In The Community

2019 2020 IN THE COMMUNITY

25 Years Strong... On September 5th, 1994, Cambria County Area Community College held its first-ever classes. Twenty-five years later, now known as Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, the place is thriving.

To honor this historic day, a 25th Anniversary Picnic was held for the entire community! Penn Highlands celebrated 25 years of history throughout the past academic year, culminating with Commencement in May 2020 honoring the 25th Graduating Class.

We are proud to have served the region since 1994.

pennhighlands.edu/25years

On September 21, 2019, Family Day was held and we welcomed everyone from the community to enjoy family-friendly activities at our Richland Campus. These activities included: interactive inflatables, games, temporary tattoos, build-a-bear, wax hands, a picnic lunch, and more!

We had over 250 employees, students, alumni, community members, and their families attend. We all had a blast.

FAMILY DAY

community trick or treat

On October 28, 2019, we welcomed over 1,000 avengers, princesses, ninja turtles, and their families to enjoy a night of trick or treating, crafts, a puppet show, photos with Star Wars characters, and our Twisted Fairytales Haunted Hallway.

Everyone had a great time, and over the years our Community Trick or Treat event has grown into an annual tradition among many in the region.

hometown christmas parade and light up night November 22, 2019 was a magical night in downtown Johnstown. Penn Highlands was thrilled to participate by providing thousands with bracelets to light up the night surrounding Central Park’s Christmas Tree.

Over 25 faculty, staff, and students participated in this amazing experience, and thanks to Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership for allowing us to partner and celebrate our 25th Anniversary in a unique way!

cure violence

You may see them walking the streets of Hornerstown or Moxham, talking to young people, and interrupting any potential violent activity. These individuals are the Cure Violence outreach interrupters.

Funded through a grant received by the City of Johnstown, with training facilitated by Penn Highlands Community College, these interrupters are poised to reduce the crime that is occurring in these neighborhoods.

The grassroots group, Hope 4 Johnstown, identified the Chicago-based Cure Violence as a model that could work in Johnstown to address crime and drug problems. This model addresses fighting crime in the same manner that doctors fight medical issues, by interrupting the behavior that contributes to the acts of violence and change the norms within a community.

Marcus McAllister, Cure Violence Global Trainer, was at Penn Highlands Community College Richland Campus in late 2019 training three interrupters and one outreach caseworker.

Yvette Madison, Professor of Human Services at Penn Highlands and Hope 4 Johnstown representative, stated that the primary goal is to change the outlook and perspective of the target neighborhoods.

“We want these communities to recognize there are alternatives to violence, and Cure Violence’s model is a tool to help,” Madison said. “The partnership between Penn Highlands, Cure Violence, and Hope 4 Johnstown is one that will help improve the culture for years to come.”

Penn Highlands Community College sponsored the 17th Annual Cambria County College Fair on September 10, 2019 in downtown Johnstown.

Numerous high schools from across the region took part. And, colleges and universities from all over the state of Pennsylvania were on-hand to meet with and assist guests regarding their educational and career needs. Penn Highlands assisted the Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership by stuffing over 10,000 eggs for their Easter egg hunt in Central Park.

Although the event was canceled due to COVID-19, the stuffed eggs will be used again at next year’s event.

cambria county college fair