< Previous20 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020 Cornell at forefront of Dynamic Learning Project transformation Just three years ago, Cornell School District began participating in the then-new Dynamic Learning Project, a Google for Education program. Cornell was one of 50 schools across the country originally selected to participate in the program. Rachel McVeagh was selected as the new instructional technology coach and asked to work with teachers to extend their instructional practice while using technology in an engaging and meaningful way in the classroom. In the fall of 2017, Cornell’s teachers, along with McVeagh and high school principal Dr. Doug Szokoly, began contributing to a body of research conducted by Digital Promise. That research showed instructional coaching is highly effective. Due to the success of the Dynamic Learning Project at schools across the U.S., and now in Canada, a major transformation has taken place that solidifies the main components of the program. Google is now transforming the Dynamic Learning Project into a brand-new Google Certified Coach program. This new program consists of a variety of components for coaches-in-training, including an in-depth curriculum based on the Dynamic Learning Project coaching model and a portfolio submission. Cornell is one of 140 schools in the U.S. and Canada to have a Google Certified Coach in place at the launch of this exciting project. The Google Certified Coach program is expected to expand rapidly, and Cornell is Google, the district is also part of a growing network of Google Certified Coaches. For more information about the Google Certified Coach program, edu.google.com/ teacher-center/programs/certified-coach. Cornell continues with The Education Partnership In the spring of 2019, Cornell was excited to find out that both Cornell High School and Cornell Elementary would be participating in the Teacher Resource Center program through a local nonprofit organization, The Education Partnership. This partnership will continue for a second year, as The Education Partnership notified Cornell that both the high school and elementary schools were selected to be part of the program for the 2020-2021 school year. The Education Partnership, located in the West End just on the outskirts of McKees Rocks, started in 2008 as Storehouse for Teachers, and was renamed in 2011 to The Education Partnership. The mission of The Education Partnership is to provide support to local school districts and teachers, who sometimes spend their own personal funds on basic classroom supplies. Over the past 11 years, The Education Partnership has provided more than $17.4 million in classroom supplies to 110 local schools. Last school year, Cornell teachers were able to shop at The Education Partnership’s Teacher Resource Center. Each Cornell teacher was able to shop through the warehouse and receive up to $400 in classroom supplies. There is a second shopping day during the second half of the school year where Cornell teachers can shop and receive another $400 in classroom supplies. This has been an excellent program for Cornell faculty and staff, and the district is delighted to be part of this wonderful program for a second year. Last school year, Cornell students made cards of appreciation and sent them to The Education Partnership to show donors how much the supplies are appreciated. That is sure to happen again. The Education Partnership also has a STEAM Lending Library where teachers in the region can sign out certain STEAM learning equipment to use with their students. The Education Partnership also has an “Adopt-a-School” program where sponsors such as businesses can adopt a local school and provide Power Tools Homework Kits for that school’s students. More information is available at www.theeducationpartnership.org. Cornell is just one of 140 schools in the U.S. and Canada to have a Google Certified Coach. Cornell’s coach is Rachel McVeagh. #WeAre Cornell Go to: www.cornellsd.org for the latest district newsFall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 21 When Jackie DelGreco wanted to get iPads for her kindergarten classroom at Cornell, she wrote a grant and submitted it to the website DonorsChoose.org. She figured it would be a long shot. Several of her fellow teachers at Cornell, though, had gotten grants funded through the website, which matches requests from teachers with donors who get to choose which programs to fund. DelGreco wanted five iPads for her students. “When I wrote the grant, I wasn’t expecting it to be funded, but was hopeful,” she says. “It was so shocking that all five iPads were funded by the same donor, Google. I was really excited to be able to put technology directly into my little ones’ hands.” With those iPads, DelGreco has been able to integrate a suite of learning software into her classroom that has allowed her to better meet the individual needs of her students. Some of her students’ favorite programs include Moose Math, ESpark, SeeSaw and ABCmouse. With the help of Rachel McVeagh, Cornell’s Dynamic Learning Project coach, DelGreco’s students were even able to start utilizing a program called Book Creator, which allows them to become authors and illustrators. DelGreco’s story isn’t unusual at Cornell, where teachers have received thousands of dollars in grants from DonorsChoose to purchase everything from furniture to technology learning tools for their classrooms. Since 2014, high school special education teacher Rebecca Baxendell has received over $5,000 for various projects through the website. Last year, fifth grade teacher Katie O’Neal received funding for ear buds, headphones and cases for her class’ iPads. Fifth grade teacher Jamie Chambers was able to get a grant for 15 Amazon Fire Tablets while fourth grade teacher Julie Roncone purchased 25 LCD electronic writing tablets. High school social studies teacher Amy Palo, meanwhile, has been able to purchase everything from pens, to books, to kits for a breakout room she was able to use to teach her students about 1920s American culture. The activity complemented her students’ reading of “The Great Gatsby.” In the spring, she received another $1,000 to purchase books and classroom supplies. Yet another grant she obtained helped her purchase 40 books on historical topics centering around marginalized perspectives. She used another grant to purchase ear buds to keep in her room for students. “DonorsChoose doesn’t have a strict fiscal year/budget, so if I find I need something mid-year, it is a great option for teachers whose schools don’t have unlimited budgets, which I would argue is most schools,” she says. Palo has also been able to make the funds she obtained go further through a matching funds option. Earlier this year, students in Sarah Sleasman’s high school Spanish class had been planning to take a trip to Costa Rica. To help cover their costs while there, her students raised $500 through DonorsChoose. The trip was supposed to allow students “to use their language skills in real time and discover new cultural perspectives that can only be gained through experience,” says Sleasman. When the trip was canceled due to COVID-19, DonorsChoose allowed her to reroute the money and purchase headsets that both Spanish and French students can use. “Students will be able to listen and record themselves to respond to various media at their own pace with minimal background noise,” she says. A grant that Robin Heigley got through DonorsChoose allowed her to bolster her first grade classroom’s flexible seating options. Prior, Heigley had purchased some scoop chairs, stools and other furniture on her own. Using grant funds, she purchased four floors seats and four wobble seats. She says the furniture helps encourage collaboration and engagement. “My students look forward to and become more motivated when they are able to push in their ‘traditional’ desk chairs to work on projects and hands-on activities with their peers because they are given some choice in how they learn,” she says. Over Christmas break, Marisa McGowan, meanwhile, received $500 from a single donor for flexible seating in her special education classroom. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools, high school social studies teacher Andy Erwin also received $150 in supplies to create his own breakout room. “The DonorsChoose grants have had a great impact in our classrooms,” says Dr. Aaron Thomas, Cornell superintendent. “They provide additional resources and materials for our classrooms, but they provide for meaningful learning activities that our students deserve. I am also blown away by the work our teachers put into the grant applications, and the ideas they produce are outstanding.” Thomas says the generosity of donors has been inspiring and he points out that not all donors are large or distant. Some are local. “I know that some of the donors are local residents as well, which makes it all the more meaningful,” he says. To peruse grants submitted by Cornell faculty, visit donorschoose.org. Teachers get grants through DonorsChoose Cornell teachers have been able to obtain valuable grants to help purchase various items for their classrooms. While Jackie DelGreco was able to get iPads for her kindergarten classroom (above) Robin Heigley was able to purchase flexible seating. 22 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020 Screening and Evaluation - The Cornell School District employs the following procedures for locating, identifying and evaluating the needs of school age students requiring special education programs and/or services. These procedures, as required by state regulations, are as follows: As prescribed by section 1402 of the school code, the district routinely conducts screening of a child’s hearing and visual acuity. Initial screening for speech and language skills is completed during Kindergarten at the elementary building. This screening is also initiated at other times on a referral basis to the nurse. Gross motor and fine motor skills are assessed by the teachers and support staff on an ongoing basis. Teams at each building meet routinely to conduct various screening activities on an ongoing basis including: review of group-based data such as enrollment and health records, report cards, ability and achievement test scores and observable behaviors. Needs identified from these screening sources, as well as from parents and outside agencies are assessed, noted within the student’s records, and discussed with parents. Various plans may be implemented and monitored. If appropriate, a referral process is initiated at each building level. The school, in order to determine the need for further evaluation, then uses any assessment data accrued. If it is determined that a student may be eligible for special education services, the student is referred for a multidisciplinary team evaluation. After the evaluation is completed, an Evaluation Report (ER) is prepared with parent involvement. This report includes specific recommendations for the types of interventions necessary to deal with the student. When the ER report is completed in accordance with state regulations, an IEP team meeting with parent involvement is scheduled to develop an appropriate Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the student. Parents of students who suspect that their child is exceptional and in need of special education may request a multidisciplinary team evaluation of their child through a written request to the building principal. The time and location of an evaluation depends upon each student’s current placement, as well as Federal and State time guidelines. Special Education Policy - The Cornell School District is responsible for locating, identifying and educating children who are in need of special education programming. If anyone in the community is aware of a child with a disability such as mental retardation, blindness or deafness or with an orthopedic disability and needs special placement and is not receiving it, contact the school district at (412) 264-5010 ext. 113 or 111. Services for Preschool Age Children - Act 212, the Early Intervention System Act, entitles all preschool age children with disabilities to appropriate early intervention services. Young children experiencing developmental delays, or orthopedic or mental disabilities are eligible for early intervention services. The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare is responsible for providing services to infants and toddlers, defined as children from birth through two years of age. Information regarding the appropriate developmental milestone descriptors for infants and toddlers may be found at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov or The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) website at http:// nichcy.org. Contact: St. Peter Child Development Center, Inc., 2510 Baldwick Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15205-4144, (412) 937-1502. The Pennsylvania Department of Education is responsible for providing services to preschool age children from ages three through five. Contact: Project DART, 200 Commerce Court Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1178, (412) 394-5736. Services for Students in Nonpublic Schools - Public special education is accessible to resident students attending nonpublic schools by permitting the nonpublic student to enroll on a part-time dual enrollment basis in a special education program operated in a public school. Special education programs are accessible to nonpublic school students through dual enrollment following the multidisciplinary team evaluation and development of an individualized education program (IEP). Parents of students in need of special education may request a multidisciplinary team evaluation of their child through a written request to the nonpublic school principal. S ervices for School Age Exceptional Students - The School District provides a free, appropriate public education to students with a disability according to state and federal mandates. To be eligible the child must be of school age, need specially designed instruction, and meet eligibility criteria for mentally gifted and/or one or more of the following orthopedic and mental disabilities as set forth in the Pennsylvania State Standards: autism/pervasive development disorder, blindness/visual impairment, deafness/hearing impairment, mental retardation, multi-handicap, neurological impairment, orthopedic disability, serious emotional disturbance, specific learning disability and speech/language impairment. Services designed to meet the needs of eligible students include the annual development of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), triennial multidisciplinary reevaluation, supportive intervention in the regular class, supplemental intervention in the regular class or in a special education resource program, placement in a part-time or full-time special education resource program, placement in a part-time or full-time special education class in a regular school or placement in a full-time special education class outside of the regular services and the location for the delivery of such services are determined by the parents and staff at the IEP team meeting and are based on the student’s identified needs and abilities, chronological age, and the level of intensity of specified intervention. The school district also provides related services, such as transportation, physical therapy, and occupational therapy that are required to enable the student to derive educational benefits. Prior to the initiation of services, parents are presented a “Notice of Recommended Educational Placement” (NOREP) with which they may agree or disagree. If parents disagree with the program being recommended, they have the right to request a pre-hearing conference, mediation and/or a due process hearing. Cornell School District Each year, Pennsylvania school districts are required to publish the following information. Please read carefully. Annual Notification to Parents School Year: 2020-2021Fall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 23 Confidentiality of Student Records - The Cornell School District upholds the privacy rights of parents and students as mandated by federal legislation known as a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment), state regulations (Chapter 14-Special Education Services and Programs, Chapter 12-Student Rights and Responsibilities), and the district’s policy. The different categories of information maintained by the school district are as follows: educational and health records, personally identifiable information, and directory information. Educational and health records and personally identifiable information cannot be disclosed or released without parent consent or if a student is eighteen or older, without his/her consent. Information known as directory information can be released without consent. Directory information means information, which would be considered not harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. This information includes the following: student’s name, address, date and place of birth, courses taken, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Written parental, or a student age eighteen or older, request is required for the disclosure of educational and health records, and personally identifiable information. The consent must: specify the records that may be disclosed, purpose of the disclosure, and identify the party or class of parties whom the disclosure may be made. A written record of the disclosure must be maintained by the school district. In accordance with 34 CFR §300.624, please be advised of the following retention/destruction schedule for the PASA, PSSA and Keystone Exam related materials: PSSA, Keystone Exam, and PASA test booklets will be destroyed one year after student reports are delivered for the administration associated with the test booklets. PSSA and Keystone Exam answer booklets and PASA media recording will be destroyed three years after completion of the assessment. Extra-Curricular Activities - All special education students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities regardless of the location of where they attend school. This includes special education students who are Cornell residents attending approved private schools, center placement and PRII placements. Building principals may be contacted for sports activities and extra- curricular activities and calendars are available in each district office. Chapter 15 Regulations - In compliance with State and Federal Law, the Cornell District will provide to each protected disabled student without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aids, services or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extra-curricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities. In order to qualify as a protected handicapped student, the child must be of school age with an orthopedic or mental disability, which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program. For further information on the evaluation procedures and provision of services protected disabled students, contact the Superintendent, Cornell School District, 1099 Maple Street, Coraopolis, PA 15108, (412) 264-5010. The Cornell School District, an equal opportunity employer, will not discriminate in employment, educational programs or activities, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, physical disability or union membership. This policy of nondiscrimination extends to all other legally protected classifications. Publication of this policy in this document is in accordance with state and federal laws including Title IX of the Education Amendments 0f 1972 and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Inquires should be directed to the Superintendent, Cornell School District, 1099 Maple Street, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, 15108. CCAC Fall Transition Program Cornell is looking to extend a potential partnership that could greatly benefit students as they prepare for their post-secondary education. The district is working on a program that would allow Cornell High School students to earn college credit through CCAC while attending classes at Cornell. This would allow students to earn certain certifications upon graduating, credits toward an associates degree and further certifications through CCAC. Students can also use the credits to pursue a bachelor’s degree and transfer their credits to other higher education institutions. The possibility of this partnership is exciting, but Cornell is still a year away from finalizing the program. In the meantime, a starting point in the partnership has been established. This fall, CCAC will begin offering a college transition course for free to all Cornell High School juniors and seniors. The course will be conducted in a virtual setting, is 100% free for students to take and offers a cash stipend for students upon successful completion of the course. Students also receive college and career mentoring services from a CCAC staff member, a CCAC college ID and access to all CCAC support services and activities. Assistance with financial aid applications for continuing college education is available as well. The district hopes that a number of juniors and seniors will take advantage of this valuable opportunity. For more information, contact the high school guidance department.24 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020 Cornell is one of 12 area school districts that partners with Parkway West Career and Technology Center. PWCTC is a career and technical high school located in North Fayette Township and is a short drive from the Cornell campus. High school students can attend PWCTC as early as their freshman year in the afternoons if they decide to enroll in one of its 15 career-driven programs. The programs offered by PWCTC are designed to prepare students to meet the challenges of entering the workforce directly out of high school or enrolling in a post-secondary program to further their training. Program offerings include: auto body repair, automotive technology, construction cluster (carpentry, electrical systems technology, HVAC/R, welding technology), cosmetology, culinary arts, cyber security and network technology, diesel technology, graphic arts and production technology, health occupations technology, public safety technology, sports medicine and rehabilitation therapy technology, and veterinary assistant technology. Through these programs, PWCTC aims to provide students with the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment in order to be prepared to tackle any challenges in their future career or post- secondary plans. Students who attend PWCTC are able to earn all of their elective credits for that school year while taking all core classes (English, math, science) at their home school. Not only can students obtain their elective credits, but they can also pursue industry credentials throughout their tenure at PWCTC. These credentials give graduates the opportunity to be more competitive in their industry. A number of facility improvements also occurred over the summer months at PWCTC. Classrooms, hallways and community service areas have been revamped to provide a more inviting and updated learning environment for all students. PWCTC offers deeply discounted services to the community throughout the school year. Information and pricing on all of the school’s services can be found on the school website at www.parkwaywest.org. These programs include: a buffet-style restaurant open to the public; auto body services; doggie daycare and grooming services; automotive services such as oil and filter changes; and cosmetology services. This year, skilled labor has never been more in need or relevant. Exploring a career in the trades can set up an individual for a career straight out of high school. That career can then be built upon with a two-year, four-year or technical post- secondary degree. For more information, visit www.parkwaywest. org. PWCTC also has an app that can be downloaded on any Apple or Android device. This app contains relevant news, events, programs, and contact information for staff and administration. District looks to continue healthy foods program Cornell School District has applied for a United States Department of Agriculture grant to fund its Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program for elementary students in the upcoming school year. The FFVP helps schools to expand the variety of fruits and vegetables children are introduced to and increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Typically, the program operates three times per week and is served in the classroom separate from breakfast and lunch. While children are eating their FFVP snack, classroom teachers review educational nutrition material about the snack. Additionally, an open discussion about the snack takes place about the taste, texture and whether they would try the snack again in the future. The goal of the program is to create a school environment that promotes healthier eating habits and provides the knowledge for children to make better food choices both at school and at home. Eating fruits and vegetables of different colors provides a broad range of nutrients. Some of the different varieties of fruits and vegetables that have been served as part of the FFVP include asparagus, beets, blueberries, gooseberries, jicama, nectarines, plums, radish, squash, sugar snap peas, zucchini and multiple varieties of grapes and tomatoes. Parents can help promote the FFVP with their child by encouraging them to try every fruit or vegetable that is offered. It is important to reinforce the benefits of healthy eating habits and consuming highly processed foods in moderation. At the time of this writing, the USDA has not yet issued its annual FFVP funding memo to inform PDE how much funding will be available for Pennsylvania schools. PDE will notify schools if they have been selected to receive the grant once they know how much funding will be available for the program. If Cornell does receive the grant for the upcoming school year, it would be the eighth year that it has been able to offer this beneficial program to elementary students. Fun Fact - When cauliflower is served, many of the children in the program refer to it as white broccoli. If a student can reference a similar produce item, they will be less hesitant to try the new item. Parkway West Career and Technology Center Cornell students who attend Parkway West Career and Technology Center can get a jump on their future careers. Fall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 25 What is your background? Where did you go to high school and where did you go to college? I am 28 years old and grew up in East Rochester, Pennsylvania, located in Beaver County. I graduated from Rochester High School in 2010. After high school, I went on to further my education at Slippery Rock University. There, I majored in early childhood and special education. During my years at the Rock, I met my husband, Dennis. We recently became new parents to a beautiful baby girl named Quinn. What was your biggest learning moment at Cornell? My biggest learning moment at Cornell was being able to successfully transition from teaching middle school students to high school students. I was nervous at first due to the lack of experience, but I surprised myself with the way I was able to adapt and create positive rapport with older students. What has been the most rewarding aspect of working at Cornell? The most rewarding aspect of working at Cornell is being able to bond and build relationships with all students on a personal level. Cornell’s size allows teachers to build a learning environment of trust and acceptance. The relationships I have made during my short time at Cornell have defined the way my students interact within my classroom. My teaching philosophy has always been to love first, teach second. What was your biggest surprise after you started working at Cornell? My biggest surprise after I started working at Cornell was the overwhelming support from all the administrators, teachers and staff. They welcomed me with open arms and have always included me as part of their little Raider family. The compassion they share among the students and the community has made me appreciate where I grew up. It’s a daily reminder of all the same reasons why I love doing what I do. What is something about you that your students may find surprising? Something about myself that my students may find surprising is that I live three minutes away from school. They don’t believe me when I tell them I live in Coraopolis. What are you looking forward to most this school year? I am looking forward to normalcy again this school year. All students deserve a fair education along with the socialization that is a piece of their learning. I want to make this unfortunate time in education a positive learning experience for my students. This past school year has been a challenge for us all. With the continued support of the community and families, I hope to see growth not only in my students’ academic progress, but the way they successfully access the real world as well. Grant facilitates summer reading program The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Cornell Elementary a $3,000 grant to support summer literacy. This local grant is part of more than $8.6 million in grants awarded to more than 950 schools, nonprofits and organizations across the communities Dollar General serves. Grant funds were used to purchase books for Cornell Elementary students. Each student was able to pick up a book at the beginning of the summer at the Coraopolis Gazebo or in Cottage Park on Neville Island. Students were also invited to join the Virtual Summer Reading Program. Students joined Cornell reading specialist Lori Dzielski on Google Meets throughout the summer and continued to receive more books every two weeks. Students were encouraged to take quizzes using Reading Counts, an online incentive program where students accumulate points after reading/taking quizzes and receive prizes for their accomplishments. Students will be rewarded for their efforts when they return to school. “During these extraordinary times, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to support communities’ literacy and educational advancements through funds that will impact thousands of students across the country,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO and Dollar General Literacy Foundation board member. “We are proud to support the meaningful and impactful work that each of today’s recipients conduct and support their ongoing efforts to help individuals improve their lives through literacy and education.” The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $182 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 11 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. New teacher highlight – Marisa McGowan Marisa McGowan joined the Cornell High School faculty in the middle of last school year and did a wonderful job transitioning to the high school environment. Her primary responsibility is teaching in the special education department. Cornell asked McGowan some questions as she was preparing for the 2020-2021 school year. Marisa McGowan #WeAre Cornell Go to: www.cornellsd.org for the latest district news26 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020 #WeAre Cornell This past summer, when Alexis Hamm began holding her first practices as the new head coach of the Cornell varsity girls volleyball team, her message to her players was simple: it was time to go back to basics. “We’re really just taking things back down to fundamentals,” says Hamm. “We’ll all be on the same page and build from there. We’re breaking all those skills apart and putting them back together.” In the coming years, Hamm will be looking to rebuild a team that won six combined games the past two years. She comes to the team after playing and coaching at Division II Millersville University, where she played all four years and coached the JV team. Before that, she played for West Allegheny, where she helped the varsity squad reach the state championship her sophomore year. After graduating with a degree in early childhood education, Hamm coached the JV team at West Allegheny in 2018 and the team at Chartiers Valley Middle School in 2019 before landing the job at Cornell. “We are glad and fortunate that Alexis will be working for our kids,” says athletic director Bill Sacco. Despite not having any seniors on this year’s squad, Hamm says the team is comprised of a solid group of well-rounded athletes who will help the team develop in the years to come. “There are a lot of athletic girls on the team,” she says. “Since it’s a smaller school they do play more than one sport so that’s good in terms of athleticism.” With COVID-19 still being a very real threat, it’s always possible that there won’t be much of a fall season. Still, Hamm says players have been preparing as if there will be one and that they’re taking added precautions. Conditioning while wearing face masks, maintaining social distance, avoiding high fives and staying home when feeling sick are things Hamm’s players and all varsity athletes are being encouraged to do under the current circumstances. Still, she says the team is taking things in stride and hoping for the best. “These are uncharted waters and we just have to get through it together,” she says. At the time of this writing, the team is planning to kick off its first game of the season against Lincoln Park on Sept. 14. Alexis Hamm takes over girls volleyball team Alexis Hamm What is your background? Where did you go to high school and where did you go to college? I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. I graduated from Keystone Oaks High School where I played football, and I received my bachelor’s degree from Morehead State University in Kentucky while playing as a member of their football team. What was your biggest learning moment at Cornell? The biggest thing I’ve learned at Cornell is how to show students that you care about them beyond school. If they know you care, they will open up to you. What has been the most rewarding aspect of working at Cornell? The most rewarding aspect of working at Cornell is the opportunity for me to work with all students in each grade. It really gives me the chance to get to know most of our students. What was your biggest surprise after you started working at Cornell? My biggest surprise after starting at Cornell was realizing how great our physical education facilities are for such a small school district. We really do have great spaces for our students to be active. What is something about you that your students may find surprising? Something about me that my students may find surprising: I thought about being a history teacher, but decided getting a health and physical education degree would be the best fit for me. What are you looking forward to most this school year? I’m looking forward to getting back to interacting with the students again and getting back to a level of normalcy. New teacher highlight - Josh Brunner Cornell Elementary will be welcoming a new but familiar face this fall. Josh Brunner joined the Cornell teaching staff during the 2018-2019 school year to teach high school health and PE. Brunner has done an excellent job with high school students by building relationships and a positive learning culture. At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Brunner is moving down the hallway at Cornell to teach elementary students. Brunner won’t be completely gone from the high school schedule but the majority of his time will be spent in the elementary wing. Cornell asked Brunner some questions as he was preparing for a unique 2020-2021 school year. Josh BrunnerFall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 27 The Cornell Raiders football team takes the field during last year’s season. The team will be looking to repeat that team’s success this year. PHOTO BY T. SALVIE PHOTOGRAPHY Karen Murphy - President Robert Dinell - Vice President Stephanie Mazzocco - Treasurer Darlene Abbott Mark Cavicchia Cornell School District 1099 Maple Street • Coraopolis, PA 15108 www.cornellsd.org Dr. Aaron Thomas Superintendent athomas@cornellsd.org (412) 264-5010, ext. 120 Dr. Doug Szokoly High School Principal dszokoly@cornellsd.org (412) 264-5010, ext. 104 Jeffrey Carter Elementary School Principal jcarter@cornellsd.org, (412) 264-5010, ext. 241 Carla Antoniades Director of Pupil Services cantoniades@cornellsd. org Kris Hupp Director of Technology & Instructional Innovation khupp@cornellsd.org Patrick Berdine Business Manager Cornell School District Board of Directors *Patrick Berdine - Secretary *Trish Andrews - Solicitor - non-board member* #WeAre Cornell Michael Griffith Michael Engel Caryn Code Linda Solecki No one knew for sure what the future held when the Cornell Raiders football team started voluntary workouts in late July. Would their first game of the season against Mohawk take place? Would it be a scrimmage? Would there even be a season? Already, the team knew there wouldn’t be any fans in the stands, but what else lay ahead? You wouldn’t have known it from looking at the players, though, says head coach Ed Dawson. He says that not only did the team have good attendance at workouts, but that players showed up with a positive attitude bent on winning. “The kids are very upbeat and positive,” Dawson said at the beginning of August. “They’re working really hard.” Despite all of the outside talk, Dawson says players have been pushing ahead with the expectation that their game against Mohawk will take place Sept. 9. As of this writing, that game has been designated a scrimmage, meaning their first game of the regular season will now be against section rival Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School the week afterward. Cornell won their matchup against OLSH, then the defending WPIAL champion, last season. “I tell them, ‘Just come in and work,’” said Dawson about his message to his players. “Use it as a distraction to get away from all the problems going on outside.” He says players also haven’t lost sight of the fact that the team has much to prove after their historic playoff run, which took place in just the program’s third season. “People have a perception that because we graduated so many seniors we’ll have a down year, but the kids have bought in,” he says. Senior offensive players like quarterback Zaier Harrison and receiver Kaden DiVito were a big part of the program’s momentous achievements, but the way Dawson sees it, the team is poised for success yet again. This team, however, is also young, with a number of sophomores stepping in to fill those big offensive roles. Dawson’s son, EJ, will be taking over at quarterback. A sophomore, he played every game last season and took some snaps at the quarterback position. He’ll be passing to fellow sophomore Raequan Troutman, who finished third in receiving on the team last season. Running back Amere Hibbler will again be taking snaps out of the backfield after finishing third in rushing on the team last year, his freshman season. With three up-and-coming sophomores anchoring the offense, Dawson says he’s excited not only for this season but also for what lies ahead. “Especially at those positions, that offers us some longevity and we’re not having a freshman stepping into a senior position,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing those kids grow over the next few seasons.” Among the seniors the team will be looking to this year is Drew Lopez, who has been something of a utility player on the team thus far. Lopez will see a lot of action as a slot receiver and running back, says Dawson. “He’s kind of our multi-purpose guy like a Swiss army knife kind of player,” says Dawson. “Wherever we need him, Drew has been more than willing to step up and help us.” Fellow senior Jamaal Bigstaff will be returning to the receiving corps after suffering an injury that put him out for much of last season. Dawson is excited for what he’ll bring to the team. Three- year starter Mark Fancher will be returning to the line this year alongside Brandon Spencer. The football team’s scrimmage against Mohawk is currently scheduled to take place Sept. 4, with its first regular season game against OLSH scheduled for Sept. 11. Football team looks to repeat last season’s success Remember When? Remember When? N In the 1950s, the trees just south of the farmhouse where Kay Schurr and Pat Trello lived in Moon Township weren’t as tall as they are today. Back then, the sisters, whose last names were at that time McGinnis, could stand in front of their family’s home and look out over a U.S. Army base that sat less than 1,000 feet from their front steps. From there, they could watch military personnel going about their daily routines. About once a month, the sisters and the rest of their family were also treated to a rather dramatic sight - one they could watch unfold right from the comfort of their front yard. “[The Army] would run drills there maybe once a month or so,” Schurr recalled. “The sirens would all go off and they would slide the tops off these big magazines that were buried in the ground. Then these huge Nike missiles would rise out of the ground. All the soldiers would run around and bark orders, and after awhile [the missiles] would go back in the ground.” Schurr said she never worried much about those missiles. For one thing, she said her father, who along with his brother, Luther, had sold part of the family farm to the Army to construct the base, assured her that the drills were just tests. In fact, she said she got a kick out of the whole thing. “It was quite a lot of fun to watch,” she said. “Being small like we were, young teens, we didn’t really realize how dangerous it could have been if those had all fired off.” In that event, the situation certainly would have been dire. In all likelihood, it would have meant that the U.S. was facing an imminent attack by nuclear-armed Soviet bombers that had managed to slip past Air Force interceptors. Launching the missiles would have thus represented a last-ditch effort to thwart an impending nuclear attack. “They were the last line of defense, period,” was the way Ret. Army 1st Sgt. George Millerschoen put it during a Veterans Breakfast Club meeting in Moon Township last year. In the early 1970s, Millerschoen was stationed at another missile battery in Finleyville not unlike the one that operated adjacent to the McGinnis family farm. “If they’re firing our missiles here, we’re being attacked by bombers now,” he told the group. “If these things are activated, there are bombers coming over the ice caps from the Soviet Union and they’re dropping bombs on our major metropolitan area.” During the early years of the Cold War, as the Army was warning the public of the potential of a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union, it was also rolling out various means to protect against such an attack. At first, the Army installed 90 mm anti- aircraft guns around the country’s major industrial and metropolitan centers. By the early 1950s, however, the Army was also widely deploying a missile system capable of taking down jet-powered bombers. Initially, the Army armed those missiles with high explosive warheads, but by the late 1950s the Army was also secretly arming some of its missiles with a much more devastating weapon: a nuclear bomb. That information remained classified until well after the missiles were decommissioned in 1974. At the time, only Army personnel with the proper clearances even knew that nuclear weapons were being stockpiled at the batteries. Among those personnel was Millerschoen, who says that a number of those missiles would have had a telltale static probe sticking out from their nose indicating that they were armed with a nuclear warhead. According to people interviewed for this article, the number of nuclear warheads stockpiled at any one battery would have likely ranged from nine to a dozen or more. One of those sites sat adjacent to the McGinnis family farm. To understand just how it came to be that large stockpiles of nuclear weapons ended up in the middle of sleepy suburban communities like western Allegheny County, one has to go back to the final months of World War II. It was then, according to the book “What We Have We Shall Defend,” which was published by the Army Corps of Engineers about two of the area’s Nike missile installations, that the “U.S. Military realized that conventional antiaircraft artillery could not deal with the fast, high-flying and maneuverable jet aircraft and rockets being introduced by the Germans.” To confront this threat, in 1945 the Army contracted with Western Electric to begin development of a defensive missile system. The program was dubbed Nike, after the Greek god of war, and when its first iteration - the Ajax - was rolled out in 1954, it was the first missile system of its kind in the world. It utilized a series of radar systems that guided the missile and tracked its target. The missile was capable of reaching 2.3 Mach, or 1,679 miles per hour, and had a flight range of about 30 miles. The Nike missile program During the Cold War, local military installations and personnel were part of this country’s last line of defense A Nike Hercules missile is pictured during a launch. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. ARMY STORY BY DOUG HUGHEY 28 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020Remember When? Remember When? N By 1953, the Army was stockpiling Ajax missiles at batteries across the country, including around Pittsburgh, which the Army identified as a potential target for attack due to its steel production. The city was also in a strategic position to protect other high value industries in Ohio and ports in Philadelphia and Baltimore. In all, Pittsburgh initially had 12 batteries armed with 90 mm anti-aircraft guns built in a circle around it. Each battery was labeled with a “PI,” as was the practice of using the first letters of the cities where the batteries were located to identify them. To store Ajax missiles, batteries were outfitted with underground bunkers, or magazines, that had large rectangular doors that would open down into the ground. An elevator would then lift the missiles to ground level, where soldiers could wheel them into firing position. Batteries were manned by either National Guardsmen or regular Army units. The batteries in this area were located in Moon Township, South Fayette Township, West View and Collier Township. Each missile battery was comprised of both a launch site and a command site. The latter would have been responsible for firing the missiles. Command posts had to have a direct line of sight to their launch site and were one to three miles away from the launch site. The one for the Moon Township launch site was located in Robinson Township, approximately one mile away as the crow flies, off of Leona Lane. From that vantage point, Army personnel could look out across the Montour Run ravine and see the launch site in the neighboring township. Today, the lot where that command site was located is utilized by the township for storage. Though the Nike Ajax was a state-of-the-art weapon at its inception, the Army realized even as it was rolling it out that the missiles were limited in their ability to counter large squadrons of bombers and supersonic jets. Thus, Western Electric’s development arm, Bell Labs, developed another, much more powerful missile. That missile, named the Hercules, was powered by four Ajax boosters that could produce upwards of 220,000 pounds of thrust. The boosters could launch the missile to the speed of sound by the time it was 40 feet - which was also its height - off the ground. With an unclassified range of 90 miles, it could fly three times farther than the Ajax and, more importantly, carry the heavier load required of a nuclear warhead. The Hercules was designed to launch 100,000 feet into the atmosphere and then drop down onto its target. Rather than target individual planes, Hercules missiles armed with nuclear warheads could instead take out entire squadrons. Any planes caught within its blast radius would have been vaporized. Planes further out would have been crushed by the shockwave or knocked out of the air. Even planes outside of that shockwave would have been exposed to a powerful electromagnetic pulse that occurs during an atmospheric nuclear explosion. That pulse would have fried any unshielded electronics and caused affected planes to crash. Just launching the missiles would have even caused some localized collateral damage. As the missiles broke the sound barrier, they created a powerful shockwave that was capable of shattering windows and even causing structural damage to nearby buildings. Faced with a nuclear attack, however, damaged property would have been the least of anyone’s concerns. Though the Hercules had an unclassified range of 90 miles, Millerschoen says Army personnel were aware that the missiles could fly upwards of 200 miles. Thus, in the event of an attack, he says Army personnel in this area would have been aiming to intercept enemy aircraft just as the planes were crossing the Canadian border, somewhere around the northern end of Lake Erie. From launch to detonation, the missile’s flight time would have taken all of 40 seconds. Ret. Col. Andy Sakmar, who was a captain in the National Guard when he became a headquarters battery commander in the area, says that, despite never firing a single missile, personnel at the batteries remained in a constant state of readiness. “During the Cold War, what do you do? You wait and become more proficient through practice,” he said. “That would be an everyday function.” He said personnel would engage in constant drills that simulated firing a real missile. At the start of each firing drill, an officer would determine whether to ready a missile armed with a high explosive or nuclear warhead. Soldiers at the launch site would then have just 20 minutes or less to prepare the missile to fire. In between drills, soldiers at the launch sites could count among their duties the rather tedious task of inspecting each of the screws holding the missiles’ panels in place. Soldiers at the command posts, meanwhile, tracked flights coming in and out of Pittsburgh and plotted missile trajectories. Ret. Sgt. 1st Class Joe Cirra of South Fayette, who worked as a radar operator at several batteries, recalled how his duties also included patrolling the base, shoveling snow and cleaning floors. He said soldiers worked odd hours, sometimes for days on end, and could be called in at a moment’s notice. He said, though, that soldiers never forgot the gravity of their responsibilities. “We knew we were guarding our people and knew the seriousness of the situation,” said Cirra. During the first half of his 42 years in the National Guard, Cirra witnessed the transformation of the area’s air defenses, as 90 mm guns were replaced by Ajax missiles and then Hercules missiles. In 1971, he was transferred to battery PI-71 after the Army closed its battery in West View. With the increased firepower and flight range of the Hercules, the Army no longer needed so many missiles or batteries and, by that time, the Army was only operating four batteries around Pittsburgh. The closing of the West View battery brought that number down to three. George Millerschoen gives a presentation on the Nike missile program at a Veterans Breakfast Club meeting last year. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY Fall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 29Next >