< Previous{GroundworkGroundworkHow do you become a Master Gardener?BY JUDY HAYS, MOON TWP. GARDEN CLUBABOVE: Canna and day lily grow happily together with bee balm.Above: Verbena, coleus and sweet potato vine in a container.20 • Allegheny West Magazine • March/April 2019 Growing up, my parents were gardeners. We had flower beds, as my mother referred to them, and one-half of our lot was a huge vegetable garden. My mother’s “flower beds” were full of beautiful, tall garden phlox, peonies in white and magenta, poppies, flags (irises), and petunias. My father’s vegetable garden had corn, beans, beets, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes and rhubarb. We also had fruit trees: cherry, plum, apple; a grape arbor and chickens. I guess you could refer to the vegetable garden as a “victory garden.” This was a term used during the World War II years. Our family was a large one and I was born in 1943, the last of the children. My family ate well because my parents were such fine gardeners. My brothers and I grew up appreciating the hard work our parents put into their gardens. Of course, as time went by and my brothers went off to college and the armed forces, the vegetable garden became a huge lawn. My mother’s “flower beds” continued on until our family home was sold. After my father passed away, my mother retired at the age of 62 to St. Petersburg, Florida, where she continued her love of gardening. So, as you can see, I had no choice but to also love gardening. I was a working mother and my gardening consisted of planting annuals in “pots,” but my husband turned our sloping lot into several garden areas. I am lucky that I married a man who enjoyed gardening as much as I did. I retired in 2006 after 40 years in the business world and started on my journey as a novice gardener. I really did not know the difference between a perennial and an annual, or a bulb and a tuber. So, I would head to the garden center every spring to plant lovely flowers in my “flower beds” and “pots.” I went year after year to the same garden center and, finally, the gentlemen there suggested that I only plant what grew the year prior. Good advice, wasn’t it? I decided that, if I was going to a successful gardener, I needed to be educated on the subject. I did the research and found that Penn State Extension Beaver offered a Master Gardener training program and applied. The Master Gardener program asks that you take the course in your county of residence but exceptions can be made. For instance, if a course is being offered at a time you can’t attend, or is too far out of the way, the county coordinators can allow you to take the course in another county. You just need to check with them and have good reason. I filled out an application, took a pretest to see how much I knew and had an interview with the Master Gardener coordinator. So, in September of 2009, I entered the Master Gardener classes and have been involved in Beaver Master Gardener program ever since. Now, I will explain to you what is involved with becoming and remaining a certified Penn State Master Gardener. First of all, you have a three-hour long class - usually every Thursday night - beginning in September and ending in March of the following year with a presentation and exam. Once that is complete you are known as a “seedling” and must complete 50 hours of volunteer work in any Master Gardener project. The Beaver County Master Gardeners have approximately 28 projects to choose from, including Route 18 Demonstration Gardens, Old Economy Village, veggie gardens and Vicary Mansion, just to name a few. There are lots of opportunities to get your volunteer hours. Once you become certified, each year after that you are required to put in 20 hours of volunteer work and 10 hours of advanced education. As I said before, there are lots of projects to choose from and an array of advanced education hour opportunities. Each year, the Beaver Master Gardeners hold a library series in April, May, June and July on a Wednesday evening at the Beaver library. These programs are considered advanced education and are open to the public for a nominal fee of $5 each. In March of every year is a Smart Gardening Workshop held at the Beaver County Community College education building. It is an all-day affair with two speakers in the morning and two speakers in the afternoon. It is open to the public, with a continental breakfast and box lunch provided along with a market place and silent auction. In May, usually the Saturday before Mother’s Day, a spring plant sale is held on the lawn of the Penn State Extension offices on Third Street in Beaver. These are a sample of events staged by the Master Gardeners. Since becoming a Master Gardener, my terms have changed. I say “containers” instead of “pots” and “garden rooms” instead of “flower beds.” Annuals are planted yearly and perennials come up every year, of course, if you’ve planted them in the right area. I learned about basic botany, plant propagation, pesticides, pest management, entomology (all about bugs, wings, antennae, etc.) plant diseases, soils, fertilizers, composting and herbaceous plants (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, etc.), just to name a few subjects. Most importantly, I’ve learned about Pennsylvania native plants for your garden. If you are interested in becoming a Penn State Master Gardener, visit extension.psu.edu/county-offices. There, you can find more upcoming events and training courses offered in various counties throughout the year. Then you will be on your journey to becoming a Master Gardener.Groundwork is a regular column submitted by members of the Moon Township Garden Club. March/April 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 21412.965.0688 | DDSWebDesign.comWebsites that get results.Designed in PittsburghContact us for a free website analysis.Affordable Custom DesignsResponsive Sites | Content ManagementSEO | E-commerce | Hosting | MaintenanceImagine your website working as hard for your businessas you do.22 • Allegheny West Magazine • March/April 2019NYour SchoolsYour SchoolsThe newly formed community choir, directed by Lindsay Shaffer (pictured below) performs in a concert in December. RTCS drama students prepare for their 2018 show. New community choir forms at RTCS Fifty years - that’s the age gap between the oldest and youngest members of a brand new community choir that recently started at Robinson Township Christian School. “Choir members range from current and former students, to parents, friends of the school, current teachers, former teachers, and even just some volunteers,” said the choir’s director, Lindsay Shaffer, who has taught music at RTCS since 2013. The idea of a community choir came to her when she noticed how many “RTCS family” were musically inclined. Now, adult vocalists have a chance to be on stage and the high school choir benefits as well. “It gives them a chance to perform more difficult and varied repertoire, while introducing them to members of our greater community who are great role models and friends,” Shaffer said. After the choir’s first performance Dec. 14, Shaffer, who has almost completed her master’s degree in conducting, was excited about the choir’s success, especially in the Latin and German selections. However, she was most thrilled about the experience of watching such a varied group become a cohesive choir. “Together, we explored diverse musical themes and styles and grew in our musicianship, all the while blessing our audience as we give glory to God,” she says. The choir, which plans on performing twice a year, will put on its next concert in May. Shaffer is the high school choir director at RTCS as well as the director of a nine-person ensemble called New Song, which tours the U.S. and Canada each summer. A certified K-12 music teacher, Shaffer strives to teach students about their world and how to both live in and contribute to it by experiencing, enjoying and sharing music while developing personal skills and talents.RTCS performed “Seasons of Love: A Musical Journey” Robinson Township Christian School proudly presented “Seasons of Love: A Musical Journey” from Feb. 28 through March 2. In this one-of-a-kind production, famous musical hits were incorporated into an all-new story about four high school friends who are struggling with whether to submit their minds, hearts and dreams to the wisdom of the Author and His ancient words - or follow their own path to individual freedom and fame. They discover that chaos ensues unless a “director” guides them and they work together. The RTCS drama department’s vision is that the school’s students will develop their talents as actors, singers and dancers in an environment that encourages growth. The school’s intention is that this will act as a continuation of the acquired wisdom, knowledge and compassion for others that students are already learning at RTCS.Robinson Township Christian SchoolSTORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY ROBINSON TOWNSHIP CHRISTIAN SCHOOLMarch/April 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 23Prayer bouquets As part of Catholic Schools Week, students in kindergarten through eighth grade met with their prayer partners to make a spiritual bouquet for parishioners of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Each prayer partner pair made and decorated a paper flower and chose a prayer or small sacrifice that they would each make for members of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. They wrote the prayer or little sacrifice on their flower and added it to a large paper bouquet assembled by the school for display in the church narthex. The prayer partner program is ongoing throughout the school year and matches middle and intermediate school students with those in primary grades. It also enables older students to provide both social and spiritual mentoring. Celebrating first 100 days Students in kindergarten, first and second grades at Holy Trinity Catholic School celebrated their 100th day of school by making hats and using creative ways to count to, and celebrate, the number 100. Kindergarteners marched around the school counting 100 steps. Both kindergarteners and first-graders went on a treasure hunt looking for 100 Hershey kisses hidden in their classrooms. Students in both first and second grades prepared a special snack by adding 10 pieces - each of 10 different snack items - to their recipe. They shared the snacks with their prayer partners in the middle school. Second-graders made a creative drawing out of the number 100 and wrote an essay about what their lives will be like when they are 100 years old. Animal research report Students in first grade at Holy Trinity Catholic School completed an animal research report on an animal of their choice and created a diorama as part of their science unit on habitats. Each first grade student had to classify the animal, sketch the animal, list the animal’s physical characteristics and provide three interesting facts about the animal that they chose to research. They gave oral reports to their classmates and to students from kindergarten and second grade.Beanie drive to support Chimbote mission Holy Trinity Catholic School students Melaina Merlo, Clare Mulvay and Olivia Wegrzynowicz created a drive to knit beanie hats for newborn babies in Chimbote, Peru as part of their Girl Scout Silver Award project. The Diocese of Pittsburgh has ongoing efforts to support the Chimbote Mission. Beginning six months ago, Clare’s grandmother taught the girls how to crochet the beanie hats for newborns. Parishioners at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, family, friends, women from the Park United Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, and the other members of Girl Scout Troop 55246 - Natalie Krulac, Corinne Ludwick, Evie Minzer, Olivia Mulvay, Isabelle Seibel and Victoria Wegrzynowicz - also learned to crochet the hats. In total, 759 beanie hats were made for the Maternidad de Maria maternity hospital. The beanies were enclosed in shrink-wrap for easier transport. Some of them will be carried to Chimbote by pilgrims who will accompany Bishop David Zubik there later this month. The rest will be taken by members of the two diocesan mission teams this summer. The hospital is expected to mark its 100,000th birth in August.Second-graders celebrate their 100th day of school.Holy Trinity students helped knit these beanies for newborns in Chimbote, Peru. First-graders show their animal dioramas.Students, as part of Catholic Schools Week, created paper flowers with a prayer or sacrifice for members of the church.NYour SchoolsYour SchoolsHoly Trinity Catholic SchoolSTORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL24 • Allegheny West Magazine • March/April 2019First 100 days St. Malachy students celebrated their first 100 days of school Feb. 6. The children dressed up in creative “100 days of school” shirts and enjoyed activities throughout the day. Kindergarten and fourth grade students who have “buddied up” through a mentorship program had fun baking chocolate chip cookies together. They added 100 chocolate chips to the cookie dough and, while they were baking, did 100 exercises. They also hit a balloon 100 times and completed some fun worksheets together. Girls Who Code club St. Malachy School recently held its first meeting for a brand new afterschool club called Girls Who Code. The club was founded in order to bridge the gap between women and technology-based careers. The 26 girls in the club are learning coding using programs like Scratch as well as hearing inspirational stories of women who are leading the way in technology. The club also got a grant that was used to purchase supplies. They are enjoying using the school’s new Chromebooks to do fun activities such as animations through coding. Club facilitators are Mrs. Mattarochia and Mrs. Corona.Catholic Schools Week Students got a special treat this year as Catholic Schools Week was celebrated over a two-week period occasioned by extreme weather. The school started with two exciting visitors. Author Matt Fazio, a local Catholic school alumnus, spoke to students about what it takes to be an author. He encouraged students to be kind to others as he talked about the character in his book, “Detours and Designs.” Gab Bonesso, a nationally renowned performer, comedian, musician and motivational speaker, put on a rocking assembly about not being a bully and having self confidence. Some other highlights of Catholic Schools Week included: students getting fired up at a pep rally, eighth grade being defeated by the teachers in a volleyball game, making mini pizzas, and showing creativity with Painting with a Twist. The students also enjoyed getting out of uniform for several themed “dress down” days.Kindergarteners showcases their creative 100th day shirts.Club members learn how to create animations through coding.Seventh-graders Julia Mosur, Elena Polar and Hogan Schirnhofer show off their handmade pizzas that were made on Culinary Day during Catholic Schools Week. Gab Bonesso poses for a picture with eighth-grader Kaylee Kauffman after her uplifting anti-bullying assembly.Girls Who Code club members Kaylee Scott, Bobbi Crawford, Alexis Kauffman and Tessa Larimer work to create a poster displaying the answer to the question, “Why Code?”NYour SchoolsYour SchoolsSt. Malachy Catholic SchoolSTORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY ST. MALACHY CATHOLIC SCHOOLMarch/April 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 25CLO visit St. Philip School students welcomed the Civic Light Opera’s “Beyond the Moon,” a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk featuring a 16-year-old student with “astronaut-ical” dreams of being the first person to set foot on Mars. Through dramatic sketches and musical vignettes, Pittsburgh CLO’s Gallery of Heroes program takes its 50-minute mini-musicals to area schools to educate and enlighten students about great historical figures such as Galileo Galilei, George Washington, Roberto Clemente, the Wright Brothers and Harriet Tubman. Several St. Philip students just happened to be dressed in space gear because the day was themed “Dress as your favorite book character.” St. Philip second-grader Quinn Jaworski came dressed as Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space. Jemison was a featured character in the program.St. Philip sweeps battery car competitions Sixth-graders Natalie Kirsch, Addison Hazuda and Rachel McDevitt won overall first place at the 27th annual Battery Car Races for fifth- and sixth-graders at Duquesne University. Their car, Porcupine Attack, went undefeated until the last race, which ended in a photo finish. However, the score on their supporting documents put them in first place once all their scores were combined. Just a week later, St. Philip racers took first, second and third place at the 27th annual seventh and eighth grade Battery Cars Races at Duquesne University. Polarboi, designed and raced by Ava Gaitens, Katarina Komorski and Grace Ravenstahl, went undefeated in the races and achieved overall winner status with a score comprised of racing and design document points. Coming in a close second was Turtellini, which was designed and raced by Maslen Anselm, Charlie Colantonio and Sean Kelsch. Showing a strong third place finish was Pacmobile, driven by the team of Josie Bochicchio, Emily Coll, Matt Mc Devitt and Branden Snaidach. Also racing in the final heats was Sergeant Major, driven by Leyton Cypher and Evan Seitz, and Blood of Olympus, designed by Gia Marino and Lillianna Peterson. All five St. Philip cars reached the final heats and raced each other for the trophy.Science Bowl and Wild Investigations awards The St. Philip fourth and fifth grade team of Lienna Bassano, Sam Hall, Jake Johnson and Sal Lozano took third place at a science bowl sponsored by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Students were tasked with analyzing rocks, creating a conversation with dinosaurs and completing a scavenger hunt amid live reptiles. The following week, a team comprised of Lienna Bassano, Katelyn Miller, Caroline Hall, Sal Lozano and Sam Hall took second place at another AIU event, Wild Investigations, at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. Students were asked to complete a scavenger hunt that led them throughout the zoo as they looked for questions and clues left at the animal exhibits. They also had the opportunity to see many animals up close, including owls, alligators and lizards.Pittcon Sponsored by Pittcon Conference and Expo, St. Philip students in grades K through eight took a trip around the night sky in their own gymnasium. The program illustrates the night sky and allows students to learn about stars, constellations and the life of stars. Students were taught the difference between stars and planets, how to recognize easily visible constellations, how to locate them in the night sky and how to use key constellations as guides to locate others. They also learned about their historical significance and some of the mythical stories associated with them. Students in each grade level enjoyed a presentation inside an inflatable dome in the gym. St. Philip second-graders Anna Gombkoto, Topher Allen and Eliana Cornetti prepare to enter the sky dome.ABOVE: Natalie Kirsch, Addison Hazuda and Rachel McDevitt hold their first place trophy. BELOW: The seventh and eighth grade battery car teams pose for a picture. Second-grader Quinn Jaworski, dressed as astronaut Mae Jemison, poses for a picture with an actress portraying her in a Pittsburgh CLO production.LEFT: St. Philip teams at Wild Investigations. RIGHT: St. Philip fifth-graders Leo Shorthouse and Evan Zielinski met up with an owl on the scavenger hunt.NYour SchoolsYour SchoolsSt. Philip SchoolSTORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY ST. PHILIP SCHOOL26 • Allegheny West Magazine • March/April 2019Propel hosts madrigal dinner Propel Montour high school students, middle school students and educators hosted school families for a unique Renaissance-style event this past January. Over the course of two nights on Jan. 11 and 12, families got to enjoy a dinner complete with chamber music, chicken legs, a jester’s performance, Renaissance clothing and more. The idea for the dinner came from Keri Merklin, Propel Montour’s music teacher for middle school and high school students. She says that she got the inspiration for the event from her own former high school choir director. “We used to do these and I wanted to bring it to our students here,” she says. Leading up to the event, about 72 students in grades six through 11 helped Merklin decorate the gym to look like a castle, create programs and choose which chamber music selections they wanted to perform. She says the project also gave her music students - both band and choir - the opportunity to learn about the religious origins of Renaissance music. Just like with a real Renaissance dinner, students played various roles within a court, including the king, queen and jesters. The dinner started with a grand entrance and closed with a performance from the choir. This school year marks Propel’s second operating in the building that was formerly Burkett Elementary School. Propel Montour expanded to serve grades six through 11 in 2017 and will add 12th grade next year. Merklin says she’s hoping to make the dinner an annual winter tradition.Students pilot robotics team St. James school started a pilot robotics team during last year’s 2017-2018 school year. The team joined the FIRST Lego League competition, in which teams design and build a robot and then compete on a tabletop playing field. They also identify and research a real-world problem aligned with the season’s theme and propose a solution. Interest in the team has grown over the past year and now St. James has three FIRST Lego League teams, not to mention a lot of younger members in FIRST Lego League Jr. who are preparing to enter competition starting in fourth grade. The St. James FIRST Lego League middle school team, now in their second year, has recently placed in the top three at some western Pennsylvania region competitions. They won third place at the Sewickley Academy Fall Fest on Nov. 3 and first place at the Shady Side Academy Open on Nov. 17. Pictured are eighth-graders Nathan Hale and Jack Feczko, along with seventh-graders Phil DuBois and Jake Kempton with their first place trophy.Choir students perform chamber music for guests enjoying a Renaissance-style dinner at Propel Montour.ABOVE: Band students perform chamber music.RIGHT: Students dressed in costumes reminiscent of the Renaissance for the madrigal dinner. NYour SchoolsYour SchoolsPropel MontourSt. James SchoolSTORY AND PHOTOS BY DOUG HUGHEYSTORY AND PHOTOS SUBMITTEDMarch/April 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 27NYour SchoolsYour SchoolsUp-to-date MASD news atwww.moonarea.netMoon Area School DistrictIn a first, eighth grade concert choir performs at Pitt basketball game The Moon Area Middle School eighth grade concert choir performed for a big audience in January when they sang the National Anthem before a University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball game against Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center. Not only was this a first for any Moon Area ensemble in the district, but it was the first school group to ever sing before a Pitt basketball game, men’s or women’s.Vietnam vets visit with social studies classes Two Vietnam War veterans visited Melissa Mayo’s high school social studies classes to speak about their experiences serving their country. On Feb. 4, Cpt. Fred Sargent, grandfather of junior Chandler Sargent, met with students to discuss his involvement both stateside and in Vietnam. Sargent also engaged in a question-and-answer session with students, who asked him how he felt about the war, what it was like upon arrival in a foreign country during the war, and his experiences during that significant time period. The next day, Mayo’s class welcomed another Vietnam veteran, CV Smith. A former professor of U.S. history at the Community College of Beaver County, Smith spoke with students about his time serving and what it was like returning home to the states.Fred Sargent (above) and CV Smith (below) speak with social studies classes at Moon Area High School about their experiences in the Vietnam War. The eighth grade concert choir performs the National Anthem for a University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball game. 28 • Allegheny West Magazine • March/April 2019Seniors win at SkillsUSA Four Moon Area High School seniors won awards at the SkillsUSA district competition Jan. 21 at the Steel Center for Career and Technical Education in Jefferson Hills. The following students, all of whom attend Parkway West Career and Technology Center, placed in their areas of focus: • Eric Hartzell: first place for automotive refinishing • Ashley Maule: first place for nail care • Samantha Perrone: second place in restaurant services • Jacob Cunningham: third place for collision repair As Hartzell and Maule both placed first, they will advance to the state competition in Hershey this April. SkillsUSA is a national, nonprofit organization that helps prepare young adults in career and technology education.STORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY MOON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTSTAND UP FOR A HIGHER STANDARDI WILL NOTFACE GRADUATIONWITH FEARWe provide the education and support that gets you in and out, and into a successful career you’ll love. Explore our new bachelor’s program in 15 online courses. If you have an associate degree from 2002 on, you’re in.Choose from more than 30 program optionsBusiness | Criminal Justice | Culinary Arts | DesignEnergy and Electronics Technology | Healthcare | HospitalityInformation Systems and Technology | Nursing | Trades TechnologyPTCollege.edu A NONPROFIT INSTITUTION*Showcases graduates from 2017 classes. Data includes those who were available for work and were offered and/or received career search assistance from 1/1/2017-4/30/2018. Includes full-time, part-time, or freelance positions. Visit PTCollege.edu/employmentstats to learn more. Pittsburgh Technical College admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.97% of available PTC graduates are working in their career fields.*RSVP to join us at Open House 10:30 AM March 23, 2019.NYour SchoolsYour SchoolsMarch/April 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 29Middle school students win best message award in manufacturing video contest Scott Slater’s social studies students won an award for best message in manufacturing for their video “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” in February. An awards ceremony was held at Heinz Field to recognize awardees. The purpose of the video contest is to encourage students to learn more about manufacturing careers. The team, which consisted of Alexa Austin, Jack Cipriani, Mea Weisenauer, Sunita Schild, Patrick Diana and Samantha Ray, started the project in November. The team collaborated with middle school technology education department STEAM facilitators Mr. Hilpert and Mr. Finn. The three-minute video focuses on a local robotics manufacturing company Seegrid Technologies. Students interviewed a number of employees from the company and had the opportunity to see manufacturing in action. This is the second time in the last three years that a team from the middle school has been awarded one of the competition’s top prizes. The team will now advance to a statewide competition, with winners announced in April. Sixth-graders take on wind power challenge Students in sixth grade experimented with different blade types on a small-scale wind turbine. Students were able to adjust the angles of the blades and see which combination and quantity of blade types produced the most voltage when met with the wind speed of a household fan. After students explored the combination of outcomes, they competed against one another to see which design produced the most energy. Wind power is a growing industry and has evolved over the centuries to offer renewable and clean energy for the modern world.This team of middle school students, pictured here at Heinz Field, produced an award-winning video about a local robotics company.Next >