American heritage” and the photography club sold photo postcards to raise money for darkroom equipment. The Classical League was studying Latin and Greek and the Future Craftsmen of America took a field trip to Pittsburgh to “see one of the major newspapers in production.”

Paul N. Lavins –Nickname Tojo, from Rices Landing. Career path: General. “He’s not so studious, not so bad. But what would we do without this lad.” Athletic Manager. Baseball. Basketball. Football. Track. Varsity “C” Club. His gaze is thoughtful, just as direct as Jazz, his smile just a hint at the corners. It’s a face that makes you wonder what this kid will be doing next.

Tojo isn’t listed as the senior most likely to succeed; Academic Bill “Cowboy” Doody is. In the Seniors Last Will and Testament, Jazz “leaves her flirtatious ways to James Vargo” and Paul Lavins “Just leaves.” When Class Prophecy peered into the flames on a “dark and stormy two in the afternoon”, it is revealed “Delores Jazwa and her Nemacolin Six have just taken state championship in Basketball with the help of their coach, Wally.”

Staring deeper into the flame, Propacy quipped, “Paul Lavins has lost his love for dogs after becoming bankrupt raising them. Cries he ‘Everything has gone to the dogs.’”

Later, when the neighborhood schools in Cumberland Township, Nemacolin and Crucible were consolidated into Carmichaels School District, Paul and Delores Lavins were married and busy changing the world that would come full circle with the scholarship fund for Carmichaels grads that they would set up in 1999. The Paul and Delores Jazwa Lavins Scholarship Fund has awarded two $20,000 scholarships a year to help defray the cost of post-secondary education since 2000.

Confounding the prophesy of bankruptcy, Paul Lavins served in the Korean War, graduated Youngstown University with a degree in electrical engineering then founded and op-

By Colleen Nelson

erated American Induction Heating Corporation that sold its state of the art equipment worldwide. Lavins then co-founded Enercon Industries Corporation, now listed online as “a multi-discipline engineering and environmental firm focused on…partnering with our clients to support the safe and efficient production, delivery and use of energy.”

It would be international fly-fishing that replaced love of dogs when Lavins retired. For Delores Jean Jazwa “Jazz” Lavins, that dream of a championship basketball team would waken into a life of passion for grandkids, the arts and a love of dancing.

For the seniors of Carmichaels High School, a peek back into the 1949 Cumberlander offers some timely advice:

“When they’re gone, they’re gone forever

Time that’s passed will ne’er return

So there’s no time but the present

For the things which we must learn.”

The Academic League Teams Grades 5-6, 7-8 recently enjoyed a “behind the scenes” tour to see how the chocolate is made and learn all the ins and outs of running a family business. It was great to watch the assembly lines and know that each piece of chocolate is inspected for perfection by expert personnel. After the tour (and a LOT of delicious samples) the team was treated to a delicious ice cream sundae

The Mapletown High School classroom catfish are now part of the Monongahela River ecosystem. Students measured the fry when they were received in February and then again before they were released. The data was sent to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Where there’s a will there’s The WAY. No doubt about it – it’s taken a whole lot of will to put “The Way” in Waynesburg!

Just ask Jonathan Johnson and Jared Edgreen, two dynamic churchgoing guys who were there when First Baptist Church of Waynesburg purchased Belko Market at 209 W. High St. after it closed in 2019. The church and its supporters began making plans for a community center to enrich the lives of families living in and around town. Families with limited purchasing power or access to rides. Kids unable to afford being on sports teams or pay for memberships at activity centers and summer camps. Families needing a safe place to build back better, with access to opportunities they might not otherwise have.

This is a story best told by hanging out with board members slash hardworking volunteers Johnson and Edgreen inside the gutted interior of Waynesburg’s old grocery store building with its promising new signage - “The Way Community Center of Greene County” - underscored with contact information, just in case someone passing by, maybe you! – is ready to get involved.

The empty interior seems to stretch forever, back to the far walls, lit by long strings of lights, punctuated by architectural images hanging from rafters that show what will be here someday. The floor is marked with layout lines for that future– a multipurpose center space for games or a stage for up to 400 people, over here the professional food court kitchen for kids to address food insecurity or

By Colleen Nelson

some future entrepreneur to bake best selling cookies, rows of multipurpose classrooms, doorways to courtyards, walkways and benches surrounding the Way, the way it will be as the dream is realized, one finished project at a time.

When Covid-19 closed Pennsylvania on March 13, 2020, the world Zoomed into virtual living and the “Coming Soon!” promise on the Baptist Community Center sign would have to wait. But the will was strong and the rest of 2020 was spent holding virtual meetings, making calls to donors and texting plans and ideas back and forth as the First Baptist Church reached out to other churches, business, educators and non-profits to pinpoint the needs of Greene County kids and their families.

A capital Campaign for “Walking Together” kicked off and a virtual tour of the dream center was created. Donations poured in. But as the pandemic wound down, building costs were rising.

“We were part of the board of Coalition for a Brighter Greene so when First Baptist approached us, we as a coalition board decided we want to expand our mission, our vision and horizon with a brick and mortar location, to continue the ecumenical work we’ve already done in the community – all under one roof,” Johnson said.

In 2022, the coalition transitioned “Walking Together” to The Way Community Center of Greene County, an educational non-profit. Working around the rising costs, member volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

“We decided to gut the interior ourselves and saved more than $100,000,” Edgreen said. The bids that contractors gave then are still tied to inflation, both men admit. Still, this “Swiss army knife” of a building with its multipurpose usages is coming along, one project at a time, starting with the exterior and the roof, which will be raised in one section as well, Edgreen said.

The Way is already in action, helping manage Cherry Door Thrift Store, bringing The Way to Read in district schools and a basketball camp is coming up in “a couple of weeks,” Johnson said.

“We take a lot of ideas from Urban Impact, a community center on the North Side (of Pittsburgh) that’s been around for 26 years. So we know our community center is going to make a long term commitment for generational change.”

Giving new ideas a place to thrive is an important factor, Johnson noted “We’re hoping The Way will be the place where, if you have a great idea and it works within our mission, come on in, we’ll give you a space to do it. Those who use the space will help pay for the building, keep the lights on. We’ll be depending on lots of volunteers, maybe have a couple of staff to keep cost at a minimum so anybody can utilize it. This is community action in a real way.”

For more information and to see the virtual tour: thewaygc.org or call 724-201-2060

The Waynesburg Central Elementary School 6th grade band traveled to Harrisburg to perform inside under the rotunda.

Veterans Corner

WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY VET & MILITARY STUDENT SERVICES & INITIATIVES

Waynesburg University offers a variety of services to veterans wanting to complete secondary education. For information about their veteran initiatives, please visit waynesburg.edu/ admissions/financial-aid/veteran-benefits.

Last year, Waynesburg University launched the Veteran and Military Student Services and Initiatives to serve the needs of veteran and military member students and their families.

Through this initiative, Dr. Michelle Steimer and Charles Stoddard will work as liaisons for the veteran and military student population and provide resources for information related to financial, health and wellness, and community benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs, Department of Defense, and other local, state, federal or private organizations. They will also work collaboratively with existing campus services and programs to further develop, streamline, and grow the University’s already established and successful veteran and military services. This will increase access, utilization and continual improvement related to service to veterans and military members.

In her role as director of Veteran and Military Student Services and Initiatives, Dr. Steimer will be responsible for the review of university policies to create and implement military-friendly changes on behalf of veterans, active-duty military personnel, reservists, and dependents.

Her ability to recognize the specific needs of the military community stems from her extensive military background. Dr. Steimer has served in the United States Army and Army Reserve for more than 22 years. She has been both enlisted and an officer, and currently serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve in Pittsburgh. Dr. Steimer has also worked for the Department of Defense, served as president for the Pennsylvania Military and Government Counseling Association and served as an expert and consultant in military and veteran culture and mental health on both national and international levels as a counselor educator.

In his role as assistant director of Vet-

eran and Military Student Services and Initiatives, Stoddard will assist Dr. Steimer in the review and development of policy and programming. He will also serve as a primary point of contact for Waynesburg University military and veteran students. Between active duty and being in the Army Reserve, Stoddard has served in the Army for 18 years and worked as a combat medic for 16 years, which included serving as an infantry platoon medic during deployment in Iraq. For the last two years, he has served as a personnel officer.

In addition, Stoddard served as an Army Division Suicide Prevention Program Manager for six years, during which he was responsible for providing mental health and crisis resources for 7,000 soldiers.

“Soldiers sacrifice so much for the benefit of their communities and this country, and they deserve support as well as a welcome and safe place to work out their experiences,” Stoddard said of his passion for caring for veteran and soldier mental health needs. “I want to be one of those people reaching back to our soldiers and veterans to make it easier for them to address their needs and to thrive.”

In alignment with the University’s mission of faith, learning and service, this initiative will provide events including veteran student welcome sessions, monthly coffee groups, and on-campus and virtual service opportunities to promote a sense of connection for veteran and military students.

As the initiative becomes more established, the goal is to create both virtual and physical spaces on the University’s main campus and its Southpointe Center for personalized veteran student support and advocacy, and community initiatives.

“We want to create a life cycle of support that matches the needs of our military and veteran students that spans from their first interest in Waynesburg University to their time as students and continues on as these same students become alumni that continue to serve their communities,” Dr. Steimer added.

By Michelle Church

WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY: BONNER SCHOLAR PROGRAM

Bonner Scholars at Waynesburg University “become servant leaders who make connections between head, hands, and heart,” according to Waynesburg University’s website. Bertram and Corella Bonner created the Bonner Foundation. The goal of the foundation was to help provide access to education. The Bonner Scholar Program goal is to provide access to education while also sharing an opportunity to serve. Mrs. Corella Bonner was recognized for creating “powerful opportunities for students to develop strong leadership skills as they link lessons learned in the classroom with knowledge gained from service and volunteerism.”

“Waynesburg University is one of 21 Bonner Scholar schools in our country,” says Adrienne Tharp, Director of the Center for Service Leadership with the Bonner Scholars Program. She mentions that the Bonner Scholar Program has been “part of the campus, as well as the community, for 30 years.” The program was started in 1990 and has continued to expand ever since.

High school students in their senior year can apply to be a Bonner Scholar in college. Bonner Scholars are required to complete 140 service hours each fall and spring. In addition, Bonner Scholars must complete two summers of service of 280 hours. Most students aim to complete an average of 8-10 hours of service each week. Students must also maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA and participate in enrichment activities and training. Each student’s experience is unique. Students can select their path of service and how they would like to complete their service requirements with guidance from the Waynesburg University Bonner Scholar Program staff.

Each year 15 new students are selected as Bonner Scholars, and most are involved for four years. The Bonner Scholarship is merit-based. Those who receive the scholarship have it applied to financial aid packages to offset their education costs. The scholarship awards $3,000 each year ($1,500 each for the fall and spring semesters). Bonner Scholars also receive a $2,500 living stipend while working on their two summers of service. After completion of summer service requirements, Bonner Scholars receive an additional $2,000 per year to offset educa-

tional expenses.

All schools in the Bonner network commit to the following principles called the Common Commitments:

• Civic Engagement- participating in different forms of engagement, such as service, social action, political engagement, and public policy.

• Community Building- creating and sustaining a community of personal relationships and shared interests.

• Diversity- showing respect for other personal and group identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, class, religion, and physical and mental ability.

• International Perspective- developing global and international understanding to enable individuals to participate in an interconnected world, and to appreciate and transcend national boundaries.

• Social Justice- understanding and advocating for fairness, impartiality, and equity in addressing systemic social and environmental issues.

• Spiritual Exploration- reflecting on and exploring personal beliefs while also respecting the ethical and spiritual practices, and values of others.

• Wellness- nurturing the resilience, development, and substance of the whole person and of communities.

Adrienne Tharp says that “throughout

their time in the program they are enhancing their personal and professional skills as well as enhancing and developing their leadership…we are always looking at ways to challenge and encourage our students to grow.”

Bonner Scholars at Waynesburg University can serve with several local organizations within Greene County. A few of the places they are serving: Domestic Violence Services, Bowlby Library, WWJD, Greene County United Way, West Sides Youth, Jefferson Baptist Group, the Senior Center, and Gateway Senior Housing. In addition to all the help they provide to these local organizations, Bonner Scholars provide a dinner at St. Ann’s on Tuesday nights. Some Bonner Scholars also offer tutoring and mentoring throughout the county.

“For me, the best part of the program is watching a student begin their freshman year and to watch their journey to senior year. It isn’t often you get to see this type of transformative experience happen for students and I get to see it for 60 of them…I enjoy watching them learn, grow, be challenged, and have their hearts and eyes opened to so many new things. Our program really challenges students to become present and aware of what is happening in their world. Service is much deeper than what many of them are used to and have previously experienced,” Adrienne says.

The Bonner Scholar Program provides students all over the country with a chance to attend college. The Bonner family would be proud to see their dreams being fulfilled both locally and throughout America.

Greene Gardens

By Lisa McVay Hook of the Greene County Master Gardeners

The Four-Legged Gardener

What image comes to mind when you hear the phrase “four-legged gardener”? Most people probably wouldn’t think of a chipmunk.

A second question: what does a gardener do in a garden? Some components of what a gardener does include finding an area for planting, digging in the ground, planting and spreading seeds, harvesting the matured vegetables, or enjoying the blooming flowers. Harvesting vegetables can lead to storing them for future use during the winter. Common storage methods include canning, dehydrating, freezing, and root cellaring. Last but not least is the commonly held belief that gardeners are always busy doing something or other in their garden.

So, does the chipmunk qualify as a gardener? Let’s learn a few details about chipmunks to make the decision.

Chipmunks are rodents in the squirrel family. Eastern chipmunks, Tamias striatus, are found throughout Pennsylvania. As they dash around the yard and gardens, you catch glimpses of their bushy tails, alluring eyes, and the racing stripes down their backs. They dig underground burrows stretching from ten to thirty feet. Chipmunks are

not picky eaters. Because of their wide diet, their fecal material (poop) is very beneficial, as it contains seeds and mycorrhizae the chipmunks distribute throughout their territories. Mycorrhizae are healthy relationships between soil fungi and plant roots and are vital for increasing water and nutrient absorption in plants. The chipmunk constantly scurries around digging in the ground, spreading seeds, tasting and harvesting vegetables, and then storing food for the winter in their tunnels.

So, with some imagination, we can agree chipmunks are gardeners. They help contribute to the health and growth of the environment they inhabit with twolegged gardeners.

SOURCES: Stevens, Sidney. 2022 “10 Things You Don’t Know About Chipmunks.”; Treehugger; www.welcomewildlife.com/ about-chipmunks/

Congratulations goes out to Adysan Kern who was one of two recipients awarded with the National Math and Science Initiative Stem Star Award! Jefferson-Morgan School District is in its third year of partnership with The National Math and Science Initiative.

A daughter of Jeremy and Marti Kern of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Adysan is a junior at Jefferson-Morgan High School. Kern is enrolled in AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Government and Politics, and AP Language and Composition.

Greene Artifacts

By Matthew Cumberledge, GCHS ExECutivE DirECtor

CHARLES ALEXANDER BLACK

The Honorable Charles Alexander Black, born February 6, 1808 to Jacob and Margaret (Grinstaff) Black, was a prominent member of Greene County society in the late 19th century. He grew up on his father’s farm and attended school when circuit teachers were teaching in the area. At a young age he became an avid reader and, soon, a well-respected scholar. He worked as a clerk in his brother’s store in Greensboro, PA and eventually become a law apprentice under Enos Hook and Samuel Cleavinger, both in Waynesburg. Mr. Black was elected to two terms in the State Senate from 1843 to 1848 and was selected as Secretary of the Commonwealth and Superintendent of Public Instruction where, in 1854, he wrote the “Free School Law.” This law would correct several deficiencies in the public school system and would create school districts. Mr. Black also served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention.

In private life, Charles Alexander Black married Maria, daughter of William Allison, and to their union were born two children, Mary and Albert. Maria departed this life in 1871, remembered as an idol of her family and a favorite amongst her circle of acquaintances.

Mr. Black also served as one of the organizers of the Waynesburg and Washington Railroad and was present at the committee meeting held at

the Greene County courthouse on January 25, 1875 when the final route was chosen and the name Waynesburg and Washington Railroad was officially established.

Mr. Black departed this life on March 6, 1889 at the age of 81 years and was interred in Green Mount Cemetery in Waynesburg. This photo is physically archived at the Greene County Historical Society Museum and is also digitally archived as part of the Greene Connections Archives Project.

Please keep an eye out on our Facebook page and our website at http://www.greenecountyhistory.org to stay up to dates on our presentation series and events as we look forward to our open season!

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Fourth grade students from Mrs. Lapkowicz’s and Mrs. Stevenson’s ELA classes had the un-bee-lievable opportunity to participate in the 2nd annual Spelling Bee. They impressively spelled 296 words! The winners were: Ally Ross - 1st place Reed Tennant - 2nd place Spencer Parker - 3rd place

CLASSIFIEDS

Lot for Rent for Mobile Home of RV. $300/ month+utilities. Big Shannon Run Rd, Mt. Morris. Easy access to I-79 on paved road, additional storage available. 304-238-6322.

Leer Cap that fits 14-19 Chevy/GMC trucks; silver, excellent cond. Under cover fiberglass Tonneau cover for 14-19 Chevy/ GMC trucks; silver, excellent condition. 724-499-5437

CURT 31320 Front trailer hitch for 02-08 Dodge Ram w/installation kit. Brand new, never used or installed. $225. Text 724-9980788.

Interior trunk panels for 93-02 Camaro/ Firebird, dark gray, with speaker cutout & grille. $15. Text 724-998-0788.

Hay wagon, $1200. Mt. Morris. Garage kept, well-maintained 7’ x 14’. Deck was always oiled, rough cut oak. Straight tongue, very solid. Trails great down the road. 304238-6322.

Whirlpool 220v stovetop range, Bisque/ Light Beige, $400, New Oven Control Module, 3-post pigtail. Samsung Plasma Display

The JMHS RLL made some frozen strawberry yogurt pops as a special treat with our HONEY representative, Dillon. The school is grateful for this program at JM and are lucky to be the group that is piloting it!

42inch HDMI, DVI, RCA, Coax, Works $40obo. Noritake China Set #48, 8 Setting, various pieces, $40obo. 412-582-2544

Firestone WinterForce tires/rims 205/65R15/GM6.5jx15ET41/PCD5x110, $150. 412-582-2544

13” Boy’s Kent bicycle, like new, coaster brakes, $25. 16” Boy’s bicycle, like new, coaster brakes, $30. 20” Boy’s Huffy bicycle, 10 speed hand brakes, $50. 412-582-2544

Summit Climbing Tree Stand, Steel, Rubber-coated Cables, Safety Harness, $175, Steel Ladder Stand 9ft. Camo, Tree attach & carrying straps, $40. 412-582-2544 737-5761.

30 gallon fish tank, $25. 32” TV LVG, $50. Video storage container for tapes, $40. Mauve loveseat and sofa, $350. 2 padded , wooden kitchen chairs, $50. Wooden coffee table, $100. Gray rocker lounge chair, $125. 724-883-2143.

The Mapletown NHS sponsored a breakfast for the staff at Mapletown to appreciate all of our staff.

A note to the reader: In this discussion the terms university and college may be used interchangeably in reference to the same institution, as it started existence as Waynesburg College and later became Waynesburg University. The use of the terms will be largely based on context. The author apologizes in advance for any confusion this may cause.

Since September 1849, when classes were first held in the Hayes Building on the corner of High and Washington streets, Waynesburg College (now Waynesburg University) has been an integral part of our local community. The university was created by combining the assets of Greene Academy in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, and Madison College in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

In 1850, construction began on Hanna Hall and classes were located there after its completion in 1851. Even as early as 1849, however, Waynesburg University was a groundbreaking institution. At Waynesburg’s inception, a young woman named Margaret Kerr Bell (who would later marry college President Alfred B. Miller) was asked to lead the female education department and the blossoming college. It seems she may have been chosen because of her desire to create an environment and system that would establish equal education for men and women, paving the way for women graduates with degrees equal to those earned by men as early as 1857.

Mary J. Temple, later Bayard and then Jamison, (1853-1916) received her education from Waynesburg College at different periods throughout the late 19th century. She became a prolific writer and journalist whose work focused on women’s social reform and philanthropy. Her works were penned both under her own name and the pseudonym “Meg.” Her career began after writing an editorial comment sent to and published in a Waynesburg newspaper and subsequently copied in the Pittsburgh Post. Eventually, the Pittsburgh Dispatch, after having read some of her work under her pen name, printed a request in their publication for her to make herself known. This lead to her employment with the Dispatch. From that point forward her work was in heavy demand. Later she would write for the Philadelphia Times. In 1893, Mary would present a paper entitled “Women in Journalism” at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Mary was also a member of the Women’s National Press League, The Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh, and The League of American Pen Women. She would

Going Greene

NOTABLE WAYNESBURG ALUMNI

also serve as an 1899 delegate to the International League of Press Clubs in Baltimore, Maryland.

Within the roles of other noteworthy alumni of Waynesburg University can be found John M. Day. Day (1831-1896), a native of Carmichaels, Pennsylvania and a student of law, left Greene County in 1859 to set up a legal practice first in Davenport and then later Des Moines, Iowa. While in Iowa, John became interested in railroads and became one of the organizers of the Des Moines and Minnesota Railroad, a narrow-gauge line that was established in 1870.

Always maintaining an interest in his home country, however, John would write to friends in Greene County in 1874 of the necessity to build a railway that would connect Waynesburg and Washington. Much of his correspondence would be published in local papers at the time, which built interest in such an undertaking. This idea was received with great enthusiasm and John was invited to return home to conceptualize the project. By November 1, 1877, the plans had been realized and the main line of the Waynesburg and Washington Railroad had been completed. John M. Day would remain a resident of Greene County after his work to establish the railroad. He would eventually return to Iowa with his family, where he lived until he passed in 1896. His work in establishing the Waynesburg and Washington Railroad cannot be understated; its importance in modernizing the county and helping to usher in the industrial revolution in our little corner of Pennsylvania was a boom to our local economy and forever changed our way of life for the better.

Waynesburg University even played an important, although indirect, role in the Civil War. Not only was Company A of the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (the unit that was recruited from men from Greene County Pennsylvania) established at Hanna Hall at Waynesburg University, one of the most noteworthy men from the 140th was a graduate of Waynesburg University. James J. Purman (1841-1915) was born into a family

of farmers and, while attending Waynesburg College, was a teacher and a typesetter for a local newspaper.

After a series of Union defeats during the Civil War in 1862, Purman put his studies on hold and established a company of volunteers. Initially a cavalry unit but, since Pennsylvania had stopped accepting cavalry troops, the newly formed company changed their name to the Greene County Rifles and became an infantry unit. The first recruit was James Pipes who, with Purman, was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg. Purman’s citation would read:

By Matthew Cumberledge

“The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant James Jackson Purman, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 2 July 1863, while serving with Company A, 140th Pennsylvania Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lieutenant Purman voluntarily assisted a wounded comrade to a place of apparent safety while the enemy were in close proximity; he received the fire of the enemy and a wound which resulted in the amputation of his left leg.” J. J. Purman finished his degree after the war and became a principal

Mary J. Temple Bayard Jamison

J J Purman

Margaret Kerr Bell Miller

John M. Day

This year, as part of the HSC 209 Public and Community Health course offered on campus, enrolled students were tasked with a unique assignment to complete by the end of the term—perform two acts of kindness.

“The idea was inspired from the students in HSC 209,” explained Kimberly Wise, associate professor of Athletic Training and clinical education coordinator. “I posed a question on the midterm examination to assist with student learning and/ or my teaching technique: name one positive aspect about HSC 209 as well as one change you would incorporate to the course.”

Wise said the overwhelming response from students was a desire to be more involved with the community. So, after reflecting over spring break, she created “Acts of Kindness.”

Hargus Creek Design students were tasked by Mrs. Cassie Edgreen from Waynesburg Healthcare and Rehabilitation to assist in helping to make their dementia unit look less like a hospital facility and more like a home. The students visited the facility in February to take measurements and brainstorm ideas for the space. Since then, students have been designing and preparing decals to hang on the walls and doors. Today, the students returned to the facility to apply the decals

at a Baptist school. He also established a law practice in Greene County. Later, he moved to Washington D.C. to pursue medicine and eventually worked for the U.S. Patent Office.

The list of notable alumni from Waynesburg University is not only remarkable in the accomplishments of those students who called our hometown school home, but also remarkable in the sheer number of those graduates who made history during or after their time at Waynesburg. It would take many volumes to fully detail all these great accomplishments, and in this writing, we have only presented a very small number who have left a great impact on Greene County.

The author would like to dedicate this work to Candice Buchanan, a more recent graduate of Waynesburg University whose research and work have been of great assistance in creating this article. Candice is but one of the later chapters in the history of Greene County, Pennsylvania and Waynesburg University who will be long remembered for her contributions to preserving our history and for being a person whom future historians will long remember for her own accomplishments. Thank you, Candice, for all you have done for our Greene County community.

Here, Michael Francus picking up trash on campus with friends.

Carmichaels Team Wins County Envirothon

The 35th Greene County Envirothon competition was held at Hunting Hills on Wednesday, April 26th. Sixty high school students from Greene County’s four school districts competed in this year’s event.

At the Envirothon, five-member teams participate in a series of field station tests that focus on five topic areas – soils and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and environmental issues. The theme for the 2023 event was “Adapting to a Changing Climate.”

Carmichaels Team # 1 won this year’s competition with a score of 426 points out of a possible 470. Team members Alex Lawrence, Sophia Zalar, Spencer Conard, Faith Willis, and Emma Bates, with team advisor Kevin Willis will represent Greene County at the PA Envirothon. The 2023 PA Envirothon will be held at Camp Mt. Luther, Mifflinburg, PA on May 24.

Second Place was Mapletown Spotted Gars who earned 353 points and consisted of Grant Murin, Emil Enoff, Hannah Knutsen, Alexis Perry and Trenton Brown and their advisor Amber Burkett.

The third-place team was Carmichaels High School Team # 2 who earned 329 points, which included Landon Brown, Abigail Cuppett, Olivia Mata, Allie Miller, Levi Krampy and advisor Kevin Willis.

The Greene County Envirothon is organized each year by the Greene County Conservation District and is funded through donations and grants from various businesses, agencies, and individuals. Thank you to the following that improved our competition – EQT Corporation, Greene Team Pellet Fuel Company, LLC, Hunting Hills, Bankson Engineers, and First Federal of Greene County.

Each student on the first-place team secured a $500 college scholarship

funded by donations from donors and the Greene County Conservation District.

In addition to the continued financial support of sponsors, other partners that made the event successful include Greene County Commissioners Mike Belding, Betsy McClure, and Blair Zimmerman; Sofia Arthur, U.S.D.A. NRCS; Russell Gibbs and Michael Doucette, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry; Dorian Seibel, PA Fish and Boat Commission, Brandon Bonin and Tanner Hazlett, PA Game Commission and Greene County Development Office Jeremy Kelly and Kyle Lamb. The Conservation District would sincerely like to thank Roy, Sally, Raz and Johnna Sisler for the use of their facility at Hunting Hills for the day.

JM Academic League Win IU1 Region

After much work and dedication this year, the Jefferson-Morgan Varsity Academic League members had a successful season, beating out other schools in the IU1 region, a first in the school’s history. Monthly, these students traveled to Penn State Fayette to compete against other schools. On April 5, 2023, the JM team traveled to Penn West California where they won over the Fort Cherry team, paving their way to advance to the state competition.

“We really enjoyed going to these competitions and it is a wonderful opportunity for our students to just be a part of it. I am beyond ecstatic that we won the regional title and now are moving on to the state competition. This is a great group of students, and I am super proud of them,” says Don Cochran, JM Academic League Coach.

Lauren Pahler served as the team captain throughout the whole season. She helped lead the team to victory by answering challenging questions, giving it her all, and

acting as a role model for the younger team members.

Lauren shares, “I was very excited that we made it this far because it has never happened, and we were up against some pretty good teams. I was very happy to have this opportunity and that this was one of my last high school memories before graduation.”

Conservation Poster Contest Winners

In honor of Conservation District Week, April 23-29th, the Greene County Conservation District announces winners of their annual poster contest that was open to all Greene County students in kindergarten through the eighth grade. The contest highlighted the National Association of Conservation District’s 2023 theme, “One Water.”

Eighteen students from across the county participated in the contest. Contests like this promote interest in the environment, sciences, arts, and other disciplines. Each first-place winners’ posters will automatically be entered into the statewide contest held by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. Winning posters were awarded cash prizes for participation in the amount of $100 first place, $75 second place and $50 for third place.

Congratulations to all winners and thank you to all participants.

In the 7th – 8th grade category, the winners were: 1st Place – Sofia Gooden, CGSD Junior High School, daughter of Paul Gooden; 2nd Place –Paige Borovichka, CGSD Junior High School, daughter of Kristy Borovichka; 3rd Place –Liam Shipman, CGSD Junior High

School from MBM, son of Lacey Shipman

In the 4th – 6th grade category, the winners were: 1st Place –Payton Duncan, from PA Distance Learning Charter School, daughter of Lainey Duncan; 2nd Place –Julianna Kirsch, Waynesburg Central Elementary School, daughter of Melissa Kirsch; 3rd Place –Lily Giles, Carmichaels Area School District, daughter of Christina Antonelli;

In the 2nd- 3rd grade category, the winner was:1st Place –Harper Shaffer, Waynesburg Central Elementary School, daughter of Ashton Shaffer; 2nd Place—Elodie McGowan, Waynesburg Central Elementary School, daughter of Jillian McGowan

In the K-1st grade category, the winner was: 1st Place—Grant Patton, West Greene Home Schooled, son of Kayla Payton; 2nd Place –Henry McGowan, Waynesburg Central Elementary School, son of Jill McGowan.

Little Miss Firecracker Applications

Applications are now available for the 2023 Little Miss Firecracker Pageant sponsored by the Waynesburg Lions Club. The pageant is staged at the Waynesburg Lions Club Park on the Amphitheatre Stage during the annual 4th of July Celebration.

The pageant is a noncompetitive pageant for girls ages 5-8, as of July 4,2023. Participants appear in patriotic attire and will be interviewed on stage, with the winner

being chosen by a random drawing of flowers. Rehearsal will be on July 3 at 6:00 PM on the Lions Club stage.

The winner receives a crown, trophy and bouquet. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

FMI or applications call or text Eleanor Chapman 724-627-5284 (home) or 724-998-6962.

2nd Sam 9 Open House & Dedication

2nd Sam 9 is hosting a public open house and dedication on Friday, June 2, 2023 from 4-6pm at 100 Bonar Avenue, Waynesburg, PA 15370. FMI, call 724-627-0609, visit 2ndsam9.org or email 2ndsam9@windstream.net.

Jessop Boat Club Donates to Foster Care

The Jessop Boat Club accepted donations for bicycles for children in need this spring. On May 13, their Kids Day, they donated the bicycles to Greene County Foster Care. Pictured L-R: FRONT - Richie Policz (Greene County Emergency Management Director), Chelsea Wood, Sondra Lemley (Jessop Boat Club Ladies Auxiliary President) and Tiffany Throckmorton; BACK - Lois Mocniak (Jessop Boat Club Ladies Auxiliary Vice President), Tammy Bochnak, and Susan Sapp.

CONTEST WINNERS

Barnyard Petting Zoo: Marjorie Brown

Seghi’s Fishing: Bill Wingrove

Wild Turkey Shoot Supports DIPG Fund

In partnership with Warrior Trail Gobblers and National Wild Turkey Federation, the Greene County Turkey Shoot held on Sunday, April 30 raised $4,380 for the Max Jordan Cunningham DIPG Fund at the Children’s Hospital. “Teri Jordan, Max’s aunt, says,” The weather cooperated and we had a great turnout. This is such a great community. Always can count on them to help out with a good cause!”

Aviation Enthusiasts Fly into Waynesburg for Breakfast at Asher’s at the Airport

Members of an Ohio branch of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) based in Heath, OH, flew to Waynesburg for breakfast. The group had a long history of dining at the former Airport Restaurant and were delighted to hear that the restaurant had been reincarnated as Asher’s at the Airport when new owners Missy and Matt Harding opened in the same location.

EAA members are a “group of aviation enthusiasts, aircraft builders, and pilots who get together with like minded people to share ideas, exchange information, encourage safety, serve the local aviation community and have a lot of fun doing so.”

The group of 9 left Newark-Heath Airport in Ohio in several different aircraft: Cessna 172, Beechcraft Bonanza, Super Cub, Centurion 210, and a Cherokee 235. The participants were Dan Hooper and daughter Emma from Zanesville, OH, Dave Hall from New Albany, OH, Bob Erhard and Tom Thompson from Granville, OH, and Chris Anderson from Heath, OH, Ryan Kissell and son from Johnstown, OH, and Rollie Bailey from

Frazeyburg, OH.

The timing of their flight coincided with the Helicopter Egg Drop, sponsored by several local churches, which provided a fun backdrop for their breakfast.

Rollie, who serves as EAA Chapter Vice President, had kept in touch with Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Melody Longstreth, since the loss of the original Airport Restaurant. Longstreth provided him with the renovation status of the restaurant over time until Asher’s was opened. By way of a thank you, he has promised to buy her breakfast at Asher’s on his next fly-in to Waynesburg.

The G. Robert English Memorial Scholarship established at CFGC

The G. Robert English Memorial Scholarship was established at the Community Foundation of Greene County (CFGC) by his wife, Mona A. English, and his nephew, Dr. Robert F. English to honor her husband and his uncle. Bob passed away in 2022. Born in Carmichaels, he was a 1949 graduate of Jefferson High School, a 1955 graduate of Waynesburg College, and earned his Master’s degree from West Virginia University. Bob was a retired teacher and administrator, serving the Jefferson Morgan School District for 31 years. He was an exceptional math teacher who also served as principal from 1971 to 1977.

Bob was a member of the Hewitt Presbyterian Church for over 60 years where he served as treasurer, elder, and choir member. He was a member of the National Education Association, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the Greene County Association of School Retirees, and a former member of the Board of Directors of Cal Ed Federal Credit Union.

It is with this in mind, knowing that Bob would have been excited that future students could obtain a start on their post-secondary education, that the family started the G. Robert English Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to a Jefferson-Morgan High School senior (1st preference), or a Carmichaels High School Senior (2nd preference), to pursue a post secondary education at a four-year college or university.

Scholarship guidelines for the G. Robert English Memorial Scholarship are available on the CFGC website http://www.cfacpa.org/postsecondary-scholar hip /.

To learn more about the G. Robert English Memorial Scholarship, or how to make a gift to the scholarship fund in his memory, contact Community Foundation by phone at 724- 627-2010, email at cfgcpa@gmail.com or go to our website at www. cfgcpa.org.

Students from the Greene County Career and Technology Center who are members of Skills USA volunteered at the Community Food Bank on April 26, 2023. Waynesburg Central students Madison Ellis, Lydia Price, Nick Willard, Lexi Rush and Madison Rose and Advisors Natalie Goodwin and Todd Kieffer participated in unloading pallets of food, sorting, and packing boxes as a part of community service.

This year students from West Greene and other schools had the opportunity to work on research projects throughout this school year. Recently they took an adventure to WVU specifically in collaboration with the Davis college to present their research. The students got to experience a few days of college life by staying Oakland Hall and dining at towers dining hall. This was a great and successful experience that we hope to continue. This experience was made possible by the generosity of the Clark Opportunity Foundation!

The students in Ms. Adamson’s third grade classroom recently experienced the Life Cycle of a chicken. The students were able to watch the process from incubation to hatching and watching them grow in their classroom. The children loved this experience with Ms. Adamson and the baby chicks.

Happening in Greene

The Greene County CASA Dodgeball Tournament took place early May. Teams from multiple businesses and organizations , such as Corner Cupboard Food Bank, took part in the event. KSW are the 2023 champions.

Bowlby Library is surveying the community about services, and picking a few random winners to receive gift cards. Check out their Facebook FMI.

The Denny House trivia contest first place winners donated their $1000 winnings to the Bowlby Library. The Candy Crushers, L-R: Candy Mahle, Christa Conklin, Beth Sargent, Cole Leathers. Back row: TR Mahle, Ted Belmont, Jason Makel, Greg Leathers. 2nd Place winners Together with Veterans team donated their $500 winnings to The Way Community Center.

At Jessop Boat Club, Kid’s Day was another huge success!

Flenniken Library and DVSSP held a community picnic with art activities, lunch, and more.

Congratulations to first place winners, Quizzly Bears, at the DVSSP Trivia Night in May.

Living History at the GCHS Museum brought the Civil War alive.

The Carmichaels Area chapter of the National Honor Society held its Induction Ceremony this spring.

Fred Clark & his crew updated the landscaping at the Greene County Veterans Memorial Park so that it will be beautiful for the Memorial Day ceremony at 10am on May 29th.

Photos below courtesy of Facebook or Instagram.

IWLA Harry Enstrom spent time this May cleaning up roadsides in Greene County.

Last Story Time for the school year at Flenniken. They celebrated Cinco de Mayo a week early by reading Mañana Iguana by Ann Paul then we danced around shaking maracas before we made our own maracas!

By Bret Moore

From 1951 to 1969, the Waynesburg College Yellow Jacket basketball program did not have a winning season

(They averaged 4.3 wins a season). Most game nights only a handful of people were in the gym. Rudy Marisa came to the college in 1969 from Albert Gallatin High School and went 10-13 his first year. By the following season, the team finished 13-10.

He turned Waynesburg College basketball from an afterthought into a national powerhouse. In his 34 seasons as the Jackets’ coach, he won 565 games and seven NAIA District 18 championships in a nine-year span. In 2003 when he retired from coaching, his career record was 17th best nationally among all active coaches and 53rd all-time.

His teams made 15 consecutive playoff appearances in the 70s and 80s. After breaking through in the late 70s, the Jackets started the next decade with a 23-6 record.

They won the NAIA District 18 Title in 1981 and from 1984-1989. The classic R&B song Kansas City Here I Come was heard annually on WANB as the team headed off to the National Tournament. In the 1980s, the once empty seats at the College Gym were the hottest tickets in town. Fans would start lining up two hours before the game, and the line would stretch all the way to Martin Hall. During the decade, they had the second highest winning percentage of any program in the NAIA. In that span, they won 82% of their games. They were 131-21 from 1983-88 and at one point won 70 of 71 home games.

In 1984, the team reached the national quarterfinals in Kansas City before losing to eventual champion Fort Hayes State. That team finished 25-6. Two years later, they went 27-2 with 19 consecutive victories. However, the 1987-88 team was the most successful in school history. That squad went 32-2 (including a 32-game win streak) before losing in the national semi-finals to Grand Canyon College 108-106 in a nationally televised game.

Rudy was also named the District 18 Coach of the Year six times. In 1996 and 1998, he was named the President’s

Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Additional awards included Pittsburgh Press Coach of the Year (1984 and 1986), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Coach of the Year (1986), Pittsburgh Italian Coach of the Year (1989), and the Pittsburgh Coach of the Year (1988). He is also a member of the Greene County, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and Pittsburgh Basketball Halls of Fame.

Rudy grew up in Fredericktown where he made his own hoop and court in his backyard. He practiced daily and went on to star at East Bethlehem High School. After graduating in 1952, he attended a walk-on tryout at Penn State with 150 other players and received an offer to play on the freshman team. His sophomore year, he became the only local basketball player to appear in the NCAA Final Four. That year, the Nittany Lions finished third in the country after beating USC in the third-place game. They had beaten Toledo, LSU and Notre Dame to get there. His junior year, he averaged 7.1 PPG for an 18-10 team that also made the tournament. That season, he put up 27 points in a game against WVU. What made it especially impressive was he was being guarded by future Hall of Famer Hot Rod Hundley. Another story that embodied his grit and determination came when he traded elbows in a contentious game against Syracuse. The opposing player was a guy named Jim Brown (yes, that Jim Brown). Marisa acknowledged later with a chuckle that might have been a mistake. By his senior season, Marisa was second on the team in scoring (13.6 PPG).

After graduation, he taught and coached at Dunbar Township, Albert-Gallatin and Trinity High Schools with a two-year stint in the army in between

The colorful stories of Coach Marisa’s tenure are legion. However, one embodies the intensity of his style above all others. One day when the players arrived at the gym, it was announced they were to run the length of Purman Run to warm up before practice. Some of the players asked to get their

running shoes rather than run the course in their basketball sneakers. The 52-year-old coach, out of the hospital one week after hernia surgery, decided to teach the players a lesson in toughness. He led the team on the five-mile run in his dress clothes and shoes. On the way back, he removed his shoes and ran barefoot just to drive home his point. Needless to say, the chagrined players did not ask for such accommodations in the future. This is not the stuff of legend, as I witnessed the event in person. I also witnessed him send his starting center home from the national tournament for coming back to the hotel minutes after curfew.

The strict adherence to team rules and personal responsibility was expected of all who entered the program. For those who were able to rise to his standards, there exists a fraternal bond and appreciation of the lessons learned. More important than their incredible success on the court, his players went on to be successful coaches, teachers and businessmen. I’m sure that is the legacy of which he was most proud.

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BOYs and GIRLs OF THE MONTH

Ambrose Adamson is the son of Shannon and Shawn Adamson. He is a junior member of the basketball, baseball, and football teams. His football accomplishments for the 2022 season include, WPIAL Tri-County South Conference Team, TRICADA All-Conference Team, and Trib Live Class

A All-Conference Team. In school, he is president of the National Honor Society, and a member of the Leo Club, Junior Standing Committee, Peer Leaders, and Big Brother/ Big Sisters program. Outside of school, he is an altar server for St. Matthias Parish, a member of the Greene County Allies travel baseball team; and he volunteers at the local food bank. Ambrose is also an employee at Keystone Posting and Royal Ivy Tent Rentals.

Bailey Barnyak is the daughter of Nikki and Nick Onderko of Carmichaels and Jeff and Kate Barnyak of Pittsburgh. She is the starting pitcher for the Mighty Mikes’ softball team, where she has recorded a 14-0 record, with 10 shutouts, four no hitters, 152 strikeouts and a .351 ERA. Bailey also plays volleyball and is a member of the cheerleading squad. She is a freshman and maintains a 3.75 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. Outside of school, Bailey plays travel ball for the Steel City Athletics Hilligsberg 15u softball team.

Drew Layton is the son of Rick and Andrea Layton of Waynesburg. He is a four-year member and two-year captain of both the soccer and track teams. On the track, Drew is the two-time defending WPIAL Pole Vault champion and a threetime PIAA Runner-up. He will compete again at the PIAA tournament later this month. He also played basketball for the Raiders for two seasons. Drew was the homecoming king, a member of the Spanish Club, and the president of the ski club. He also works as an instructor at track and soccer youth camps. The senior plans to attend a fouryear college and continue his athletic career and study environmental sciences.

Sarah Stephenson is the daughter of Bob and Kristi Stephenson of Waynesburg. She currently holds a 4.0 GPA. In school, she is a member of Student Council, Leo Club, FBLA, and the National Honor Society. Sarah is also a member of the Raiders volleyball team and the Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball Association. She is employed as a lifeguard at the Waynesburg Aquatic Center for the summer. Sarah also attends the First Church of the Nazarene in Waynesburg. She plans to attend California University of Pennsylvania to major in biology while playing on the volleyball team.

Jaymison Robinson is the son of Bruce and Sarah Ellsworth of Rices Landing. The freshman plays basketball and baseball for the Rockets. Jaymison also plays for the Greene County Ghosts travel baseball team. He is a member of the Spanish and science clubs. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Ava Wood is the daughter of Jimmy and Jamie Wood. She is a freshman who catches and plays shortstop for the Rockets. She was also a member of the volleyball and basketball teams. In school, she is a member of the Leo Club, science club, and student council.

Wyatt Mooney is the son of Ryan and Great Mooney of Wind Ridge. He is a sophomore member of the Pioneers’ baseball team. He is involved with the FFA; and he is a member of the Hunting Hills Hawkeyes shooting team. Wyatt also races four-wheelers in the New East Coast circuit.

Emmaline Beazell is the daughter of Noah and Joni Beazell of Rock Hill Road. She is a freshman member of the Pioneers’ volleyball, rifle, and softball teams. Emmaline is involved in the FFA program, science club, ski club; and she was a 2023 Prom Court attendant. She is also an active member of the Waynesburg First Assembly of God Church in East View.

Joshua Mick is the son of Karen Mick and William Marshall. He is a 6’3” junior and has lettered in football and baseball. He is also a member of the Morgantown Church of Christ. During his free time, he loves to fish, camp, and watch sports on television or in person with family and friends.

Devan Clark is the youngest daughter of Beth Pekar Clark of Bobtown and Chris Clark. She is a junior at Mapletown High School where she maintains a 4.1 GPA. She played volleyball for one year with the Maples and has started for the softball team for three years. She is a member of the National Honor Society, FTA, SADD and TRU. Outside of school, Devan most enjoys being a member of the PA Thunder travel softball team, where she serves as a pitcher/utility player. In her spare time, she volunteers to help with community activities at the Shannopin Civic Club and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

From Waynesburg University to the Majors

In 2017, Mason Miller finished his freshman baseball season at Waynesburg University with a 1-4 record and 7.03 ERA after 13 mound appearances. The following year was not much better. The Bethel Park native was 1-5 with a 5.57 ERA in nine appearances.

During the summer heading into his junior year, Miller was set to intern in the financial department for Allegheny Health Network. After a routine drug test, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and hospitalized. After receiving an insulin pump and making changes to his diet and lifestyle, Miller turned his career around. He added over 60 pounds of muscle to his 6’5” frame and proceeded to dominated the Presidents Athletic Conference.

His junior season, Miller compiled an 8-2 record and 1.86 ERA in 11 starts. He also struck out 97 batters in 67 innings and led the conference in every pitching category. His senior year, he was 2-0 before the season was cancelled due to COVID. After a stellar post-COVID year of eligibility at Division I GardnerWebb University, he was drafted in the third round by the Oakland Athletics. That season, he was 8-1 with 121 strikeouts and only 30 walks for the Bulldogs. Miller’s 102 MPH fastball and tremendous control allowed him a meteoric rise from the rookie league to the majors in only two years. The feat is even more amazing since he was sidelined with a shoulder injury most of last season. He is now ensconced in the A’s starting rotation and has had three successful appearances, including six no-hit innings against Seattle on May 3. Depending on the rotation, Mason may get to face his hometown Pirates when Oakland visits this week.

Gabe McConville won the 1500 Meter Run at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships in May. The Seton Hill sophomore ran a 3:50.78. His former Raider teammate, Ben Bumgarner took third in the 10,000 Meter and Sixth in the 500 Meter runs at the Mountain East Conference Championships while running for West Liberty University.

Waynesburg Central alumnae Madison Brooks fired off three of the best throws of her college career in the Discus to earn a fourth-place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships. The Clarion University senior tossed a PR of 41.23 in the finals. Her big throw moved Brooks into third place on the program’s all-time performance list in the Discus.

Waynesburg Central’s Emily Mahle set the school record in the Long Jump with a leap of 17’4”. Earlier in the season, she tied the school record in the High Jump.

Drew Layton won the pole vault at the Baldwin Invitational with a vault of 14’5”. This is the second consecutive year he won that event. It is one of the largest and most prestigious outdoor track meets in Pennsylvania.

Daniel Layton was the Colonial Athletic Association Conference Decathlon champion for the second year in a row. He set an overall PR of 6640 points, while setting personal records in seven of the ten events. He now owns five records at William & Mary College.

Waynesburg Central boys and girls Track and Field teams competed at the Section 6AA Championship, bringing home a record 57 medals. The boys team went 7-0 and won the Section 6AA Title. The girls team went 6-1 and won a share of the Section 6 Title (with California and Brownsville).

TAKE A PICTURE,

IT’LL LAST LONGER.

Explore jaw-dropping landscapes just minutes from campus. There’s nothing typical about a visit to West Virginia University. Sometimes you have to lose the beaten path — to find yourself.

Come for a personalized tour, ask about our scholarships for out-of-state students and apply for free. go.wvu.edu/24visit

Major: Mining Engineering

Hometown: Allentown, PA

RYLAN NEMESH

Local Libraries Build Poetry Pride A rts In the Community

April was National Poetry Month, and both Bowlby Public Library and Flenniken Public Library held a poetry contest for the community. During the month of April, local citizens were encouraged to submit their original poems to both libraries.

Grief

Aubrey Lesnett

7th – 12th grade (first place/Flenniken)

Not enough people talk about How it feels

To Lose someone

And slowly forget life with them

Grief is like a drug

It takes over your body

And has thousands of possibilities for side effects

I either sit and cry

Until my whole body is numb, or stuff the tears inside

And carry the weight on my shoulders.

But the worst side effect of all is realizing that I have lived More years without you, Then I ever did with you.

Memories are beginning to fade, Your laugh and smile

And the way you would say my name.

Losing you the first time was painful

And now I am losing you

All over again.

The Bowlby Library is proud to announce the winners of its eighth annual poetry competition. From the original poems that were submitted, the panel of judges narrowed it down to the following winners:

Congratulations to the winners from both libraries’ competitions and keep writing! We can’t wait to see next year’s winning entries!

The Weight

Jessica Hathaway Adults (first place/Flenniken)

I hate the person staring back at me: Furrowed brow - a ghost that haunts me it pulls at my skin,making it harder to see I fane a smile; I wait for it to leave Like an albatross, it weighs me down I take two steps, impossible to turn around

I can fight off these demons

I open my eyes, stare on through These eyes that used to hold me

My Own - A faded blue Contradict my thoughts, won’t let me move

It’s a soundtrack of thought, a constant loop

Every angry word, every intrusive thought

Just a broken brain, telling me what I’m not

But I can’t listen - no, not anymore

I pinch my arm

My perception askew

It finally lets goMy dysmorphic view

Every spring I like to see, A big fat robin looking back at me. Anxiously, I wait for her to return in the spring, To repair her nest and do her thing.

Outside my window, she repairs the same nest, Adding more sticks, working hard, doing her best. Her nest must be very strong, Because it stays in the bush, all year long. I wonder how many eggs there will be, She usually lays two or three. Every day I count to check for more, The nest is crowded if she lays four. She patiently sits on her nest, keeping them warm,

In all kinds of weather, especially a storm. Dad bird waits for his turn on the nest, He keeps the eggs warm when mama bird takes a rest.

Fence Melissa Fawley Adults (first place/Bowlby)

Its just a fence

To replace it would cost so much A simple mend should do

Mending the wobbling, rotting posts can take time effort and team work at the very most. Replacing the fence though,its more costly and less team work true, heck you could hire a crew to tear down the old & put up the new.

But that old fence its just wobbling a few posts need removed and replaced maybe panel or even two.

Your afraid it will all fall !

With the poking, prodding of it all, but I know all it needs a strong brace. A lil mending to save face.

The old fence has history a story nothing new could ever tell.

The new fence maybe shiny but soon enough it will show wear and tear. New things eventually get old and need fixing as well.

I long for a someone who is on my crew mending our fences together in this life and watching our dreams come true.

Not all things old and wobbling are rotting everywhere-Sometimes in life they can be restored with a little effort all things can be repaired.

Dedicated to my love

Once our love was strong now it wobbles and rots in the wind

Like that old fence in the yard. But I know if we stay strong and work as a crew. We can turn something old into something better than anything

The Piano

Pre-K – 5th grade (first place/Flenniken)

Over the moon, and under the sun, there are stars that match everyone,

All different, none alike, many colors make up the sky,

Under the stars, and on the Earth, that is where it’s really worth.

The babies finally hatch, the big day is here,

My view from the window is so clear. These baby birds astonish me, I think they are so much fun to see. I watch them grow every day, They look like their parents in every way. Finally, there is no room and they must leave the nest, They keep trying to fly and pass the test. I wonder now, where will they go? They all fly away, and I do not know.

Kaelyn Duncan Kindergarten (first place/Bowlby)

The piano is fun to play, I like to practice every day. It is fun to make up songs, And sometimes I sing along. My teacher shows me what fingers to use, But sometimes I get a little confused. I want to be like my big sister some day, And memorize music when I play. I love playing the piano every day.

Untitled Melody Orr

The Nest Builder Payton Joy Duncan Fourth grade (first place/Bowlby)

This year the students in the Carmichaels Area School District have been given a unique opportunity to participate in an interesting science project. With the facilitation of teacher Kevin Willis, they explored and completed a riparian buffer.

What is a riparian buffer? A riparian buffer, or stream buffer, is a vegetated area near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect the stream from the impact of adjacent land uses. It plays a key role in increasing water quality in associated streams, rivers, and lakes, thus providing environmental benefits.

This project was a year in the making, and students were involved from the very beginning, starting with last fall when they had an outside field experience at Laurel Hill State Park. During this trip they had a kayaking/ canoeing encounter, and, with the guidance of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat educators, they were better able to understand the project they would be working on. They saw a buffer and the types of trees and other plant life used to create such a buffer.

The students created the buffer for the stream at their campus at Carmichaels Area High School. They were very invested in this project and were excited to discover what was

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CARMICHAELS AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

in the stream. The students attended a session in the beginning of April at Penn West (California) University to learn about the wildlife that may be present in the area where the buffer will be constructed.

Then the field day came. On April 12, the students gathered and completed the planting trees, staking and preparing the site. A procedure called stream shocking was done; this is done to determine the stream’s biodiversity and identify what species live in the water. Chris Ross, a Carmichaels alumnus was part of this process. As a former student, Chris wanted to give back as a mentor and help out a teacher who had been a mentor to him. This project was as important to him as it was to the students.

From beginning to end, the students followed their Environmental Action Plan for the stream, and this project will be monitored to make sure it continues to be a success.

Along with Chris Ross and Wallace and Pancher, a civil engineering and environmental consulting firm, there was assistance for this project from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania DNCR of

Forestry, and Waynesburg University, as well as support from the Carmichaels School District teaching staff and administration. Willis shared that he would like to thank everyone involved for allowing the students an amazing learner-centered experience that will provide them an opportunity to build resilience as they investigate local environmental issues.

As we adapt to an ever-changing climate, it is our responsibility to recognize the importance of protecting our current natural resources. These types of projects are exactly what our students need in order to protect our planet moving forward.

By Tracy Horne

Creativity in the classroom benefits everyone. Creativity motivates children to learn, exercise multiple parts of the brain, builds resilience, and can often connect educational material to struggling or disengaged students.

To help students integrate their classroom learning creatively, Waynesburg Central Elementary School teacher Ashton Shaffer introduced an exciting assignment to her students. The sixth-grade students are study-

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CENTRAL GREENE SCHOOL DISTRICT

ing world geography, and Shaffer wanted a project that would develop their mapping skills, as well as let them see the many tourist attractions around the globe. Shaffer developed the ‘Trash to Treasure’ project. She had used the project in class years ago, but added additional detail to this year’s tasks.

Using only recyclables and trash, as well

as glue, tape, and paint, students built a famous international landmark. Students chose a landmark, either from the list or one of their own choosing, thoroughly researched the landmark, its location, its architecture, and its modern day importance. They mapped the landmark, drew a rough sketch and decided on the materials that they would use for the

By Danielle Nyland

build. Using their research, students prepared a three-paragraph essay explaining the significance of their chosen landmark. They also created a digital slide arrangement for their class presentation.

“Students were nervous at first about having to create a model of their landmark, but after a few days and examples, they rocked it!” Shaffer said.

Many of the students used cardboard for their build, but some went about it differently. One student used old newspapers to paper mache his project of the Statue of Liberty. Others incorporated natural elements, like rocks and moss, to add realism.

After completing their projects, the students installed the landmarks in the front hallway of the sixth-grade wing, complete with a photo of the actual landmark. Students later delivered a two-minute presentation about their landmark to the class.

“The students have brought in some impressive work,” Shaffer said. “I plan on continuing the tradition [for future classes].”

The Greene Country Career & Technology Center (GCCTC), located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania offers 11 professional programs to high school students and adult students with a goal of having a program to reach nearly every career and educational goal. They now have a chance to offer even more opportunities after acquiring a new 16,000 square foot facility from Iron Senergy, located off Route 218 at 158 Portal Road just three miles south of Waynesburg, located on 47 acres of land.

“None of this would have been possible without the help of Iron Senergy and the collaboration of our five surrounding districts,” said Administrative Director Mark Krupa. “This facility offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students, allowing us to offer programs that we couldn’t imagined offering before.”

The process of acquiring the facility took around a year to complete as GCCTC had several meetings with Iron Senergy to make the deal happen.

“Until we had our meeting with Iron Senergy I didn’t even know the new facility existed” said Krupa. “When we sat down with Iron Senergy, we were able to acquire the property after expressing a want to add more programs and create more opportunities for

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GREENE COUNTY CTC

our students. We can’t thank Iron Senergy enough for this donation.”

The biggest benefit of the new facility for GCCTC is the space they now have to potentially expand two of their biggest programs which are welding fabrication and cosmetology programs. The new facility will also host both the LPN program and the new Heavy Equipment Operations program. The expansion has allowed programs to grow with the students and teachers renovating the space by themselves to make it their own. The new facility includes several simulated workspaces for the LPN program and will serve as a housing facility for the Heavy Equipment vehicles that students will be training on in their courses.

“The biggest thing offered (with the new facility) is the space offered,” said Krupa. “It allows us to have the space required for the new heavy equipment program, and we have built a simulated workspace for our Healthcare students. The facility includes one classroom as well as six healthcare simulations that include a triage, Doctor’s Office, and a Labor Delivery room just to name a few.”

In the LPN program alone, the new facility has helped GCCTC add 20 additional students for the 2023-2024 school year. GCCTC is looking to continue this expansion with the new facility as they look at bringing in more students and offering even more programs to accommodate different career paths.

“The additional programs we can offer thanks to this facility will create more and more opportunities for our students,” said Krupa. “We have already added more and more students to the CTC programs, and we

By Zack Zeigler

are looking at offering an additional welding program or a Cosmetology program in the near future. Which would allow us to accommodate 40 more students with the expanded space.”

For more information about GCCTC, the expanded facility, and program offered, visit their website at www.greenectc.org

Art is a place for children to learn to trust their ideas, themselves, and to explore what is possible,” says MaryAnn F. Kohl, former elementary art teacher, college educator and now author and publisher of award-winning art activity books for children. Kohl, and many other educators, like Rebecca Costello, Jefferson Morgan Elementary Art Teacher, understand the importance of art and creativity in the development of young minds. Art helps in the growth of motor skills, social skills, language skills, problem-solving skills, and creativity.

At Jefferson-Morgan, fostering those skill sets and creativity is an essential part of education. As part of their art program, the elementary students, excited about showcasing what they learned over the year, came together to put on their very first elementary art show in April. The art show showcased student from Pre-K to sixth grade, and every student had at least one piece in the show. Over 1,000 pieces of art were available for viewing.

Elementary art teacher Rebecca Costello proposed the art show idea to Principal Samuel Silbaugh, Superintendent Brandon Robinson, and the school board. They met the idea with enthusiasm and support. Title IV Federal Funding was allocated to fund

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JEFFERSON -MORGAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

the event, and volunteers from the JeffersonMorgan PTO assisted. Other support for the event came from many corners: Buchtan’s Big Balloons donated a rainbow balloon arch, and teachers, staff, and community members donated raffles baskets. What’s Smokin’ BBQ truck was on hand for dinner.

Students spent the week before the event preparing the exhibit and putting the final touches on their work. The 6th Grade Art Club completed beautiful projects and met once a month after school to prepare for the event. The students created a multitude of projects in many media: pottery projects, paintings on canvas on a grand scale, painted ceiling tiles were displayed in classrooms, resin crafts, recycled materials artwork, collages, and more. Other projects include a ‘Kindness Village’ with positive affirmations displayed in the small town’s backdrop. The ‘Winter Garden’ used local river rock and acrylic paints.

The art show brought in family, friends, teachers, and other community members interested in seeing the elementary students’ creativity. Students were proud to present

their work to the community and explained their work to attendees. Besides showcasing the students’ creativity, the funds raised at the event support future Art Club activities and projects like future art shows.

The school plans to continue the event next year bigger and better: “Because of the overwhelmingly positive response in both attendance and donations to the JM Elementary Art Show, and the tremendous support from the JM PTO, this event is in the planning stages for next year. There are already new ideas to keep the show fresh for the students and an even bigger event is in the works for next school year.”

“The warmth, positivity and pride that was felt by all during the Art Show is something that I want my students to experience every single year,” Costello says. “I feel so happy for them that this first Art show was such a special event. They deserve it.”

By Danielle Nyland

Some school activities serve more than just an educational purpose. Some, like the local field trip Bobtown elementary students took this spring, help foster connections to their community.

As part of an extended social studies lesson, the third-grade classes at Bobtown Elementary took part in a walking field trip around Bobtown. Students spent the walk observing and discussing the history of Bobtown and its town landmarks.

Third grade teachers Amy Caldwell and Kendra Jones, along with Principal Rick Menear and Guidance Counselor Jayce Donley organized and led students on a walk through Bobtown that took them to historic landmarks, such as the jailhouse, the fire station, and community building. The students participated in a “Then and Now” activity, comparing these landmarks to their previous appearance.

While visiting the old jailhouse and its owner Denise Desmet, students learned about how the jailhouse was once used for children who misbehaved, was a center caring for local coal miners, and its time as an ice cream parlor. At the Shannopin Civics Club, Joyce Pratt, Janice Hanlan, and Sandy Smithley shared the club was once used as a cafete-

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SOUTHEASTERN GREENE SCHOOL DISTRICT

ria for Bobtown Elementary and students had to walk across town to eat lunch each day.

Several firefighters from the Bobtown and Dunkard Twp. Volunteer Fire Company including Chief Brian McCorkle, Assistant Chief John Friday, President/Engineer Wayne Jordan, Bruce Greene, Mark Siverling, and Matthew Gacek, talked to the students. From them, students learned about firefighting technology and equipment.

Students spent several days before the walk discussing how and why communities change over time, focusing on how communities start, grow and change differently, transportation in communities, and changing economies. During the walk, students took notes about the sites they visited and later presented their findings to the class in an oral presentation. Students also held classroom discussions about their observations.

“The students thoroughly enjoyed the trip, especially since it got them out of the classroom on a beautiful, sunny day,” Caldwell says. “[S]tudents said their favorite parts were collaborating with their cooperative working groups, visiting the fire station, trying on

the firefighter’s equipment, and walking through the fire truck ... One of their favorite parts, however, was the cupcakes and cold drinks the ladies from the Shannopin Civics Club provided them at the end of their walk.” The students also enjoyed learning the history of Bobtown, especially from Mr. Donley. Donley previously completed a research project on Appalachian history, the development of small coal mining towns, and the way of life for the people who lived there.

The walk deepened the students’ understanding of the content they learned in the classroom, while providing an opportunity to learn about content specific to their community. Activities like the field trip keep students engaged and often foster a love of learning.

This year is the first time students have

By Danielle Nyland

taken part in the walking trip, thanks to a new social studies program with a focus on communities. But it won’t be the last; the school plans on doing the walk each year, with even more community involvement.

“The walk has ignited a sense of pride in our students that is often absent,” Caldwell adds. “Learning about the dangerous and difficult work of the coal miners and the sacrifices their families made to be here in our little part of Greene County helped them realize no matter how small our community may be, it took more than they could ever imagine to build it. They realize it’s a place to be respected and cherished for many years to come.”

One thing that almost everyone loves is a good trip or vacation. Whether it is somewhere ten minutes or ten hours away from home, people sometimes like to get away from home. For one group at West Greene Junior Senior High School, it’s often much farther away than that. That club is the International Club.

The International Club was started at West Greene in 2012 by Rebecca Martinak, a teacher at West Greene. “As a teacher, I thought how great it would be for my school to offer a chance for students to travel the world,” Martinak says. After being around for a little over a decade, the club has traveled to many different places across the globe. In 2013, the year after the group was approved, they took a trip to London and Paris. There they got to see incredible sights like the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben. They got to ride on the London Eye and the Channel Tunnel Eurostar train. Their next trip took them to Greece and Italy in 2015, where they saw the Colosseum and the ruins of Pompeii. They also took a cruise ship to go from Greece to Italy.

Unfortunately, the pandemic stopped additional travel plans for the club as it shut down travel around the world, and they have been unable to go anywhere else. “The pan-

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WEST GREENE SCHOOL DISTRICT

demic hit the club hard, as travel was curtailed basically worldwide. Our plans had considered various destinations; Ireland, Asia, Italy, but we were unable to travel during the pandemic.”

The members of the club are getting back on track and are planning to take a trip to Iceland in 2024. In Iceland they will get to see geysers, waterfalls, and viking museums. As of right now, there are twelve students going on the trip to Iceland along with the teacher chaperones Martinak and fellow West Greene teacher Jeff Polander.

There are many positives that come out of the students’ experiences while participating in the club: “Being exposed to different things - people, places, ideas - is an education in itself. Being in unfamiliar territory, I always make certain the students understand this is an educational tour. Yes, we will have fun, but we are here to learn.” Martinak says.

One of the big things about the club is that they are not just seeing the places they visit, but are getting to experience the place as well. Whether it’s eating the food or interacting with the people of another culture it is

more than just seeing the sights of the destination. “We look at everything. I always tell the students that anything the tour guide offers as optional to us means get in line. They learn to be curious, to investigate and to learn. I always tell them once we return, they will never be the same. Maybe it’s just something as simple as they’ve already been to an

By Alex Hughes

airport, or a hotel. Or it might be the view of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. That connection with the world has been made and will never be broken.”

The one thing about this club that seems certain is that the students in it will make memories that will last a lifetime.

County Alumni : MOLLY ROBEY

PREDICTING THE WEATHER WITH A SENSE OF GRATITUDE

Molly Cochran Robey remembers the exact moment when a fascination with meteorology blew into her life. “I was in second grade,” she recalls “when Kevin Benson flew in a helicopter to our school to talk to us about the weather. I was instantly in awe.”

Most children’s interests and dreams for the future tend to shift and change with time. But young Molly’s passion for learning about our climate and planet just kept growing. Today, she expresses genuine gratitude for the way her Greene County upbringing helped things along.

Having two teachers for parents also didn’t hurt. Don and Kathy Cochran always encouraged and supported their daughter’s love for learning, and their home along the Monongahela River in Rices Landing provided an ideal environment for a nature-loving little girl. “I spent most summer days outside from sunup to sundown,” she recalls. “Exploring Pumpkin Run Park… Watching the storms roll down the river. Those are memories I’ll never forget.”

Nonetheless, she didn’t necessarily predict that, someday, she’d really become a meteorologist.

For one thing, when it came to the bestknown figures occupying such careers back then, Molly certainly didn’t fit the traditional mold. “I remember Joe DiNardo and Kevin Benson well,” she recalls, “but I just didn’t see many women on TV reporting the weather.”

In addition to that perceived gender barrier, Molly also says, “I was kind of shy.” Some formative hometown experiences eventually helped her with that. “I played high school sports, participated in the Coal Queen Pageant, worked as a lifeguard for many summers, and with Pam Snyder,” she explains. Those opportunities helped grow not only Molly’s self-confidence, but also her genuine connection to her community. “My smalltown roots have kept me grounded,” she says.

However, that background also presented some unique challenges. Like the transition to Penn State’s main campus after graduating high school in 2010. “I received such a good foundational education at Jefferson Morgan,” she says. “It really helped prepare me for college.” Still, the drastic difference in class size sometimes felt intimidating.

Molly chose a Broadcast Journalism major and Political Science minor. Her initial attempt at some meteorology classes left her feeling discouraged. She recalls expressing newfound doubts about her childhood dream to a professor: “Maybe it just wasn’t meant to

be.”

She also recalls that professor’s response: “I remember the conversation as clear as day. She said, ‘If you want to do weather, then you’re going to do weather!’ Then she helped me.” That experience profoundly marked Molly’s life, proving that one person can absolutely make a difference in the life, and entire trajectory, of another.

So began the “untraditional path,” Molly says she took toward achieving her goals. Her first real connection to meteorology was an internship with AccuWeather in State College. “From a very young age, my parents taught me about work ethic.” Molly knew she’d have to work hard for what she wanted. So, she did. “I just kept taking the next step and being grateful,” she says. Shadowing more experienced individuals; working extra hours; she pursued every opportunity. The internship led to part-time employment with AccuWeather. That led to the full-time on-air broadcasting position she would ultimately maintain while earning a Master’s Degree in Applied Meteorology from Mississippi State University.

Step by step, Molly’s childhood dream career became reality. Today, her resume includes broadcasts on national outlets like ABC World News, Big Ten Network, Fox News, and MSNBC. She also helped launch the AccuWeather Network. More locally, she’s freelanced for WPMT in York, PA, and Pittsburgh’s WPXI.

Along the way, the industry has evolved in ways second-grade Molly likely never imagined. “Back then, people had to get the forecast from the evening news. Now, we can pull up the weather any time we want, 24-hours a day,” she says. With advancements in technology, accessibility, and scientific literacy, she predicts the meteorology field will continually expand. “There are so many new and different avenues to take with it now,” she says.

The avenue Molly took eventually led her to WJLA-TV in Washington, DC, and some uniquely memorable experiences. She’s hosted a talk show, interviewed celebrities, and even milked a goat on live TV! “I never knew what a day would hold,” she says.

During that time, she had the especially fulfilling opportunity to conduct local school visits. (Undeniably full circle… except in an “insane storm chaser truck” instead of a helicopter!) “I love helping children learn that science isn’t scary,” Molly says. She believes understanding the environment from a scientific standpoint plays an important role

in keeping people safe. “It’s so great for kids to see someone just like them doing this job.”

Authenticity clearly matters to Molly. Since onair weather broadcasters follow no script, individual human variability plays a significant role. While that can sometimes feel challenging, Molly’s also found that bringing an authentic personal touch to her work really helps her connect with viewers.

The combination of her ability to connect, love of learning, and passion for her work would eventually lead Molly to another “next step” in her career: Assistant Teaching Professor of Communication at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, where she currently teaches communication and meteorology classes to undergraduate students.

Just as in her first industry position, Molly continues to balance an impressive number of things. Besides teaching full-time, she’s also a freelance meteorologist for CBS’s WJZ in Baltimore, and a contributing writer for The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.

All while she and her husband, Riley, raise young sons, Miles, 2, and newborn Rohan - who arrived just days before this publication!

Molly makes clear that great mentorship and support have been crucial in her ability to achieve all she has thus far. And that while the seasons of career and life change, the need for those things never does. “I’m so lucky to have so many great people in

By Stacey Flynn

my corner,” she says.

…Mostly sunny. With an above-average chance of gratitude.

That’s Greene County’s Molly Cochran Robey, and the beautiful outlook she offers the world.

County Alumni : TORI ADAMS

MAKING HER MARK ON SOUTH CAROLINA’S STATE CAPITAL TV NEWS

Residents of South Carolina’s capital have a Greene County native to thank when they tune in to ABC Columbia News. Since graduating from Mapletown High School, Tori Adams has tirelessly worked her way up the ranks to land her current position as the 5pm newscast senior producer.

A day in the life of Adams begins with early morning meetings with the news director to go over the stories of the day. Then an in-house team of reporters are sent out into the field to gather information from multiple sources. “I select which stories I feel are the most relevant for our audience,” Adams says.

Before showtime, Adams utilizes her hard-earned degree to write succinct scripts that the anchors read for the 5pm slot. Always on the move, those who know Adams wouldn’t be surprised if she’s had 2-3 cups of Starbucks coffee before showtime…

Adams’ love and desire to work in news was born during a fraught time in our nation’s history. Like many Americans, she and her family were glued to their television sets watching coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She was only in third grade as she watched Flight 93 crash in nearby Shanksville, Pennsylvania, not far from her home city. “Watching Michelle Wright and Mike Clark report on 9/11, because Shanksville was very near us in Mapletown, made me realize that [news reporting] was what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to make a difference, help out the community and tell stories that mattered,” Adams says. Inspired by that news coverage, Adams decided to pursue a career in broadcasting. Next stop: Point Park University!

Fall 2011 was a full-circle moment for Adams. At university, Michelle Wright, the woman who inspired her to get into broadcasting, became one of her newscast professors. “…She basically taught us how to conduct ourselves on camera. She used a lot of her experience to show what you do and what you don’t do.” The two forged a working relationship both inside and outside the classroom. Adams says it was an honor to work with her idol, who she watched report the news from a young age, and Wright helped set her up for success in the broadcasting field.

Throughout her time at Point Park, Adams received an insider’s look at behind-the-scenes television magic. Among

the many essential skills needed to run a successful newscast, Adams learned how to run an audio board and became familiar with the machinations of a professional television camera. She even hosted her own radio show.

“If you want to pursue a career in broadcasting, Point Park University is a great school to attend because most of the professors have worked in the media at some point or are currently working in the media,” says Adams.

Following her graduation in 2015, the fledgling newswoman laid the groundwork for her future by working in several organizations in the Greene County area over the next four years. She began with a position at West Virginia Radio Corporation until 2016, followed by jobs at the Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency and Veterans Affairs until 2018.

Always a go-getter, Adams took a leap of faith and waded her way towards a warmer climate. “I decided that I was done with the cold weather, so I moved down to Myrtle Beach in 2018 and worked there until 2022,” says Adams.

Her first big break was as a producer at WFXB FOX TV in Myrtle Beach. The opportunity gave Adams the chance to get on camera and gain experience working in a professional newsroom. “We covered the Alex Murdaugh trials extensively. That is one of my most memorable stories that we have done,” said Adams. She used her experience at Point Park to help her excel in the new setting.

In September 2022, Adams began her current role as News Producer at ABC Columbia, a bigger station and market

By Zack Zeigler

than her previous position. The transition meant going from reporting in the studio to having reporters go out on the scene to cover stories.

She also experienced working in front of the camera by hosting a monthly cooking segment called “Cut the Gluten” where she shows people how to make gluten-free dishes.

It is these opportunities that have made the biggest impact in her career as she continues to grow. When asked what advice she would give other Greene County students looking to pursue a career in broadcasting, her answer applied to all fields. Adams says finding your passion and continuing to grow everyday will be key to your success.

“Follow your dreams and never stop learning,” Adams says. “It doesn’t matter what career you have, just always learn from your mentors and the people who are behind you.”

County Alumni : SARAH RUSH

A LOVE FOR ACTING & HER HOME COMMUNITY

For Sarah Rush, the call of the stage started at a young age. In elementary school, she starred in her first play and that was it. The acting bug bit.

As a child, Sarah always had an undercurrent of grief and loss in her life. Her brother Calvin died at age seven from cancer and the loss left the family grieving. Even at her young age, Sarah was aware of the grief and how it affected both herself and her parents. “Being a sensitive person, I really felt that deep unspoken sorrow,” Sarah says. “…I think I wanted to cheer my parents up. I wanted to make them laugh… I loved making people laugh.”

When Sarah was in seventh grade, a teacher came to her middle school to teach for just one year. During that year, the teacher directed the play “The Little Match Girl,” about a girl in the streets of London selling matches to survive. As the night gets colder, and the girl sells no matches, she lights them to warm herself and sees a series of comforting visions. But when the matches are gone, she freezes to death. Sarah played the title character, and the play became a defining moment in her life.

“Being a seventh grader who had all this emotion, and this teacher that recognized it in me… it was like a mini tsunami in my life. It was a moment where I realized I wanted to be an actress. That I WAS an actress,” Sarah says. “I didn’t think of movies. I didn’t think of television. I just thought of being in a play. It was a way for me letting out those things that were deeply tucked inside.”

“It amazed our parents and the students that this little seventh grader had this kind of emotional life, and they really encouraged me. So, I did plays in high school.”

While in high school at Waynesburg, Sarah worked with Charles Berryhill, an edu-

cator with the Central Greene school system. Berryhill taught English and served as the Drama teacher, and he became another integral person in Sarah’s development as an actor. Both he and his wife Marion continued to support Sarah’s career after high school.

During her high school years, Sarah ended up traveling to the Bucks County Playhouse to compete in a statewide competition. She won best actress, and that “was kind of marvelous and built a genuine sense of encouragement in me.” Sarah later competed for the Bituminous Coal Queen with a performance and song from “My Fair Lady.” “I won, and it gave me a full scholarship to a Pennsylvania university. So, I went to Penn State, and that was just another one of those, I call them hugs, from Greene County.”

Sarah earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Penn State, with tutelage from mentors Manuel Duque and Helen Manfull. She completed the five-year program in four years. After graduation, she received the Samuel Gallu scholarship for the most promising actor and moved to New York.

In New York, Sarah got a job as a waiter. After three weeks in New York, Sarah auditioned for Eleanor Kilgallen of Universal Studios to be a contract player. Sarah landed the contract and flew out to Los Angeles. While under contract, Sarah worked in television and theatre. Her recurring role as Flight Corporal Rigel in the cult-classic Battlestar Galactica during this time has earned her a spot in sci-fi tv history.

She also did a lot of plays in LA. Her first play while in LA was a production of “Our Town,” which held a special significance for her. “Mr. Berryhill loved ‘Our Town.’ That play is very much a part of Waynesburg and Greene County. It really resonated with us who were [his] students. I auditioned for the

part of Emily, and I was Emily. I was who Emily was. I got the job because Gower Champion [the director] said I haunted him.”

“With me coming from a very special small town, it was like getting another hug from my community, saying we believe in you, we support you, and we encourage you.”

Contract players at Universal were eventually eliminated, and Sarah was the last to go. She moved back to New York and worked in regional theater, traveling to different cities. While in New York, she studied with Uta

By Danielle Nyland

Hagan and Herbert Berghof at their acting studio. She also did some work in television. After nine years in New York, Sarah moved back to Los Angeles, where she’s been ever since.

After moving back to LA, Sarah adopted Amanda, the “joy of her life.” To focus on taking care of her, she shifted her career in a different direction. “For the last twenty years or so, I’ve done a million commercials,” she says with a laugh. “Well, not a million, but many, many commercials. That was a gift because I

Sarah performing in the Belle of Amherst at Little Lake Theatre.

could support myself but be a full-time mom, too. I would even take Amanda to all my auditions and when it was my turn to audition, one of the other actresses would watch her.”

Sarah has done several television shows and films during the last twenty years and hopes to do more theatre productions in the future. “That’s the desire of my heart right now. Plus, I need to continue to make a living,” Sarah says.

“But I feel so blessed in so many ways because the older I get, the closer I get to God and the more my relationship with Christ deepens, and the more I need Him because it’s a tough profession. Now that I’m in my mid-sixties, it’s hard to get work, especially after the pandemic. There’s less work and everything has changed. I count on God for my provision and that’s kind of what makes me tick. Just trusting God to provide and moving forward.”

Besides her work as an actress, Sarah continues to pass on a love of acting to others. She serves as a substitute teacher for English and Drama classes at nearby schools. She chaired the PTA Reflections Art program for 8 years, and led a Girl Scout troop for 13 years, resulting in 7 of her Scouts, including her daughter, earning their Gold Awards.

When asked about what role she’s the proudest of, Sarah refers to a play she did at Little Lake Theatre in Canonsburg with her friend Sunny Disney Fitchett. While in high school, Sarah had worked as an apprentice at the theatre and met Sunny, the daughter of Little Lake’s founder Will Disney. Sunny served as the artistic director at the theater for 23 years and directed Sarah in the one-woman play “The Belle of Amherst,” about the life of Emily Dickinson. “It was two hours and ten minutes of me talking and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’m very proud of it.”

Sarah is also proud of her work in bringing Hollywood to Greene County. Sarah and actress Patricia Heaton produced the 2005 documentary “The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania,” directed by David Hunt. “We came to Pennsylvania, and we shot this documentary and our crew loved the people from Greene County. We won several awards, but what I loved about it was that people fell in love with the people of Greene County. There was a filmmaker from New Zealand, who said she had never seen people like this in her life and ‘I Just love them.’ It’s a really sweet film and I’m very, very proud of it.”

Sarah’s love for acting has

never diminished over the years and she’s always happiest when she’s working.” I love it when I’m working. I remember once when I had an early morning call and there was a torrential downpour that day. I’m driving on the freeway and there were no cars out, it was pitch dark, and I glimpsed myself in the mirror and broke out laughing. Because when I saw myself in that mirror, I had the hugest smile in the world because I was driving to work, and I was thankful.”

“I’ve met many wonderful people and have a wealth of friendships because I’ve been an actor. I have a wonderful community of friends and I’m very grateful. But it’s also been very tough and sometimes you can get clobbered in life. I’ve definitely been clobbered. But that’s when my faith steps in. I trust in God to pick me up and keep me going.”

Sarah’s love for Greene County has never diminished, either. “One of the things that I love about Greene County. It’s a very special community of wonderful people. There are many really creative, wonderful people that have come out of Greene County.”

“I love to come home. It’s such a big piece of me. It’s such a huge part of who I am. When I come back to Greene County, I’m reminded of who I am, and it settles me. It reminds me of me. So, I love to come back.”

And Sarah has some advice for those wanting a career in the arts: “Go to school and get the education. Get a solid foundation in your craft. Continue studying for the rest of your life. And get yourself out there as much as possible. Work begets work. Sometimes you have to do other jobs just to help keep the lights on, but there’s honor in all work… It’s a difficult career. You have to keep plugging.”

Sarah and Amanda

120 YEARS SUPPORTING AREA LIBRARIES

This year, the Waynesburg Library Club and the Woman’s Club will celebrate their 120th anniversary. Throughout their history, both organizations have made support of local libraries a key mission.

The club’s origins can be traced to 1903, when new opportunities for women were being fueled by the rapidly growing suffrage movement, the invention of labor-saving devices, and a local gas/ oil boom that elevated the financial status of many families. With more leisure time, women began to embrace a variety of civic causes, while broadening their social connections.

The Library Club was originally named “The Thimble Club”, since it was started by a group of wealthy women who gathered regularly to engage in needlework. Only married women were admitted as members and no personal gossip was permitted. Tongue in cheek, The Woman’s Club initially was named “The Gossip Club” and admitted not only married, but also single college educated women. Eventually, the names were changed to the Library Club (1913) and the Woman’s Club.

An in-depth record of the Library Club’s early history is available due to a 1978 recording, compiled by Mrs. Furman Rinehart, for the organization’s 75th anniversary. According to Mrs. Rinehart’s recording, the Thimble Club was formed in 1903 for the purpose of “sociability and worthy causes”. They met twice monthly, with dues of 5 cents. The goal was to establish a library with each member donating a book.

By 1905, Greene County’s first library opened in the Timothy Ross Building on South Morris Street. Club membership numbered 30 and the library served 103 patrons with 350 volumes available. During the next 45 years, the library moved four times to the Louis Sayers Building (1910),

the Dr. Iams Building (1912), the Armory (1915), Ivyhurst (the Downey Mansion) (1949). In 1965, the library moved into the Borough Building. Its rooms were named “Rest Haven” and were designated as a reading room for retired men.

According to their by-laws, the mission of the Woman’s Club was to aid Waynesburg College Library, as well as promote interest in civic improvements. By 1910, the club had donated over 300 volumes to the college library. In 1940, May Clovis, President of the Woman’s Club (later head librarian at the college), was inspired to start a children’s library. Working with her pastor and a committee from her church, she started a campaign to raise funds for this purpose. With $100 seed money from a former Woman’s Club president, donations from various community organizations and proceeds from plays adapted from children’s books, the Nellie Donley Children’s Library opened on May 29, 1943, in the main Sunday School room of First United Methodist Church of Waynesburg.

Interest in the church library was overwhelming, but Mrs. Clovis realized the importance of establishing a public library for all children. Working tirelessly, she began to seek input and financial aid from other churches, service clubs, the school board, borough council, county commissioners and the general public. She persuaded the Woman’s Club, which always had contributed to the College library, to support the children’s library movement.

In 1944, The Children’s Library Association was formed and three rooms on the second floor of First Federal Savings and Loan were offered, rent free, to house the library. The Nellie Donley Library had opened with some 40 books, while the new public library, dedicated on June 23, 1944, now contained 900. Continued funding was achieved through annual membership drives by the Library

Association. Additional revenue was generated from admission charged to frequent plays, adapted from books, and performed by local children.

In 1957, Mrs. Eva K. Bowlby bequeathed her home on North West Street to the Children’s Library Association. Her will provided income from a large block of stock in Universal Cyclops Steel Corporation, to be used for the maintenance and growth of the library. The bequest was to be a memorial to Mrs. Bowlby’s late husband, Carhart H. Bowlby and a deceased grandson.

In October 1958, a group of high school boys loaded 9000 books onto trucks for transport from First Federal to the Bowlby mansion. On November 9, 1958, the new home of the Children’s library was dedicated. In 1967, the library expanded to serve both children and adults and was renamed The Eva K. Bowlby Public Library.

As the Bowlby Library continues to function successfully, it is important to remember the vital contributions the Library and Woman’s Clubs have made in the library’s initial formation and financial support. Both organizations helped to highlight the fact that a library is an essential public resource. Although the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed many of their activities, the clubs now have resumed meetings and remain dedicated to earmarking funds for the library.

L-R, from bottom. Row 1: Stephanie Butler, Alice Souders, Peggy Rock, Fran Hardy, Lena Galing, Kathy Miller, Deborah Wilson, Roberta Boyd, Kate Hosey, Sally Johnson. Row 2: Kathy McNay, Kathy McClure, Dinae Franz, Jackie Marisa, Anna Blaystone, Sheri Fox. Row 3: Earlene Schifko, Betty Anderson, Barbara Zalar. Row 4: Jeanne Kindervater, Nancy Beabout, Carolyn Augustine, Barb Butler, Sandy Whetsell.

Senior Becky Shank participated in the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania’s (AICUP) Day on the Hill last week. During her visit, she met:

• Representative Torren Ecker (pictured)

• Senator Doug Mastriano

• Senator Camera Bartolotta’s Chief of Staff Katrina Hanna

MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES

SUNDAY – MAY 28, 2023

The Brooks-Crago American Legion Post No. 816 of Rices Landing, PA will hold the following services:

• 1:30pm – Assembly for the parade will be at the Brooks-Crago American Legion Post #816.

• 2pm – Parade will begin at the post home and proceed to the Honor Roll located between the Hewitt Cemetery & the Hewitt Presbyterian Church. The participants are as follows: Jefferson-Morgan High School Band, Boy & Girl Scouts of Rices Landing: and the Rices Landing Volunteer Fire Department. This will be followed with a guest speaker.

• Followed by a salute to the deceased and placement of the wreath at the Honor Roll. (HG/FS)

• Following this service, another program will be held at the Crucible/St Mary’s Cemetery Honor Roll. (HG/FS)

• A light snack will be provided at the Post home.

The James R. Maxon American Legion Post No. 992 of Mt. Morris, PA will hold the following services:

• 11am – Services at Kiger Cemetery. (HG/FS)

• 11:20am – Services at Claughton Chapel Cemetery. (HG/FS)

Garards Fort Cemetery will hold the following services:

• 11am – Garards Fort Cemetery service

• Followed by a salute to the deceased and placement of the wreath at the Honor Roll. (HG/FS)

The Greensboro VFW Post No. 6303 will hold the following services:

• 1pm – Greensboro VFW Honor Roll with Don Martin and National Anthem by Layna Fisher.

Dress for Success Pittsburgh for worked with Greene County CTC students to prepare them for job interviews.

The students had a great time with mobile suiting and picking out new outfits

• Followed with a salute to the deceased and placement of the wreath to honor our deceased at the monument. (HG/FS)

• A light snack will be provided by the Greensboro VFW.

MONDAY – MAY 29, 2023

The Carmichaels American Legion Post No. 400 will hold the following services:

• 1pm – Laurel Point Cemetery services.

• Includes: Frank Ricco & the American Legion Post Band performing the National Anthem, a salute to the deceased,

and presentation of the wreath at the Honor Roll.

The Filer-Sadlek Post No. 954 of Jefferson, PA will hold the following services:

• 11am – Mather Honor Roll/Post Office with the speaker District Commander Deb Williams, prayer by Chaplin Bob Harry, and service led by Commander Linda Hagyari. Followed with a salute to the deceased, placement of the wreath at the Honor Roll, and music by Jefferson Morgan High School band.

• 11:30am – Jefferson Cemetery with a salute to the deceased and wreath placement at the Honor Roll. (HG/FS)

• 12pm – Service at the Veterans’ section of the Greene County Memorial Park, with a salute to the deceased and wreath placed at the base of the American flag. (HG/FS).

• Light refreshments will be provided at the Filer-Sadlek Post afterwards.

The James R. Maxon American Legion Post No. 992 of Mt. Morris will hold the following services:

• 10am – Services at the Mt. Morris United Methodist Church.

• 11am – Parade from the Mt. Morris United Methodist Church to the creek with a salute to the deceased by throwing a flower into the creek in memory of the Navy.

• 12pm – Ceremonies at the Cedar Grove Cemetery, followed by the placement of the wreath in honor of our deceased at the monument (HG/FS).

Greene County Veterans Memorial Park will hold the following services:

• 11:30am – at the Greene County Veterans Memorial Park.

• Including welcome by Connie Hart, speaker Don Martin, invocation and closing prayer by Zane Mitchell, followed with a salute to the deceased. (HG/FS)

• Light snacks will be available in the pavilion afterwards.

• Waynesburg VFW Post would like to invite everyone to the Post Home following the service where the VFW Auxiliary has provided a lite lunch.

*HG - Honor Guard, FS - Firing Squad.

Information provided by the Veterans Affairs office as of May 15, 2023. FMI, contact the organizations listed above.

K n e e D e e p

D i s c u s s i o n s w i t h D r . R a v a s i o

M e e t t h e p h y s i c i a n , l e a r n a b o u t j o i n t p a i n , a n d a s k q u e s t i o n s . R e f r e s h m e n t s p r o v i d e d . F r e e t o r e g i s t e r .

J o i n D r . D o n a l d R a v a s i o , O r t h o p e d i c S u r g e o n a t W H S , f o r a d i s c u s s i o n o n j o i n t s , k n e e s a n d m o r e .

Treating Hip and Knee Joint Pain

June 7, 2023 12pm-1pm

Knees Not What They Used To Be

July 5, 2023

12pm-1pm

Understanding

Knee Arthritis

August 30, 2023

12pm-1pm

R e g i s t e r f o r o n e o r a l l t h r e e d i s c u s s i o n s .

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