< PreviousCAround Your Town Around Your Town Since 2008, the Coraopolis community has been fortunate to have a police department with a K-9 unit that can help officers quickly clear buildings, track down missing persons and search out narcotics. “It’s a valuable resource for us because we’re able to act fairly quickly instead of waiting for a dog from an outside agency,” says Coraopolis police officer Shawn Quinn, the department’s K-9 handler, about the department’s dog. “In the event of a missing child or adult, we’re able to search immediately. The amount of time it would take for us to clear a business or large building, the dog can do it in minimal time.” Not all police departments have K-9 units, in part because all the necessary equipment and training can cost a department tens of thousands of dollars. The departments that do have K-9 units tend to cover that price tag by searching out grants or by fundraising. In the Coraopolis Police Department’s case, it has been fortunate to have received support over the years from a grassroots effort dedicated to supporting its own unit. The initiative, called the Coraopolis K-9 Fund, was started and is still run by Coraopolis resident Beth Miles, who recently retired as the transportation director at Cornell School District. Miles’ efforts started in 2008, when she wanted to raise funds to purchase a new Kevlar vest for the department’s K-9 officer at the time, Rebel. Miles, who says she’s long held an affinity for animals, solicited donations by placing collection cans around the borough. Now, she heads up a successful annual Coach purse bingo fundraiser that helps raise the bulk of the fund’s money. “We host it in January or February when everyone’s ready to get out after football’s over,” she says. “It has sold out for the past three years. We sell 250 tickets in no time. The last couple of years we had lunch with it. Everybody has a ball and we raise a lot of money through it.” The fund has since paid for the department’s newest K-9 officer, Amor, which went into service in 2015. In March, the fund made its largest purchase to date when it bought the department a new Ford F-150. The fund has also paid to have the vehicle outfitted with a special impact-resistant kennel that protects the dog along with an environmental control alarm that sounds an alert and lowers the windows if temperatures inside the vehicle climb to dangerous levels. Both are required features of a K-9 vehicle. The new pickup will replace the department’s current aging K-9 vehicle. “They’re not paying a thing for this one,” says Miles of the new vehicle. “If it can’t be taken out of the old vehicle, we’re paying for it.” As a result, the unit’s vehicle, dog and Community group donating K-9 vehicle to Coraopolis Police Department STORY BY DOUG HUGHEY ABOVE: Coraopolis Police Department officer Shawn Quinn is pictured with the department’s K-9, Amor. BELOW: Beth Miles poses for a picture with Amor during a fundraiser at Courtyard Winery in the Strip District. PHOTOS SUBMITTED 10 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020lLegislative Update Legislative Update Express knows jobs. Get to know Express. O ces in Robinson & Monaca 412.494.2000 ExpressPros.com Full-time and part-time opportunities in a variety of positions: Administrative, Professional, Industrial, Skilled Labor, Skilled Trades, and Skilled Professional No Fees! BY STATE REP. ANITA KULIK Looking at our “new normal” Spring always comes with much welcome and great anticipation. I always enjoy spring in the area and at the Capitol. The halls are filled with grade school students on tour, winning sports teams, senior tours, and families visiting the area. In the district, there are pancake breakfasts, softball and Little League games, and so much more. As I write this, I am in the Capitol, but the feel is much different. No one is in the halls, except maybe a passing legislator or security person. However, the work continues and we are getting ready to address budget issues, just as we do at this time each year. Back home, we do not have Little League or softball. Events have been canceled and school is not in session. Things are just so different and not what we want or would like them to be. Our world is much different now and many of the spring rituals we enjoy will not take place. Graduations, religious events and spring sports are not proceeding as usual, though some are still being celebrated. Teachers and other school personnel continue to do their jobs, going above and beyond to keep their students engaged. We are all getting more creative in how we safely socialize. In a lot of respects, we are getting back to simpler lifestyles, as many of us who are a little older fondly remember. Family dinners, board games and backyard play are all things we are doing again, even as much of this is new to children who are accustomed to afterschool activities. We are also communicating with each other in different ways. We are calling our neighbors to make sure they are okay. We are volunteering by working at food drives, donating what we can, making masks for each other, doing the little things that we used to tend to forget to do in our busy lives. It is this creativity and ingenuity that will help us through this unusual time in which we find ourselves. We may not be able to go to ballgames, concerts or fairs, but we will get it figured out and, perhaps, find new ways to entertain ourselves while engaging in more family time. In this current situation, so much is unknown and I know that everyone in the district has been working hard to keep safe. The COVID-19 virus will be with us for a long time. As the medical research continues, we will continue our efforts to keep each other safe. Many of the changes we are experiencing will become our “new normal.” I have no doubt, however, that we will overcome all of this, just as our grandparents overcame the hardships of World War II, and just as we have overcome every other obstacle thrown our way. Please reach out to me at AKulik@pahouse.net or by calling my office at (412) 264-4260 if I may be of assistance during this time. State Rep. Anita Kulik State Rep. Anita Kulik represents Pennsylvania’s 45th District. Her office is located at 1350 Fifth Avenue in Coraopolis. She can be reached at (412) 264-4260. Visit her online at www.pahouse.com/ Kulik. specialized equipment for the vehicle will soon have all been paid for by the fund, along with the essential training the unit requires. The Coraopolis K-9 Fund has also helped cover the unit’s veterinarian bills, food and more. Quinn says that if not for Miles’ efforts, it’s possible the borough’s K-9 unit would not exist. “Honestly, I couldn’t do it without Beth’s support,” says Quinn. “She does most of my fundraising. Really, without her support or the community support, this program wouldn’t have lasted.” For the past two years, the fund has also been buying lunch for officers attending an annual training conference in Coraopolis. K-9 units from a couple dozen area departments attend the four-day conference, during which they can get required certification through the American Working Dog Association. The training is slated to take place again this year in September at the Masonic Lodge on Maple Street. The Coraopolis K-9 Fund is again planning to buy officers lunch. At the time of this writing, the Coraopolis K-9 unit’s truck is being outfitted and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The Coraopolis K-9 Fund will also be hosting its purse bingo again this winter. The date will be posted to their Square site, where donations can be made, at Coraopolis-K9- Unit.Square.Site. Donations can be made as well at the WesBanco branch in Coraopolis. Summer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 11Summer 2020 12 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020 www.cornellsd.org #WeAre Cornell Go to: www.cornellsd.org for the latest district news Cornell alumna named PSU Beaver Outstanding Student Brittany Harouse Ashley Taylor Cornell’s speech and language pathologist Brittany Harouse was selected to share her innovative teaching practices with teachers across Allegheny County during a series of workshops hosted by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. The two-week series of teacher-led workshops featured “the best of the best” teachers sharing how they have adapted to teaching in a virtual setting. Harouse led a live virtual session for over 60 participants on “Using Google Sites and Screencastify to Provide Speech and Language Support.” In her session, Harouse shared information on how to use Google Sites to keep resources all in one place, how to use an instructional tool called Screencastify to record lessons for students and provide quality instruction during remote learning, and how to build confidence with one new technology before integrating other programs. Harouse has been a teacher leader within the district, supporting students of all ages with lessons, resources and interactive activities. She will receive $125 for classroom supplies as a small gift for sharing her expertise with educators in Allegheny County. Congratulations to Harouse on representing Cornell School District in such grand fashion! Cornell graduate Ashley Taylor has been named Penn State Beaver’s 2020 Outstanding Student. The award is given to a student who demonstrates outstanding commitment to academic achievement. Taylor graduated May 9 via an online commencement ceremony with a BA in psychology and a minor in criminal justice. While studying at Penn State Beaver, she was a secretary for THON (Penn State’s yearlong fundraiser), a student government senator, a secretary of the LGBT club and a peer leader. Taylor also helped facilitate a program called “Own Your Own Choices,” which works with children from Aldelphoi who are on probation. While facilitating this program, she got to watch students grow over time, and she looks forward to creating those types of relationships and fostering trust with her clients as she moves forward in her career. Taylor currently works at Girls Hope of Pittsburgh and she is proud to be beginning a job in her field before graduating. This fall, Taylor plans to move on to Edinboro University to pursue a master’s in social work and will no doubt continue to make Cornell proud. Harouse leads AIU Remote Learning Best Practices WorkshopSummer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 13 Superintendent’s Message Summer resources for families Keeping students active and learning is a challenge that all parents must face. Recent events that have required social distancing, however, have made this responsibility all the more difficult. This summer, many public swimming pools will be closed but other area organizations are making resources available so that families can ensure their child is continuously engaged during the summer months: • Though The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has canceled its summer camps, they are working to organize virtual summer camps. Updates will be posted on their website at pittsburghkids.org. • Assemble, a nonprofit in Garfield that offers a variety of hands-on workshops and maker activities for students, has also moved its summer camps to a virtual setting. They are now accepting registration for the summer and will mail supplies home. The cost of Assemble’s summer camps is typically $20 and they do offer an application-free scholarship for $10. More information about their summer camps, including a calendar link, is available at assemblepgh.org. • Kidsburgh has always been a great source for news and events for families about happenings in the greater Pittsburgh region. The organization has kept an ongoing list of virtual ideas and opportunities for families during the COVID-19 crisis. Visit kidsburgh.org to learn more. • Wide Open School is a new resource from Common Sense Media. They have partnered with 25 other organizations to make learning from home an experience that inspires kids, supports teachers, relieves families and restores community. Their site includes lots of free resources to keep kids learning and having fun during these challenging times. Visit them at wideopenschool.org. Cornell hopes that families take advantage of some of these educational resources and continually push their children to experience new learning opportunities. I hope this newsletter finds you and your family safe, together and doing well. At the beginning of the school year, I don’t think anybody could have predicted that we would be in the predicament that we were in when we closed out the school year. In a very short period of time, the district had to maneuver to make remote learning a reality for all of our students. That included formulating plans to accommodate families who needed devices to make distance learning a possibility, as well as addressing connectivity issues for families that inhibited remote learning. Initially, the district was able to accommodate with traditional hard packets, but as school closings became more of a long-term possibility, the district had to ensure all students were able to learn remotely. In addition to the barriers of devices and connectivity, the district needed to ensure that food options were available to the families who needed it. Our food service provider, The Nutrition Group, did an amazing job throughout the pandemic by providing meals to families as we set up meal distribution sites. Those meal distributions are continuing throughout the summer, at the Cornell cafeteria entrance, Cottage Park on Neville Island and at the gazebo on 5th Avenue in Coraopolis. Meal pick-ups are occurring on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. A special thank you to Chris Hopkins, food service director, for his efforts. What was especially difficult during this time was missing out on all of the end-of-the-year events that are always very special. Our annual graduation ceremony is typically an intimate, heart-felt evening where we celebrate our graduates and send them off to their next adventure in life. Not being able to hold that ceremony in the Cornell Auditorium was very discouraging, but we recognized this outstanding senior class the best we could, and we all know they will accomplish great things as they move forward. What an outstanding group of seniors we had. They worked hard in the classroom and extracurriculars, were outstanding in athletic competition, and were just shining representatives of Cornell in whatever they did. We highlight some of those efforts in this edition of Allegheny West Magazine. I hope you enjoy reading about just some of our outstanding students, teachers and projects. Lastly, we aren’t sure what the upcoming fall will bring for the 2020-2021 school year. I think there is no question that school will look very different for the first half of the year. There is also a good possibility that remote learning will still be occurring in some form or fashion. The district will communicate all updates for the upcoming school year as soon as possible, but all decisions will be made based on the guidance of our local, state and federal health organizations. This has been an unprecedented time, and it was uplifting to see how all stakeholders rallied and worked together to make the most of this situation for our outstanding Cornell students. It has truly been a team effort. Cornell Families: Dr. Aaron Thomas, Superintendent14 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020 Cornell utilizing new communication tool When school closures were announced March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many items that needed to be figured out, and in a hurry. Making sure students had technology devices and connectivity to the Internet was a huge issue. Moving classes to an online platform such as Google Classroom was another. However, making sure students and families received the food they would normally get during school was paramount. Thanks to the efforts of many in the Cornell community, food distribution sites were set up at three different locations and are now continuing throughout the summer. The schedule and locations are listed below. Since this distribution schedule started, some days have been busier than others, with over 100 meals being distributed on the busiest days. A special thank you goes out to food service director Chris Hopkins and his staff who have been preparing and distributing the meals, as well as Mr. Langston and Mr. Roberts for delivering meals! Cornell is happy to continue to provide this service to families and students. Regular updates will be shared via email, text and phone calls home. Summer Food Distribution Schedule Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Gazebo on 5th Avenue Cottage Park on Neville Island Cornell Cafeteria Last summer, Cornell was selected to participate as a partner school with The Education Partnership. Founded in 2009, The Education Partnership is a teacher resource center that assists schools with needed student and teacher supplies. Over the past 10 years, the nonprofit organization has grown immensely and now serves 110 local schools. Since its creation, it has provided $17.4 million worth of supplies to over 130,000 local students. In addition, The Education Partnership has established a Teacher Resource Center, a STEAM Lending Library and an Adopt-A-School Program. Cornell is pleased to announce that, for the second straight year, the elementary and high schools will be partner schools of The Education Partnership. This means that all Cornell teachers will be able to shop at The Education Partnership’s Teacher Resource Center, where they can shop for up to $400 worth of supplies for their students and classrooms. Cornell teachers will have two shopping days during the 2020- 2021 academic year, one per semester, thus providing a total of $800 to each teacher and classroom. Last year, Cornell teachers asked their students write thank you cards to The Education Partnership and its corporate sponsors. As a small token of appreciation, that activity will continue during the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. Thanks goes out to The Education Partnership for its generosity and support. Cornell looks forward to the continued partnership. Cornell to again benefit from participation in The Education Partnership Cornell School District has begun using a new online platform called Bright Arrow to communicate with families on an ongoing and meaningful basis about happenings across the district. This new tool will allow the district to disseminate key information that new and current families will find useful. This has been especially important during the COVID-19 outbreak. Bright Arrow also syncs with Cornell’s student information system, PowerSchool. Through this new platform, Cornell families will be able to continue to receive communications via email, text and phone calls home. Emails will now have a new look, with a Cornell logo banner that is more attractive and professional looking. The phone call system operates the same as before. The text message feature does require families to initially “opt-in” by replying to the initial text message received. Families should just respond “YES” the first time they receive a text message to continue receiving text messages. Anyone who would like to receive text messages can also text “YES” to 875-69. If, at any time, a parent or guardian changes their contact information - such as their home phone, cell phone or email - they should notify the elementary or high school office so the secretary can update their information in PowerSchool. Food distribution update Nutrition Group workers Wendy DeKort and Danielle Karabinos pose with Cornell student Luciano Moreno-Best and Coach Langston.Summer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 15 Adam Longwill and Trevor Mcelhinny from Pittsburgh Meta Mesh install a wireless router downtown Coraopolis which is available for public use. Cornell School District has been working with The Challenge Program and collaborating with a local business in order to provide meaningful experiences and education to students. The Challenge Program is a motivational high school program for all students in grades 10, 11 and 12. It helps encourage students to succeed in school and in their future careers. Cornell’s business partner is ARLANXEO, which is located in Robinson Township and is a world leader in synthetic elastomers. Throughout the school year, ARLANXEO has visited Cornell’s classrooms, held an assembly and hosted students at its facilities. The Challenge Program encourages all students, regardless of their GPA, to move forward, progress toward a goal, and find something in their school life in which they can excel, improve upon or change. Part of its mission is to connect businesses with schools in hopes of preparing students for what lies beyond the classroom. Partnering a business with a school allows an exchange of information vital to this preparation. ARLANXEO will remain committed to Cornell School District for the next three years as it works with The Challenge Program to encourage students to reach high and achieve more in five categories linked to academic and career success. In this first year of partnership with the The Challenge Program, ARLANXEO will award five seniors with $200 each. In subsequent years, five students in grades 10 through 12 will be awarded as well. Cornell teachers were asked to rank and choose the top students in the following categories: attendance - a student with zero absences; STEM - the top student in science, technology, engineering and math classes; community service - students who exhibit outstanding contributions to society; academic improvement - a student who has shown the most improvement academically in the last year; and academic excellence - the student with the highest overall GPA. Cornell School District is proud to announce the winners for the 2019- 2020 school year! Attendance: Ja’lyr Smith STEM: Brenda Garcia Community Service: Mara Groom Academic Improvement: Jeffrey Phillips Academic Excellence: Hannah Czepiel District residents may have noticed a small white box protruding from the gazebo in the middle of Coraopolis recently. That box is one of the first pieces of a new wireless network that is being installed in Coraopolis and, hopefully, on Neville Island in the near future. The rapid movement to remote learning by Cornell School District has been impeded by the number of students without access to high-speed wireless Internet. The introduction of Comcast’s Essentials program has been a huge help in getting students access, but some families are still unable to take advantage of the program. Cornell School District is thus working to try to fill that void by partnering with the community, Carnegie Mellon University and the nonprofit Pittsburgh Meta Mesh. Generous funding from CMU has been supporting the project along with members of the community who have offered to temporarily share their Internet connection with students and to hang antennas on their buildings. Plans are now in the works to connect these communities to the Pennsylvania Research and Education Network, which consists of more than 1,800 miles of fiber-optic network cables running across Pennsylvania and, in the district’s case, the Sewickley Bridge. KINBER, the organization that manages PennREN, uses the network to deliver high-speed Internet access to anchor organizations like schools and libraries that are in underserved or unserved communities. Though this planned network will not be able to reach into all of the homes in the community, the hope is to provide high-speed Internet access in common places such as parks. 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 Cornell teams with ARLANXEO through The Challenge Program Partnerships improve wireless access for district residents Michael Griffith Michael Engel Caryn Code Linda Solecki16 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020 Congratulations Cornell Class of 2020! ***Highest Honors *Honors **High Honors Robert Alexander Almasy Alexis Nichole Borne California University of Pennsylvania, Health Science Maura Renee Bryant Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Nursing Tiffany Leanne Crowe Vet Tech Institute Kristin Madeline Cunzolo Pittsburgh Technical College, Surgical Technology Hannah Nicole Czepiel*** Nick Czepiel University of Pittsburgh, Linguistics, Academic Scholarship Cheyanne Nachelle Dickerson California University of Pennsylvania, Psychology Kaden Andrew DiVito*** Washington & Jefferson College, Statistics, Thrive Scholarship, Donald Cole-Helen Malter Mathematics Award, Joseph Casasanta - Frank Letteri Scholar-Athlete Award Thomas Joseph Farmer III Riley Aiden Farrar* Point Park University, Graphic Design Brenda Garcia*** CCAC, Business, Ruth Horton Foreign Language Award (French) Trevant George Employment with Tiffany’s Towing Tylor Wayne Godfrey Pittsburgh Technical College, Information and Systems Technology Eriana DeNai Goosby University of Pennsylvania, Child Psychology Maura Louise Groom** Center for Emergency Medicine, EMT/ Paramedic, Ruth Horton Foreign Language Award (Spanish), Joseph Casasanta – Frank Leterri Scholar-Athlete Award Zaier Harrison Washington & Jefferson College, Business, Washington and Jefferson College Grant Madison Hitt Benjamin Kasper* U.S. Army Destiny Kerrighen-Lang* University of Pittsburgh, Pre Med Phebe Catherine Kimble*** Chatham University, English and Secondary Education, Dean Scholarship, Cornell Education Association Scholarship, Mary Crawford-Marie Watters English Award Je’Avontae Dupri King-Walden Triangle Tech, Carpentry Gregory Kleppinger Jr. Employment Isaiah Charles Langston Washington & Jefferson College, Business Management, Dean’s Award, Charles West Scholar’s Award, Washington & Jefferson College Grant, Visit Grant Destiny Lynn Lawson-Robles* CCAC, Nursing Joseph Maxwell Karla Berenice Navarro LaRoche University, Psychology Shane Ospina Alexis May Peterson*** Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Interior Design, Sutton Scholarship, Thomas Mohr-Joseph Johnson-Elton McFadden Science Award Jeffrey Todd Phillips CCAC, EMT Miranda Gail Phillips CCAC, Nursing and Criminal Justice Selena Pooran Employment, Cosmetology, CCAC, Business Corey Andrew Pulford Pittsburgh Technical College, HVAC Jesse James Rees Employment, Steamfitters Union, welding and pipefitting, William Henry-J Philip Young-Ronald Klim Industrial Arts Award Evelyn Rodriguez* CCAC, Child Development Blaine Michael Sams Thiel College, Sports Management, Merit Scholarship Davine Messiah Smith Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Business Haleigh Marie Smith** California University of Pennsylvania, Veterinary Technology, CalU Need Grand, Vulcan Merit Scholarship Jai’lyr Smith** Mirissa Smith Dionte Rasean Spencer Timothy Spirnock U.S. Marine Corps Khyree Lexus Danae Upshaw** Washington & Jefferson College, Psychology, Scholars Award, Charles West Scholars Award Katelyn Grace Wasinski CCAC Cheyenne Deja Williams* CCAC or Pittsburgh Technical College, Nursing Haley Elizabeth Withrow Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Fashion Design, Dessie P Spangler-Martha Willard History-Social Science Award Richard Dale Wolfe III Pittsburgh Technical College, Criminal Justice Nathan George Wooten** Mercyhurst University, Accounting, Nadine Mac-Len-a-han-Peter Shooty Business Education Award Zachary Yocum TOP: The Cornell Class of 2020 celebrates by tossing their caps. ABOVE LEFT: Valedictorian Nick Czepiel addresses the class. ABOVE RIGHT: The top 10 GPA scorers pose for a picture with Dr. Aaron Thomas, superintendent, and Dr. Doug Szokoly, high school principal. Summer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 17 Computer science students visit Google HQ In late January, several of Susan Dunning’s advanced computer science students had the chance to visit Google’s offices at Bakery Square in Pittsburgh. The opportunity was arranged by Cornell’s dynamic learning project coach Rachel McVeagh and is one that Dunning’s students are sure to remember. Students were accompanied by Dunning, McVeagh and fellow Cornell faculty member Kris Hupp as they arrived at Google’s offices and set out on the first part of their Google experience: a tour of the facility, which once housed Pittsburgh’s Nabisco factory. Google staff members, or “Googlers,” led the tours and explained to students what goes on in each part of the expansive building. They also pointed out features that make the atmosphere a fun and creative space for workers, such as game rooms and many Kennywood-themed elements throughout. Google staffers also volunteered their time to talk with students and offer personal perspectives on working for Google. Students enjoyed getting a glimpse at everyday life at a Google office and had to be reminded that not every work environment is like the one at Google. After the tour, Cornell students got to participate in a panel discussion assembled especially for them. Each Googler talked about their journey to this point in their career. Many of those on the panel were relatively close in age to the students, which Dunning knew would be helpful in terms of getting her students to see that, with consistent hard work, they, too, could achieve such success. Panel members discussed the importance of collaboration and creative problem solving in the field of computer science. They also made it clear that they have to tackle many complex challenges and that things don’t always go smoothly with their work. Rather, they have to be very persistent and open to new ideas and approaches. Finally, students were able to get a hands-on coding lesson from a Googler. This proved to be a true challenge because, in this exercise, students were prompted to code in a language that was entirely new to most - if not all - of them. Students, however, kept up with the instruction and were able to successfully complete the challenge. The experience alone was empowering to students, as they realized that they can try something brand new and still figure it out by using critical-thinking skills that they’ve been building all year. While at Google, students made authentic connections to what they do in Dunning’s classroom every day. Students gained insight into the fact that, as they are learning computer science content, they are also learning ways of thinking that relate to learning coding languages and other important skills. The experience also helped to reinforce that, with hard work and dedication, they, too, can achieve their career goals in the field of computer science. Each spring, Cornell High School hosts a special evening program in order to recognize graduating seniors who have been named recipients of scholarships awarded by local organizations. Due to the COVID-19 shutdown, the event could not be held this year but recipients have still been named. They are as follows: Foge Fazio Memorial Scholarship - Benjamin Kasper - The Foge Fazio Memorial Scholarship program awards a $2,500 scholarship to a senior based on academic achievement and community involvement. Mark Stainbrook Memorial Technology Scholarship - Brenda Garcia - Questeq awards a $500 scholarship to a senior in honor of Questeq valued employee Mark Stainbrook, who passed away in September of 2006. Stainbrook served as Questeq’s national sales representative and was passionate about technology changing and improving education for the future. Peter Bartolomucci Scholarship - Brenda Garcia and Hannah Czepiel - A little over four years ago, Peter Bartolomucci’s family started The Peter Bartolomucci Scholarship fund. Their son, Peter, passed away from a drug overdose Nov. 23, 2015. They wanted to turn his tragic death into something positive and decided to create this scholarship in his name. Peter attended Cornell School District his entire life and graduated from Cornell in 2013. They wanted to help graduating students from his alma mater pursue their dreams. The Peter Bartolomucci Scholarship awards $1,000 scholarships to two seniors. Ryan Madonna Memorial Scholarship - Phebe Kimble - The Ryan Madonna Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of Ryan Madonna, valedictorian of the Cornell Class of 1999. Madonna was a math teacher and coach at West Allegheny High School before he passed. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a senior who represents the same qualities as Madonna and, as such, values education, enjoys helping others, has a dedicated work ethic, and embraces family, friends, and his/her community. West-Aircomm Federal Credit Union Scholarship - Nathan Wooten - The West- Aircomm Federal Credit Union Serving the Community Scholarship program awards a $500 scholarship to a senior based on academic achievement and community involvement. CEA Scholarship - Phebe Kimble - The Cornell Education Association awards a $500 scholarship to a senior planning to major in education. Local scholarships Susan Dunning and her advanced computer science students visit Google headquarters in Bakery Square. 18 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020 #WeAre Cornell It’s always struck Cody Maxwell as odd that Cornell’s baseball diamond didn’t have any dugouts. He started playing on the field when he was in Pony League and, for the past three years, he’s played on it as a member of Cornell’s varsity baseball team. Last year, as Maxwell was entering his junior year at Cornell, he got the idea to correct the problem of Cornell’s dugout-less field. He decided to build a pair for his senior project and so approached his grandfather, Ralph Whipple, with the idea. Whipple, who used to work in construction, was well aware of his grandson’s passion for baseball. “He’s played baseball since he was 3 and he loves the game,” he says. Whipple, who’s in his 70s, agreed to help but made it clear to his grandson that this would be his project. “I told him I’m willing to do it with you but when you sit down I’ll sit down,” says Whipple. Maxwell then approached Cornell superintendent Dr. Aaron Thomas with the idea. Thomas suggested he bring the idea to the school board. Maxwell did and subsequently got approval. Next, in order to raise the necessary funds and materials, Maxwell approached members of the Cornell community and found them all too willing to help. He approached Tiffani Battaglini, who owns Tiffani Battaglini Insurance Agency in Coraopolis. She put out a request out on social media that garnered him $2,000 in donations in just a couple of weeks. Maxwell then approached Home Depot and got all of the lumber he needed at about a 30 percent discount. Hope Home Improvements even donated shingles. Working on the weekends, Maxwell and his grandfather completed the home dugout months before the start of baseball season. Whipple says he thinks they put about 40 hours into it. They even got a hand from Tim Waller, president of the Coraopolis Youth Baseball Association, and Micah Slinde, vice president. In March, however, both the baseball season and Maxwell’s efforts came to an abrupt stop with the COVID-19 shutdown. Both were disappointing for Maxwell, who is something of a utility player on the team. He pitches and plays both infield and outfield. “I was ready to go,” says Maxwell about the season, echoing the sentiment of student athletes everywhere. He says he’s continued to stay in shape despite the season being canceled and is already looking ahead to playing in college. As for the visitor’s dugout, Maxwell says they’ll be ready to start in on that as soon as they’re able. They’ve already lined up Ed Arnold, who has volunteered to assist with excavating the hillside where Maxwell intends to build the second dugout. “I’m very proud of him,” says Whipple. “It gave him an experience. He had to go before the school board to get approval and had to go to Coraopolis to see if he had to get a permit. But we didn’t need engineering so we were good to go.” Even though Pennsylvania no longer requires seniors to complete a senior project, Cornell has continued allowing students to pursue projects if they like. Thomas says the projects at Cornell tend to be more career-based but that they always involve a public service component. He says the district had been meaning to get the dugouts built for years. He says Cornell is grateful for Maxwell taking the lead on the project and to the Cornell community for helping to not only get the project done, but also for providing Maxwell with a valuable experience. The growth in popularity of Esports over the past few years has prompted Cornell High School to start its own Esports team. Esports, which has been mentioned at a number of STEM and coding education conferences that Cornell staff members have attended, has grown in popularity so much that even universities and colleges are now offering scholarships for outstanding players. Thus, Cornell High School decided to take the plunge and start its own Esports team and student club through the North America Scholastic Esports Federation. Enthusiasm for the new Esports team was infectious among the student body. Many students were excited to learn new games and compete against other high schools in the new league. The team participates in group play, which helps them practice social skills, strategic thinking and working with others. Esports is also an equal opportunity, co-ed sport open to both boys and girls. For the spring season, Cornell’s Esports team received remote coaching from a former pro Esports player and was able to compete in several competitive League of Legends matches against other schools throughout the region. In addition to competitive gaming, Cornell’s club also participated in several Beyond the Game Challenges from the NASEF. As part of these challenges, students created a team Twitch channel and streamed matches. They also made original artwork and an original game map for competitive gaming. One of Cornell’s students, sophomore Dustin Dolan, was awarded a scholarship for his submission. The scholarship award included $500 toward education-related expenses, a webcam for streaming and a virtual mentoring session with an Esports professional. The benefits of participation in extracurricular activities are well known. Students who participate in extracurricular activities are more successful in school, miss less school and have higher graduation rates. Students who participate in Esports usually have a strong interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Esports can provide the boost students need to take their interests to the next level and Cornell is excited to offer another educational, fun and competitive experience to the student body. Esports at CornellJunior builds dugout for school’s baseball diamond Incoming senior Cody Maxwell enlisted help from his grandfather, Ralph Whipple, to build this dugout at Cornell’s baseball diamond. He also intends to build a visitor’s dugout as soon as he is able. Summer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 19 Cornell’s new greenhouse recently arrived at the school. Constructed from aluminum with polycarbonate panels, the greenhouse will be installed next to the cafeteria entrance where students enter and leave the building each day. Students at Cornell High School worked with their science teachers to determine the level of insulation the windows needed along with the pitch of the roof based on the location of the school. Engineers from Williams Company and PJ Dick have volunteered their time to help make sure the final installation meets the needs identified by students. Though a traditional geothermal system will not be able to be installed because of the proximity of the building to the greenhouse, corrugated pipe will be buried deep under the foundation so students can experiment with moving air deep below the greenhouse during the winter months. Students, teachers and engineers are planning to install a solar water heater to extend the growing season in a sustainable way. Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 shutdown, the greenhouse was not installed as planned in May. Students and teachers are hopeful that the project will continue sometime this fall. Students are especially excited about growing food in the greenhouse that may be used in the cafeteria or shared with the Cornell community. This past winter, the Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications & Technology held its annual conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The conference draws nearly 2,000 educators each year from across the state to share best practices in a variety of educational areas. Cornell was well represented at PETE&C, with Cornell educators presenting in two different sessions. Rachel McVeagh, dynamic learning project coaching fellow, presented a session titled “Legendary Maps for EVERY Content Area.” During the session, McVeagh shared her favorite mapping tools and ways to use free interactive tools to engage students to create dynamic visuals they can use to write, add media and even analyze data from a new perspective. A small group of Cornell High School teachers and students who have been working on the Ohio River Heritage Project also hosted a poster session during the conference called “Experiential Learning with Partner Organizations.” During the session, students and teachers talked with conference participants about the process of working with outside organizations on a large-scale project. It was inspiring to see how proud Cornell students were to share their work with a wide range of educators. Thanks goes out to Mr. Erwin, Mr. Bogue, Mr. Quigley and Mr. Hupp for organizing and coordinating this great showcase of student work. Cornell is partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters Pittsburgh to begin offering a new mentorship program to freshman starting this fall. The Mentor 2.0 program empowers students to graduate high school, succeed in post-secondary plans and achieve their ambitions. Big Brothers Big Sisters is currently seeking 50 volunteers to support this innovative new program at Cornell. Volunteers will have the exclusive opportunity to mentor one student from ninth grade through high school graduation. Mentor volunteers will exchange weekly emails with students and meet with them in person one evening per month, either in a group setting at Cornell or virtually. The entire experience will be guided by a structured curriculum promoting post-secondary readiness. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase high school graduation and post- secondary readiness. Interested volunteers should contact Maggie Giel at mgiel@bbbspgh.org or (412) 204-1212. Mr. Quigley (far left) and Mr. Bogue (far right) attended the PAEC&T conference with students Zach Kaczmarek, Maura Groom and Alexis Peterson. Cornell teachers present at state-wide education technology conference New greenhouse delivered Volunteers needed for new mentorship program starting this fallNext >