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Sep 05 2012 04:45:44:294PM South Zone S-1

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

SOUTH

E-mail: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com ! Phone: 412-263-1414 ! Web: post-gazette.com/south Questions about delivery or service? Call 1-800-228-NEWS (6397)

By Janice CromptonPittsburgh Post-Gazette

Upper St. Clair commis-sioners gave unanimous finalapproval Tuesday for a 15-lotaddition to the WillowbrookFarms subdivision after a sum-mer of public debate and hear-ings.

The 10-acre developmenton Willowbrook and Oaklawndrives would include an under-

ground stormwater retentionsystem and pond, expected toease flooding elsewhere in thenearly 100-year-old develop-ment.

More than a dozen propertyowners expressed concernsabout flooding and other mattersduring the past several months,and commissioners narrowlygave tentative approval to theproject last month in a 4-3 vote.

Sai T. Yeung of Oaklawn

Drive asked commissionersTuesday to require engineers toprovide written assurance thatstormwater runoff in the neigh-borhood — which residents sayalready floods some homes —wouldn’t worsen once the devel-opment is built.

“We aren’t trying to stop theproject, we just want to makesure it’s done right,” said Mr.

SEE LOTS, PAGE S-4

Upper St. Clair approves15 new Willowbrook lots

By Margaret Smykla

In Zambia last year, retiredbasketball coach Joe DeGrego-rio did what physicians couldnot: He persuaded a father toallow his son to have an extratoe removed.

“I told him his son can’t bewalking around barefoot andcan’t fit in shoes,” Mr. DeGrego-rio, 77, said.

After the surgery, he pre-sented the father with a basket-ball to seal the deal.

On Sept. 14, Mr. DeGregorioand his wife, Emmy, will boarda plane for their second five-daymedical mission to the Zambiancapital city of Lusaka as volun-teers with Surgicorps Interna-tional.

The organization, headquar-tered in Glenshaw, providesfree surgical and medical careto disadvantaged individuals indeveloping countries. In Zam-bia, the work is centered in BeitCURE children’s hospital, with

By Debra Duncan

Sixteen American Red Crossvolunteers from the Pittsburgharea are in Florida, Louisianaand Mississippi, helping someof the thousands of residentsuprooted by the drenching rainsof Hurricane Isaac.

Jeanette Patsakis, 73, of Mt.Lebanon flew to Tampa Aug. 25,when weather forecasters pre-dicted Hurricane Isaac wouldhit Florida’s Gulf Coast hard.

She worked at several sheltersin Florida — Sarasota, Arcadia,which is south of Tampa, andPensacola — before making herway to Hattiesburg, Miss., withher six-person team after Isaacdumped as much as 20 inchesof rain while stalled over thenorthern Gulf Coast.

Driving in the rain for eighthours, her team tried to getinto Louisiana Aug. 30, but wasstopped by flooding.

“This area got about 10 inchesof rain,” she said Friday in aphone call from Mississippi.“We had to go on goat trails andfinally, the local fire departmenthelped get us out of the floodedarea.”

By Friday morning, her teamhad arrived at a shelter nearHattiesburg.

“Most of our shelters are setup in churches,” she said. “Youbring people food, and try tokeep them as comfortable aspossible. We have cots, blankets,drinks, maybe a nurse.”

On her team are five womenand one man, ranging in agefrom 56 to 75.

Thousands of residentsremained in shelters in Louisi-

SEE ZAMBIA, PAGE S-5

SEE RED CROSS, PAGE S-3

Retiredcoachready forZambia

RedCrossanswersthe call

TOP — Junior NoraKupiec, 16, plays theflute Aug. 28 as shepractices with the MoonArea High School band atMcCormick ElementarySchool.

ABOVE — Shaler AreaHigh School senior JohnBooker, 18, shows off alittle saxophone to danceteam members, fromleft, Madison Vaughan,15, a sophomore; KatieFischer, 16, a junior; andRachel Dekleva, 17, asenior. The students werepreparing to perform Aug.18 during the 63rd annualFall Fantasy Parade atKennywood.

TOP RIGHT — PatrickJones, left, a fifth-gradeteacher in Upper St.Clair, works with the highschool drum line duringband practice Aug. 13.

RIGHT — SophomoreJosey Murray, 15,left, and freshmanMaggie Gates, 14, eatwatermelon Aug. 8 duringa break in a summerrehearsal for the Norwinmarching band.

Bill Wade/Post-Gazette

Bill Wade/Post-Gazette

Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette

H igh school marching bands inthe suburbs spend a significantchunk of summer getting readyfor halftime shows and grueling

band competitions.Marching bands from Shaler Area,

Norwin, Moon Area and Upper St. Clairhigh schools —as do bands fromacross the region— put in hundredsof hours of sweatequity and giveup lots of vacationtime at the pool to perfect these shows.Still, these young musicians and danc-ers insist the experience is more thanworth all the work. Musicians and colorguard members said they gain a valu-able skill, make lifelong friends andlearn how to work together.

And come fall, they’re ready — andeager — to put on spectacular shows onfootball fields and to compete in regionaland national competitions.

Staff writers Molly Born and AnnieSiebert attended several high schoolband camps and practices last month.

Later this season, the Post-Gazettewill look at the bands’ finished product.

In the meantime, audiences can dotheir own critiques and, perhaps, followthe advice of Emily Pert, a drum majorwith the Shaler Area band:

“Anyone who wants to see what it’slike should come to a game.”

Shaler AreaAug. 6 was the first day of band camp

for the Shaler Area marching band, butan observer wouldn’t know it to look atthe 150 or so students assembled on thefield.

That’s because none were holdinginstruments.

Because the Shaler Area band has66 new recruits this year — for some, itwas literally the first day of marchingband instruction — Day One of bandcamp was spent teaching marchingbasics: coming to attention, markingtime, marching, turning while march-ing, etc.

“We’ll spend all morning marchingup and down the field,” band directorGeorge Tepshich said.

This is the first year Shaler Area hasallowed eighth-graders in the marchingband as a way to build the program, Mr.

SEE BANDS, PAGE S-4

Marching bandspractice, practice,practice to producestirring shows ofsight and sound

BY ANNIE SIEBERT and MOLLY BORNPITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

Musicin motion

! Slide showabout bandcamps, post-gazette.com

Friends in Zambia: Emmy andJoe DeGregorio with youngclinic visitor Rebecca.

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Sep 05 2012 04:32:35:813PM South Zone

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 ! WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COMS-2 1 6 8 10 11

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By Jill Thurston

When Kati Lightholder asked her husband Blake if he consid-ers her an “intermediate mountain biker,” she wasn’t fishing fora compliment — she was fishing for a job.

Still, his lukewarm response — “hmm, I don’t know” —didn’tstop her from applying to be co-host of the public televisionseries “Pedal America.” The show, filmed on various locationsand hosted by Ira David Levy, is distributed by American PublicTelevision and airs on WQED-TV’s high definition channel.

“I was completely honest. I told them I enjoy mountain bik-ing, but I am not an advanced biker … but I have some of theother qualities you are looking for,” Ms. Lightholder said.

Like her husband, Ms. Lightholder is a recreational moun-tain bikers. The couple lives in North Fayette.

Her honesty, if not her skill, made an impression. She wasasked to co-host a Pennsylvania segment of the show and later tobe part of the remaining episodes.

Ms. Lightholder is a native of Bethel Park, and has a growingcareer in the film industry, adding co-hosting to a resume thatincludes behind-the-scenes film work, on-camera work and Web-based film production. After producing the popular “MercuryMen” series for Syfy.com, Ms. Lightholder thought she wouldhead full throttle into production, but caught the acting bug.

“I thought I better at least give acting a try,” she said.Her goal now is to find a blend of the two.She gives full credit to her husband for getting this job. “He’s

so supportive. You can’t make it in this industry if you don’thave 110 percent from the people around you,” she said of herhusband, an account executive with Chemistry Communica-tions. The two met in their senior year of high school.

As host and co-host, Mr. Levy and Ms. Lightholder travel tonoted road cycling and mountain biking cities, spending a weekin each, filming for the half-hour episodes.

“We explore the area, present some history, maybe stop at apopular restaurant, visit a bike shop; we meet the people and seethe best the area has to offer in terms of biking, ” she said.

Mountain biking can be a little more dangerous than it lookson camera, she said.

“You can’t see my heart pounding as I’m flying down a hill,”Ms. Lightholder said.

She recalled a big fall.“I changed gears and went over the handlebars. I had the

wind knocked out of me. They didn’t even catch it on camera.I was black and blue, but after that I did some of the best ridingI’ve ever done,” she said.

After graduating from Allegheny College, Ms. Lightholdergot her first job as an associate producer at Mind over Media, avideo production company in Pittsburgh.

“I got my work ethic there … they taught me everything Iknow about video production.”

She then worked as production secretary in “The Haunt-ing Hour,” filmed in Pittsburgh in 2007. Other credits include“Smart People;” “The Kill Point,” a Spike television mini-series,and the Fox Television Pilot “Locke and Key.”

Ms. Lightholder concedes, though, her first love is comedy;one of her goals is to be in a comedy television show. “People areso stressed out today. Comedy helps them escape for a while. Iwould love to make people laugh.”

Her chance came in the form of a feature film “Sonny Days,”filmed in Pittsburgh by Crows Run Pictures, in which she por-trayed a quirky art student. The story follows members of theYoungstown, Ohio, City Council. “It’s a character-driven film.The characters are quirky and that’s what I love about it,” shesaid.

The film will be submitted at this year’s Sundance Film Fes-tival.

Ms. Lightholder is also passionate about nutrition and food.“I’d love to create a show to help people navigate through all

of the information out there,” she said.The “Pedal America” series produced by Out-Write Media LLC

is presented by Public Broadcasting Service station WTTW Chi-cago. American Public Television distributes the series to publictelevision and PBS stations across the country

“Pedal America” will re-air locally at 9:30 a.m. Sundays andat 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays on the Create TV network,WQED2 (13.2).

Jill Thurston, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

Familiar with behind-the-camerawork, she gives acting a try

KATI LIGHTHOLDERAGE: 30HOMETOWN: Bethel Park; now lives in North FayetteOCCUPATION: ActressEDUCATION: Bethel Park High School, Allegheny CollegeFAMILY: Husband Blake Lightholder; parents Connie and

Ralph Donovan; brother Jim and sister-in-law Tracey Donovan; sis-ter Michelle and brother-in-law John Natto.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU? “Family, God and exercise.”FIRST JOB: Associate producer at Mind Over MediaAND WHEN YOU WERE A KID, YOU WANTED TO BE WHAT?

A zookeeperHOBBIES: Zumba, mountain biking, watching lots of TVREADING MATERIAL ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND: “Bossypants”

by Tina FeyWHAT’S PLAYING ON YOUR TV? “Desperate Housewives”

Season 4 on DVDWHAT’S ON YOUR IPOD? Matthew Wilder, “Break My Stride”FANTASY CELEBRITY DINNER DATE: Tina FeyPEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW: “I’ve been a

vegetarian for 19 years.”WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE?

“Me, obviously.”GUILTY PLEASURE: Oreo BlizzardsIF YOU HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER, YOU WOULD … ? Eat more

Oreo BlizzardsFAVORITE SPOT IN THE WORLD: My couchPROUDEST MOMENT, SO FAR: “On the last day of shoot-

ing for ‘Sonny Days,’ my character did a dance for the crew as athank you. They were either going to think I was an idiot or laugh.They laughed and I felt pretty good about that.”

GOALS: To do comedy on TV.WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? “If it ever becomes pos-

sible for a person to fly, I’d like to do that. If not, then parasailingwill do.”

S N A P S H O T

RESUME: A newsmaker you should know

Notice to our readers: We are committed to delivering a dry, complete,undamaged copy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to your home. If that failsto happen, call us at 1-800-228-6397 before 10 a.m. and we will promptlydeliver a replacement copy.

SOUTH BUREAU5360 Progress Blvd.,Bethel Park, PA 15102

Bureau fax: 412-854-1610

! Molly BornStaff writer412-263-1944mborn@post-gazette.com

! Janice CromptonStaff writer412-851-1867jcrompton@post-gazette.com

PITTSBURGH OFFICE34 Blvd. of the Allies,Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Pittsburgh fax: 412-263-1877

! Tom BirdsongAssistant managing editor412-263-3068tbirdsong@post-gazette.com

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ADVERTISING! Vincent DiNicolaMt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair,Green Tree, Banksville Road,Scott412-263-1383

! Ron MrukSouth Park, Bethel Park, Cas-tle Shannon, Whitehall, Route19 South from Boyce Roadto Waterdam Plaza, andWashington County412-263-1576

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For South news online,

visit: post-gazette.com/south

THESOUTHC O N N E C T I O N S

I’m a big fan of outdoorsyadventure activities, as longas they don’t involve blisters,insects, sleeping on rocks,

cold water, walking uphill forextended periods or excessivequantities of rope.

I like my showers hot, my toi-lets enclosed and flushable, andmy sweating kept to a minimum.My ancestors did not come downfrom the trees and put on shoesto dangle from a cliff or eatjerky in wet shorts while beingdrained by mosquitoes.

But that doesn’t mean my soleoutdoor recreation is dining alfresco.

I tried kayaking and thoughtit was pretty terrific. The nextday I couldn’t lift my arms tobrush my teeth, but the nexttime I kayaked, I followed theguide’s advice to use my coremuscles rather than my armmuscles. That made a huge dif-ference the next day, becauseI didn’t try to brush my teethwith my core.

Now another recreationaltrend is making kayaking lookkind of last summer.

I saw it first on a river in

Austin, people standing onboards, using long paddles toglide along. They looked likegondoliers, if gondoliers lost thestripes and stood on a shorter,wider version of a surfboard.

Aside from the balance issue,it looked easy. So I wanted to try it.

I drove out one gorgeousafternoon to Northeast Paddle-board Co. in Boston, Pa., totry paddleboarding on theYoughiogheny. My two-hourrental included a lesson, to theamusement of a friend who hadalready paddleboarded.

“Lesson?” he asked. “There’snot much to learn. Get on. Standup. Paddle. Don’t fall off.”

He wasn’t wrong. That isthe game plan. But my begin-ner class got helpful tips fromcoaches Sandy and Eric, par-ticularly about how to get onthe board (on your knees) andultimately, when you are embar-rassed to be the only one still onyour knees, how to stand up suc-cessfully. (Do not allow anyone

Once you get your balance,there’s no looking back

samanthabennett

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

GETTING A LEG UP Upper St. Clair cheerleader KateyLloyd, 17, and her teammates warm up prior to the first highschool football game of the season against Woodland Hills onAug. 31.

behind you to have a camera.)Once you are standing on the

paddleboard, you come to a cou-ple of realizations. One is thatit is a delightful way to travel.The other is that you cannot lookbehind you. You get your bal-ance pretty quickly, and none ofthe first-timers in my group felloff — but trying to turn aroundis surprisingly destabilizing. It’slike life that way.

Two hours was a good longtime, passing slowly on thepeaceful river. Sometimes it’s soshallow you can see the sandybottom. Sometimes a powerboat goes by, mercifully slowingdown to reduce the wake thatwobbled us paddlers. A few of usstopped to enjoy a rope swing ona tree over the water. I spotted aweird bird eyeballing me fromthe bank: It was a blue heron.

And that wasn’t my onlybrush with wildlife. Before andafter my paddle, I sat on the dockand let my feet dangle in thewater, where they were immedi-ately surrounded by minnows.And the minnows weren’t shyabout helping themselves to thecalluses on my tootsies.

That’s right: At NortheastPaddleboard, for no extracharge, you get a fish pedicure.Hours of wholesome outdoor rec-reation, AND a pampering spatreatment.

The next day, my arms werea little sore and a lot sunburned.But my feet were smooth as silk.

That’s my kind of outdooradventure.

Samantha Bennett, freelancewriter: sambennett412@gmail.com.

The historic CarnegieLibrary of Pittsburgh-SouthSide officially reopens Saturdaywith state-of-the art green tech-nology.

A ribbon cutting will be heldat 11 a.m. at the library at 2205East Carson St. The buildingunderwent a $2.7 million renova-tion over the past year and wasclosed while work was underway. The renovation was fundedby a capital campaign calledLibraries for Life.

Suzanne Thinnes, libraryspokeswoman, said that patronsare sure to note that “for thefirst time in its 103-year history,the library will have air condi-tioning.”

That’s thanks to a state-of-the-art new geothermal heating andcooling system — the first of itskind in a Pittsburgh library —that will keep the building coolin the summer and eliminatethe need for natural gas to heatthe facility in the winter.

“We made a commitment toprovide comfortable, accessibleand environmentally friendlylibrary spaces,” said Mary Fran-ces Cooper, CLP president.

“This renovation challengedus to integrate modern technol-ogy into a historic building.”

The building’s renovation

also includes the reconditioningof existing windows, insulationand a new slate roof. A new ele-vator in the building makes allthree levels of the library fullyaccessible. There is also a newmeeting room for up to 100 inthe basement and a second-floorseminar room. Visitors will alsosee new front entrance stairs,which mimic the original plansof the library’s main entrance.

Constructed in 1909, CLP-South Side was one of the city’sfirst neighborhood libraries.

Roberta Stackawitz of theSouth Side, who is presidentof Friends of the South SideLibrary, has fond memoriesof the original building and iseager to see the renovated one.

“My mother first took methere when I was 5 years old toget a library card,” she recalled.“And it was the place teens gath-ered in the evening.”

The retired teacher said sheused the library to prepareclassroom work.

“I’m glad to see it reopen.”A project overview is available

online at www.carnegielibrary.org/southside. For other details,call 412-431-0505.

Freelance writer Mary EllenLeigh contributed to this article.

South Side libraryreopens after a year

of renovations

By Molly BornPittsburgh Post-Gazette

A top Agriculture Depart-ment official will visit Mt.Lebanon on Friday to honorthe school district for its com-mitment to student nutrition.

Janey Thornton, USDAdeputy undersecretary, willmeet with parents and schoolofficials, dine with studentsand present the HealthierUSSchools Challenge award, aprogram started in 2004 topromote improved nutritionand healthier school environ-ments.

The honor, shared withabout 4,000 schools nation-wide, covers a variety ofcriteria, Ms. Thornton said.Schools must show that acertain percentage of theirstudents participate in schoolmeals; that they’ve estab-lished a wellness policy withfood guidelines; and that theyoffer nutrition education.

“It is more of a comprehen-sive approach to good nutri-tion and wellness throughoutthe school as opposed to justwhat’s on the school menuthat particular day,” she said.

Mt. Lebanon has offeredelementary students unlim-ited fruits and vegetablessince the lunch program’sinception. Before it startedthree years ago, elementarystudents either went homefor lunch or brought food toschool.

The district established theprogram to ensure studentseligible for free or reduced-price meals were eatinglunch, said Tazeen Chowd-

hury, district food servicedirector.

Much of the produce servedat the elementary schools isgrown on local farms andarrives via a distributor. Thedistrict started a “farm of themonth” program last year,and this month features fruitsand vegetables from LaurelVista Farms in Somerset.

The HealthierUS SchoolsChallenge application tookabout six months to compile.And in July, new national reg-ulations took effect, requiringmore fruits and vegetables forstudent lunches, among otherchanges.

The district’s foresight, Ms.Chowdhury said, made thetransition easier.

“We knew we were alreadyon the ball with it,” she said.“We were way ahead of thecurve knowing that this is thedirection we want to go.”

The district extendedunlimited fruits and veg-etables to the middle schoollevel and hopes to includethat option at the high schoolwhen the 3½-year renovationproject is complete, she said.

Ms. Thornton’s visit alsowill reunite her with Ms.Chowdhury. The two partici-pated in a 2005 child nutritiondelegation in China, wherethey spent two weeks devel-oping a national school lunchprogram.

Molly Born: mborn@post-gazette.com or 412-262-1944.

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Sep 05 2012 05:25:41:171PM South Zone

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 ! WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM S-3

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ana this week, as rivers crestedand many areas were still with-out power.

“We’re here to help: to givethem food and make them ascomfortable as possible in a safeplace. Sometimes helping justmeans listening, or if peopleneed a hug you give a hug.

“I met a woman in Arcadia,Fla., in a shelter [the roof blewoff her home] who is originallyfrom McKeesport. She’s 70 andmoved to Arcadia seven yearsago with her husband, then losthim, so this was emotional forher. Many of these people areelderly and they just want to gohome … so you just talk to peo-ple sometimes.”

Ms. Patsakis is a retiredteacher. She has been travelingas a volunteer for eight years.She went to Alabama last yearafter a tornado struck and toVermont and New Hampshirewhen Hurricane Irene hit theEast Coast. She also was in theNew Orleans area when Katrinastruck, seven years ago lastweek.

“Sometimes you have to keepmoving people from one shelterto another, because of stormsor no electricity,” she said. “Youhope they find a place to live ifthey can’t go back to their home.

“They always thank you;sometimes I give them my phonenumber and they call me whenthey’ve found a place.

“You try to get a list of localagencies that can help people,too,” she said, “whether it’s theSalvation Army where they canget some clothes or someplacethat has toys for the kids.”

Friday was the first day ina week she didn’t wake up to adownpour.

“Even if you have anumbrella, you’re soaked,” shesaid.

She said the Red Cross had 77shelters in five states affectedby Isaac, and between 15 and 20shelters in Mississippi.

Volunteers stay in separateshelters, which might be in achurch or school or a local RedCross office and often sleep oncots.

“You put a couple blanketsdown and make do,” Ms. Patsa-kis said. “You have to be adapt-able. You’re on the highway alot, and every couple of days youhave to find someplace to washyour clothes.

“The best thing people cando to help is donate money,” shesaid. “Whether it’s $5 or $10, tothe Pittsburgh or national office.Or people can donate online, too.The Red Cross doesn’t get anygovernment money; we do every-thing through donations.”

Ken Brown, 63, of Jeffer-son Hills, is another volunteerdeployed to help in Isaac’s wake.He was in Pensacola late lastweek, helping people in a shel-ter.

“They told people being evac-uated from Mississippi and Lou-isiana that they could come hereto a shelter,” he said.

The Red Cross staffs the shel-ters around-the-clock, so volun-teers work one of three shifts.

Mr. Brown flew to Tampa Sat-urday, when Isaac was expectedto hit Florida. He said the RedCross was prepared to open 18shelters in the state, but thenIsaac veered away from Floridaand headed for New Orleans.

“We opened a couple sheltersin the Pensacola area becausethey got some serious rain bandsand wind,” he said.

“The Red Cross served break-fast, lunch and dinner,” he said.

Last year, Mr. Brown went fortwo weeks with the Red Crossto Alabama and also to Minot,N.D., where there was seriousflooding.

“The one thing the Red Crosstells you is to be flexible,” hesaid. “I always bring a sleepingbag and pillow; that helps if youhave to sleep on a cot.”

Luckily, he said, this time vol-unteers were staying in a hotel.

Mr. Brown retired five yearsago as an engineer with BettisLaboratory in West Mifflin, andhas been volunteering with RedCross for four years.

“I watched the coverage ofKatrina and how Red Crosshelped, and I decided that’s whatI wanted to do when I retired,”he said.

“My wife is fine with it, andmy two daughters, in SquirrelHill and Regent Square, thinkit’s great, although they knowI’m a bit crazy,” he said. “It’s anadventure.”

Denae McCall, 28, of Shaler,flew to Montgomery, Ala., Aug.27, then was transferred toMobile hours later to help orga-nize volunteers in the state.

She is taking care of thepaperwork involved in sendingvolunteers to shelters, arrang-ing for their hotels and trans-fers. Alabama wasn’t hit withsevere damage and flooding, soby Friday things were windingdown there.

“We’ve had damage assess-ment teams out, but there’s onlybeen minor damage here,” shesaid.

The Red Cross deploys shel-ter teams, strike teams that setup and take down shelters, andEmergency Response Vehicleteams, with mobile feedingvehicles equipped to deliverhot meals and snacks, andtools, such as rakes for debris

cleanup.They may also hand out

cleanup kits after a hurricaneso residents can begin to mop upflood waters and use cleaningsolutions to prevent mold.

“This is great, this is whatI love doing,” Ms. McCall said.She got her bachelor’s degree inemergency management admin-istration from Utah Valley Uni-versity and wants to find a full-time job in the field.

Since she is in between jobs,she was expecting to be trans-ferred to another region afterAlabama.

“I was in the Albany, N.Y.,area for seven weeks after Hur-ricane Irene came through lastyear, then a tropical storm hitafter Irene and it was floodedagain,” she said.

“We usually go somewherefor two or three weeks.”

Other Red Cross volunteersdeployed from western Penn-sylvania are: Matt Auflick ofShadyside; Clair Bartlet, KayCaldwell and Merry Gene ofParker; Donna Brown of Erie;June and Tom Bujnoski of Mill-creek; Theresa Creighan ofOakmont; John and Monica Fillof Fairview Township; DanielGreenlee of New Castle; JosephKorinchak of Gibsonia and RoseMarie Malizio of Heidelberg.

Many of the volunteers getto know each other from workin other disasters. Ms. Patsakissaid she knew at least eight vol-unteers while working in Flor-ida and Mississippi. Mr. Brownworked with her in Charleston,W.Va., last month after a rain-storm caused flooding.

Volunteers get training inareas such as psychology, hys-teria, sheltering, feeding andfirst aid before they are sent to adisaster area. Most train at theRed Cross headquarters on theBoulevard of the Allies Down-town.

Volunteers also carry a man-ual.

About 2,700 trained RedCross disaster workers fromall over the United States weresent to the Gulf region to helpafter Isaac. The Red Cross had300,000 ready-to-eat meals andkitchen support trailers in thearea.

And across the Gulf Coast,187 Red Cross emergencyresponse vehicles were avail-able to serve meals and distrib-ute relief items.

People can call, click or text todonate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 800-redcross (800-733-2767) or texting REDCROSS to90999 to make a $10 donation.

Debra Duncan, freelancewriter: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

Volunteers answer the callRED CROSS, FROM PAGE S-1

By Laurie Bailey

Despite initial setbacks, the$15 million Springhill Suitesby Marriott in the 600 block ofWashington Road in Mt. Leba-non continues to make prog-ress.

“It’s moving along at a greatpace. My hope is that it will beopen in the spring of next year,”said Eric Milliron, commercialdistricts manager for Mt. Leba-non.

“It’s going to be phenomenal,”Mr. Milliron said. The eight-story, 108-room hotel will nothave restaurants or shops, headded.

“Any visitors will be spillingonto our streets,” he said.

“I think it’s great. There’sdefinitely the potential for morebusiness,” said Kristen Peckich,owner of La Pomponnee Salonand Spa, 659 Washington Road,adding that although Washing-ton Road is a high-traffic area,it’s not always foot traffic.

“We would like to think itwould definitely help, especiallyduring the holidays and whenthere are Steeler games,” saidKeith Sheppard, manager of theSaloon, 622 Washington Road,an establishment that has beenat its location since 1976. “Therehas been a solid core of restau-rants [in the business area] forthe last 10 to 15 years.”

“People are dying for it toopen,” said Susan Morgans,information officer for Mt. Leba-non “If they have a wedding,

there’s a place for their guest tostay.”

But the hotel is not antici-pated to be just for visiting fam-ily members. With a 20-minute“T” ride to Downtown, the hotelwill be convenient for thoseattending conventions, businessmeetings and sports events inthe city, Mr. Milliron said.

“We consider this a Down-town hotel in uptown Mt. Leba-non,” he said.

“The proximity to the cityis also attractive for those whowant to avoid the more expen-sive hotels [Downtown],” Ms.Morgans said.

The hotel will have an88-space, three-level parkingfacility with access from ParseWay.

Built among existing early20th-century architecture, thehotel will not look like the typi-cal Springhill Suites.

“The design has been finessedso that it fits into the architec-tures of Washington Road. Itwill fit in very nicely with thestreet wall,” said Mr. Milliron.The ground floor will have store-front-type windows to maintaina consistency along the businessdistrict.

Since breaking ground inspring 2011, developer KratsaProperties has experienceddelays.

“Attracting a developer tothe business district is not easy

in the first place,” Ms. Morganssaid. The uptown area sits atopa ridge.

Last summer, excavators dis-covered a 60- to 70-year-old tankof fuel that resulted in remedia-tion of surrounding soil. Theyalso discovered a seam of coalthat needed to be mined, Mr.Milliron said.

Another ongoing issueinvolves the approximately120-foot crane used to assemblethe hotel’s prefabricated frame-work. Too heavy for its origi-nal location on Parse Road, thecrane now sits on a platformon Washington Road — a movethat required obtaining a high-way occupation permit fromthe Pennsylvania Departmentof Transportation, said Mr. Mil-liron.

That crane will soon bereplaced by a 154- to 200-footcrane, he added.

“It needs to have clearanceover the hotel’s highest points,”he said.

The construction has notaffected traffic along Washing-ton Road.

“With so many traffic lightsin that section of town, it isfragmented enough that [theconstruction] doesn’t seem tobe causing a problem,” said Lt.Aaron Lauth, spokesman forthe Mt. Lebanon Police Depart-ment.

Laurie Bailey, freelance writer:suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

Hotel on Washington Roadaiming to open in spring

MT. LEBANON

John Heller/Post-Gazette

SUPPORT FROM THE STANDS Cheering for a win Friday night is Clairton High Schoolfootball fan Ebony Howard, right. To her right is her brother, Kaleb Howard. The visiting ClairtonBears football squad scored a close 22-20 victory over the Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers.

By Jill Thurston

A litter of kittens left in atrash bin. A stray cat trapped onHOV lanes during traffic. Bothare sad reminders of the effect offeline overpopulation.

In both situations, the ani-mals were rescued — but eventhen their fate is uncertain.

The mission of FosterCat Inc.,the group that rescued the ani-mals in those scenarios, is to pro-vide for the temporary care andthen permanent placement ofhomeless cats and kittens. Since1999, the nonprofit has fosteredandplacedmorethan1,100kittensand cats for permanent adoption.

A spaghetti dinner to benefitthe group’s efforts will be heldfrom 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Wal-lace Memorial PresbyterianChurch in Green Tree. Ticketsare $9 and $4 for children 12 andyounger.

FosterCat has a network ofabout 25 volunteer foster homes,mostly in Allegheny County,said Alexa Howald of ButlerCounty, one of the founders.

After volunteering with Ani-mal Friends for a number ofyears, she and others becameaware of the immense cat over-population and the “fact there isjust never enough room for allthe kitties in need.”

“Our original intent was tobe a utility to the local shelters,offering foster care for cats andkittens until cage space becameavailable, but the logisticsbecame difficult,” she said. Soshe and other FosterCat found-ers decided to take over theentire process from fosteringthrough adoption and anythingin between.

Since 2001, FosterCat hasbeen adoption partners withPetSmart, a national pet storechain. PetSmart partners withmany shelters and rescue orga-nizations around the country,offering space in their stores todisplay kittens and cats avail-able for adoption. FosterCat hascages in stores in West Mifflin,Cranberry, Northway Mall inRoss and Monroeville.

“I would say 90 percent of our

kitties are adopted through thatplatform,” Mrs. Howald said.

FosterCat interviews for adop-tions by phone and then makes apersonal visit. The group thenchecks with building manag-ers for pet policies and with thewould-be owners’ veterinarianif they have other pets.

“We want people who are init for the long haul,” she said.“Statistically, the average age ofan indoor cat is 15. We only placecats with people who will keepthem indoors.”

The cats are spayed or neu-tered before being placed.

“We get calls on a daily basisfrom people asking for help,” shesaid.

The group needs people whoare willing to foster cats.

“All you need is a room wherethe cat can be separated fromother animals,” Mrs. Howaldsaid. “There are no out-of-pocketexpenses.”

Details: www.fostercat.org.

Jill Thurston, freelance writer:suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

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Tepshich said. It might make for a stellarband in a few years, but right now, a sig-nificant number of the band’s membersare pretty green.

“Feet together, new people!” Mr. Tep-shich shouted into a headset microphoneon the first day of camp. “Feet together!”

He demonstrated how to march andkeep the lines straight — he told studentsto match their strides with the othersin their line and take eight tidy stepsbetween each yard line.

“If everybody does that, these lineswill stay nice and straight,” he said.

On a first attempt, though, the linesdid not stay nice and straight. The stu-dents took eight steps, shouting “Line!”every fourth beat, but after those eightsteps, several members shifted forwardor retreated to get back into lines.

“You need to get used to staying onthe beat,” Mr. Tepshich said. “Otherwiseyou’ll just be strolling across the fieldwhile everyone else is marching.”

By the fourth try, the marching hadimproved. Mr. Tepshich then instructedthe students to march from the center ofthe field to the end zone. The formationfell apart well before they made it to theend zone, and most students were doingmore walking than marching.

“Left-right-left-right-looks-weird-feels-weird-but-you’ll-get-it,” Mr. Tepshich saidto the beat of a cow bell.

“This is very difficult!” one studentshouted.

As they learned to walk sideways whilefacing forward, a few of the younger mem-bers looked terrified, as though at anymoment their legs would betray them,twist together and drag them down to thefield.

Just three days later, however, the bandlooked, well, like a marching band.

“By the end of next week, it’ll be prettysolid,” Mr. Tepshich said.

Shaler Area will perform six songs forparades and competitions this season,including “El Cumbanchero,” “Soak Upthe Sun” and “Karn Evil 9” by progressiverock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The students said marching band takesa lot of effort, but it’s worth it.

“It’s definitely a lot of work, but it’svery rewarding,” said drum major EmilyPert, a senior. “Anyone who wants to seewhat it’s like should come to a game.”

Collin Ziegler, the other drum major,agreed.

“We complain about our uneven tanlines, but in the end it’s worth it,” he said.

— By Annie Siebert

Norwin

Aug. 8 was a sweltering day here —temperatures spiked into the 90s and anair quality action warning was in effect,encouraging people to stay inside in air-conditioned comfort.

Standing still in the shade was insuf-ferable. Imagine being in bright sunlight,walking fast and carrying and playing aninstrument, sometimes as unwieldy as atuba.

But that’s exactly what more than100 Norwin High School students weredoing.

At first, they stood stock-still on acement practice field, holding instru-ments, awaiting their next instructions.

The performance was broken intosmall segments, and after each one, banddirector Robert Traugh yelled from atower overlooking the field to the stu-dents, “Please check and adjust!”

Their heads snapped down in unisonto stare at the ground. Some made smallshifts.

“Please step it off,” he said afteranother few seconds of playing. “We defi-nitely need to [do that] in the flutes.”

One girl, holding a flute, took threecarefully measured, heel-toe steps. Laterin the practice, a French horn player tookone big step forward.

“I don’t know what happened,” he said.Toward the end of band camp, the Nor-

win marching band comes together withalmost military-esque discipline and pre-cision.

But that comes after a lot of hard workand dedication. During the last week ofschool, there’s an orientation for fresh-men and new members. A few practices

are held to go over the fundamentals ofmarching, sans instruments, “so theycan focus on their feet and they aren’tdistracted by their instruments,” drummajor Johnny Murray said.

Then, weekly practices are held everyMonday through June and July, and afive-day music camp is held in June. InJuly, the band holds “visual camp” — oneor two practices focusing on dancing andmarching.

Come August, band camp begins. It’sthree weeks with eight-hour practices thefirst two weeks and four-hour practicesthe last week.

“That’s the majority of the rehearsaland commitment,” said Johnny, a 17-year-old senior from Irwin.

“It is really difficult, and it takes awhole lot of dedication,” he said. “In theend, it’s worth it.”

Norwin’s marching band has a richhistory, and many claim it has broughtmore accolades to the district than thefootball team.

Norwin will perform Queen’s “Bohe-mian Rhapsody” for its halftime show,and its competitive performance is titled,“The Road to You,” an original composi-tion by Mr. Traugh. This year, Mr. Traughand the rest of the band staff decided tomake the competitive performance morelike something that would be seen on astage. The four-part performance is abouta couple separated by war, and the piecefollows the woman trying to get back tothe man.

“It’s like chapters in a book,” Mr.Traugh said.

Mr. Traugh said the Norwin BandAides, a parent booster organization, is“probably one of the best in the country”in terms of support for music education.

Classes during the school year arededicated to learning music, and studentsuse software called SmartMusic to prac-tice concert and marching band musicyear-round.

Technology is present during perfor-mances, too; one student is dedicated torunning a soundboard, and two comput-ers are hooked up to synthesizers.

“The kids are just really dedicated,”said North Huntingdon resident KarrieBartuska, whose son, Sam, plays saxo-phone in the marching band. “I think thefreshmen trust the upperclassmen thatthis is worth something.”

April Ngo, 16, a co-section leader for theclarinet section and a junior from Irwin,said people are “blown away” when theysee the band’s polished performance.

“All the payoff comes when we actuallyget to perform for people who don’t get tosee how much time we put in,” she said.

— By Annie Siebert

Moon Area

At Moon Area High School, precisionis key.

Band director Nick Barthen’s summerpractice schedule for his 128 studentsis incredibly regimented. He requireslengthy group stretches before each prac-

tice, and breaks are few — just enoughtime to down some water at the sidelinesand trot back onto the field. He sends aschedule to his staff before each bi-weeklypractice, broken down into 15-minuteincrements in some sections.

The field show’s theme this year is “U”and features “Who Are You” by The Whoand “Someone Like You” by Adele. It alsoincludes a song by Skrillex, which marksthe marching band’s first foray into elec-tronic dance music, and it was a welcomeone.

“You turn on the radio, you’re going tohear that,” Mr. Barthen said.

This band’s discipline was evident ata recent evening practice at McCormickElementary School. The students arelearning 96 pages of drills on the field.They don’t stand and play but remain inconstant motion in a drum corps-styleglide step for almost the entire 71 ⁄2-minuteshow.

The band learned almost a third of thepages at a week-long band camp at Wash-ington & Jefferson College in late July.Members practice evenings twice weeklythrough early November.

When they’re here, Mr. Barthen said,he doesn’t waste their time and they don’twaste his. He admitted the band haswork still to do, even with a competitiondays away. A large, talented senior classgraduated in May, he said, and many newfaces are picking up instruments for thefirst time.

On the mild Tuesday night — the firstpractice without rain in a few weeks —the band rehearsed a small section of“Who Are You” over and over again untilit was presentable.

“What we do here is not for the faint ofheart,” he said. “This is the biggest teamsport in the world. I can’t sit my teamplayers here.”

As field commander, 18-year-old ChrisLutz carries many responsibilities, andone Tuesday that included running to getreplacement batteries for the director’swalkie-talkie.

Chris has been in band since eighthgrade and shares field commander dutieswith two other boys. All play clarinet.

Although he’s not playing this year,Chris said the show’s lineup and its newelectronic elements are a good way to endon top.

“This is probably going to be my favor-ite show in all the years I’ve done this,”he said.

The band also is using technology ininteresting ways. A recording of eachindividual part in this field show is onthe band’s website, which members canaccess from home, so there’s no excuse fornot practicing at home.

“If they forget their music, they candownload it,” Mr. Barthen said.

The elementary school band directoroffers amusing Web podcasts, includ-ing “Mr. C Wants You To Practice” set tospooky music that implores elementarystudents to practice daily.

— By Molly Born

Upper St. Clair

Don Pickell held only his iPhone dur-ing Upper Saint Clair’s band camp Aug.13.

In a nearby folder, the director keepstrusty hard copies for backup, but hissmart phone does the job of many othertools that he used to rely on. He holdsthe phone’s speaker to his headset so theband can practice to a recording beforemembers run through the show for real.

Mr. Pickell has laid out field show for-mations in PDF format, too, so he can loadthem on his phone and email a copy to stu-dents, who can access them on their owndevices. One student, Mr. Pickell said,tried to learn the formations on his iPad,but that proved a little too unwieldy.

It was Day One of a two-week bandcamp held in the high school parkinglot from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It was a cool,breezy morning, the perfect time of day topractice on an asphalt parking lot. By latemorning, it had warmed up and sweathad formed, even under the neck straps ofa small but powerful group of saxophoneplayers.

This year, the 120-member band isplaying music from the 2004 Disney film“The Incredibles.”

“We have a strong brass section, and Iwanted to feature that,” Mr. Pickell said.

It’s a talented section of French hornsand wailing trumpets, to name a few. Onemember of the top brass is senior GennaGustas — the only female in the trombonesection, an instrument she has wanted toplay since fourth grade.

She chose the trombone, she saidbetween gulps of water during a quickbreak, because it’s a lot like her.

“It’s loud, it’s outgoing and it stands outabove everyone else.”

A friend from the clarinet sectionjumped in to affirm that: “Her spirit isawesome.”

Late in the practice, the band brokeinto sections to run through parademusic. Two tenor saxophone players sataway from the others and practiced in theshade on a grassy knoll near the parkinglot.

In the middle of band camp, the stu-dents had to stop and rehearse theircadence and parade music for an event atKennywood. Changing gears is just partof the game for many bands.

With all the hours the members clockon hot parking lots, on fields and in bandrooms, perfecting every pinwheel, slideand flank, it’s sometimes hard to believethey’re only in high school.

Every now and then, though, there arereminders.

Shouted Mr. Pickell to one student dur-ing band camp: “Turn around and stoptalking to that girl!”

— By Molly Born

Annie Siebert: asiebert@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1613. Twitter: @AnnieSie-bert. Molly Born: mborn@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1944. Twitter: @borntolede.

Bands create shows of sight and soundBANDS, FROM PAGE S-1

Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette photos

Senior Maura Boston, 17, left, and junior Connor McCormick, 16, practice their tenor saxophones Aug. 13 in the shade of an elevated walkway at Upper St. ClairHigh School.

Senior Jessie Reilly, 17, front center, plays trumpet Aug. 13 as the Upper St. Clair High School marching band paradesthrough the school parking lot during practice.

Yeung, who said he was repre-senting several other propertyowners.

“What you’re asking for is aguarantee and, unfortunately,Mother Nature is very power-ful,” said Commissioner RussellDel Re, who added that he hadthe “utmost” faith in townshipengineer RuthAnn Omer, whoreviewed the stormwater man-agement plan and will overseeplans for the development.

Township Manager MattSerakowski told Mr. Yeung thetownship will watch the devel-opment closely to monitor runoffand will respond if the developerdoesn’t follow regulations.

“This doesn’t end here,” hesaid.

Engineer Kim Gales saidconstruction will probably bestarted by spring.

Also moving forward areplans to renovate and expandFriendship Village of SouthHills, which received unani-mous final approval from com-missioners.

Architect Joel Schwartz saidthe senior community off BoyceRoad will build a new fitnesscenter, cafe, kitchen, theater and300-seat community room, alongwith a redesigned entrance wayand parking lot. The improve-ments are slated for the commonarea of the community, not theresidential wings, he said.

Commissioners also gavea unanimous nod to a plan byCrossgates Development toexpand parking in the rear ofthe Norman Centre to accom-modate a new restaurant.

Company vice president BobSapsara said he could not revealwhich restaurant will move tothe site of a former Pearle VisionCenter but said the operatinghours likely would be between10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Mr. Sapsara and propertyowner Art Schwotzer saidthey had met with a neighborregarding a wooded buffer zonebetween Norman Centre andresidences and they came to anagreement to clear away deadtrees and some overgrowth.

A hearing to decide whetherto grant permission for an out-door dining patio at a soon-to-be-built Bonefish Grill restaurantat South Hills Village was con-tinued until the Oct. 1 townshipmeeting to gather public input.

The application has beenreviewed and is recommendedfor approval by the townshipplanning commission.

The restaurant would be neara new Target in the southwestcorner of the mall and wouldinclude a 4,893-square-foot res-taurant and 648-square-footpatio with additional parking.

Janice Crompton: jcrompton@post-gazette.com or 412-851-1867.

UpperSt. ClairOKs 15new lots

LOTS, FROM PAGE S-1

West Penn Power has con-tracted for the ground applica-tion of herbicide solutions onelectric line rights-of-way inparts of Washington and south-ern Allegheny counties. Boththe herbicide solution and theapplication method are speci-fied by West Penn Power. Theherbicides are registered andapproved for this use by theU.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency and the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Agriculture.

The application will be per-formed on electric line rights-of-way during the period com-mencing 14 days from the dateof publication of this noticeand extending to 45 days fromthe date of publication. Prior tothe application, an attempt willbe made to contact propertyowners residing on the prop-erty scheduled for treatment ofwoody vegetation. Additionalinformation will be furnishedduring this contact.

Requests for additional infor-mation should be directed to:

Tim Lipinski

Distribution Specialist

West Penn Power

365 Washington Rd.

Washington, PA 15301

Phone: 1-800-255-3443

NOTICE TO WEST

PENN POWER

CUSTOMERS WITH

RIGHT-OF-WAY

ACROSS THEIR

PROPERTY

Where it’s alwayshockey time

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PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 ! WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM S-5

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the majority of patients residingin huts on the town’s rural out-skirts.

Mr. DeGregorio, now of ForestHills, is the former head basket-ball coach at Upper St. Clair andNorth Hills high schools andClarion University; assistantcoach at the University of Pitts-burgh — and an inductee of theWestern Pennsylvania SportsHall of Fame.

Now he runs a basketballclinic across from Beit CURE.

Children often walk milesalone to attend the clinic becausevillagers do not have cars.

“There are no soccer moms,”he said.

Inside the hospital, Mr.DeGregorio comforts familiesand entertains them with magictricks.

“This is something we can doand give back,” he said.

Mrs. DeGregorio, 75, a retiredspeech pathologist, assists medi-cal personnel.

“It was on my bucket list,” shesaid of the service work.

The couple fund their owntravel expenses, which this yeartotal about $7,000.

The 20-member Surgicorpsteam headed for Lusaka includesthe DeGregorios’ neighbor,Linda Esposto, executive direc-tor of Surgicorps.

The nonprofit organizationprovides opportunities for medi-cal and nonmedical volunteers,such as the DeGregorios.

“Everyone can hold a hand,smile and comfort a family anda patient in any language or anycountry,” Ms. Esposto, 61, said.

The team of three surgeonswill be headed by lead surgeonJack Demos of Fox Chapel, aretired board certified recon-structive and plastic surgeon— and volunteer — who foundedSurgicorps in 1994.

“He is one of my heroes. Hehas been doing this work andall the traveling for the last 18years,” Mr. DeGregorio said.

So far this year, Surgicorps’teams have traveled to Gua-temala, in Central America,and Bhutan, in southern Asiabetween China and India. Thevolunteers will also journey toVietnam by year’s end.

Last year, the surgeons per-formed 43 corrective surgeriesin five days in Lusaka. Of those,about half were cleft lip and cleftpalate repairs and other birthdeformities; the other half werefor snake bites and for burnsfrom the open fires used forcooking.

Ms. Esposto said one of themost rewarding aspects of theZambian mission is the peoplethey serve, whom she called“very happy, family-orientedand gentle.”

“The whole family comesto the hospital. Everyone isan equal partner in the familywhen it comes to a sick child,”she said.

They are also appreciative ofthe team’s efforts — regardlessof the outcome.

“Ifwecan’tmedicallyimprovethe condition they still thankyou for seeing the child and tell-ing them what you found,” Ms.Esposto said.

After their service, the DeGre-gorios will fly to Zimbabwe toembark on a safari and visit Vic-toria Falls.

“Somewhere along the linesomeone said to stay busy inretirement, and we are doing it,”Mr. DeGregorio said.

To volunteer, or to donatemoney or supplies, visit: www.surgicorps.org.

Margaret Smykla, freelancewriter; suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

Coupleon wayback toZambia

ZAMBIA, FROM PAGE S-1

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

Near left: Joeand EmmyDeGregorio ofForest Hills willbe leaving forZambia soon.

Far left: Joecoacheshis team inZambia. (Photofrom SurgicorpsInternational.)

Stay connected withthe Post-Gazette

Follow us on Twittertwitter.com/pittsburghpg

In an emergencyyou shouldn’t have to wait.At Canonsburg General Hospital’s Emergency Department themajority of patients never even see the waiting room. We arecommitted to providing the most rapid care in our region.

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PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 ! WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COMS-6

School is back in session fora new school year and in manySouth Hills public school dis-tricts that means new faces, pro-grams, curricula and technol-ogy. For some, it means new orupdated buildings.

Here are some highlights ofthis new school year, along withkey facts — including tax infor-mation — about each district.

Note that student enrollmentfigures are still in flux.

Not all districts could pro-vide complete information. Fordetails on a district, contact thatdistrict’s business office.

Baldwin-WhitehallBaldwin Borough, Baldwin

Township, WhitehallEnrollment: 4,182Employees: 603Buildings: 5 — 1 high school,

1 middle, 3 elementary2012-13 budget: $66.18

million; no tax hike; no programcuts

Average tax bill: $3,510New this year: Randal A. Lutz

is the new superintendent andDenise Sedlacek is new assis-tant superintendent.

Two positions were createdand filled: Andrea Huffman,director of curriculum; DarleneDeFilippo, director of programs.

The district replaced Aramarkwith Tammy Caponi as the newin-house food service director.

Website: www.bwschools.net

Bethel ParkEnrollment: 4,500Employees: 711Buildings: 8; 1 high school, 2

middle, 5 elementary2012-13 budget: $73.26

million; tax rate increased from24.97 mills in 2011-12 to 25.49in 2012-13; no program cuts

Average tax bill: $3,905New this year: The district

plans to complete the finalphase of the high school project.The new high school’s 375-space parking lot was finishedin time for students’ return Tues-day. The adjoining athletic com-plex with tennis courts, practicefields, softball field and lightingis to be completed by November.

A new McGraw-Hill social stud-ies curriculum is being rolledout for grades K-12. Students ingrades 5-12 will participate in anew online career planning pro-gram called Naviance.

Website: www.bpsd.org

BrentwoodEnrollment: 1,250Employees: 162Buildings: 3; 1 middle/senior

high, 2 elementaryBudget: $19.46 million; no

tax hikes or program cuts.Average tax bill: $3,061New this year: The district is

implementing a revised Englishand Language Arts curriculum forstudents in grades K-12. Also,the new iSafe program teachesappropriate online behavior.

There will also be menuchanges in cafeterias throughoutthe district to comply with newnutrition standards.

Website: www.brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us

Canon-McMillanCanonsburg, North Strabane,

CecilStudents: 4,929Employees: information

unavailableBuildings: 11; 1 high school,

1 middle school, 2 intermedi-ate schools for fifth and sixthgrades, and 7 elementary, K-4

Budget: $62.6 million; taxrate increased by 1.59 mills from

105.41 in 2011 to 107 in 2012.No program cuts.

Average tax bill: informationunavailable

New this year: The districtadded a few more special edu-cation classes and replacedteachers who retired or resignedresulting in the hiring of morethan 23 teachers.

Extended-day kindergartenhas been reinstituted thanks toadditional Accountability BlockGrant funding.

Teachers are preparing highschool students to take threestate-required Keystone Examsand have begun teaching thePennsylvania Common CoreState Standards.

District libraries updated thecataloging/resource manage-ment system. New Spanish andFrench textbook series and APbiology texts are in place.

Website: www.cmsd.k12.pa.us

Clairton CityStudents: 746Employees: 101Buildings: 1; Clairton Educa-

tion Center serves grades K-12

Budget: $14.06 million; taxrate increased by 4 mills from3.5 in 2011 to 7.5 in 2012.There were no program cuts.

Average tax bill: $1,741New this year: The district

received a four-year grant fromthe Consortium for Public Edu-cation to launch its new AfterSchool Teaching and LearningExperience. The program is freefor students in grades 5-8 until6 p.m. every Monday throughThursday. Students are tutoredin math and reading, then par-ticipate in activities contractedthrough local vendors, such aship/hop music production, art,bicycling, conflict resolution andhealth, nutrition and wellness.Snacks and dinner are provided.

Website: www.clairton.k12.pa.us

City of DuquesneThe district’s 486 students

started Aug. 27.Employees: 72Buildings: oneBudget: $16.13 million.Average tax bill: Not availableNew this year: Partnership

formed with the Duquesne

Boys and Girls Club to operateDuquesne’s Extended Day pro-gram at both the district and theclub’s offices. The free programis open to Duquesne studentsstarting Monday. It features tutor-ing, homework help, social andleadership activities. A snack anddinner will be provided. Registra-tion forms are available at districtoffices or call 412-466-9600,ext. 7020, or 412-466-3626.

Keystone OaksCastle Shannon, Dormont and

Green TreeStudents: 2,051Employees: 246Buildings: 5; 3 elementary, 1

middle, 1 highBudget: $34.31 million; no

tax hike or program cutsAverage tax bill: $2,848New this year: William P.

Stropkaj is new superintendent.Acting superintendent Kathy Fos-ter will resume her role as assis-tant superintendent and overseecurriculum.

The school board hired MarkIampietro as new principal atFred L. Aiken Elementary School,and Eric Brandenburg was hired

as the district business man-ager.

Website: www.kosd.org

McKeesport AreaDravosburg, Versailles, White

Oak, McKeesport and SouthVersailles

Students: 3,738Employees: 560Buildings: 6; 1 high, 1 middle,

1 intermediate, 3 elementaryBudget: $55.95 million; tax

rate increased from 17.05 millsin 2011 to 17.49 mills in 2012.No programs were cut.

Average tax bill: $9001New this year: The district

completed a renovation projecton the Francis McClure Interme-diate School.

A new dress code was imple-mented for all students. Detailsare on the district’s website.

Breakfast prices increasedfrom $0.65 to $0.75 and lunchprices increased from $1.05 to$1.15, elementary; and $1.15 to$1.25, secondary.

The new PLATO online learningsoftware was launched for stu-dents in grades K-12. In addition,K-6 students have a new mathcurriculum. Wireless Internet isavailable in all district buildings.

Website: www.mckasd.net

Mt. LebanonStudents: 5,297Employees: 731Buildings: 10; 1 high, 2 mid-

dle, 7 elementaryBudget: $80.58 million; tax

rate increased from 26.63 millsin 2011 to 27.13 mills in 2012.No programs were cut.

Average tax bill: $5,579New this year: Students at

all schools are building floatsfor the Mt. Lebanon CentennialParade at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Work continues on the highschool project.

New principals this year are:Marybeth Irvin, Lincoln Elemen-tary; Jason Ramsey, FosterElementary; Erin Wright, unitprincipal at the high school; Jef-frey Zeiders, assistant principalat Jefferson Middle.

The district implemented newarrival and dismissal times forelementary schools. School daysnow start at 8:30 a.m.; lunchand recess are from noon to 1p.m. The elementary school daywill end at 3:30 p.m.

Website: www.mtlsd.org.

SEE BACK, PAGE S-7

What’s new in South Hills schools?People, programs, technology and even buildings have changed or been updated for students returning to class

Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette photos

MUSIC CLASS IN ACTION

Left: Josh Knehr and Tyler Derose do a little “air guitar” to“Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty at the start of class. They areworking on the “Garage Band” program on their new iPadsin Dave DiFilippo’s fourth-grade music class at McMurrayElementary School in the Peters school district.

Above: Ella Sticha, 9, works on the “Garage Band” program.

How do you choose a primary care physician? Start with an impressive list.Jefferson Regional Medical Center has more than 70 physicians in 28 communities.

Primary care is the foundation of our health care program.That’s why we’ve gathered so many excellent primary care physicians in convenient locationsthroughout the area. All are committed to Jefferson Regional, and one is sure to be close to your home. Call today to make an appointment. And choosea primary care physician who can give you access to some of the finest health care in the region. 565 Coal Valley Road | Jefferson Hills, PA 15025 | 412.469.7000 | jeffersonregional.com

Preferred Primary Care PhysiciansJefferson RegionalBethel Park Campus1000 Higbee Drive, Suite 103Bethel Park PA 15102412.854.1224Gates, Michael, M.D.Rozen, Shari, M.D.

South Hills Family MedicineJefferson RegionalBethel Park Campus1000 Higbee Drive, Suite 104Bethel Park PA 15102412.833.6176Chopra, Monica I., M.D.Deyarmin, Brian J., M.D.Furlong, Natalie V., D.O.McGonigal, Michael P., M.D.Tu, Benjamin, M.D.

Thomas G. Zelonis, D.O.2403 South Park RoadBethel Park, PA 15102412.835.3300Bethel Park/WhitehallThomas L. Schaefer, M.D.& Associates6011 Baptist Road, Suite 200Bethel Park PA 15236412.851.1200Schaefer, Thomas L., M.D.

BrentwoodBrentwood Medical GroupBrentwood Professional Plaza3720 Brownsville RoadPittsburgh PA 15227412.882.9455Carnivale, Scott P., M.D.Majkic, Dushan, M.D.Phillips, Scott T., M.D.

McCormick Medical AssociatesBrentwood Professional Plaza3726 Brownsville RoadPittsburgh PA 15227412.885.6330McCormick, Lee H., M.D.

CaliforniaSouthwest Medical Center, Inc.371 Skyline DriveCalifornia PA 15419724.938.8161Ekbote, Seema K., M.D.Gandhi, Anant J., M.D.Gosai, Kamlesh, M.D.

Charleroi/SpeersDeRienzo Family Practice17 Arentzen Boulevard, Suite 101Charleroi PA 15022724.483.3581Ardinger, Eric J., D.O.DeRienzo, Umberto A., M.D.Wingrove, Rhonda S., M.D.

Southwest Medical Center, Inc.1200 McKean Avenue, Suite 107Charleroi PA 15022724.489.0866Ekbote, Seema K., M.D.Gandhi, Anant J., M.D.Gosai, Kamlesh, M.D.

ClairtonPandey, Ramesh, M.D.803 Miller AvenueClairton PA 15025412.233.5150Elizabeth TownshipWeigles Hill Family Medicine1001 Weigles Hill RoadElizabeth PA 15037412.384.8070Holman, Ingrid A., M.D.

Jefferson HillsEdward Jew, III, M.D.South Hills Medical Building,Suite 312575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.267.6307Family Practice MedicalAssociates SouthJefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 290Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.729.1500Barrett, Sean L., M.D.Ciampa, Anthony J., M.D.Crable, Daniel J., M.D.Dashottar, Nupur, M.D.Gagianas, Peter J., M.D.Komer, Louis M., M.D.Kovkarova-Naumovski,Elizabeta A., M.D.

Minyon-Sarver, Dawn M., D.O.Portz, Matthew C., M.D.Schuman, Linda J., M.D.Sharma, Neelum, M.D.Urban, Richard S., II, M.D.

Jefferson Associates inInternal MedicineSouth Hills Medical Building,Suite 405575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.466.6161Mallinger, Michael I., M.D.

Jefferson Internal MedicineSouth Hills Medical Building,Suite 374575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.469.7744Lilienthal, David S., M.D.

JRMC Family MedicineJefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 270Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.469.7120Lu, Eduardo C., M.D.

JRMC Internal MedicineSouth Hills Medical Building,Suite 209575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.267.6266Menon, Madhusudan, M.D.

Lo, Shih-Chieh, M.D.Jefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 280Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.466.1203Prime Medical GroupJefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 110Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.466.5502Chauhan, Ambaram V., M.D.Jones-Gordon, Sandra, M.D.Mohtasebi, Yasaman, M.D.

Lincoln PlaceSantiesteban, Joseph A., M.D.5426 Mif!in RoadPittsburgh PA 15207412.462.1800McKeesportAntoncic, Rudolph A., III, M.D.5301 Walnut StreetMcKeesport PA 15132412.751.4400Waligura, R. Curtis, D.O.2709 O�Neill Blvd.McKeesport PA 15132412.678.7717

McMurray/Peters TownshipJRMC McMurray455 Valley Brook Road, Suite 300McMurray PA 15317724.941.5588Petraglia, Vincent F., D.O.

South Hills Family Medicine4049 Washington RoadMcMurray PA 15317412.833.6176Chopra, Monica I., M.D.Deyarmin, Brian J., M.D.Furlong, Natalie V., D.O.McGonigal, Michael P., M.D.Tu, Benjamin, M.D.

Mt. LebanonMedi-Help Medical Center1691 Washington RoadPittsburgh PA 15228412.835.6900Janicijevic, Nenad, M.D.

MunhallHandelsman Family Practice, LLC3212 Main StreetMunhall PA 15120412.462.7700Handelsman, Gordon L., M.D.

Waligura, R. Curtis, D.O.1801 West StreetMunhall PA 15120412.461.2790New EagleMichael, Joseph T., M.D.433 Main StreetNew Eagle PA 15067724.258.2400Pleasant HillsLeehan, Sean W., M.D.455 E. Bruceton RoadPittsburgh PA 15236412.653.9515Nelson, Lawrence J., M.D.777 Clairton BoulevardPittsburgh PA 15236412.655.7525Preferred Primary Care Physicians140 Curry Hollow Road, Suite 2Pittsburgh PA 15236412.650.5623Bennett, Nathan L., M.D.Gates, Michael, M.D.Palchick, Bryce, M.D.Rozen, Shari, M.D.

V.E. Reyes, M.D. & Associates67 Old Clairton RoadPittsburgh PA 15236412.655.3444Reyes, Kathleen W., D.O.Reyes, Vincent E., M.D.

South ParkPaul G. Linder, M.D. & Associates1201 Broughton Road, 1st FloorPittsburgh PA 15236412.655.8515Linder, Paul G., M.D.

Turtle CreekR.C. Medical Associates, P.C.501 Penn Avenue, Suite 2Turtle Creek PA 15145412.823.7390Apaga, Elmer L., M.D.Chakrapani, Raja M., M.D.Chatha, Aiysha I., M.D.Chitta, Venkat L., M.D.

Upper St. ClairFamily Practice MedicalAssociates South2581 Washington Road, Suite 211Pittsburgh PA 15241412.831.8089Barrett, Sean L., M.D.Ciampa, Anthony J., M.D.Crable, Daniel J., M.D.Dashottar, Nupur, M.D.Gagianas, Peter J., M.D.Komer, Louis M., M.D.Kovkarova-Naumovski,Elizabeta A., M.D.

Minyon-Sarver, Dawn M., D.O.Portz, Matthew C., M.D.Schuman, Linda J., M.D.Sharma, Neelum, M.D.Urban, Richard S., II, M.D.

Waterfront/HomesteadSouth Hills Family Medicine495 E. Waterfront Drive, Suite 250Homestead PA 15120412.833.6176Chopra, Monica I., M.D.Deyarmin, Brian J., M.D.Furlong, Natalie V., D.O.McGonigal, Michael P., M.D.Tu, Benjamin, M.D.

West Mif!in/DuquesneCentury III Medical Associates2027 Lebanon Church RoadWest Mif!in PA 15122412.655.8650Annear, William C., M.D.Beck, Ronald C., M.D.Bhat, Mohan R., M.D.Edwards, Anita, M.D.Kraftowitz, Robert E., M.D.Nair, Sreelatha C., M.D.Syeda, Asma M., M.D.

JRMC Internal Medicine1310 Hoffman BoulevardWest Mif!in PA 15122412.461.8060Menon, Madhusudan, M.D.

White OakDiToppa Medical Center1978 Lincoln WayWhite Oak PA 15131412.664.0720DiToppa, Louis A., D.O.

Raphael Family Medicine3025 Jacks Run RoadWhite Oak PA 15131412.673.0738Kummant, Eileen M., M.D.

R.C. Medical Associates, P.C.1801 Lincoln WayWhite Oak PA 15131412.672.8311Apaga, Elmer L., M.D.Chakrapani, Raja M., M.D.Chatha, Aiysha I., M.D.Chitta, Venkat L., M.D.

BaldwinFamily Medicine-Rutovic, P.C.5119 Clairton BoulevardPittsburgh PA 15236412.881.4930Rutovic, Zorica, M.D.

Howard Pittle, M.D., P.C.,Family Medicine5247 Brownsville RoadPittsburgh PA 15236412.943.1022Pittle, Howard S., M.D.

Belle Vernon/RostraverPrime Medical Group1533 Broad Avenue ExtensionBelle Vernon PA 15012724.929.6700Chauhan, Ambaram V., M.D.Jones-Gordon, Sandra, M.D.Mohtasebi, Yasaman, M.D.

Prime Medical Group-South1645 Rostraver Road, Suite 202Belle Vernon PA 15012724.929.2260Long, Richard A., M.D.

Tri County Medical Practice133 Finley RoadBelle Vernon PA 15012724.929.6560Jain, Ashok K., M.D.Shah, Rajesh C., M.D.

BentleyvilleSouthwest Medical Center, Inc.119 Wilson RoadBentleyville PA 15314724.239.4700Ekbote, Seema K., M.D.Gandhi, Anant J., M.D.Gosai, Kamlesh, M.D.

Bethel ParkFamily Practice MedicalAssociates South2414 Lytle Road, Suite 300Bethel Park PA 15102412.835.8090Barrett, Sean L., M.D.Ciampa, Anthony J., M.D.Crable, Daniel J., M.D.Dashottar, Nupur, M.D.Gagianas, Peter J., M.D.Komer, Louis M., M.D.Kovkarova-Naumovski,Elizabeta A., M.D.

Minyon-Sarver, Dawn M., D.O.Portz, Matthew C., M.D.Schuman, Linda J., M.D.Sharma, Neelum, M.D.Urban, Richard S., II, M.D.

With so many primarycare physicians, it�seasy to !nd one who�sclose to your home.

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Sep 05 2012 05:38:51:170PM South Zone

S-7

S-7

Peters TownshipStudents: 4,413Employees: unavailableBuildings: 5; 1 high, 1 middle;

3 elementaryBudget: $50.87 million; tax

rate increased from 96.51 millsin 2011 to 100.3 mills in 2012.No programs were cut.

Average tax bill: $3,272New this year: The high

school pilots Bring Your OwnDevice technology initiative: Stu-dents are permitted to use theirown technology in the classroom.

The high school now alignscurricula to the new PennsylvaniaCommon Core Standards andprepare students for the subjectarea Keystone Exams. Addition-ally, several courses have beenadded that support the STEMinitiative (Honors Organic Chem-istry, Agile Robotics II), and thedistrict will be working to developmore (Honors Linear Algebra andadditional engineering courses).

Vince Belczyk is new businessmanager; Mara Linaberger, direc-tor of staff development; andPatricia Kelly, director of specialeducation.

Two new iPad mobile labshave been purchased for McMur-ray Elementary.

Valedictorian and graduatesof distinction classificationshave been eliminated at thehigh school this year. Instead,students will be recognized foracademic achievement with thedistinctions of cum laude, magnacum laude, summa cum laude,and PT scholar.

The class of 2014 will be thefirst to take Keystone Exams inplace of the PSSA exams.

Website: www.ptsd.k12.pa.us

South FayetteSouth Fayette. McDonald,

Cecil, parts of Bridgeville, Mor-gan, Cuddy, Presto, Oakdale

Students: 2,708Employees: unavailableBuildings: 6; 1 high, 2 middle,

3 elementaryBudget: $37.5 million. Tax

rate increased from 27.83 millsin 2011 to 28.82 mills in 2012.No program cuts.

Average tax bill: $3,892New this year: A new inter-

mediate elementary building forgrades 3, 4 and 5 is targeted forcompletion by August 2013.

Enrollment is up by 108 stu-dents. To accommodate theinflux, the district hired 5.5 new

teachers and one contingentteacher at the elementary level.

The district has implementeda new digital atlas system; thereis a new reading series in theelementary; a pre-AP initiativehas been launched in the middleschools and new mathematicalconcepts are being introducedthroughout the district.

The Robot Diaries programis continuing as part of thedistrict’s higher education part-nership with Carnegie MellonUniversity as is the Project BasedLearning Initiative that providesstudents with real world experi-ences in partnership with busi-nesses.

Website: The district launcheda newly designed website: www.southfayette.org

Steel ValleyHomestead, Munhall and

West HomesteadStudents: 1,800Employees: unavailableBuildings: 5; 1 high, 1 middle,

3 elementaryBudget: $25.69 million. No

tax hikes or program cuts.Average tax bill: $1,062New this year: The district

has been awarded a Key-stones to Opportunity Grant of$600,000 a year for five years.It will be used to improve literacyand Head Start programs byestablishing computer lab andliteracy tutors in elementaryschools, buying more projectors,whiteboards and new software,and providing professional devel-opment training. With the stateenacting new requirements forliteracy plans, the grant will alsohelp underwrite the district’s costof a comprehensive plan.

The district recalled threeteachers from the furlough listand welcomed two new admin-istrators: Lauren Baughman,principal at Park Elementary, andJill Fleming-Salopek, assistantprincipal at the high school.

Website: www.svsd.k12.pa.us

Upper St. ClairStudents: 4,142Employees: 568Buildings: 6; 1 high, 2 middle,

3 elementaryBudget: $61.77 million; tax

rates increased from 24.1 millsin 2011 to 25.718 in 2012. Noprograms were cut.

Average tax bill: $6,341New this year: Breakfast

prices increased from $1.10 to$1.20, elementary; and $1.20 to$1.30, secondary. Lunch prices

increased from $1.85 to $2.05,elementary; and $2.10 to $2.30,secondary.

The curriculum has beenrealigned districtwide for allgrades with Pennsylvania Com-mon Core Standards; an Internetsafety/cyber-bullying preventioncurriculum has been imple-mented.

The high school is piloting theLeadership Academy Phase IIIand a one-week STEM summeracademy for grades 9-12. Themiddle schools adopted the Cog-nitive Tutor Algebra 1 course foreighth-graders and will continuetextual evaluations for grades5-8. Elementary schools adoptedenVision and Investigations mathprograms and will adopt or pilotnew ASSET science units.

Sharon Suritsky is new assis-tant superintendent; MelissaGarvin, supervisor of specialeducation; Patrick McClintock-Comeaux, principal at Baker Ele-mentary; John Rozzo is academicprincipal, and Amy Pfender,assistant principal, for Boyce andFort Couch middle schools; LouAngelo, associate principal, andChristine Mussomeli, assistantprincipal, at the high school.

Two district office positions,director of human resourcesand director of operations, com-munity relations and specialprojects; and one building levelposition, director of high schoolguidance, have been eliminated.

Website: www.uscsd.k12.pa.us

West Jefferson HillsJefferson, Pleasant Hills and

West ElizabethStudents: 2,925Employees: 350Buildings: 5; 1 high; 1 middle;

3 elementaryBudget: $37.81 million; no

tax hikes or program cutsAverage tax bill: $2,762New this year: Christopher

Very is new principal at JeffersonElementary. Ten new facultymembers have been hired.

The Move Up Day MentoringProgram is being established atthe high school. Senior mentorswill facilitate the transition of theClass of 2016 to the high school.

Middle school classes willfocus on ancestry, studying howthey are influenced by family,heritage, traditions and values.Twelve whiteboards and projec-tors will be installed in readingand language arts classrooms,and The Olweus Bullying Preven-

Students head back to newbuildings, programs, people

BACK, FROM PAGE S-6

tion Program, a districtwide initia-tive, will be implemented.

Treasures, a new readingseries aligned with PennsylvaniaAcademic Standards and theNational Common Core Stan-dards for students in gradesK-5, will be introduced at Gill HallElementary.

McClellan Elementary isemphasizing positive behaviorby rewarding students “caught”doing something “good.”

There are new school lanerestrictions at McClellan. Traf-fic is restricted on School Lanebetween 8 a.m. and 8:20 a.m.and again from 3:05 p.m. to3:30 p.m. on school days. Par-ents will be permitted to parkin the school parking lot for the

3:10 p.m. dismissal.This year, fifth-graders at Jef-

ferson Elementary can enroll inprograms provided by the teach-ers of special areas during lunch-time recess, such as physicaleducation, art, music and library.

The district has updated cur-riculum and is preparing to con-clude its comprehensive plan andlong-range facilities review.

Website: www.wjhsd.net

West Mifflin AreaWest Mifflin and WhitakerStudents: 3,024Employees: 376Buildings: 5; 1 high, 1 middle,

3 elementaryBudget: $44.92 million. No

tax hikes or program cuts

Average tax bill: $2,318New this year: The district

was re-configured after the clos-ing of New England Elementary.Remaining elementary schoolsare now pre-K-3, and the middleschool is grades 4-8. To accom-modate, there are now staggeredstarts to the school day. Grades4-5 start at 8:50 a.m. and endat the same time as the elemen-tary. Grades 6-8 start at 7:50a.m. and end on normal middleschool schedule.

A broker has been hired to sellthe New England building.

New baseball and softballcomplex is complete.

Website: www.wmasd.org.

— Compiled by Shannon Nass

Chris Kasprak/Post-Gazette photos

RACCOON LOVE

Jefferson Hills Library hosteda reading of “The KissingHand” by Audrey Penn Aug.21. It tells the story of araccoon that doesn’t want togo to school until his motherassures him he will love it. Thelibrary presented the readingfor preschool and elementaryschoolchildren going back toclass.

Left: William Healy, 5, makesa face at the paper raccoonhe created.

Below: Gabby Tokar, 7, atwork.

How do you choose a primary care physician? Start with an impressive list.Jefferson Regional Medical Center has more than 70 physicians in 28 communities.

Primary care is the foundation of our health care program.That’s why we’ve gathered so many excellent primary care physicians in convenient locationsthroughout the area. All are committed to Jefferson Regional, and one is sure to be close to your home. Call today to make an appointment. And choosea primary care physician who can give you access to some of the finest health care in the region. 565 Coal Valley Road | Jefferson Hills, PA 15025 | 412.469.7000 | jeffersonregional.com

Preferred Primary Care PhysiciansJefferson RegionalBethel Park Campus1000 Higbee Drive, Suite 103Bethel Park PA 15102412.854.1224Gates, Michael, M.D.Rozen, Shari, M.D.

South Hills Family MedicineJefferson RegionalBethel Park Campus1000 Higbee Drive, Suite 104Bethel Park PA 15102412.833.6176Chopra, Monica I., M.D.Deyarmin, Brian J., M.D.Furlong, Natalie V., D.O.McGonigal, Michael P., M.D.Tu, Benjamin, M.D.

Thomas G. Zelonis, D.O.2403 South Park RoadBethel Park, PA 15102412.835.3300Bethel Park/WhitehallThomas L. Schaefer, M.D.& Associates6011 Baptist Road, Suite 200Bethel Park PA 15236412.851.1200Schaefer, Thomas L., M.D.

BrentwoodBrentwood Medical GroupBrentwood Professional Plaza3720 Brownsville RoadPittsburgh PA 15227412.882.9455Carnivale, Scott P., M.D.Majkic, Dushan, M.D.Phillips, Scott T., M.D.

McCormick Medical AssociatesBrentwood Professional Plaza3726 Brownsville RoadPittsburgh PA 15227412.885.6330McCormick, Lee H., M.D.

CaliforniaSouthwest Medical Center, Inc.371 Skyline DriveCalifornia PA 15419724.938.8161Ekbote, Seema K., M.D.Gandhi, Anant J., M.D.Gosai, Kamlesh, M.D.

Charleroi/SpeersDeRienzo Family Practice17 Arentzen Boulevard, Suite 101Charleroi PA 15022724.483.3581Ardinger, Eric J., D.O.DeRienzo, Umberto A., M.D.Wingrove, Rhonda S., M.D.

Southwest Medical Center, Inc.1200 McKean Avenue, Suite 107Charleroi PA 15022724.489.0866Ekbote, Seema K., M.D.Gandhi, Anant J., M.D.Gosai, Kamlesh, M.D.

ClairtonPandey, Ramesh, M.D.803 Miller AvenueClairton PA 15025412.233.5150Elizabeth TownshipWeigles Hill Family Medicine1001 Weigles Hill RoadElizabeth PA 15037412.384.8070Holman, Ingrid A., M.D.

Jefferson HillsEdward Jew, III, M.D.South Hills Medical Building,Suite 312575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.267.6307Family Practice MedicalAssociates SouthJefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 290Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.729.1500Barrett, Sean L., M.D.Ciampa, Anthony J., M.D.Crable, Daniel J., M.D.Dashottar, Nupur, M.D.Gagianas, Peter J., M.D.Komer, Louis M., M.D.Kovkarova-Naumovski,Elizabeta A., M.D.

Minyon-Sarver, Dawn M., D.O.Portz, Matthew C., M.D.Schuman, Linda J., M.D.Sharma, Neelum, M.D.Urban, Richard S., II, M.D.

Jefferson Associates inInternal MedicineSouth Hills Medical Building,Suite 405575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.466.6161Mallinger, Michael I., M.D.

Jefferson Internal MedicineSouth Hills Medical Building,Suite 374575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.469.7744Lilienthal, David S., M.D.

JRMC Family MedicineJefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 270Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.469.7120Lu, Eduardo C., M.D.

JRMC Internal MedicineSouth Hills Medical Building,Suite 209575 Coal Valley RoadJefferson Hills PA 15025412.267.6266Menon, Madhusudan, M.D.

Lo, Shih-Chieh, M.D.Jefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 280Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.466.1203Prime Medical GroupJefferson Medical Arts Building1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 110Jefferson Hills PA 15025412.466.5502Chauhan, Ambaram V., M.D.Jones-Gordon, Sandra, M.D.Mohtasebi, Yasaman, M.D.

Lincoln PlaceSantiesteban, Joseph A., M.D.5426 Mif!in RoadPittsburgh PA 15207412.462.1800McKeesportAntoncic, Rudolph A., III, M.D.5301 Walnut StreetMcKeesport PA 15132412.751.4400Waligura, R. Curtis, D.O.2709 O�Neill Blvd.McKeesport PA 15132412.678.7717

McMurray/Peters TownshipJRMC McMurray455 Valley Brook Road, Suite 300McMurray PA 15317724.941.5588Petraglia, Vincent F., D.O.

South Hills Family Medicine4049 Washington RoadMcMurray PA 15317412.833.6176Chopra, Monica I., M.D.Deyarmin, Brian J., M.D.Furlong, Natalie V., D.O.McGonigal, Michael P., M.D.Tu, Benjamin, M.D.

Mt. LebanonMedi-Help Medical Center1691 Washington RoadPittsburgh PA 15228412.835.6900Janicijevic, Nenad, M.D.

MunhallHandelsman Family Practice, LLC3212 Main StreetMunhall PA 15120412.462.7700Handelsman, Gordon L., M.D.

Waligura, R. Curtis, D.O.1801 West StreetMunhall PA 15120412.461.2790New EagleMichael, Joseph T., M.D.433 Main StreetNew Eagle PA 15067724.258.2400Pleasant HillsLeehan, Sean W., M.D.455 E. Bruceton RoadPittsburgh PA 15236412.653.9515Nelson, Lawrence J., M.D.777 Clairton BoulevardPittsburgh PA 15236412.655.7525Preferred Primary Care Physicians140 Curry Hollow Road, Suite 2Pittsburgh PA 15236412.650.5623Bennett, Nathan L., M.D.Gates, Michael, M.D.Palchick, Bryce, M.D.Rozen, Shari, M.D.

V.E. Reyes, M.D. & Associates67 Old Clairton RoadPittsburgh PA 15236412.655.3444Reyes, Kathleen W., D.O.Reyes, Vincent E., M.D.

South ParkPaul G. Linder, M.D. & Associates1201 Broughton Road, 1st FloorPittsburgh PA 15236412.655.8515Linder, Paul G., M.D.

Turtle CreekR.C. Medical Associates, P.C.501 Penn Avenue, Suite 2Turtle Creek PA 15145412.823.7390Apaga, Elmer L., M.D.Chakrapani, Raja M., M.D.Chatha, Aiysha I., M.D.Chitta, Venkat L., M.D.

Upper St. ClairFamily Practice MedicalAssociates South2581 Washington Road, Suite 211Pittsburgh PA 15241412.831.8089Barrett, Sean L., M.D.Ciampa, Anthony J., M.D.Crable, Daniel J., M.D.Dashottar, Nupur, M.D.Gagianas, Peter J., M.D.Komer, Louis M., M.D.Kovkarova-Naumovski,Elizabeta A., M.D.

Minyon-Sarver, Dawn M., D.O.Portz, Matthew C., M.D.Schuman, Linda J., M.D.Sharma, Neelum, M.D.Urban, Richard S., II, M.D.

Waterfront/HomesteadSouth Hills Family Medicine495 E. Waterfront Drive, Suite 250Homestead PA 15120412.833.6176Chopra, Monica I., M.D.Deyarmin, Brian J., M.D.Furlong, Natalie V., D.O.McGonigal, Michael P., M.D.Tu, Benjamin, M.D.

West Mif!in/DuquesneCentury III Medical Associates2027 Lebanon Church RoadWest Mif!in PA 15122412.655.8650Annear, William C., M.D.Beck, Ronald C., M.D.Bhat, Mohan R., M.D.Edwards, Anita, M.D.Kraftowitz, Robert E., M.D.Nair, Sreelatha C., M.D.Syeda, Asma M., M.D.

JRMC Internal Medicine1310 Hoffman BoulevardWest Mif!in PA 15122412.461.8060Menon, Madhusudan, M.D.

White OakDiToppa Medical Center1978 Lincoln WayWhite Oak PA 15131412.664.0720DiToppa, Louis A., D.O.

Raphael Family Medicine3025 Jacks Run RoadWhite Oak PA 15131412.673.0738Kummant, Eileen M., M.D.

R.C. Medical Associates, P.C.1801 Lincoln WayWhite Oak PA 15131412.672.8311Apaga, Elmer L., M.D.Chakrapani, Raja M., M.D.Chatha, Aiysha I., M.D.Chitta, Venkat L., M.D.

BaldwinFamily Medicine-Rutovic, P.C.5119 Clairton BoulevardPittsburgh PA 15236412.881.4930Rutovic, Zorica, M.D.

Howard Pittle, M.D., P.C.,Family Medicine5247 Brownsville RoadPittsburgh PA 15236412.943.1022Pittle, Howard S., M.D.

Belle Vernon/RostraverPrime Medical Group1533 Broad Avenue ExtensionBelle Vernon PA 15012724.929.6700Chauhan, Ambaram V., M.D.Jones-Gordon, Sandra, M.D.Mohtasebi, Yasaman, M.D.

Prime Medical Group-South1645 Rostraver Road, Suite 202Belle Vernon PA 15012724.929.2260Long, Richard A., M.D.

Tri County Medical Practice133 Finley RoadBelle Vernon PA 15012724.929.6560Jain, Ashok K., M.D.Shah, Rajesh C., M.D.

BentleyvilleSouthwest Medical Center, Inc.119 Wilson RoadBentleyville PA 15314724.239.4700Ekbote, Seema K., M.D.Gandhi, Anant J., M.D.Gosai, Kamlesh, M.D.

Bethel ParkFamily Practice MedicalAssociates South2414 Lytle Road, Suite 300Bethel Park PA 15102412.835.8090Barrett, Sean L., M.D.Ciampa, Anthony J., M.D.Crable, Daniel J., M.D.Dashottar, Nupur, M.D.Gagianas, Peter J., M.D.Komer, Louis M., M.D.Kovkarova-Naumovski,Elizabeta A., M.D.

Minyon-Sarver, Dawn M., D.O.Portz, Matthew C., M.D.Schuman, Linda J., M.D.Sharma, Neelum, M.D.Urban, Richard S., II, M.D.

With so many primarycare physicians, it�seasy to !nd one who�sclose to your home.

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PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 ! WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COMS-8

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A T A G L A N C E

THESOUTH

MT. LEBANON

Centennial parade Saturday

A parade Saturday will celebrate the munici-pality’s 100th birthday.

Stepping off at 3 p.m. on Washington Roadnear Cochran Road, the two-hour parade willinclude 70 groups and hundreds of partici-pants and each district school will have itsown float.

An honor guard from Medical Rescue TeamSouth will lead the parade, which will end atMt. Lebanon Cemetery.

After the parade disbands, the communitywill host a block party in Uptown, with musicby Uptown Rhythm and Brass, activities androaming performers.

The yearlong centennial celebration hasincluded activities for all ages: a champagnetoast, birthday cake and special commissionmeeting on the anniversary date in February;an expanded Fourth of July fireworks show;commemorative issues of Mt. Lebanon Maga-zine; and historic videos from the public infor-mation office.

MT. LEBANON

Input sought for municipal plan

The team that will shape the municipality’scomprehensive plan — a document that willguide decisions regarding land use and relatedissues for the next decade — continues tosolicit resident input.

The theme of the plan is Elevate Mt. Leba-non.

Municipal representatives have been atcommunity events, distributing literatureand asking people to visit www.mtlebanon.org for information or www.facebook.com/ElevateMtLebanon to comment.

In addition, planners have invited residentsto submit photos of things they like about thecommunity — or things they would like to seechanged — to mtlebophotosafari@gmail.com.

A survey on the subject is online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/mtlaugustsurvey.

A print version is available at the customerservice center in the municipal building.

Residents also may attend a 9 a.m. tonoon meeting Sept. 15 at Mt. Lebanon PublicLibrary to meet the planning team and reviewsubmitted photos.

Details: municipal planner Keith McGill,kmcgill@mtlebanon.org or 412-343-3684.

PETERS

Council grants access for pipeline

Council has entered into an agreement withM3 Appalachia Gathering for access to build aMarcellus Shale natural gas pipeline beneathRailroad Street.

The 6-1 vote came during an Aug. 27 councilmeeting. Frank Arcuri dissented.

The agreement with the Colorado-basedcompany calls for a one-time $10,000 pay-ment to the township.

The 130-mile, 12-inch steel pipeline wouldoriginate in northern West Virginia and travelthrough Washington and Greene counties, con-necting local Marcellus Shale gas wells withthe nation’s interstate pipeline system.

By Kathleen Ganster

Tai chi is a form of exercise thatties together flowing, gentle move-ments with a focused and centeredposture. Often called a “spiritual”form of exercise, it fits in nicelywith the Franciscan Spirit and LifeCenter’s mission of filling spiritualneeds of the community throughprogramming.

The Life Center on McRobertsRoad in Whitehall is run by the Sis-ters of St. Francis of the Providenceof God.

“We thought tai chi was a perfectoffering for us,” said Mimi DiGreg-ory, center coordinator.

Tai chi classes have been offeredfor a few years and “have becomemore and more popular, thanks in alarge part to the instructor, GurneyBolster,” Ms. DiGregory said.

Ms.Bolsterhasinstructorcertifica-tion from the Tai Chi for Health Insti-tute. She teaches a variety of classesincluding aerobics and resistancework for those age 50 and older.

“People who take her classeslove her. Many take more than oneand keep advancing through herclasses,” Ms. DiGregory noted.

That popularity has created anexpanded course offering this fall,including 12 weeks of Monday eve-ning and Wednesday afternoonclasses.

Ms. Bolster said her classesvary from other tai chi classes fora variety of reasons. A dance andmovement teacher for more than

35 years, she has studied movementextensively and incorporates thatknowledge into her teachings.

“I am able to describe the move-ment of the exercise and talk thestudents through the various steps,”she said, “You don’t get that a lot inother classes.”

Ms. Bolster said because of hermovement analysis experience,she knows how to break the tai chimovements down into smaller, sim-pler steps to assist newer students.

“As they progress, they candevelop into a more complex form,”she said.

Another difference is the slower,“noncompetitive” form of tai chi

that she teaches.Created by a medical doctor,

Paul Lam, the exercise is perfect forthose with chronic health issues.

“It is good for those of any agewith health concerns as well as forolder adults,” she said. “It is veryuser friendly and nurturing.”

There are many benefits to taichi, including improvement inbalance, gait and coordination;increased muscle strength; bet-ter focus and concentration; lowerblood pressure; and stress reduc-tion, according to Ms. Bolster.

And, she added, she thinks thecenter is the perfect location forsuch learning.

“It is a beautiful setting, not like atypical gym feeling at all,” she said.“I think students enjoy coming herebecause they know and trust thisspecial place.”

Introductory classes will be heldfrom 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. Mondays andfrom 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays. Classesfor those experienced in tai chi will beheld from 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays andfrom 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. Wednesdays.Cost is $72 for 12 classes.

To register or for more informa-tion, call Ms. DiGregory at 412-881-9207.

Kathleen Ganster, freelance writer;suburbanliving@post-gaztte.com.

Exercise for the spiritTai chi classes offered at Franciscan Spirit and Life Center in Whitehall

Mimi DiGregory photos

Gurney Bolster teaches tai chi classes at the Franciscan Spirit and Life Center in Whitehall. She has studied movement extensively andincorporates that into her classes, teaching a “noncompetitive” form of tai chi.

SOUTHSCAPE

ARTSBaldwin Borough — Artist

Sue Levy will offer a class onpainting seasonal watercolorpictures from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Sept. 18 and 25 and Oct. 2 and9 at Baldwin Borough PublicLibrary, 41 Macek Drive. Cost:$12 per class. Register by Sept.10: 412-885-2244 or baldwin@einetwork.net.

Dormont — The PittsburghArea Theatre Organ Society willpresent an organ music perfor-mance by Bob Ralston at 2 p.m.Sept. 15 at Keystone Oaks HighSchool auditorium, 1000 KeltonAve. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.Tickets are $15 in advance byemailing Patos.Mail@Verizon.net or by calling 412-241-8108or 724-446-9744. Tickets are$20 at the door. Students andchildren admitted free with adultadmission. More information:www.theatreorgans.com/patos.

Mt. Lebanon — St. Winifred

Church Women’s Guild will holdits annual holiday craft showfrom 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 20 inBenedict Hall, 550 Sleepy HollowRoad. Free admission.

Washington — The Wash-ington County Historical Societywill hold its 19th annual Art inthe Garden, with artwork avail-able for purchase, from 2 to6 p.m. Sunday in Madeline’sGarden at the LeMoyne House,49 E. Maiden St., rain or shine.Details: 724-225-6740.

CLASSESMcKeesport — The Carnegie

Library of Pittsburgh, 1507Library St., will host a programby Jill Yesko of Discover Organiz-ing from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. nextThursday to help parents learnhow to teach their children tobe more successful in schoolusing organizing skills and timemanagement. Register: 412-572-0625 or www.mckeesportlibrary.

org.Pleasant Hills — A six-week

course in sign language opento adults and teens age 13 andolder will be held from 6:30 to7:45 p.m. Tuesdays, beginningSept. 18, at the public library,302 Old Clairton Road. The classis free, but $10 is charged forthe course textbook. Informa-tion: 412-655-2424 or pleasant-hillslibrary@einetwork.net.

COMMUNITY DAYMt. Lebanon — Baptist

Homes Society will hold itsannual Community Day fromnoon to 3 p.m. Sept. 22 at itssenior living community, 489Castle Shannon Blvd. Informa-tion: Marilyn Walsh at mwalsh@baptisthomes.org or 412-572-8258.

FOODBethel Park — Bethel Park

Lions Club will hold its annual fallfish fry from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept.

21 at Lions Park, 5757 IrishtownRoad. Fish or shrimp dinnersinclude coleslaw, french fries,macaroni and cheese, and water.Cost: $9. Takeout available. Hotdog dinner also available forchildren. Proceeds benefit Lionscharities.

FITNESSPeters — West Penn Allegh-

eny Health System will offer taichi, a combination of exerciseand meditation that can helppeople cope with arthritis pain,in an eight-week workshop thatbegins Monday at the Outpa-tient Care Center, 160 GalleryDrive. The workshop also will beoffered in the Professional Build-ing at Allegheny General Hospitalon the North Side. Fee: $75 forone class per week, $130 fortwo classes per week. For classschedules or to register: 412-362-8677.

FUNDRAISERSHomestead — The Moth-

ers and Daughters Guild of St.Nicholas Orthodox Church inHomestead have compiled acollection of 371 recipes intoone cookbook, which they areselling to raise funds for projectsand charities connected to thechurch. The cookbook is avail-able for $17 at the church audi-torium, 903 Ann St., from 11a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sundays.

McKeesport — McKeesportSymphony Pops will hold a wine,art and music fundraiser from 6to 8 p.m. Saturday at The His-toric Schoolhouse, 2600 SouthPark Road, Bethel Park. Ticketsare available at the door: $20 forone or $30 for two. Information:412-664-2854 or www.mck-eesportsymphony.org.

Upper St. Clair — Mt. Leba-non Village will hold its annualdinner and silent auction at 6p.m. Sept. 20 at St. Clair Coun-try Club, 2300 Old WashingtonRoad. More information and tick-ets: 412-343-4054.

MARKETSCarrick — St. Pius X Byz-

antine Catholic Church, 2336Brownsville Road, will hold itsannual rummage sale from 9a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Satur-day, with ethnic food and bakedgoods for sale.

MEETINGSBentleyville — A book club

will discuss the novel, “AnnieFreeman’s Fabulous TravelingFuneral,” at 6 p.m. Sept. 20 atBentleyville Public Library, 931Main St. To request the book:724-239-5122.

Bethel Park — The South-western Registered Nurses Clubwill meet to hear Gurney Bolsterspeak about tai chi at 9:30 a.m.Sept. 18 at Hamilton Presbyte-rian Church, 4500 Baptist Road.Registered nurses welcome. Theclub will hold its 13th annual fallcard party from 10:30 a.m. to3 p.m. Sept. 29 at South HillsCountry Club, 4305 BrownsvilleRoad, Whitehall. Admission:$25, includes lunch and doorprizes. Proceeds go to the nurs-ing scholarship fund. The publicis invited to attend.

Bethel Park — An Alzheimer’sCARE training workshop, hostedby Home Instead Senior Care,will be offered from 6:30 to8:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the HomeInstead Senior Care center forTraining and Education, 2000Oxford Drive, Suite 415. Theworkshop teaches caregivershow to care for themselves andtheir loved ones.

Upper St. Clair — Narateen,an organization for young peopleaffected by the drug or alco-hol use of a family member orfriend, meets from 7 to 8 p.m.every Monday at the Upper St.Clair recreation center, 1770McLaughlin Run Road. Meetingsare anonymous and open to any-one between the ages of 10 and21 troubled by a loved one’s drugor alcohol use. Meetings aresupervised by adult volunteerswho are members of NarcoticsAnonymous. Parents and adultcaregivers are not permitted toattend. Information: Nancy at412-854-8156.

OUTDOORSBethel Park — Wings of

Eagles Motorcycle Ministry ofSouth Hills Assembly will meetand depart from South HillsAssembly, 2725 Bethel ChurchRoad, at 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

Carrick — Oktoberfest, withGerman food and entertain-ment, will be held at RedeemerLutheran Church, 1628 Browns-ville Road, from 5:30 to 9:30

p.m. Sept. 22. Tickets are $10a person. Contact the churchoffice to reserve a seat: 412-881-4404.

McKeesport — The CarnegieLibrary of McKeesport, 1507Library St., will host gardenerCarol Brand, who will share herknowledge about planting vegeta-bles in the fall and harvesting inwinter and spring, at 6:30 p.m.tonight. Register: 412-672-0625or www.mckeesportlibrary.org.

Mt. Lebanon — The Mt.Lebanon Historical Society willhost 60-minute walking tours ofthe St. Clair Cemetery on ScottRoad between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.Sept. 15. Cost is $5 for Histori-cal Society of Mt. Lebanon mem-bers and $10 for nonmembers.Parking available in lower lot ofMt. Lebanon United PresbyterianChurch, 255 Washington Road.More information: 412-563-1941or email info@hsmtl.org.

SPECIAL INTERESTCarrick — A game day with

lunch and prizes will be heldfrom noon to 3:30 p.m. Saturdayat Spencer United MethodistChurch, 117 Spencer Ave. Tick-ets: $12. Reservations: 412-881-4000.

TALKSMt. Lebanon — State Rep.

Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, andthe Neighborhood Legal ServicesAssociation, will hold a seminarabout last wills and living trustsfrom 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 21 inMeeting Room A of the Mt. Leba-non Public Library, 16 CastleShannon Blvd.

Whitehall — The Frick Art andHistorical Society will offer a freehands-on program about thetransition from horse and car-riage to horseless carriage at 1p.m. Sept. 20 at Whitehall PublicLibrary, 100 Borough Park Drive.Online registration required:www.whitehallpubliclibrary.org.

— Compiled byKaitlynn Riely

To include an event, send de-tails with a daytime phone num-ber two weeks before publicationdate to: Southscape, PittsburghPost-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Al-lies, Pittsburgh 15222.

LEGALSLegal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices

from uses allowed withSite Plan Approval; clari-fies Lot, Area and Yardrequirements for resi-dential structures, andmakes other administra-tive changes.

A copy of the pro-posed Ordinance (Bill No.14-12) may be reviewedat the Municipal Manag-er's Office, 710 Washing-ton Road, during regularbusiness hours between9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,Monday through Friday,and copies are availablefor a fee not greater thanthe cost thereof.

Stephen FellerManager

ing 13/14 $113,960; Cen-ter room floor (Commu-nity Center) $50,600;Hallway floor (Communi-t y C e n t e r ) $ 8 3 , 0 5 0 ;B r a f f e r t o n F i e l d u p -grades $161,000; andWildcat/Middle parking$143,000.

Cop ies o f the pro-posed amendment areon file the Manager's Of-fice, where they may beviewed during normaloperation hours, and al-s o a twww.mtlebanon.org.

Stephen M. FellerManager

BUILDING EQUIPMENTCO./GEORGES SUPPLYCENTER, 3101 BROWNS-VILLE ROAD

This applicant is re-questing a variance toOrdinance #556, ArticleVIII, Section 1302-I, fort h e p u r p o s e o f c o n -structing an accessorystructure which wouldexceed the maximumheight l imit , in a C-4Zoning District.

CASE #11-12 JORDAN& NANCY BENEDETTI,2039 SOUTHWELL DRIVE

This applicant is re-questing a variance toOrdinance #556, ArticleXX, Sections 2003.1 and2003.3-C, for the pur-pose of installing a fencewhich would extend in-to the front building linein an R-2 Zoning District.

M. Gary WargoZoning Officer

Owners(s):Howard G. Hartmann

and Rhoda V. HickmanLocation(s):

Lot/Block 473-L-341Lot/Block 473-L-344

5641 Brownsville Roadand

5637 Brownsville Road

Karen F. FosbaughTownship Manager

Legal Notices

LEGAL NOTICEMT. LEBANON,PENNSYLVANIA

NOTICE OF PUBLICHEARING ANDORDINANCEENACTMENT

The Commission ofMt . Lebanon, PA, in -tends to hold a publichearing on, and consid-er for enactment, theO r d i n a n c e ( B i l l N o .14-12) entitled An Ordi-nance Amending TheZoning Ordinance to Ex-pand the Off ice Bou-tique Overlay District.

The public hearing willtake place on Monday,September 24, 2012, at8:00 p.m., in the Munici-pal Building, 710 Wash-ington Road, first floorCommission Chambers.Furthermore, the Com-mission will consider thezoning amendment forenactment at the regu-larly scheduled meetingto be held on Tuesday,October 9, 2012, at 8:00p.m., at the MunicipalBuilding, 710 Washing-ton Road , f i r s t f l oo rCommission Chambers.

Ordinance (Bi l l No.14-12), is an ordinanceamending Chapter XX(Zoning) of the Mt. Leba-n o n C o d e . T h e o r d i -nance permits use of theOffice Boutique OverlayDistrict on any lot thatabuts Washington Roadbetween Shady DriveWest/Shady Drive Eastand Lebanon Avenue. Italso deletes Restaurantsfrom uses allowed with

MT. LEBANON,PENNSYLVANIALEGAL NOTICE

T h e M t . L e b a n o nCommission has sched-uled a retreat on Sunday,September 16, 2012, be-ginning at noon, on thesecond floor of the pub-l ic safety center, 555Washington Road, wherethey will discuss strate-gic budget goals and up-coming projects.

Stephen M. FellerManager

LEGAL NOTICETOWNSHIP OFSOUTH PARK

ALLEGHENY COUNTY,PENNSYLVANIA

Notice is hereby giv-e n t h a t t h e Z o n i n gHear ing Board of theTownship of South Parkw i l l h o l d i t s r e g u l a rmeeting on Wednesday,September 19, 2012, at7:00 P.M., in the Admin-istration Building of theMunicipal Complex, 2675Brownsville Road, SouthPark, PA 15129. At thismeeting, a decision willbe considered on thefo l l ow ing zon ing re -quests:

CASE #09-12 MICHA-EL & LORI COURY, 965BIDEFORD DRIVE

This applicant is re-questing a variance toOrdinance #556, ArticleV, Section 502-D and Ar-ticle XX, Section 2004-B,for the purpose of con-structing a front porchroof which would ex-t e n d i n t o t h e f r o n tbuilding line, in an R-2Zoning District.

CASE #10-12 A & JBUILDING EQUIPMENT

LEGAL NOTICEMT. LEBANON,PENNSYLVANIAPUBLIC HEARING

T h e M t . L e b a n o nCommission will hold apublic hearing on Tues-d a y , S e p t e m b e r 1 1 ,2012, at 8 p.m. in Com-mission Chambers locat-e d i n t h e m u n i c i p a lbuilding at 710 Washing-ton Road concerning Or-dinance (Bill No. 13-12)amending the 2012 Bud-get to: (i) increase Rec-reation funding in theproposed amount o f$838 ,000 and ( i i ) i n -crease Public Works -T r a f f i c f u n d i n g b y$50,000.

Current projects be-ing considered underR e c r e a t i o n f u n d i n gamount include the fol-lowing: Highland Ter-race Park $24,000; Icerink ceiling/sound sys-t e m $ 1 0 9 , 0 0 0 ; G o l fcourse mower $52,500;T e n n i s u p p e r p a t h$100,980; Tennis light-ing 13/14 $113,960; Cen-ter room floor (Commu-

MT. LEBANON,PENNSYLVANIALEGAL NOTICE

The Ad Hoc ParkingC o m m i t t e e m e e t i n gscheduled for Septem-ber 26 has been changedto Thursday, September27, beginning at 7:30p . m . i n C o n f e r e n c eRoom C of the municipalbuilding located at 710Washington Road.

Stephen M. FellerManager

LEGAL NoticeTOWNSHIP OFSOUTH PARK

ALLEGHENY COUNTY,PENNSYLVANIA

Notice is whereby giv-en that the Board of Su-pervisors of the Town-ship of South Park willhold a Public Hearing onMonday, September 10,2012, at 6:45 p.m. in theBoard Room of the Ad-ministration Building,2675 Brownsville Road,South Park, FA 15129.T h e p u r p o s e o f t h ehearing is to determine ifthe following propertyshould be declared apub l i c nu i sance andsubject to the appropri-ate abatement proce-dures and/or fines andpenalties as outlined inthe Code of the Town-ship of South Park:

Owners(s):Howard G. Hartmann

TO SEEYOUR AD

HEREcall the

Post-GazetteClassified

Advertisingdepartment at

412-263-1NOW

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Sep 05 2012 05:01:07:151PM South Zone

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 ! WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM S-9

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By Shannon M. Nass

“Swing your partner ’roundand ’round, and turn your cor-ner upside down.”

Such rhyme is music to theears of Edward and Ruth Baileyof Upper St. Clair, who do-si-doand promenade every week withmembers of the Peanut Squaresdance club.

“We really, really enjoy it,” shesaid. “It’s so much fun. That’s allI can say. You have to try it.”

For those who would like togive square dancing a whirl, theclub is offering a free Fun Nightfrom 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. tonight atSS. Simon and Jude Parish, 1607Greentree Road, Scott. No expe-rience is necessary, and singlesor couples of all ages are wel-come. Casual attire and comfort-able shoes are recommended.Refreshments will be served.

The dance club was foundedin 1979 by Charlie Brown of Car-negie; accordingly he named thegroup after the Peanuts comicstrip. The initial group of 24swelled to 140 members at itspeak in 1995.

Mr. Brown has since died butclub president Sally Andersonof Mt. Lebanon said the group isstill going strong with about 45members.

The club is open to peopleof all ages; current ages rangefrom 40s to late 80s. Dues are $10a year.

Members kick up their heelsand cut some rug from 7 to 10p.m. every Tuesday in the Fel-lowship Hall at SS. Simon andJude.

Four couples, arranged ina square, face the middle andawait the cues of the caller to thebeats of instrumental country-western, rock, pop and bluegrassmusic.

The club also holds dancesfor special occasions through-out the year such as Halloween,Thanksgiving and Christmas,and a 1950s dance, where mem-bers wear period dress.

Mrs. Anderson joined the clubsevenyearsagoandhasbeenpres-ident for the past year. Her hus-band, Richard, is a member, too.

In addition to fun, Mrs. Ander-son said, membership has manyother benefits, such as sharpeningconcentration skills and getting

exercise.“Square dancing will add

about 10 years to your life,” shesaid. “It’s an aerobic exercise. Itkeeps you loose and toned up. It’sgood for you.”

Mrs. Anderson said squaredancing is harder than it looksbut is relatively easy to learn.The group offers classes from7:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Thursdayat Southminster PresbyterianChurch in Mt. Lebanon. Newclasses start next Thursday withgraduation in May. The cost ofeach lesson is $4 at the door.

The hardest part of squaredancing, she said, is learning thenearly 100 basic and plus calls.

“You have to pay attentionto the calls. If you let yourmind wander, you can’t squaredance.”

The first call taught by thePeanut Squares is named YellowRock and is simply a hug.

“The men all like that,” Mrs.Anderson said with a laugh.

Upon graduation, manymembers attend the lessons as“angels” and dance alongsidebeginners to help them learn.

The Peanut Squares are oneof 16 square dancing clubs in thearea. Worldwide, there are about10,000, including clubs in Aus-tralia, China, Germany, Japanand New Zealand.

Not long ago, when somesquare dancers from Germanyand Japan visited the PeanutSquares, Mrs. Anderson said thelanguage barrier made commu-nication difficult — until theyhit the dance floor. Since it’s theonly form of dance that is nottranslated into other languages,the worldwide standard of allcalls in English melts inter-national barriers and enablessquare dancers to dance togetherno matter what language theyspeak.

Square dancers from all overthe country gathered in Pitts-burgh last month for the 19thannual Pennsylvania Squareand Round Dance FederationConvention, held Aug. 10-12 atthe Radisson Hotel in GreenTree.

The Baileys were among themore than 400 in attendance.

“It was great,” Mrs. Baileysaid. “We danced, danced — thendanced again.”

Callers from all over the coun-try cued the various dances, butMrs. Bailey said none comparedto those from the Pittsburgh area,

which she described as some ofthe world’s best.

The Baileys have been squaredancing for 23 years all over thecountry at various state conven-tions and with clubs in Atlanta;Baton Rouge, La.; Louisville,Ky.; and Raleigh, N.C.

“No matter where you go,you just fit in because you havea common thing that you do —square dancing,” she said.

Throughout her travels, Mrs.Bailey purchases “square wear”that she dons for each dance. Forwomen, that means a circle skirtwith a crinoline petticoat and apeasant top. For men, it’s slacks,a long-sleeved western-styleshirt and a string or bolo tie orneckerchief.

Bob and Beth Hoppe ofBethel Park are also among themembers who dress the partwhen dancing with the PeanutSquares. The couple joined theclub 19 years ago, but Mr. Hoppewas square dancing long beforethat. As a member of his highschool’s square dancing club,he would put on half-time showsduring the school’s basketballgames.

Marriage, children and acareer forced him to hang uphis dancing shoes for a while.But when a friend invited himto check out Peanut Squares, hesashayed right back into it.

Although the dancing is notas athletic as what he did in highschool, Mr. Hoppe said he stillenjoys it.

“It’s the challenge, which ismind, body coordination andthe exercise that goes with it,” hesaid. “But mostly it’s the socialaspect of it.”

The couple graduated fromclub lessons and now dance wher-ever their travels lead. They’vevisited clubs in Orlando, Fla.,and have become involved witha square dance club in Colorado,where they visit each winter toski and volunteer with the YMCAthere.

The friendships they’ve estab-lished are indicative, he said, ofthe bond shared among squaredancers across the globe.

“It’s almost like long-lostfriends,” he said. “They reallytake you in as part of the sameclub.”

Details: Mrs. Anderson, 412-563-3428.

For more on the Pennsylvaniafederation: www.psrdf.org.

Shannon Nass, freelancewriter: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

Square dance club keepsmembers on their feet

Longtime dancers Bob and Beth Hoppe of Bethel Park at a Peanut Squares dance in the SouthHills. The club dances every Tuesday at SS. Simon and Jude Parish in Scott.

‘Fun Night’scheduled

tonight

SCOTT

By Margaret Smykla

Passion as much as artistryfuels the four instructors of theupcoming 10-week dance, act-ing and musical theater classesfor children and adults beingoffered by the Heritage Playerscommunity theater group inBethel Park.

When Linda Matthews, 61,went into cardiac arrest twoyears ago, doctors told her theywould look for a new heart. Butthe Baldwin Borough dancer,choreographer, director andformer owner of Linda MarieDance Studio, would havenone of it, opting instead for anupgraded defibrillator.

“I didn’t want to lie there formonths or years waiting for aheart. Those tap shoes weregoing back on,” said the instruc-tor for five tap classes.

Tyson Sears, 25, was headedto medical school when heenrolled in Pittsburgh Film-makers classes 18 months agoand has been here ever since.

“Once I started taking classes,there was no going back. No mat-ter how frustrating, I couldn’twait to do it again. This is whyI get out of bed every day,” saidthe Pleasant Hills man, who willteach Acting for the Camera.

Weekly classes are one hourlong, except for Acting for theCamera, which is two hours.They will meet in the School-house Arts Center, 2600 SouthPark Road, Bethel Park, begin-ning the week of Sept. 23. Thecost for the 10 weeks rangesfrom $50 to $150.

While the instructors are allmembers of the Heritage Play-ers, the classes are open to thepublic.

Lyrical dance and musical

theater dance instructor Jenni-fer Puskar, 35, studied dance andmusical theater at the JuilliardSchool, and danced in “Hello,Dolly!” on Broadway. She andher husband, Jack, 38, also actin group productions.

The South Park woman saidshe hopes enrollees come totreasure dance as she does —with fervor.

“Dance is a gift. Even if yourbody won’t allow you to do itas you get older, you still havethe appreciation of music anddance,” she said.

Until now, the classes wereadministered through the bor-ough’s Recreation Department,with the Heritage Players pro-viding the instructors.

This will be the first time thetheater troupe is offering its ownclasses.

“We wanted to be in controlof content and scheduling,” thegroup’s president, Jason Stiteler,said. He will teach Acting Outand Fundamentals of Acting.

“We wanted to open classesto as many people as possible. …Classes are designed for begin-ners, and instructors will try totailor to skill levels,” he said.

“We are hoping to be able tocover expenses; if we generate alittle extra money we will haveenough to keep holding them,”he added.

The Pleasant Hills man, 33,who prefers to stay behind thecurtain, has been a director andstage manager for local theater.For five years, he ran the chil-dren’s summer theater for theSeton Pioneers in Brookline.

Heritage Players took rootin 1962 when a group of BethelPark residents formed a perfor-

mance troupe. In the late 1970s,the group moved to Carnegie asStage 62.

In 1997, community theaterreturned to Bethel Park withthe group dubbed the HeritagePlayers and a home venue ofthe Schoolhouse Arts Center. In1999, having outgrown its smalltheater space, it moved to thenew Bethel Park CommunityCenter, becoming the municipal-ity’s community theater. Sincethen, the Heritage Players haveperformed rent free in the com-munity center. However, begin-ning with “The Sound of Music”to be staged Oct. 19-28, the groupwill be charged a fee.

For that reason, Mr. Stiteler isfocused on locating a new spacefor shows and technical rehears-als for the nonprofit organiza-tion with an annual budget of$15,000.

Regardless of venue, the showmust go on for the roughly 45members.

“Everyone’s there for thesame purpose: to put on goodproductions and enrich peoplethrough the arts,” Mr. Searssaid.

For Ms. Matthews, her loveof life and of performance fre-quently intertwine, as when shechoreographed “Once Upon aMattress” a year after her heartscare.

“I cried when I walked onstage. I was overwhelmedbecause I made it,” she said.

Registration for classes isrequired by Wednesday. Visit:www.bphp.org to register, or formore information on the HeritagePlayers and for upcoming shows.

Margaret Smykla, freelancewriter: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

Heritage Players prepare for falltheater, dance class schedule

BETHEL PARK

By Margaret Smykla

When volunteers from OpenYour Heart to a Senior driveDoris Farine to a doctor’sappointment, they help herinto their car, wait with her inthe office and then drive her tothe grocery and drug stores.

The 76-year-old Etna womanuses a walker and said theextra attention makes all thedifference.

“I think they’re wonder-ful,” Mrs. Farine said. “I don’tknow what I would do withoutthem.”

Volunteers in the group pro-vide rides to medical appoint-ments and stores; cut grass,shovel snow and do other yardwork; perform safety checks;deliver meals; and do othereveryday tasks.

“It is an effort to have com-munitywide, comprehensivesupport for seniors so they canremain safe, healthy and inde-pendent in their own homesas long as possible,” said FayMorgan, North Hills Commu-nity Outreach director.

That organization alongwith Family Services of West-ern Pennsylvania are leadpartners in Open Your Heart,which is sponsoring volun-teer orientations throughoutAllegheny County in Septem-ber and October.

The orientation dates are:& +-6(- 20"0 *,3/0 +# 2!. %

p.m. Oct. 23 at UPMC Light-house Pointe, 500 Chapel Har-bor Drive, Fox Chapel

& + 51 '6(- 30"0 *,3/0 )$4 '6(-p.m. Oct. 18; and 1 p.m. Oct. 27at Family Services, 6401 PennAve., 2nd Floor, East Liberty.

Each session will provide

information on volunteeropportunities at agenciessuch as AGEWELL, Blind andVision Rehabilitation, Centersfor Healthy Hearts and Souls,Interfaith Volunteer Caregiv-ers, Lutheran Service Society’sMeals on Wheels and the NorthHills Community OutreachFaith in Action program.

Volunteers may requestreimbursement for expensessuch as gasoline, but most con-sider it part of their contribu-tion, Ms. Morgan said.

Open Your Heart will spon-sor Safety for Seniors Daysfrom 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 29and again Oct. 27 at the familyservices site in East Liberty.After an hour-long trainingsession, volunteers will pairup to visit two seniors’ homesand evaluate each home forcommon fall and fire hazards.

“The summer months tendto be a lower time for gettingvolunteers, so help is needednow more than at other timesof the year,” said Karen Berry,

a coordinator for Open YourHeart to a Senior. “Then, withthe cold weather approaching,seniors will need help withsnow shoveling or gettingplaces.’’

Systemwide last year, about1,000 volunteers contributedabout 12,500 hours.

“Our goal is to have as manyone-on-one relationships aspossible,” Ms. Morgan said.“We say ‘It’s not a ride, it’s arelationship.’ ”

Volunteers Jim and MaryKane, each 64, agree thatfriendships are often byprod-ucts of service.

The Hampton couple pro-vides transportation to andfrom doctors’ offices, often forthe same people.

“It is a great opportunity forthem to tell somebody what isgoing on in their lives if thereis no family around,” Mr. Kanesaid.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Kanesaid they volunteer to make adifference.

“We have met some greatpeople who are very muchappreciative of the service, andit really provides them with anopportunity to remain inde-pendent,” Mr. Kane said.

To register for orientationor seniors days: 412-307-0071 or1-866-467-0888 or www.openy-ourhearttoasenior.org. Seniorsin need of assistance shouldcall, visit the website or con-tact the United Way at its helpline at 2-1-1 (or 412-255-1155 insome areas).

Margaret Smykla, freelancewriter: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

‘Open Your Heart’

Volunteers needed to help senior citizens

“I think they’rewonderful. I don’tknow what I would dowithout them.”

— Doris Farine

By Margaret Smykla

When you are going througha divorce, time is your bestfriend, Denise Siwik said.

She is the coordinator of Sin-gle Adult Ministries at ChristUnited Methodist Church, 44Highland Road, Bethel Park.The ministry organization willstage an eight-week, Monday-evening, faith-based divorcerecovery workshop called Navi-gating Divorce starting Mondayin the Otterbein Room.

“You need one year afterdivorce to find out who you areas a divorced person,” said Ms.Siwik, of Baldwin Township.

“Then once you start dating,you need at least one year todecide who you are as a datingperson.

“If you don’t take the time torecover, you will make the samemistakes over and over,” shesaid.

The goal of the program is toprovide the tools for individualsto get through the difficult time

and to explore the emotionaland practical issues of redefin-ing oneself as a single adult.

As friendships are an impor-tant foundation for the new life,the class offers activities tohelp one get back into the socialswing and connect with othersin a safe way.

The program, open to thepublic, is for anyone who is sep-arated or newly divorced.

Navigating Divorce is part ofthe church’s outreach programs“to help people who are hurt-ing,” Ms. Siwik said.

The weekly 90-minute topicsbegin with “Feelings of Divorce”Monday, followed by “LookingBack” the following week.

On Sept. 24, attorney MaryMargaret Boyd will present,“Everything You Would Like toKnow About Divorce, Custodyand Divorce, But Did Not Havethe Money to Ask the Attor-ney.”

The remaining topics in

succession will be “Using OurAnger;” “The Power of For-giveness;” “A New Identity;”“Relationships” and “MovingForward: Celebration and Clo-sure.”

The instruction will followthe workbook, “NavigatingDivorce — The Journey Is Upto You,” by Doug Morphis andJeanie Tillman.

While classes begin at 7:30p.m., those attending are urgedto attend fellowship at 7 p.m., fol-lowed by devotions at 7:15 p.m.

Ms. Siwik first participatedin the program as she was navi-gating her own divorce in 1991and said she understands thechallenges.

“You have all the reactionsof a death. Your marriage justdied. Friendships, family rela-tionships, have all changed,”she said.

“One of the things about SAMis all the support and friendshipthat have come from attendingthe group.”Ms. Siwik will directthose in need of specialized ser-vices to organizations such as

the Pittsburgh Pastoral Insti-tute, an interfaith counselingand psychotherapy center.

While not heavily religious,Navigating Divorce has anemphasis on the reassurancethat God has not abandoned thedivorced.

“God does not like divorce,but he loves the divorced per-son,” she said.

“It’s nice to know there is aplace you can go and be withpeople who have walked thesame path.”

All discussion in the class isconfidential. “What is said inmeetings, stays in meetings,”Ms. Siwik said.

The cost is $5 per week, or onepayment of $40 at the program’sstart. No one will be turned awayif unable to contribute. For moreand to preregister: singles@chris-tumc.net or www.christumc.net.

The workshop will be offerednext in February.

Margaret Smykla, freelancewriter: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

Workshop helps newly divorced getthrough life changes

BETHEL PARK

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Stay connected with thePost-Gazette Follow us on Twitter

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Sep 05 2012 10:02:44:652AM South Zone S-10

SOUTH

sports S-10

Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012

John Heller/Post-Gazette

West Mifflinquarterback DerrickFulmore completedone of three passesfor 50 yards andgained 74 yardson three carries inthe Titans’ season-opening 52-28victory againstLaurel Highlands.

The top three rushers in theWPIAL after the openingweek of the season aren’thousehold names. In fact,

all three had minimal experi-ence as varsity running backscoming into the season.

North Catholic’s P.J. Ful-more (265 yards), Fort Cherry’sKolton Kobrys (250) and PetersTownship’s Mike Minjock(247) ran rampant on opposingdefenses in helping their respec-tive teams gain opening-weekwins.

The numbers were sensa-tional, and the quick ascent intothe spotlight made by each hasbeen interesting in their ownways.

Fulmore, a sophomore, wasmoved up to the varsity team asa freshman, but saw limited car-ries and made more of an impactin the passing game.

In his first varsity start lastFriday, Fulmore scored fourtouchdowns in a 40-21 victory atApollo-Ridge.

“He’s really developed in ayear,” North Catholic coach BobRavenstahl said. “It’s a productof his work ethic, the job thecoaches have done with him, andhis offensive line. He also hasvery good vision. It just seemedto come together [last week].”

Kobrys, a junior, started atwide receiver last season forFort Cherry and was secondon the team with 20 receptions.First-year coach Jim Shiel feltthat Kobrys could be a biggercontributor at running back thisseason, so he had Kobrys makethe switch.

Kobrys scored twice in a 31-21win against Carlynton.

Minjock, a senior, hasreturned after missing most ofthe 2011 season with a right kneeinjury. But even when Minjockwas healthy, he saw most of hisaction in junior varsity games.Minjock picked up right whereformer standout Andrew Eren-berg left off by rushing for fourtouchdowns in helping PetersTownship defeat visiting Bald-win, 40-12.

“Mike really stepped up thefirst game,” said Peters Town-ship coach Rich Piccinni. “DidI expect him to have that big ofa game? No. But I did expect bigthings from him. He’s a greattrack athlete. When he hits thehole, he’s gone.

“He’s a quiet kid who just goesabout his business, and it showedFriday.”

Bethel picks up “special” win

The opening game of the sea-son is special for every team, butit proved to be extra special forBethel Park last Friday.

Bethel Park’s special teamsunits accounted for four touch-downs – two punt returns, onekickoff return and one blockedpunt return – in a 55-14 win atPlum.

“I don’t know if I’ve everseen anything like that,” saidlongtime Bethel Park coach JeffMetheny. “The kids are givinggood effort and we have somedifference makers in there. Theguys want to go out and shinewhen they get their opportuni-ties.”

Senior Avery Dibble did alittle more than dabble in thespecial teams showcase. Dibble– who Metheny called the bestathlete on the team – was a big-play menace.

Dibble scored on punt returnsof 41 and 54 yards, and returnedan interception 25 yards foranother touchdown.

Oh yeah, all of those came inthe first quarter.

“He can be explosive,” Meth-eny said. “He made a lot of bigplays. He’s got a lot of talent. Hecan be that good and better if hestays disciplined and works hardand listens to his coaches.”

Bryan Rock, a senior,scooped up a blocked punt andreturned it 18 yards in the sec-ond quarter.

Finally, in the fourth quar-ter, sophomore Chiante Pryoradded some flavor on a 99-yardkickoff return that followedPlum’s first touchdown.

Turning it around quickly

A season ago, 11 WPIAL teamswent the entire season withoutwinning a game. This season, ittook five of them only one gameto get into the win column.

Valley, Mohawk, Avella,Leechburg and West Greene areguaranteed to finish with betterrecords than they did last yearafter earning season-openingvictories. All of them were 0-9 in2011.

Valley’s 14-7 triumph againstDeer Lakes might have beenthe most significant consider-ing it put an end to the Vikings’22-game losing streak.

Avella hammered Vincen-tian – which is fielding a footballprogram for the first time – by ascore of 65-6. The Eagles scored56 points all of last season.

Mohawk and West Greene wontheir games by one point.

The other six teams to go win-less last season were Norwin,Canon-McMillan, McGuffey,Albert Gallatin, West Shamokinand South Side Beaver. All sixlost their openers.

Running backtrio enjoys

huge debuts

high schoolfootballBRAD EVERETT

By John PerrottoTri-State Sports & News Service

Travis Snyder and JimWheeler are far from finishedproducts.

Snyder, Belle Vernon Area’squarterback, is a sophomorewho was pressed into actionlast season because of injuries.Wheeler, a junior running backfor West Mifflin Area, playedsparingly a year ago behind1,400-yard rusher ShamarGreene.

Both had impressive seasondebuts last week, however, andtheir talents will be on displayFriday night when Belle Vernonplays host to West Mifflin in aClass AAA Big Nine Conferencegame at James Weir Stadium.

Snyder completed 8 of 14passes for 151 yards and twotouchdowns as Belle Vernonopened with a 41-13 road victory

against Uniontown. He threwtouchdowns passes of 17 and 54yards to wide receiver AdamFerita, who had five receptionsfor 114 yards.

“You don’t see too many kidsat the Class AAA or Class AAAAlevels play quarterback as afreshman but that tells you thekind of talent he has,” Belle Ver-non coach Aaron Krepps said.

“He’s still young and hassome things to work on andsmooth out, but we feel in timethat he has a chance to be anoutstanding quarterback.”

Snyder is already goodenough to get the attention ofWest Mifflin coach Ray Braszo.

“He’s a nice quarterback,”Braszo said. “They don’t askhim to do too much because he’syoung but he has a good arm,throws some really nice passesand does a good job of leadingtheir offense.

“I like what I see of him.”Taking some pressure off

Snyder is the fact that he hasDorian Johnson, one of the tophigh school offensive linemen inthe nation, protecting his blind-side, and an effective runner insophomore Anthony Levis, whorushed for 120 yards on 13 car-ries last week. Levis gained 76of those yards on a touchdownrun.

Wheeler led the way in WestMifflin’s 52-28 win against Lau-rel Highlands by rushing for

125 yards and two touchdownson 12 carries. His touchdownscovered 5 and 25 yards.

Wheeler is best known for hisexploits as a sprinter on WestMifflin’s track team. He wasa finalist last spring in the 100and 200 at the PIAA Class AAAChampionships.

“He’s proven what he can doon the track and he has greatspeed,” Krepps said. “Speed isalways difficult to defend andwe’re going to have to be awareof him at all times.”

While Greene could be a bat-tering ram, Wheeler, who is just5 feet 9 and 165 pounds, is a scat-back.

“He might have a harder timegaining some of the tougheryards than Shamar did but,with his speed, he always hasthe chance for a big gainer if hegets a crease,” Braszo said.

Like Belle Vernon, West

Mifflin showed a diversifiedoffense in its opener. Seniorquarterback Derrick Fulmorehad a 65-yard touchdown runand threw a 50-yard scoringpass to junior tight end MarcusMartin.

This game figures to be asterner test for both teams.West Mifflin led Laurel High-lands, 46-0, at halftime beforecruising to a 24-point win whileBelle Vernon took control in itsvictory at Uniontown by burst-ing to a 27-6 lead.

“We pretty much outmannedLaurel Highlands, but it’s goingto be different this time,” Braszosaid. “Belle Vernon has a goodteam. Aaron is putting that pro-gram back up toward the top ofthe conference where it used tobe, and it’s going to be tough togo down there and play.

“It should be a good ball-game.”

BIG NINE DUELWEST MIFFLIN, BELLE VERNON TO TEST EACH OTHER

TITANS-LEOPARDS! Game: West Mifflin Area at

Belle Vernon Area.! When: 7:30 p.m. Friday.! Where: James Weir Sta-

dium! Skinny: A share of the Big

Nine lead is on the line.

HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER

By Nicholas TolomeoTri-State Sports & News Service

In 10 years as Upper St. Clair’sgirls soccer coach, only threefreshmen ever earned a startingspot for Wayne Capra.

Capra, who has begun hiseighth season at South Fayette,opened this campaign with fivefreshmen in the starting lineup.Not only is nearly half the Lionslineup made up of freshmen, butCapra will rely on three othersoff the bench this season.

The young Lions team passedtheir first set of tests in a kickofftournament which they hostedthis past weekend. South Fayetteblanked Waynesburg Central,4-0, and went to double-overtimeagainstBelleVernonAreabeforelosing, 2-1, on a goal with fewerthan 90 seconds remaining.

“We are heavily laden withfreshmen but they are goodfreshmen,” Capra said. “AtUpper St. Clair freshmen rarelymade the varsity roster, let alonestarted.”

Despite its youth South Fay-ette, ranked No. 4 in WPIALClass AA in the preseason, is

still considered a contender inlarge part because of its return-ing all-section players, forwardLiana Leja and junior defenderMicaela Mitchell.

“Without question we aregoing to lean on them a lot untilthese younger girls get sea-soned,” Capra said.

Leja is the all-time leadingscorer in program history. Shescored the first three goals of thegame in South Fayette’s victoryagainst Waynesburg Central.Mitchell will anchor a defensethat features three freshmenstarters playing in front of afreshman goalie.

“We are young but we aregoing to scare a lot of people,”Capra said. “They look at us asbeing young but we still haveMicaela, one of the top defend-ers in the WPIAL, and Liana.With those two book ends, wecan control everything in themiddle and then it’s up to me notto screw it up.”

The other returning startersalong with Leja and Mitchell aresophomore midfielder NatalieHilton and the Byham sisters,senior forward Megan and soph-

omore midfielder Jen. MeganByham scored a goal in the lossto Belle Vernon.

The freshmen starters arestopper Maggie Pine, markingbacks Tori Valachovic, midfield-ers Karli Chiatto and Hannah

Kenawell and goalie NatalieKaraway. Pine scored her firstcareer goal in the season-open-ing win against WaynesburgCentral.

SEE LIONS, PAGE S-11

Youth being servedwith South Fayettegirls soccer team

John Heller/Post-Gazette

Liana Leja provides a veteran presence for South Fayette.

By Nicholas TolomeoTri-State Sports & News Service

New to his team and new tothe section last season, LarryFingers kept things “close to thevest” on the soccer pitch.

Now in his second season atthe helm of the Canon-McMillanboys’ soccer team, Fingers isfamiliar with his team, his teamis familiar with him and the BigMacs are getting ready to openthings up a little bit.

“We have a very creative setup,” Fingers said. “We are veryfree form in terms of our for-mation, the goal of what we aredoing is make something peoplecan’t plan for.”

Fingers hopes the new freeform style of play is what it takesto help close the gap between theBig Macs and Section 5-AAApowerhouses Peters Townshipand Upper St. Clair.

Canon-McMillan has finishedin third place the past three sea-sons behind the Indians and Pan-thers. Last season the top two fin-ishers in Section 5-AAA met inthe WPIAL championship game.

“Our conference is tough, night

SEE BOYS, PAGE S-11

Big Macsin pursuitof ‘big two’

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“You don’t like to have thatmany freshmen on the field [tobegin with], but when you havethem in the back, you are scratch-ing your head,” Capra said. “It isnot really what I would have envi-sioned.”

Belle Vernon started onesophomore against South Fayetteand the rest of the starters werejuniors or seniors.

“I was a little concerned whenwe knew we were going to playthem,” Capra said. “They area veteran team. Going into thegame, I didn’t know what to

expect. After the game I knew wewere going to be fine this year.”

Other freshmen who areexpected to contribute includedefender Meghan Hoerger, for-ward Brianna Reese and mid-fielder Ellese White.

With Mitchell anchoring thedefense and Leja the target uptop at forward, sophomore GabiGuadagnino and junior ChelseaHughes anchor the midfield.

South Fayette makes the movefrom Section 4-AA to Section5-AA this season. Last season theLions finished 9-4-1 in the sectionbehind South Park and Belle Ver-non. This year South Fayette’s

biggest competition in the sectionwill likely come from Quaker Val-ley and Moon Area, which moveddown from Class AAA.

South Fayette advanced to theWPIAL quarterfinals last season,snapping a string of three consec-utive first-round exits.

“We have a young team, but wehave a good crop,” Capra said. “Inthe years to come, look out.”

South Fayette was scheduledto open section play on Wednes-day at Quaker Valley. It will playhost to Chartiers Valley today ina non-section game before resum-ing Section 5-AA action on Mon-day at home against Montour.

Youth served at South FayetteLIONS, FROM PAGE S-10

in, night out,” Fingers said. “Butwe are looking forward to this. Ifyou can get through it, you areprepared for the playoffs. Anyteam who makes the playoffs[from our section] is in a goodposition to make a run to theWPIAL finals.”

The Big Macs proved lastseason they can hang with any-one in the section. In their fourtotal meetings with Upper St.Clair and Peters Township,Canon-McMillan either led 1-0at halftime or went to the breakin a scoreless tie. But the teamwound up going 0-3-1 against thebig two.

“Last year we joked with theboys, we were the best first halfteam in the WPIAL,” Fingersaid. “Coming in last year, wetook an assessment and our goalwas to make the playoffs. Weknew Peters and Upper St. Clairwould be hard teams, we justwanted to steal one or two.”

Canon-McMillan entered thisseason with eight returningstarters. It was ranked No. 5 inWPIAL Class AAA in the pre-season.

“Last year we didn’t have thepieces,” Fingers said. “This yearwe do, we have set different goals.We have kind of pushed the guysto alter our goals a little bit, rightnow we are trying to put Canon-Mac soccer on the map.”

What the Big Macs have is asolid defensive unit that allowsmidfielders and forwards to getcreative. The team plays out ofa base 4-5-1 formation but thegroup hardly stays put in thatsetup. Three midfielders havethe green light to play wherethey see fit, either up top or inthe middle.

“We’re working on readingthe game, understanding thegame and making decisions asthey go,” Fingers said. “We havethree midfielders who go as theysee fit. It is a very creative set upand I think we have the ability todo that because our back four isvery strong.”

The Big Macs started the sea-son with a clean sweep in its owntournament, blanking NorthHills, 3-0, and McGuffey, 5-0.

Sophomore Josh Kruczekscored four goals in the tour-nament, including a hat trickagainst McGuffey. He is one ofthe players who is given the go-ahead to alternate between mid-field and forward as is juniorCorey McCurdy, who scored agoal and had two assists in theweekend tournament.

Freshman forward NickSodini came off the bench toscore two goals in the tourna-ment. He will be a part of a15-man rotation Fingers planson using this season.

Junior midfielder Ivan Vive-ros also scored a goal in the tour-

nament. Viveros moves fromdefense to midfield this year.Senior forward Nick Oberhausalso will play up top at timeswith Kruczek and McCurdy.

The strong defense starts withsenior goalie James Hathaway, athree-year starter and captain.

“He is someone we lean on,”Fingers said.

Senior defender Alec Brum-baugh is a returning all-sec-tion player. He plays alongsidereturning starters senior EddieHartman and senior NathanJacobs and new starter juniorBrian Sontag

“In our conference, thedefense is something that needsto be shored up,” Fingers said.

Canon-McMillan was sched-uled to begin section play onTuesday against section new-comer Brashear, one of four CityLeague schools competing in theWPIAL in soccer. That game waspostponed by stormy weather.

Fingers, a health and physicaleducation teacher at BrooklineElementary School is familiarwith all the players on Bras-hear who came up throughBrookline.

The Big Macs first major testwill be next Tuesday when it vis-its Upper St. Clair in a sectionshowdown.

“That is our biggest test,” Fin-gers said. “We will see wherethings settle at the end of thenight.”

Big Macs pursue power twoBOYS, FROM PAGE S-10

By Cara De CarloTri-State Sports & News Service

The Red, White & Blue Classic crosscountry meet is celebrating its 10th yearthis Saturday at Schenley Park and, asalways, it will be a fast and mixed-upcompetition.

“You don’t know the teams that havepicked up a good freshman who mayhave just moved into their district,” saidRich Wright, Baldwin High School’shead coach who serves as the meet coor-dinator. “With 60 boys and girls teamstypically entering, the Red, White &Blue Classic has become the region’sstarting point for the strategy game ofcross country.”

Forexample,Highlanders’sophomoreJake Phillips may be an unexpectedrunner in veteran teams’ paths. By win-ning the JV race at the Sept. 1 GatewayInvitational, Phillips earned his wayonto Baldwin’s varsity squad. Now, boys’teams will face a Baldwin pack includ-ing Phillips and veterans Christian

Labash and George Kelly. Labash andKelly ran on Baldwin’s winning varsitysquad at the Gateway Invitational.

The girls’ race will also be a mix ofboth seasoned and unexpected competi-tion.

“This is the biggest girls’ team we’veever had,” said Wright.

He said newcomer Stephanie Bott isin her first year of running, but finishedas Baldwin’s fifth runner at the GatewayInvitational. The Baldwin girls finishedninth (of 15 teams) at Gateway.

The North Hills girls’ team is head-ing to the Red, White & Blue meet andrunning at least five members of its 2011WPIAL champion team.

“Obviously, Shannon and MaryMalone are going to be favorites,” saidIndians coach Doug Sundo. “But toround out my top five, there’s CaitlinJaneda, Clare Brown and Sabrina Palm-ieri.”

Shannon and Mary Malone are theyounger sisters of the now-graduatedMargo Malone, who dominated many

cross country and track events for NorthHills.

But despite North Hills’ veteran sta-tus, Sundo also sees the Red, White &Blue meet as a strategizing opportunity.

“I use it as a barometer to see wherewe stack up against the other teams,”he said. “I’m really looking to see who’sgoingtostepuptotheplate,andI’mgoingto use the meet for my own purpose — tosee where we’re at depth-wise.”

The Central Catholic team is alsocoming off of a state qualifying-year, butwill be competing for the first time thisseason on Saturday.

“I think we get more experience

learning about the other teams than weget learning about ourselves becauseit’s usually our first race,” said Vikingscoach Tim McVeagh. “You really neverknow too much about what happens withyour first race. You’re rusty. Sometimesyou forget how to race, so you probablydon’t run as smart as if you had run acouple of races already.

“So, the Red White & Blue meetdoesn’t really tell us about ourselves asmuch as other teams.”

Nonetheless, the Vikings are addingto the mix of veterans and newcomers.Andy Haky will be returning for CentralCatholic, alongside Jeff Van Kooten andPat Curley. But McVeagh felt that theaddition of John McCool to his varsitysquad could wake up the competition.

“I think he’s going to help us surprisesome people,” said McVeagh. “Not a sur-prise to us, though.”

Overall, Saturday’s Red, White & BlueClassic will be the first chance mostteams get to size up the competition.Additionally, there are two final factors

that will make the Red, White & BlueClassic a great shakeup.

One factor is that teams can rungroups of 10 in the meet, giving coachesoptions in the early season. Each team isscored using its best seven results.

The other factor is that this year’s10th anniversary celebration includesan all-freshman race. That has neverbeen done before at the Red, White &Blue meet.

If teams choose to drop freshmenfrom their varsity squads in order topopulate a freshman squad, their resultscould change drastically.

“Younger girls help their teams ear-lier in their running careers,” saidMcVeagh.

He was noting that because girls oftenmature earlier than boys, the girls areoften able to progress further as fresh-men.

“The Red, White & Blue meet givesyou an idea of where you’re at and whereyou’re not at,” Wright said. “I think it’s agreat kickoff race.”

Red, White & Blue meet a measuring stickThe starting line! What: Red, White & Blue Classic.! When: 8:30 a.m. Saturday! Where: Schenley Park.! Skinny: It’s the first large multi-

school meet of the cross country sea-son.

By Ken WunderleyTri-State Sports & News Service

Bethel Park girls volleyballcoach Shawn Palmer returnedhome from practice on Mon-day to find that he had been“flocked.”

“I found 100 pink flamingosin my front yard,” said Palmer,who resides in Mt. Lebanon.“It’s part of a fund-raiser byour boosters club. Make a dona-tion and our boosters will placethose gloriously tacky flamingoornaments in the front yard ofwhoever you choose. So if youfind flamingos in your yard,then you’ve been flocked.”

Palmer has taken over atBethel Park after spending lastseason as Fort Cherry’s coach.

“I’m originally from Minne-apolis,” Palmer said. “I coachedseven or eight years in Minne-sota. My girlfriend and I movedhere last year when she changedjobs. She’s originally from thisarea.”

Palmer led Fort Cherry to athird-place finish in Section 6-Aand a WPIAL playoff berth lastseason.

“We had the best record inschool history,” Palmer said. “Ienjoyed coaching at Fort Cherry,but the long drive became a bittough. The drive to Fort Cherrywas 45 minutes each way. I’m

much closer to home coachingat Bethel Park.”

Palmer is thrilled by BethelPark’s new high school.

“We have a brand new highschool and a brand new gymna-sium,” Palmer said. “I couldn’task for better facilities.”

Bethel Park is coming off adisappointing season. The BlackHawks placed fourth in Section5-AAA with a 6-6 record, fallingone win short of qualifying for aWPIAL playoff berth.

“The section is going to betough,” Palmer said. “We losttwo of our weaker teams [inthe WPIAL realignment] andpicked up two of the top teamsin Class AA.

“Montour and West Allegh-eny were both ranked amongthe top five in the WPIALin Class AA. With those twoschools in the picture it’s goingto be even harder to qualify forthe playoffs. We don’t have anynights off in this section.”

Bethel Park began it’s sea-son Saturday at the eight-teamButler Tournament. The BlackHawks advanced to the semifi-nals before losing to eventualchampion Hopewell.

“Inconsistency was ourtheme,” Palmer said. “We are

a very young team with onlyfour seniors. We played well attimes, but didn’t do as well atother times.

“We should be a work inprogress for the first half of theseason. Hopefully, we’ll find anidentity in the second half.”

Bethel Park began it’s Section5-AAA schedule Tuesday witha 3-1 loss to rival Mt. Lebanon,another section title contender.

The Black Hawks will be inaction again this weekend at theUpper St. Clair Tournament.

Palmer has four seniors onhis 12-player varsity roster. Twoare returning starters, AlyssaBalogh and Haley Prough.Balogh is a 5-7 outside hitter,while Prough is a 5-4 defensivespecialist.

“Alyssa and Haley are ourco-captains,” Palmer said. “Weneed them to provide leadershipfor our younger players.”

The other two seniors are5-8 Megan Hahey and 5-6 Mor-gan Guarino, both of whom aredefensive specialists.

Stacey Kazalas, a 5-10 junioroutside hitter, is Bethel Park’stop returning hitter.

“Stacey is our big gun,”Palmer said. “We went to herquite a bit during the tourna-ment. She’s good in crunchtime.”

Palmer’s tallest player is

New coach takes charge at BethelVOLLEYBALL Sami Simpson, a 6-1 junior mid-

dle hitter.“Sami is the only player we

have who is taller than 6 feet,”Palmer said. “She’s a very goodbasketball player who is develop-ing nicely as a middle hitter.”

Kaileigh Poe and Sarah Sto-rino split the setting dutieslast year. Poe, a 5-8 junior, hasbecome the primary setter thisyear. Storino, a 5-3 sophomore,is the backup setter, but has alsobeen used as a defensive special-ist.

Completing Bethel Park’s var-sity roster are 5-10 sophomoremiddle hitter Tayler Mannarino,5-5 junior defensive specialistMorgan Stelmaszynski, 5-8 soph-omore opposite Morgan Craw-ford and 5-8 sophomore outsidehitter Olivia Schank.

Ken Wunderley/Tri-State Sports & News Service

Bethel Park coach Shawn Palmer gives instructions to his Black Hawks players during a timeout at the Butler tournament.

By Ken WunderleyTri-State Sports & News Service

Jeff Thompson will graduatefrom Slippery Rock University inMay with a degree in safety man-agement with hopes of working inthe field of industrial hygiene.

Thompson, a Clairton HighSchool graduate, is also hoping toput that career on hold to pursueanother career.

“We have three players fromSlippery Rock currently on NFLrosters,” said Shawn Lutz, associ-ate head coach and defensive coor-dinator at Slippery Rock. “Jeffhas an opportunity to become thenext.”

Thompson,a 6-foot-2, 245-poundsenior, has started on SlipperyRock’s defensive line since his red-shirt freshman season.

“It will all depend on what theNFL scouts think of his speed,”Slippery Rock coach GeorgeMihaleksaid.“ToplayintheNFL,Jeff would have to be a linebacker.He’s too small to be a lineman, sohis speed would be the determin-ing factor.”

Thompson was ranked amongthetop100linebackersinthecoun-try when he graduated from Clair-ton in 2008, but Mihalek and Lutzdecided that he would be moreeffective on the defensive line.

“Jeff Thompson was a DivisionI player when he came out of highschool,” Lutz said. “Clairton HighSchool has produced a lot of bigtime players, so we were thrilledto get him.”

Thompson began his careerat Slippery Rock as a linebacker.After redshirting, Thompsonplayed in all 11 games the nextseason and was a starter in five.He became a full-time starter thefollowing year, but at a differentposition.

“What we like to do on defenseis try and get more athletic ateach position,” Lutz said. “We puthis hand down [in a three-pointstance] and moved him to defen-sive end. Jeff is so explosive that

he gives offensive linemen fits.That’s why he’s a preseason All-American.”

Thompson was named to the20th Annual USA Football NewsDivision II Preseason All-Ameri-can Team.

“I feel like I have a chance ofplaying in the NFL,” Thomp-son said. “If I have another goodseason, I may get a shot. But if itdoesn’t work out, I want to becomean industrial hygienist.”

Thompson is one of six start-ers returning on Slippery Rock’sdefense.

“Three of our six returningstarters on defense are linemen,so we have to step up and provideleadership,” Thompson said. “Wehave to put the defense on ourback and lead up front from thefirst game to the last.”

Thompson did that in lastThursday’s opener against SetonHill. He had three solo tackles,three assists and 2.5 sacks. TheRock won the game, 52-6.

“Jeff is the captain and leader ofour defense,” Mihalik said. “He’scertainly off to a good start.”

Thompson had 16 solo tacklesand 24 assists as a freshman atlinebacker. He moved to end thefollowing year and played in all11 games, starting four. He had 10solo tackles, 16 assists, 4.5 sacksand one forced fumble.

“I like defensive end betterbecause you don’t have to think asmuch,” Thompson said. “You justgo after the quarterback or therunning back.”

Last season, Thompson wasSlippery Rock’s No. 3 tacklerwith 60 total tackles (22 solo and38 assists), and led the team andranked sixth in the PSAC in tack-les for loss with 15. He also hadfour sacks, batted down three passand recovered one fumble.

Thompson has followed Clair-ton’s incredible success since hegraduated.

“MybrothersCapriandCarvanwere seniors on last year’s team,”Thompson said.

Clairton graduatea big piece of Rock

Looking for more sports news from your neighborhood? Check out Sports Town, a website that features exclusive updates

from more than 100 area high schools, blog posts by athletic directors, Post-Gazette links, videos, photos and more.

For the latest in high school sports, go to post-gazette.com/sportstown.

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Sep 05 2012 05:15:07:469PM South Zone

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