< Previous20 • Allegheny West Magazine • Winter 2021 Cornell eighth grade students recently participated in the CHOICES Workshop during teacher Megan Fuga’s social studies classes. CHOICES Workshop is an interactive classroom seminar designed to help middle school students increase their career and life options through thoughtful academic decisions. In two 45-minute sessions, trained community volunteers take students through real-world exercises to help them learn about the consequences of dropping out of school and the benefits of educational attainment. They are also introduced to the skills needed for success, such as self-discipline, decision-making, time management, and goal setting. The workshop gives students a glimpse into their future and helps them recognize how the personal and academic decisions they make now will impact them later. Students completed this as part of their 339 Career Portfolio requirements. The CHOICES Program is a collaborative project reliant on the business community as volunteer presenters and creates a positive relationship between the schools and business community. The Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber Enterprise Foundation has been bringing the CHOICES Workshop to Cornell since the inception of the program in the 2006-2007 school year. This year’s program is funded by Express Employment Professionals Pittsburgh West, Greater McKees Rocks Rotary, Fraport USA, and Goldman Organization. Companies that provided volunteers include Goldman Organization, Express Employment Professionals Pittsburgh West and Northwest Bank. The Choices program is always looking for volunteer CHOICES presenters. If interested in volunteering, please contact Susan Hovanec, CHOICES program manager, at shovanec@paacc.com or visit www.choices.org. What’s happening in High School Guidance? CHOICES helps students realize real-world implications of education Cornell High School Guidance began a weekly English as a Second Language lunch group for students enrolled in the ESL class. The department understands that learning a new language can be exciting and stressful. The ESL Group provides a space for students to share life stories, explore their identity as an English learner, discuss the challenges they face and identify the strengths they have. The group also allows students to share more about their home cultures and embrace the diversity of each other. In addition, the group worked together to practice communication skills, such as demonstrating active listening, initiating a conversation, and keeping a conversation going. The group dedicated themselves to the challenge of “Ask for Help.” The guidance office is excited to provide service to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds and appreciates the support of parents and teachers. The guidance department recently welcomed intern Youyi Cheng as its newest addition. Cheng is a graduate intern from Duquesne University. Prior to attending graduate school, Cheng spent 12 years working in China as an ESL and homeroom teacher. In these roles, she worked with a variety of students, including those with academic struggles, challenging behaviors, and personal /social distress. She addressed these needs through classroom instruction, group meetings, individual sessions, and collaboration with parents and coworkers. Her impressive classroom instruction and strong connection with students of diverse backgrounds were recognized. Cheng has received Outstanding Teacher and Distinguished Homeroom Teacher awards at both the school and province/state level. Cornell is fortunate to have Cheng at the school this fall to work alongside Cornell High School guidance counselor Gina Walter and appreciates all of her hard work to help Cornell students. New group formed for ESL students Guidance welcomes new intern Youyi Cheng The Cornell Elementary School Counseling Program is thrilled once again to be collaborating with the Stop Now And Plan program. Also known as SNAP, the program creates a culture of positivity, accountability and confidence by teaching students strength of mind and self respect. This program shows students how to deal with difficult situations the right way - by staying calm and making good decisions. Each week, trained SNAP program facilitators come into select classrooms to teach fun and interactive SNAP curriculum and activities to students and teachers. Lead SNAP facilitators Mrs. Ann and Mr. Art are very well-trained and engaging. Their mastery of the SNAP curriculum allows them to deliver the instruction in a fun and effective manner. SNAP also allows for small breakout sessions with students to reinforce the strategies and skills taught in the classroom. Students who have participated in the SNAP program love the lessons and are truly excited to participate. Over the years, SNAP has left a very positive impact on students at Cornell. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district was unable to provide students with the SNAP program for the past two years. At the same time, the district has witnessed an increased need for support services and programs for students and families. SNAP provides that exact needed service and care to students, families, and teachers, building a bridge of positive communication and trust, and creating successful students. Elementary guidance updateWinter 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 21 As highlighted in previous newsletters, the National Math + Science Initiative (NMSI) is a major initiative at Cornell High School this school year, and in the years ahead. Over the summer months, several Cornell High School teachers and administrators completed a lengthy NMSI training program. NMSI aims to increase educational opportunities for students by unlocking their potential through STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) related courses. In addition to increased STEM opportunities, NMSI seeks to increase student participation in AP courses and raise student AP testing outcomes. Cornell is looking to increase the number of AP courses that are offered at the high school and grow student enrollment across the board in all AP classes. This isn’t something that magically happens and must be addressed in a strategic manner. Cornell is looking to increase student awareness of the benefits of AP courses and will eventually incorporate strategies as early as third grade. Students have been shown to be better prepared for post-secondary education, are more likely to graduate post-secondary school on time, and have higher grade point averages in high school and in college if they experience an AP course. Many times, students are intimidated by the label of an AP course and don’t believe they have the ability to do well in the course, which is simply not true. Cornell students are more than capable of excelling in high-level academic courses. They just need to understand that it will take some extra work and extra effort, but that the experience is far worth it. This fall, current high school AP teachers are completing ongoing training and coaching sessions. Current AP students have been granted access to free classroom resources through NMSI. These resources are intended to deepen the learning experience for students and better prepare them for the end-of-course assessment they take in the spring. Look for more updates on NMSI in future publications and please encourage students to continue to challenge themselves academically. They can do it! National Math + Science Initiative update ELA Fourth grade teachers Julie Roncone and Jennifer Ausman have both used Flippity’s Quiz Show template - which is similar to playing a game of Jeopardy - in ELA and math, respectively. According to Roncone, “The students loved competing in groups and working together...They asked to play it again.” Ausman holds similar sentiments, sharing that her students enjoyed using Flippity and that she will definitely use it again. Teacher Kristen Bardelli was also able to use Flippity’s Quiz Show in her college accounting class, demonstrating that Flippity’s resources can be used for a range of ages and content areas. As with several other Cornell teachers, Bardelli was able to share her Flippity experience as a way to participate in Cornell’s Teacher Choice Board, an initiative that began last spring in which teachers receive small rewards for trying something new that brings joy and/or creativity to the classroom. Genetics Last spring, Amanda Sappie’s students were participating in one of her many creative lessons - learning about genetics by creating aliens. She wanted the traits of each student’s alien to be randomly assigned. To get students up and moving, she placed QR codes on the walls of her classroom. Students walked up to the various QR codes, scanned them with their devices and then a digital spinner appeared on their screen. Students clicked the spinner and one of the alleles of their alien was determined once the spinner stopped. They repeated this with all of the QR codes and then put all of their alleles in Punnett squares. They designed a visual of their aliens, and eventually combined aliens with those of a partner for an even deeper understanding of genetics. French vocabulary French teacher Fiona Clements has really been enjoying exploring all that Flippity has to offer. She was seeking out additional learning activities to add to her repertoire and found several possibilities within Flippity. She has thought of different contexts and ways for students to play some of the games, as well. For instance, in the past Clements has had students play Snowman, which is similar to hangman, with French vocabulary so they can gain individual practice in class. When some students went to refer to their vocabulary lists on Quizlet, she found that gave students additional exposure to vocabulary terms. Students got into the competitive spirit at the end, when they could informally share their wins and losses. Next, Clements tried Flippity’s “Connecto” game with students. The game is similar to tic-tac-toe, but with a twist. Clements was able to put her own spin on the game by thinking of a way to extend it, allowing for more continuous language practice for her French students. Next, Clements is thinking about using Flippity for digital board games and is excited to see the different ways she can design the board games to help her students engage with content. Instructional Technology Update Cornell teachers are flipping over Flippity! While some have known about Flippity for a long time, others discovered it more recently after trying it out this past spring and fall. Flippity.net is a free, teacher-created resource. Teachers can go onto the site to find a variety of digital templates to use in their classroom, from tools like leaderboards and badge trackers, to interactive games and activity templates. It has been amazing to see the creative and different ways in which teachers choose to implement resources from Flippity. Read on to learn about ways that Cornell teachers, who are newer to Flippity, have been using it in the classrooms:22 • Allegheny West Magazine • Winter 2021 Cornell Elementary’s involvement in the First Lego League will continue this school year and a great group of students has already been hard at work. The First Lego League Cargo Connect season focuses on transportation. All teams participating are challenged to design and code a Lego Spike Prime, or EV3 robot, that is able to deliver cargo to different forms of transportation and target locations across the playing field. The season began with several educational scrimmages in October at the BrainStem Barn, which provided teams with an opportunity to practice the Robot Game. This game allows students to run their robot on the playing field, with judges offering feedback and providing learning opportunities. Competitive scrimmages take place in November. While more formal, they still provide Robot Game learning opportunities. The grand championship is held in December and consists of judging in the Robot Game and three additional areas: • Robot Design - teams explain the design of their robot and code, along with the reasoning behind the changes in each iteration. • Innovation Project - teams are challenged to identify a specific problem related to the delivery of cargo and develop a solution to the problem. • Core Values - the team works together and with others to demonstrate throughout the tournament and during a challenge where the team must work together to complete a task. For each event, the goal is to identify areas where students can create opportunities to earn additional points through adaptations to the robot or code. Cornell’s First Lego League team is young, excited, and full of positive energy. Team members are fourth-graders Isabell Boyce, Lincoln Edwards, Jack Joranger and Mathias Willard; fifth-graders Bradley Barrett, Christian Griffith and Connor Roland; and sixth-graders Josiah Frantti and Clara Joranger. Elementary continues with First Lego League Cornell is committed to battling achievement gaps created by interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. District administration, teachers and support staff in grades K through two have been working diligently with Step-by-Step Learning, a consulting and professional development company, to close these early learning literacy gaps, student by student. Professional development has focused on The Science of Teaching Reading, followed by coaching and modeling in the classroom to solidify learned skills. Cornell’s teams are also using a new technology tool with students. The Small Group Automation Tool is a web- based product that automates the process of identifying and intervening for individual student needs. The tool allows teachers to drill down on specific literacy deficits and remediate appropriately instead of utilizing a “one size fits all” approach to literacy and learning. Students are given formative literacy assessments weekly, and their mastery of skills are tracked and monitored. The SGAT will allow Cornell Elementary teachers to minimize the negative impact of school closures by offering insight into need and direction for skill- specific activities in order to provide students with a firm foundation for growth. Early student achievement data has been very promising, and is encouraging for staff members who have worked hard to implement this literacy program. News in K-2 reading There was no question that disruptions caused by COVID-19 that started at the end of the 2019-2020 school year and continued through the following school year were going to have some sort of negative impact on student achievement. That impact ranges in scope from minimal to little effect for some students, to major impacts on others, and everything in between. That’s why the Cornell School District has been hard at work for quite some time planning some remediation and intervention programs for its youngest students. Cornell implemented a K through grade two early learning literacy program this school year (see story at right) and another program focusing on elementary math. This math program is being led by three outstanding Cornell Elementary math teachers: Alyson Rinaldi, Katie O’Neil, and Casey Thomas. The teachers have worked throughout the beginning of the school year to put a fun, relevant and challenging extra math program together for third through sixth grade students who wish to participate. They have coined the program “Arithme Raiders” and the group meets during breakfast to go over projects and special assignments that reinforce and expose students to different math skills and concepts. Each month, students who meet their participation threshold will get to participate in a variety of fun incentive programs. For the month of October, students were able to participate in a fun pumpkin decorating activity and of course received numerous treats. Congratulations to these elementary students for taking advantage of this additional learning opportunity. Arithme Raiders Club starts First Lego League club members work on their designs.Winter 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 23 Classrooms donate Halloween candy for care packages Cornell welcomes STEAM teacher Elise Neill For many kids, trick or treating is a highlight of the year - one where they get to hoard, and gourd themselves on, as much candy as possible in a single evening. At Cornell, however, students in Jamie Chambers’ classrooms have been just as eager to give their candy away these past five years. During that time, Chambers has been asking Cornell students and families to donate their excess Halloween candy to the Halloween Candy Give Back Program, which is organized by Operation Gratitude. Students bring in some of their candy to donate and then the candy is sent to Operation Gratitude, which distributes it accordingly. “I made the decision five years ago, shortly after joining the Cornell teaching staff, that I wanted to do more than teach my students reading and writing,” says Chambers. “I wanted my students to understand the importance of giving back...” Over time, the effort has caught on, resulting in larger post- Halloween hauls each year. This year’s took the cake - or candy - however. Chambers turned the collection into a competition, and that helped motivate students across five homerooms to donate 177.6 pounds of candy. Chambers’ homeroom ended up collecting the most and will receive a pizza party for their efforts. Chambers says students would check the bins daily to gauge which homeroom was in the lead. She says families also supported the program by purchasing candy to donate. “The response from families and their students throughout this process was amazing!” she says. “I am beyond proud of their efforts and they are equally proud of themselves!” On top of collecting candy, students also made homemade Halloween cards to thank military members for their service. Cornell is now shipping the packages to a processing center in Chatsworth, California. From there, the contents will be sorted and sent as part of care packages to those serving across the globe. For more about Operation Gratitude, visit www. operationgratitude.com/halloween-candy-give-back-program. ABOVE: Jamie Chambers’ homeroom poses with Halloween candy they collected for care packages being sent to troops and first responders. BELOW: Students also made cards to send with their candy donations. Before Elise Neill was hired as Cornell’s new elementary STEAM teacher at the beginning of this school year, she held a management role in the software engineering industry. After volunteering at her children’s elementary school, however, she’d decided to make a career change and earn her teaching certification. Neill says it was a move driven in part by what she describes as an under-representation of women and other minorities in her former profession. Troubled by that fact, she decided to do something about it and committed herself to mentoring more students in technology-driven disciplines. This school year, Neill has been doing just that. Each week, students at Cornell elementary have been spending one to two days in Neill’s classroom learning how to use high-tech tools such as CAD software, 3D printers and kits that teach them about electrical circuits. The hands-on experimentation they do while crafting their own unique creations helps to drive home concepts in the STEAM - or science, technology, engineering, arts and math - disciplines. Neill, however, sees the value extending well beyond academics. “I want children to get into a mindset of they can not only do engineering and coding, but they can also go to college,” she says. “I want a kid to have a mindset of, they can do this and not have a fear that they can’t. I want to get some of this technology into students’ hands as soon as possible so they can see different career paths because of things they’ve been exposed to in the classroom.” To purchase equipment for her classroom, Neill has secured a number of grants. A $500 grant she recently received through the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics allowed her to purchase pens that can be used to “draw” 3D models. She’s also using part of the grant to purchase more filament for the school’s 3D printer so her fifth- and sixth-graders can print holiday ornaments and key chains that they’ve been designing in TinkerCAD, a scaled-down, kid-friendly form of CAD software. Another grant she secured through the Civil Air Patrol allowed her to purchase Snaptricity kits for her third-graders. The kits allow kids to create circuits and explore electricity safely. Neill says many of her students have been excited to get their hands on the classroom’s high-tech tools and that she’s even had some students who didn’t engage much in other classrooms blossom in hers. Neill is also getting some help in the classroom from high school Tech Squad club members (see page 22), and that’s helped her try out some more complicated lessons. By trying out and succeeding with these tools, Neill is hoping her students will learn to persist, gain confidence and succeed well beyond their elementary years. Elise Neill Elementary students in Elise Neil’s STEAM classroom work with TinkerCAD.24 • Allegheny West Magazine • Winter 2021 Winter Sports Preview Boys Basketball Sean Crummie took over coaching duties for the boys basketball team last season after longtime coach Bill Sacco retired. Before retiring, Sacco had taken the previous year’s team all the way to the WPIAL championship game and qualified for the PIAA quarterfinals before COVID-19 ended their season. After losing a bunch of graduating seniors from that squad, Crummie found himself rebuilding a young team and implementing an entirely new system. It would have been a tall order for any team, let alone one trying to pull it all together during COVID-19. As it turned out, the Raiders got just one game in before their season schedule was thrown into disarray by a state mandate that temporarily halted play. The rest of the season, the team ended up scheduling games against higher division teams just to piece together a season. By the time the Raiders entered their final game of the season against Avella, they had yet to secure their first win. Crummie, though, says the team treated it like a playoff game and, with that urgency, managed to finally come away with a win. This season, Crummie is hoping all that adversity the team faced last year will pay off, particularly when it comes down to finding an edge in tight, fourth-quarter games. Despite all the lumps, Crummie says his players never backed down or gave up, but instead continued to build chemistry and keep up their spirits. “We battled in every single game last year,” says Crummie. “The guys we had stuck with it and had fun even though we were losing.” This season, Crummie is hoping to have a squad of about 10 to 15 players. Forward MJ Smith, who led the team in scoring last season, returns for his senior year, as does senior point guard Patrick Scott, who started every game last season. Along with senior point guard Carmine D’Alessandro, Crummie says the team will again have a strong point guard attack that will try to make up for what they lack in size. Smith, at 6’2”, is the team’s tallest player. In that final game of the season last year, Crummie says the team finally put together four quarters of play and found out what it took to win. He’s hoping to build off that success and piece together a better season this year. Girls Basketball #WeAre Cornell Last year’s girls basketball team started its season with just six players. After COVID-19 shut down the season for a time, the team lost one of those players. That left the Raiders battling for wins in the toughest single A section in the WPIAL with no bench. Yet throughout the rest of their 14-game schedule, the team continued to show up and compete. They finished their season and even got a few wins along the way. “The girls came every day,” says head coach Frank Deutsch, who took over the team last season. “They worked hard and pushed through. They wanted to continue and get better. I admire those girls who came every day all year. They knew some days would be good and others would be bad.” While three wins might not sound like a lot, it’s an improvement over the past two years. During that span, the program secured just two wins. So, the way Deutsch sees it, the fact that the team not only overcame all those obstacles but also managed to improve is an accomplishment. This year, Deutsch is hoping to build on that progress. He’s getting three players back who had to leave the team last year due to the pandemic. He’ll also get back sophomore forward Leiana Rucker, who averaged about eight points per game last season, and junior guard Brooklyn Van Dyne, who averaged six points per game. Junior forward Tia Battles returns to the team as well. The team has since lost seniors Jaykira Robinson and Gabby Joyce to graduation, so Deutsch is hoping to have a squad of about seven to eight players by the time they play in their regular season opener against Brashear at home Dec. 11. Dec. 10-11 - Neighborhood Academy Tip-Off Tourn. Dec. 14 - vs. Sewickley Academy - 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 - @ Propel Montour - 6 p.m. Dec. 20 - vs. Brashear - 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22 - @ Northgate Dec. 27-29 - Avella Christmas Tourn. Jan. 4 - vs. Union - 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7 - @ Western Beaver - 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 - vs. Rochester - 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 - vs. Eden - 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18 - @ Nazareth Prep - 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 - @ Riverside - 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 - vs. Springdale - 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 - @ Union - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1 - vs. Western Beaver - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 - @ Rochester - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 - @ Eden - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 - vs. Nazareth Prep - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 - @ Mohawk - 7:30 p.m. Boys Basketball Schedule Winter 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 25 Swimming Varsity swim coach Kevin Robertson is looking forward to this season as he gets a number of swimmers returning who couldn’t swim last year due to COVID-19. The team doesn’t have a ton of swimmers from Cornell, but it does have a co-op arrangement with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School that has helped bolster its roster. Between the two schools, Richards is hoping to have enough swimmers for a few relay teams on the girls side and at least one for the boys team. Despite having a smaller number of swimmers last season, the team did experience some individual success. Nicole Susie, a junior from OLSH, reached the WPIAL meet and competed in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. In the process, she set a new school record in the latter. Susi returns this year for her senior season alongside fellow seniors Kirstin Pantaleo, Emma McGrath and Morgan Engel. After witnessing a few swimmers making some good progress last year, Robertson says he’s also looking forward to seeing how a couple of his younger swimmers perform and progress throughout the season. On the boys side, Robertson will be looking to push junior Emilio Gonzalez to qualify for MACs and maybe even the WPIAL meet. Among the successes Robertson counts last year is the fact that the team didn’t experience a single case of COVID-19, thanks to a number of effective protocols they had in place throughout the season. With such a small roster, that proved essential, and he says they’ll have those same protocols in place this year as they go up against some much larger schools with big rosters. Robertson says he’s not concerned. He just tells his swimmers to go out, compete the best they can and challenge their own times. Robertson says the team is always looking for new swimmers, particularly ones from either Cornell or OLSH who have been swimming with other area club teams. Go to: www.cornellsd.org for the latest district news Karen Murphy - President Linda Solecki - 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 Robert Dinell Dec. 16 - vs. Central Valley - 6 p.m. Dec. 17 - @ Northgate - 6 p.m. Dec. 22 - vs. Hopewell - 6 p.m. Jan. 11 - @ West Allegheny - 6 p.m. Jan. 13 - vs. Beaver Falls - 6 p.m. Jan. 20 - @ Beaver - 6 p.m. Jan. 27 - @ Montour - 6 p.m. Feb. 2 - vs. Riverside - 6 p.m. Feb. 5 - MAC Meet Feb. 10 - @ Blackhawk - 6 p.m. Feb. 17 - vs. Quaker Valley - 4 p.m. Dec. 11 - vs. Brashear - 5 p.m. Dec. 13 - @ New Brighton - 6:30 p.m. Dec. 16 - vs. Propel Andrew St. - 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 - @ Leechburg - 6:30 p.m. Dec. 22 - @ Northgate - 6 p.m. Dec. 28 - vs. Jeanette - 5 p.m. Dec. 29 - vs. Riverside - 5 p.m. Jan. 3 - vs. Rochester - 6:30 p.m. Jan. 5 - vs. Hillel Academy - 6:30 p.m. Jan. 7 - vs. Propel Montour - 6:30 p.m. Jan. 10 - @ Eden - 7 p.m. Jan. 13 - vs. Union - 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 - @ Canevin - 7 p.m. Jan. 20 - vs. West Allegheny - 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26 - vs. New Brighton - 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 - @ Rochester - 7 p.m. Feb. 1 - vs. Springdale - 6:30 p.m. Feb. 3 - vs. Eden - 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4 - @ Bentworth - 6 p.m. Feb. 7 - @ Union - 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10 - vs. Bishop Canevin - 6:30 p.m. Feb. 14 - vs. St. Joseph - 6:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Schedule Swimming Schedule Local Light-Ups Laser Light Shows North Park Dec. 1-22 | Multiple times nightly Celebrate the holidays with this one-of-a-kind drive- in laser show at North Park. You’ll be dazzled by a 45-minute show synchronized with holiday music - all from the comfort of your own vehicle. Multiple sessions take place every night. Tickets are $20 to $25 per vehicle and must be purchased in advance. Proceeds benefit the Kane Foundation. Purchase tickets at alleghenycounty.us/lasershow. Moon Lights Holiday Festival Moon Park Dec. 4 | 5-7:30 p.m. Head to Moon Park for this special annual holiday celebration. Enjoy performances by local dancers and musicians. Check out food trucks, craft vendors, games and Santa Claus, who will ride into Moon Park atop a firetruck at 5:30 p.m. to light the park’s Christmas Tree at the Rotary Pavilion. Santa will be available for photos and visits with children and families after the lighting. Be sure to also bring your letters for Santa to drop in his mailbox. Plans are to bring back the Yuletide Village again this year. Visit www.moonparks.org for more. What to do in and around the area this holiday season Holiday Happenings Guide All events subject to change. Check the contact information listed for the latest details. Please follow all CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 when attending any event. Christmas Light-Up Celebration Clinton Park Through Jan. 2 | 5-10 p.m. nightly Stop out any night during the holiday season between 5-10 p.m. for a scenic drive through Clinton Community Park’s woodlands section. The area will be decked out with hundreds of lighted decorations in a variety of themes appropriate for the season. The $10 entry fee per car is payable in cash at the gate and benefits a variety of needs in the community. Local organizations, businesses and residents also sponsor a Christmas tree display at the end. The entrance to the light-up is located along Route 30 in Clinton, not far from the Clinton Exit off I-376. The light-up celebrates its 27th year this season. Clinton residents Patty and Lloyd Faux have been organizing the effort each year and get help from volunteers who generously donate their time starting in September to get the light-up prepared. For more, follow the Christmas Light Up on Facebook: @ChristmasLightUpCelebration. The Christmas Light-Up in Clinton Park is a drive-through light-up following a one-mile route. Collier Township Light Up Night Collier Community Center | Dec. 3 | 6-8 p.m. Learn how other countries celebrate Christmas, light refreshments and crafts, free, all ages, (724) 693-0780. Robinson’s Christmas Light Up Clever Park | Dec. 3 | 6:30 p.m. Fireworks, Santa and Mrs. Claus letters to Santa, townshipofrobinson.com. North Fayette Tree Lighting, Donaldson Park | Dec. 3 | 6:30 p.m. Outdoor event, dress accordingly, tree lighting, holiday music, light refreshments, Santa, limited attendance, masking required, www.north-fayette. com/335/Parks-Recreation. More Area Light Ups! Steubenville Nutcracker Village Downtown Steubenville | Nov. 26-Jan. 8 Life-sized nutcrackers stand at attention throughout downtown Steubenville, Ohio during the holidays, starting Nov. 26. Jump in the car and head over to Steubenville this holiday season, where there will be over 180 life- sized Nutcrackers inhabiting the sidewalks, parks and storefronts, 24/7. Each unique nutcracker is designed and produced by local artisans at Nelson’s of Steubenville and depicts a character from history, literature, music, popular culture or a profession. Take selfies with Rosie the Riveter, Jack Frost and all the Rat Pack personalities. There will also be light and music shows at the Jefferson County Courthouse on Market Street, a model railroad display, an Advent Market, tours of Historic Fort Steuben and more. Visit www.VisitSteubenville.com or call (740) 283- 4935 for more. Destination Light-Up 26 • Allegheny West Magazine • Winter 2021Winter 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 27Visits with Santa, cookie walks, concerts and more Moonlight and Cocoa Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Dec. 2, 3, 4 | 5:30-9 p.m. Stroll the gardens and woodlands of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden for a magical winter night. See the lights and colorful displays in the Garden of the Five Senses as you make your way to the Lotus Pond surrounded by 1,000 luminarias. Visit PittsburghBotanicGarden.org or call (412) 444-4464 to pre-purchase your timed tickets for this event. Tickets are $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Children ages 13 and under are $5. Coraopolis Presbyterian Church Living Nativity 1201 Fifth Ave., Coraopolis Dec. 3 | 7-9 p.m. This year will mark the 51st for the Coraopolis Presbyterian Church’s Living Nativity, which will once again take place on the church’s front lawn along 5th Avenue in downtown Coraopolis. This particular Nativity even features live animals. Visit coraopolispresbyterian.com for more. Christmas in Coraopolis VFW Post 402 Dec. 4 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Head to Keith-Holmes VFW Post 402 in downtown Coraopolis for the Coraopolis United Methodist Church 9th Annual Cookie Sale on Dec. 4. Fill a to-go with 12 cookies for $10 or 60 cookies for $40 - payable with cash or check. Also be sure to take away a kid’s activity bag. Then head outside to check out the festively decorated shop windows and more fun on Mulberry Street, including caroling, visits with Santa and more. West Hills Symphonic Band Concert Montour High School Dec. 5 | 3 p.m. The West Hills Symphonic Band is comprised of community members, including a number of professional musicians, who perform because they love to play. The band returns to Montour this year for its holiday concert, which is titled “HOPE for the Holidays.” Enjoy some joyous sounds of the season at this holiday show, including beloved carols, holiday classics and secular favorites. It’ll help you rediscover your Christmas spirit. Attendees must wear masks. The concert is free with donations graciously accepted. Visit www.whsb.org for more. The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden lights up at night for Moonlight and Cocoa. Visits with Santa at The Mall at Robinson The Mall at Robinson Select times through Dec. 24 Santa is returning to The Mall at Robinson this holiday season to meet with eager young children and hear what they’ve put on their Christmas wish lists. Santa will be meeting with children in the rotunda on the lower level. Times and dates are listed on the mall’s website, which is listed below, along with a link where visitors can reserve a spot ahead of time to meet with the big man. Due to high demand and Santa’s occasional reindeer breaks, walk-up visits may not be available. It is therefore highly recommended that visitors reserve their spot online ahead of time. Photos will also be available. Visit ww.shoprobinsonmall.com/event/ Santa-Magic/2145554716/ to view times and dates, and to make reservations. Santa is welcoming visitors at his sleigh at The Mall at Robinson this holiday season. 28 • Allegheny West Magazine • Winter 2021The West Hills Symphonic Band will perform Dec. 5 at Montour High School. PHOTO BY MICHAEL HOLL PHOTOGRAPHY Christmas in Crescent 1370 Riverview Rd., Crescent Dec. 11 | 5 p.m. Crescent Township is kicking off a new tradition this year. On Dec. 11, the Crescent Township Parks and Recreation Board and the Crescent VFD will host its First Annual Christmas Night with Santa at the end of Riverview Road, not far from Shouse Park. Festivities start up at 5 p.m. in the township’s brand new gazebo, where jolly old St. Nick will arrive at 6:45 p.m. to greet children and help ring in the holiday season. The Moon Area High School Band will also be on hand to play some holiday favorites. Food and refreshments will be sold until 9 p.m. Luminary kits to be lit on Christmas Eve will be on sale as well (cash only). Have a question? Email: parksandrec@crescenttownship.org Andrew Carnegie Performing Arts Production of “The Nutcracker” Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall Dec. 11, 18 | 8 p.m. Dec. 12, 19 | 2 p.m. The Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall’s presentation of “The Nutcracker” is a holiday tradition that started 46 years ago. The production features dancers from many community dance schools. Performers from age 5 to adult round out the cast of swirling snowflakes and candy flowers. Last year, the show went virtual but this year audiences are being welcomed back to view the performance. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Prices are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and children. There will also be an option to view the performance afterwards via Vimeo for $30. Visit www.carnegieperformingartscenter.com for more. Kennedy VFD Pancake Breakfast Kennedy VFD Dec. 12 | TBA More details will be forthcoming about the Kennedy VFD’s annual holiday pancake breakfast. Check kennedyvfd.us for the latest. Andrew Carnegie Performing Arts welcomes back audiences this year for its production of “The Nutcracker.” Winter 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 29Next >