Vol. 28 28 Volume No.No. 5 5
May May 2012
2012
Confusion surrounds 2012 changes at Morrow By Kelsey Shea
Photo by Kelsey Shea Gus and his family receive a proclaimation from the City of Pittsburgh honoring their iceball cart. Stella, also known as Yia Yia, was unable to attend the ceremony.
April 25 declared Gus and Yia Yia Day in Pittsburgh By Kelsey Shea On Wednesday morning in City Council chambers, 80-year-old Gus Kalaris recognized more than a few faces. According to Kalaris, in the 78 years his bright orange cart in West Park has been open, numerous city councilmen, politicians and every single mayor since the ’40s when David L. Lawrence was in office has stopped by his cart for a colorful, fruity and hand-shaved iceball. It’s because of his wide range of customers from the Northside and all over the city, spanning generations that Gus and Yia Yia’s iceball cart has served, Pittsburgh
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City Council issued a proclamation congratulating them on their years of service and declared April 25 to be Gus and Yia Yia day. That night, the Allegheny City Society presented Gus and Yia Yia with the William Rimmel award, which recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in preserving the history of Allegheny City. “It’s hard to believe we’ve been there this many years,” said Kalaris, who said his family was honored by the proclamation. His wife Stella Kalaris, better known as Yia Yia, was unable to
See Iceballs, page 19
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As students at Morrow PreK-5 enter their final quarter, confusion and questions linger over what the school will be next year, what new students will be coming, what buildings will be used and who will serve as the school’s principal. As part of the district realignment plan that is estimated to decrease a projected $21.7 million operating deficit for the 2012 school year, Morrow will grow to a PreK-8 school, take students from Northview Heights PreK-8 and expand into the Rooney building that is currently closed. While the plan includes reopening the Rooney building and expanding to a PreK-8, Morrow will grow to a PreK-6 next year, and students will remain in the Morrow building for the 2012-13 school year. Morrow currently holds 374 students in its PreK-5 grades. Next year, the Morrow building will add two sixth grade classes, the autistic learning support program, two additional PreK classes from Northview and approximately 17 students from the Summer Hill neighborhood. Students from the Northview Heights neighborhood will attend King PreK-8 and Allegheny 6-8. Despite the additional students, Pittsburgh Public Schools administrators do not anticipate space being a problem, as this scenario was examined long before the announced realignment. In the 2013-14 school year,
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fifth, sixth and seventh graders will expand into the Rooney building. PPS Assistant Superintendent for K-5 Dr. Barbara Rudiak said that Rooney is in good condition, and little renovation will need to be done as the building was once a middle school. Principal reassignments will be announced in the next two months, meaning before the end of the school year, Morrow students will know who will be their principal. Tony DeCarlo, president of Morrow’s Parent Teacher Organization, said that the PSO at Morrow has been very supportive of current principal, Alivia Clark, and the “family feel” she brings to the school. DeCarlo said he hopes to see her return next year as principal. “I’m very supportive of what’s been going on since she got there three years ago,” said DeCarlo. Despite the finality of the plan, many in the community feel they have not been kept up to date about changes that they will see in their community’s school. “There’s not really a lot of knowledge out there,” said DeCarlo, who noted that most people in the Morrow community were only hearing “snippets” of the plan. “Not too many people know what’s going on,” he said. Pete Bellisario, president of the Brighton Heights Citizens’ Federation, said people in the community are concerned about their uncertainty in the public
See Morrow, page 10
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