Community Newsletter of

The New Brighton Area

School District

3225 43rd Street

New Brighton, PA 15066

TheThe

New Brighton Area School District Where LIONS take PRIDE in learning.

www.nbasd.org Summer 2012

CC OMMUNICATOROMMUNICATOR

Congratulations New Brighton High School Class of 2012

Left to Right: Valedictorian Lauren Lund, Salutatorian Jessica DeMarco, Third

Highest Honors Julian Whalen

Superintendent Dr. David Pietro and high school principal Mr.

Ed Kasparek recognize Commencement Speaker Danyelle

Boyd. Mrs. Boyd is a 2000 Graduate of New Brighton.

2

Leaving a Legacy

M any congratulations and best wishes to four

fantastic teachers who retired this year. With

over 100 years of combined service, these respected,

dedicated, and valued teachers will certainly be

missed. The students, alumni, staff, and administra-

tion, past and present, thank them for their out-

standing careers.

From Left to Right: Linda Szabo, (27 years of service), Jeanne

Campbell (26 years of service), Debbi Cook (25 years of service,

and Bobbi Connifey (27 years of service).

Running Strong

Congratulations to high school math teacher Bill

Lamb for his successful completion of the Dick’s

Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. Out of 5552

finishers, Bill placed 87th overall and 77th out of

the 3220 men with a time of 3:02:55. What an ex-

traordinary finish! Congratulations!

Dedicated and Devoted Service

The 38th Annual New Brighton Area PTA Foun-

der's Day dinner was held on March 15 at New

Brighton High School in the North Commons

Area. President Racheal Cattivera welcomed

guests. The Founder's Day Committee of Paula

Wagurak and Kathy Snowden presented the

awards this year to community members who

have been active parents in the district. The hon-

orees this year were Colleen Powell and Vicki De-

Ladesmo. Rhonda Ficca gave the invocation. Din-

ner was served and entertainment was provided

by flautist Mrs Betty Anne Casi. Previous Foun-

der's Day Honorees were also honored. PTA Founder’s Day Honoree Colleen

Powell

PTA Founder’s Day Honoree Vicki

DeLadesmo

3

NB Students Share Talents and Honor the Fallen

A number of New Brighton students participated in this year’s Memorial Day program held at Townsend

Park. The community service is attended by many New Brighton residents and takes place immediately

following the Memorial Day Parade. Each year a student is selected to recite a portion of Abraham Lincoln’s

famous Gettysburg Address. This year, Celeste Peterson was selected. The elementary Chorus Fest Singers,

directed by Rhonda Ficca, also contributed by singing a number of patriotic renditions. Eric Dull, New Brigh-

ton Senior, played Taps to close the ceremony.

INVENTION CONVENTION

Invention Convention was held on May 16, 2012 at Beaver Falls Central Elem School with stu-

dents in grades 1-8 from across the

county participating. Students were

required to design and build their own

invention. On the day of the competition they pre-

sented their inventions to a group of judges. Students

created display boards and responded to questions

from the judges.

Three students from NB placed in the competition.

Ben Podnar, first grade, invented a cube that holds

chalk and an eraser to keep supplies in one place and

got second place. William Goor, second grade, in-

vented a fishing table that included a solar light, at-

tached containers for bait, a cup holder, a tube to hold

his rod and a magnetic strip to keep hooks attached.

He received First Place in the second grade competi-

tion. Kyleigh Murphy, sixth grade, designed a more comfortable muzzle for her pet pug and came in second

place. Congrats to all NB’s budding inventors!

From Left to Right: Josh Ackerman, Dylan Bott, Will Gloor, Jozie

Smith, Phoebe Rose Boswell, Ben Podnar, Kyleigh Murphy, Angie

Busch, Mackenzie Gould

4

Every year the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and

the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) host a “Girls Recogni-

tion Night” honoring female 8th grade students who show great inter-

est, and excel, in Science and Math.

On April 19, 2012, two girls from various Beaver County schools at-

tended a reception at CCBC to recognize their achievements in science

and math. The two 8th grade students chosen by Mr. Keith Wolfgong

and Mr. Frank Phelps from New Brighton Middle School were Yasmina

Sommers (Science) and Lexi Whalen (Math).

The girls listened to, and talked with, professional females that repre-

sent occupations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

(STEM). The girls were then honored for their excellence in these cate-

gories. The goal of the AAUW and CCBC is to attract more females into

areas of STEM for their educational and professional careers.

Congratulations to Yasmina and Lexi for their hard work and determina-

tion and in representing the New Brighton School District in a most

positive manner!

Encouraging Young Scholars

Service Academy Nominations

T wo New Brighton High School Seniors were granted

nominations to Service Academies this year. This very

coveted and prestigious honor was given by Congressman

Jason Altmire to Austin Schrauder and Jake Sylvester at a

reception in Cranberry. Austin was nominated to the Air

Force Academy and Jake to the Naval Academy. Congratula-

tions to these exceptional young men and their families for

this wonderful honor.

The Honorable Jason Altmire, Austin

Schrauder and his family at the nomination

ceremony.

The Honorable Ja9son Altmire, Jake

Sylvester and his parents at the nomina-

tion ceremony.

Four high school students, Rachel Mattica (9),

Taryn Milnes (9), Madison Weaver (9), and

Dustin Howell (10), passed the Microsoft Of-

fice Specialist exam in Excel 2007. Successful

completion of the exam demonstrates the

students’ expertise in accomplishing essential

job tasks in Microsoft Excel. Earning a Micro-

soft Office Specialist certification can help

you differentiate yourself in today's competi-

tive job market and also earn you college

credit. The students prepared for the exam

in the Spreadsheets/Database class at the

high school.

Preparing for Tomorrow

5

**The following article is from Beaver County District Attorney Anthony Berosh’s Newsletter.

Putting Safety in Your Hands

I magine you are shopping at the mall with your children when one of them suddenly disappears. A quick search of the nearby area is unsuccessful. What do you do? Now there’s a free new tool from the FBI that

can help. Our just launched Child ID app—the first mobile ap-plication created by the FBI—provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your children so that it’s literally right at hand if you need it. You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. Us-ing a special tab on the app, you can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks. The app also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing.

The FBI’s new Child ID app can be downloaded for free from the App Store on iTunes.

We encourage you to share the word about this app with family and friends, especially during upcoming activities in your communities to raise awareness on crime and drug pre-

vention. For its part, the FBI is working to publicize the app with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)—its long-time partner in the National Child Identification Program, which provides a physical kit to gather your child’s pictures, fingerprints, personal characteristics, and even DNA to keep with you in case of emergency. The AFCA is producing a public service announcement about the app and will spread the word at various football games during the upcoming season. Right now, the Child ID app is only available for use on iPhones and can only be downloaded for free from the App Store on iTunes, but we plan to expand this tool to other types of mobile devices in the near future. And we’ll be adding new features—including the ability to upload other photos stored on your smart phone—in the coming weeks and months.

6

Playing their Hearts Out

On Tuesday, April 3rd, New Brighton Middle School had 5 stu-

dents from the 8th grade selected into the PMEA District 5

Band Festival at Mercer Jr./Sr. High School. They were se-

lected through an audition process where they had to perform

solo exercises and record them onto a CD. As a reward, they

participated in an all-day festival where they performed a con-

cert on the same evening. The concert was a tremendous suc-

cess, and these students deserve to be recognized for their

achievement.

From left to right: Zach Boswell, Shane Johnston, Jonathan Lund, Yas-mina Som-mers, and Alexandria Whalen.

An Exhibition of Talent

T he high school Honors Art Class was given an extraordinary

opportunity to host a show of their work at Panera Bread in

Monaca. The collaboration of art teacher Damian Cassano and

local and district Panera managers brought the show to life for one

week at the end of May. Panera not only donated space but also

hosted an opening reception and provided refreshments.

From Left to Right Honors Art Panera Show Participants: Cassandra Ruskin,

Marissa Guckert, Jessica DeMarco, Kiyonna McFrazier, Makayla Bell, and

Lauren Mittner

The Arts in the Schools...

Making Her Own Music

Katarina Whalen,

a ninth grade stu-

dent has an ex-

ceptional talent at

composing music.

This year, encour-

age by teacher

Jamie Beilstein,

she wrote two original pieces to enter into the

NAfME (National Association for Music Educa-

tion) Electronic Music Composition Contest. Said

Ms. Beilstein, “She went above what I thought

she would do in submitting two pieces. The

sounds are electronic instruments so it doesn’t

sound exactly like a band or orchestra.” Con-

gratulations to Katarina for her hard work and

gusto!

The Pennsylvania Music Educators Associa-

tion District V 20th Annual Elementary Chorus

Fest was held on Friday, March 2 at Beaver

Falls Middle School. Fifth graders from four

counties performed under the direction of

Lisa Jaworowski, vocal music instructor for

the Moon Area School District and assistant

conductor with The Children’s Festival Chorus

of Pittsburgh. Carol Holman with the Henry

Mancini Arts Academy in Midland was the

accompanist. Rhonda Ficca, New Brighton

Elementary Music Teacher and Choral Direc-

tor hosted the event.

Chorus Fest Participants

Front Row: Cora Vaughn, Calli Hickman, Jozie Smith, Cam-

eron Strum, Morgan Carr

Back Row: Miss Rhonda Ficca, Samantha Wherry, Alexis

Nye, Nicole Speelman, Alexis Krut, Rachel Speelman

7

Cool Off This Summer

At

Sunrise Swimming Pool

Summer Hours

Monday –Sunday

11:00am-12:00 pm Adult lap swim

12:00-7:00 Open to Public

Monday and Wednesday

Adult lap swim 7:00 pm-8:00 pm

Phone: (724) 843-8443

Admission

Student $3

Adults $4

Senior $2

Preschoolers and Younger $2

Archers Take Aim

C ongratulations to the New Brighton

Archery Club. Students participated

this year in a state competition at Penn

State. Their sponsor was Kim Lewis.

A Splashing Good Time

Students in grades 1-5 spent their gym classes in the Sunrise Pool for a week in the spring. Students were

not only instructed on swim techniques, but water safety as well. A great time was had by all! Be sure to

visit the Sunrise Pool this summer for public swim. Details are below.

8

Notice of Nondiscrimination

The New Brighton Area School District will not dis-

criminate in its educational programs, activities or

employment practices based on race, color, national

origin, sex, or any other legally protected classifica-

tion. Announcement of this policy is in accordance

with state and federal laws, including Title IX of the

Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 503

and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Employees and participants who have an inquiry or

complaint of harassment or discrimination or who

need information about accommodations for handi-

capped persons should contact the Director of Pupil

Services at 724.843.1795 extension 331.

The Communicator is a publication of the

New Brighton Area School District. Editor is

Johanna Guarino. Story ideas, questions or

comments should be directed to

joguarino@nbsd.k12.pa.us.

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

New Brighton, PA 15066

Permit No. 79

LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER

NEW BRIGHTON, PA 15066

Linda Emert

School Board Secretary

Rick Start, Esq.

Solicitor

Marjory Warnes, Ph. D.

Director of Pupil Services

Joseph Guarino, Ed.D.

Assistant to the Superintendent

John Sepe

Business Manager

Robert Lee

Administrator for Instructional Technology

and Online Learning

Edward Kasparek

High School Principal

Robert Budacki

High School Assistant Principal

Julian Underwood

Middle School Principal

Jason Hall

Elementary School Principal

New Brighton Area School District

School Board of Directors

Administration

David C. Pietro, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Mitch Yanyanin, President

Kent McDermott, Vice-President

Enrico Antonini

Christeen Ceratti

John Ludwig

Gary Rombold

Gretchen Rombold

Melanie Smith

Kim Williams