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Recent events and achievements:
Little Lion Auto Care Salutes 1000th Repair Little Lion Auto Care is a school-based enterprise that has grown out of the Automotive Technology program. After having instruction in the classroom, students move into the garage that is set up like a real business and, under supervision, work on "live" vehicles. Students enrolled in the Career and Technology Center Automotive Technology program are trained in the use of some of the industry's top equipment as well as several computer programs commonly used in the business. This unique opportunity allows the Automotive students to get a hands-on feel for how an auto shop operates. Shown is the 1000th customer of Little Lion Auto Care, Jane DeSantis (holding certificate), Learning Support Teacher and winner of a free lube, oil and filter, (l to r) Adam Hartswick, 11th grade Auto Student, Roy Beman, Auto Teacher, Barry King, CTC Director. Summer Youth Fair  On a snowy day in February, Community Education invited parents to think about summer at their Summer Youth Fair. The largest gathering of youth program representatives in our area was organized to help parents plan their child's summer activities. Some 750 parents browsed displays of youth programs offered by organizations in the central PA area including youth camps, Centre Region Parks and Recreation, and programs for young children.  Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for AmericaOn January 31, 11 State High students were invited to attend a symposia at PSU that was held simultaneously at over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools and other institutions called Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America. Students attending were David Liu, Sam Collitt, Elliot Vincent-Killian, Sarah Mueller, Joyce Xi, Daniel Clothiaux, Charles Page Graham Moyer, Rachel Petkac, Sarah Findeis and Christoph Schlom. Students attended morning presentations and then, over lunch, had the opportunity to question Dr. Brent Yarnall, Professor of Geography, Director of Center for Integrated Regional Assessment. African-American Read-In at Houserville and Lemont  On February 4th and 5th, Houserville and Lemont elementary schools held an African-American Read-In. Community guests read to children from books by African-American authors and illustrators or books about the African-American experience. They also shared some experiences from their own lives with the children. All classrooms participated. Pictured: Terry Parker reads to a group of students.  Sixth graders make hats for newbornsMrs. Menard and Mr. Ammerman's sixth grade classes at Park Forest Middle School made almost 150 baby hats as a community service project. The students then donated them to Mount Nittany Medical Center. Pictured is the presentation of the hats to Dr. Speidel at the hospital.  John Sumereau's painting takes first place11th grader John Sumereau received an award from the Antonelli Institute for his painting, which took first place in their "Back to Nature" contest. Antonelli representative Laury McIntyre is pictured presenting the award to John whose painting was selected out of hundreds of entries from over 80 school districts from five different states.  Ocean Science Bowl A Team to compete at Nationals in AlaskaState College's Ocean Science Bowl "A" team won the Penguin Bowl, the regional qualifier for the National Ocean Science Bowl, by taking first place for the third consecutive year Feb. 23 in Pittsburgh. The A team will head to Seward, Alaska to compete in Nationals on April 25 with all expenses paid by NOSB. The A team members, Molly Kozminsky (captain), Erik Liu, Christian Peoples and Christoph Schlom, are coached by Karianne Smith. In addition, State College had a "B" team this year, and they finished in 4th place and received a trophy and other prizes for their hard work. The B team members, David Liu (captain), Robert Hudson, Monica McLaughlin and Hortense Fong, are coached by Nell Herrmann. Pictured are the members of the teams. National Ocean Science Bowl teaches awareness of our oceans as a natural resource and emphasizes the the study of oceanography. To prepare for the competition, the students study physics, chemistry, biology, technology and history of the oceans among many other topics. The A team was featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review  State and Regional Science Bowl Winners Move on to NationalsFive students from the State College Area High School have won the 2008 Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Science Bowl sponsored by US Department of Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh PA. They became semi-finalists February 23 by finishing in the top four teams of the 38-team field in divisional play at the Community College of Allegheny County's South Campus. In the double elimination finals, held on Feb. 27 in Pittsburgh, the team prevailed through double elimination matches. First place prizes include $1,000 for the school's science activities, individual and team plaques, two computers, participation in the Spectroscopy Society Awards Dinner and all expenses paid to the National Science Bowl Finals in Washington, DC, as the team representing Pennsylvania. State High was the national runner-up last year and the national champion in 2006. Pictured left to right are Julie Gittings, LE teacher/coach, Lijia Wang. Emily Dong, Ruiling Ma, Jinhui (Elizabeth) Zhao, and captain, Laura Gabrovsek.  The State College Area High School Master Singers are among four choirs from across the country that have been selected to participate in the Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival. They will be performing Johannes Brahms "A German Requiem," under the direction of Craig Jessop, director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, on March 10 at Carnegie Hall. This select choir and their director Robert Drafall will perform a Send-Off Concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on Penn State's University Park campus. Admission to the March 3 concert is free, although donations to help offset the trip to Carnegie Hall will be accepted. For information about the group's Carnegie Hall appearance, visit Carnegie Hall Online. (Photo by Annemarie Mountz)  Building Construction Occupations Class does well in SkillsUSA CompetitionOn January 18th four students from Rob Womer's Building Construction Occupations class competed in the SkillsUSA District Teamworks competition. The grueling three-hour contest included carpentry, masonry, electrical, and plumbing components, and each member of the team played a big part in their impressive second place finish. The team included (from left to right) sophomore Chris Witherite, and juniors Tyler Tice, Chad Driebelbis and Keegan Musser. Other SkillsUSA results: First Place: Philip Irvin - Action Skills Matthew Schmitdt - Architectural Drafting Keegan Musser - Carpentry John Witherite - Building Maintenance Technology Second Place: Elizabeth Gallagher - Job Skill Demonstration Marissa Steudler - Pre-school Teaching Assistant Teamworks (photo) Chris Witherite, Tyler Tice, Chad Driebelbis and Keegan Musser. Third Place: Susan Reininger - Culinary Arts Christina Kramkowski - Food and Beverage  Park Forest Middle School Celebrates Diversity Month On Feb. 14, all PFMS students participated in a Diversity Activity during AREA. They watched a short video made by student Miriam Roe from last year's Multicultural Fair and brainstormed a list of words related to diversity. They worked in small groups to create word pyramids using this list and transferred them onto poster paper. The posters will be hung around the school. This activity was part of the school's celebration of Diversity Month during February. To view a photo gallery of diversity activities at PFMS, click here.  Live Animal Study Enhances LearningOn January 30, 5th graders at Park Forest Elementary School kicked off their unit study of animals in “live†fashion. They became ethologists, which study the behavior of live animals, to conclude what makes an animal an animal. Students worked in small groups making observations of one animal and recording data on everything from the animal’s environment to how it moved around its cage. The animal lab included a Russian dwarf hamster, painted turtle, albino rat, gecko, bearded dragon lizard, fish, and guinea pigs. The four teachers and a PSU intern who make up the PFE 5th grade team, all agree that setting up this “live†lab enhances the learning environment immensely over a more traditional approach. Their goal is to provide a setting for science that is more inquiry-based, where students record wonderings about animals and then observe and research to find the answers. At left, Olivia, Elise, Esther, and Candy are fascinated by the hamster's interest in them.  School Board RecognitionThe district celebrated School Board Recognition month with the 15th annual Board Recognition Dinner on Jan. 24. Invited guests included former board members and former administrators, current board members, outgoing board members and current administrators. Special gifts of appreciation demonstrated the district's regard for the service of all board members and Superintendent Patricia Best reviewed the state of the district. Pictured: Patricia Best reviews recent district accomplishments.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Honored More than 70 district employees volunteered to perform community service on Jan. 21 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Laurie Pangnotto, Ann Lauver, and Ellen Campbell, pictured, worked at Strawberry Fields Fairweather Lodge while others provided assistance for non-profit organizations such as PAWS, Women's Resource Center, Easter Seals, Second Mile, churches, St. Vincent DePaul, Black Moshannon State Park, and Rothrock State Forest. The regular Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inservice day at the High School North provided all staff with opportunities to learn about the Negro Baseball Leagues from former players, enjoy a cross-cultural lunch, and attend workshops on diversity, acceptance, and peace.  We Flipped the Switch On January 15, we celebrated the Classrooms for the Future grant with a special "Flip the Switch" event at the high school. Classrooms for the Future is an education reform initiative established by Governor Rendell to make every classroom PA a "technology equipped" space. "Technology equipped" includes a cart providing a laptop for each student in the class, a teacher laptop, a video projector, an interactive panel/board, and access to printing and digital cameras. The high school's grant provided 569 laptops on carts as well as professional development for teachers. The equipment was delivered to the high school in the late fall, and teachers and students began using them in December. We shared the celebration with students, faculty, administrators, board members, and invited guests from Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Dr. Kyle Peck, Associate Dean for Outreach, Technology and International Programs, PSU College of Education, served as the guest speaker. A reception, tours of cart-equipped classrooms, and a video of appreciation prepared by students were part of the day. Pictured: Keynote speaker, Dr. Kyle Peck.  Carol Paul works with her ninth grade English students as they use laptops in an assignment. A Million Pennies Park Forest Middle School participated in the Million Pennies and More Drive for Easter Seals in December. Students and staff worked together to publicize the drive, to help count donations, and to deliver the donations to the Million Pennies Drive collection truck at the Nittany Mall, pictured. The drive was organized by Mr. Tranell's and Ms. Marszalek's classes and the Student Council. Sixth graders and student council members participated in a kickoff assembly with Penn State Sports and 3WZ broadcaster Steve Jones. Miss Hawbaker's sixth grade homeroom won the school trophy for collecting the most of any homeroom, $304. Overall, the school raised over $1600, which is more than 160,000 pennies. Pictured are members of the committee making the presentation at the Nittany Mall: Front Row: Miss Kaitlyn Irwin, Allison Sheppard, Hannah Brewster, Nicholas Payne, Brittany Keeler, and Phillip Hanold. Back Row: Chris Seighman, Calvin Peiffer, Mr. Tranell, Mr. Jones. Last Modified on August 21, 2008
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