FREE Direct Mail Community Publication M agazine Montour School District News Page 27 Serving Ingram, Kennedy, Pennsbury, Robinson, Thornburg and Montour School District One of 4 Editions Serving 16 Airport Area Communities www.awmagazine.com Volume 17, Number 105 | November/December 2021 Montour Edition Allegheny West PLUS: Montour Wall of Honor 2021 Inductees Terminal Modernization Program moving forward Maxxcole named Woman-Owned Business of the Year Page 38 Elementary Holiday Coloring Contest page 24 4 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2021 P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com WE PROUDLY SPONSOR AND SUPPORT: A variety of community, school, and nonprofit organizations in our coverage areas of Cornell, Moon, Montour, and West Allegheny. We are committed to recycling our used and leftover products. We encourage our readers to be responsible and dispose of this magazine when finished enjoying it. Consider passing it along to someone else, or placing it in your neighborhood recycling bins. Thank you in advance for doing your part for our earth. Hughey Publications, LLC also publishes the Moon edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Cornell edition of Allegheny West Magazine and the West Allegheny edition of Allegheny West Magazine. MEMBER Allegheny West Magazine - Montour, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the Montour School District communities of Robinson, Kennedy, Ingram, Pennsbury, and Thornburg to connect communities, promote people, heighten awareness about the richness of the airport region, and build pride in the western suburbs of Allegheny County. Allegheny West Magazine Doug Hughey Jill Bordo Pat Jennette Garret Roberts Sarah Kizina www.ddswebdesign.com Anita Kulik Joe Kulik Pat Jennette Dear Readers, I’d like to start this message by thanking all the elementary students who once again submitted artwork to this year’s elementary holiday coloring contest. We asked elementary students across the Montour School District to design the cover of our November holiday edition and they did not disappoint. We chose our favorite for the cover and a handful from each grade to print on our centerfold. Check those out on page 24. In this edition as well, we’re bringing you our rundown of holiday events taking place across our coverage areas this holiday season. It’s a great feeling to see many of these events taking place again after so many were canceled last year due to COVID-19. That would seem to indicate that we are heading in the right direction with regards to this pandemic. Read more on page 38 and download our events app, AWMag Events, on your favorite app store for a mobile version of our guide. On page 27, read the latest news coming out of Montour School District, including the latest Wall of Honor inductees. We’re also bringing you stories about how high school students are being recognized for kind acts, how middle school students are learning about responsible social media use and an animatronic robot that’s being utilized to educate elementary children on the autism spectrum. Read about the new Terminal Modernization Program at Pittsburgh International Airport on page 14 and check out news from our readers starting on page 8. Look for our next edition in January. Until then, I hope you have a memorable and safe holiday season. From the Publisher Allegheny West Magazine-Montour Edition is published in January, March, May, July, September, and November, six issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in the Montour School District. Extra copies available at municipal offices, schools, libraries, stores, advertisers, hotels, and businesses. Available by mail subscription for $15 annually. Story ideas welcomed. Community events and announcements from non-profit groups must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publishing date. Announcements are limited to 30 words and must include a contact phone number. Reproduction of any artwork, photographs, or copy prepared by Allegheny West Magazine is strictly prohibited without written consent of Hughey Publications LLC. Copyright 1999-2020 Allegheny West Magazine. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers are the responsibility of the contributors and not those of the publisher of Allegheny West Magazine. Doug Hughey, Publisher/Editor Montour Edition November/December 2021 ~ Volume 17, Number 105 { } Contents - Locally Sourced - Around Your Town - Chamberlink - Your Schools - Robinson Township Library - Legislative Update - Firebeat 8 14 16 21 41 45 46 9 14 24 27 28 38 - - - - - - Maxxcole named Woman- Owned Business of the Year Terminal Modernization Program moving forward Elementary Holiday Coloring Contest Montour School District Newsletter Montour Wall of Honor 2021 Inductees Holiday Happenings Guide Aarav Nagarkoti, a third-grader at Montour Elementary School, created this drawing for our holiday coloring contest. We were impressed with Aarav’s originality, attention to detail, strong lines and overall execution. The holidays depicted in this drawing are (from top left, clockwise), Christmas, Chinese New Year, Diwali, Hanukkah, Las Posadas and Kwanzaa. Check out page 24 for more of the entries we received for our holiday coloring contest. Though we received many more excellent entries than we could possibly print, we did choose a handful from each grade. November/December 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 5Heritage Valley HealthHeritage Valley Health 6 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2021Heritage Valley HealthHeritage Valley Health November/December 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 7 TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT: Doctors with the Heritage Valley Multispecialty Group Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine are (back row) Nicholas Tapyrik, MD, Blake Choplin, MD, Jeffrey Erukhimov, MD, (front row) Katherine Chin, MD, Susan Weber, MD and Matthew Woodske, MD. Heritage Valley Multispecialty Group Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine welcomes Blake Choplin, M.D. and Katherine Chin, M.D. to the practice. They join Jeffrey A. Erukhimov, M.D., Nicholas Tapyrik, M.D., Susan L. Weber, M.D. and Matthew Woodske, M.D. in the practice located on the first floor of Heritage Valley Beaver hospital, 1000 Dutch Ridge Road in Beaver. The practice opened a new office Aug. 16 at Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital, 701 Broad Street in Sewickley. Before joining Heritage Valley Health System, Dr. Choplin earned his medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Georgetown University Hospital and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Chin earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh prior to joining Heritage Valley Multispecialty Group. She completed her residency in categorical internal medicine with UPMC Medical Education in Pittsburgh and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Choplin and Dr. Chin are accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment at the Beaver office, call (724) 773- 6403. For an appointment at the Sewickley office, call (412) 749-7160. Heritage Valley Multispecialty Group welcomes two new pulmonologists%Locally Sourced Locally Sourced 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • November/December 2021 Capri Butera, a fourth-grader attending Archangel Gabriel Catholic School, participated in the Little Mo East Regional tennis tournament in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida over the summer. Butera finished second in her age group and that qualified her to move on to the Little Mo National Tournament in Austin, Texas, which invites just four players from four regions. At the tournament, Capri finished second overall after losing a hard-fought battle in the finals. She has been playing tennis since she was 4 and just started playing competitively over the past few years. Local fourth-grader finishes second at national tennis tournament Capri Butera The Woman’s Club of Sewickley Valley will kick off its second half of the season Feb. 7 at the Edgeworth Club in Sewickley. The club welcomes members from the Quaker Valley, Moon Area, Ambridge, West Allegheny, Montour, Cornell and other school districts on both sides of the river. This part of the season includes a handbell show, a traditional Seder meal, a fashion show dedicated to hiding figure flaws, a Picnic with Summer Strummin’ held at Montour Heights Country Club in Moon Township, and a Greek Food and Dance Festival at the Sewickley Hills Log Cabin. By following all COVID-19 protocols recommended by the CDC, the club has been able to keep the organization going and growing despite the pandemic. Meetings are held monthly - usually at the Edgeworth Club. The season extends through June and includes an optional lunch followed by either entertainment or an educational offering. For more, visit www.womansclubofsewickleyvalley.org or email judyhaluka@verizon.net. Woman’s Club of Sewickley Valley kicking off new season Each year, the Parkway West Rotary Club hosts its annual golf outing, the Gerry Dulac Charity Golf Classic, to raise money to support local charities. This year, the club raised money for the Robinson Township Library and, in September, donated $3,000 to the library. As September was Love Your Library Month in Allegheny County, the library was also able to receive a matching grant from the Jack Buncher Foundation. The program was developed by the Allegheny County Library Association and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Rotary donates $3,000 to Robinson Library Members of the Parkway West Rotary present a $3,000 donation to the Robinson Township Library. Taking part in the check presentation are Robinson Township commissioner Dr. James Mancini, state Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik, library board president Maria Henry, library director Sharon Helfrich, Gerry Dulac, Rotary golf chairman Sam Duerr III, Rotary club president Tom Myl and library board member Denise Mancini. CONTENT SUBMITTED Read our editions and share content online at awmagazine.com%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced November/December 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 9 MaxxCole Salon & Spa in Robinson Township was recently named the 2021 Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year by the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center and the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. In honor of National Small Business Week, Duquesne University chose five companies among 600 nominees to recognize, including Women-Owned Business of the Year, Minority-Owned Business of the Year, Family-Owned Business of the Year, Technology Innovation Business of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year. “Being recognized as the Woman-Owned Business of the Year not only validates the work I have done to make this business thrive, but also shines a bright light of appreciation on those who have helped to make this possible, including my MaxxCole team, my business resources and my husband and business partner, Howard Lerda,” said MaxxCole owner, Nicole Lerda. “We are all so incredibly proud of this recognition and are excited to continue serving our clients and community for years to come!” Lerda purchased and took over the business, formerly MaxManni, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in August of 2020. Despite the industry and economy taking a beating from the countrywide shutdown, Lerda kept looking forward and was determined to succeed. She renovated the business, restructured its marketing, diversified the salon and spa services, and implemented a new customer service model. These strategic plans allowed the business to reopen strong, experience growth and save the careers of her 10 dedicated employees. In addition to this most recent honor, Lerda has also been awarded the 2021 Women of Influence Award by Pittsburgh Professional Women and named among the 2021 Airport Corridor Women in Leadership. MaxxCole Salon & Spa is a full-service salon offering hair care, nail care, hair removal, brow and lash artistry, permanent powder brows, DMK skin and body treatments, professional makeup application, therapeutic massage, and more. “Everyone is welcome at MaxxCole,” said Lerda. “Come in, relax and be yourself. It is our mission to provide consistent, high- quality service to every guest to their complete satisfaction and give them a safe, clean space to nourish their self-care needs.” MaxxCole is located at 5284 Steubenville Pike. For more information, visit maxxcole.com or call (412) 788-2711. See below for their special holiday offers. MaxxCole Salon & Spa named Woman-Owned Business of the Year MaxxCole owner Nicole Lerda (second from right) is pictured outside her salon with her staff members. CONTENT SUBMITTEDNext >