< Previous30 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021 (412) 490-6500 Dr. Christopher Stone Superintendent (412) 490-6500, ext. 6221 stonec@montourschools.com Dr. Eric Sparkenbaugh Director of Academic Achievement and K-12 Support Services (412) 490-6500 sparkenbaughe@montourschools.com Mr. Dominick Salpeck Director of Instruction and Academic Achievement (412) 771-8802, ext. 2611 salpeckd@montourschools.com Dr. Robert Isherwood Director of Special Education and Pupil Services 412-490-6500, ext. 6102 isherwoodb@montourschools.com Mr. Darryl Yonkers Director of Operations (412) 490-6500 x 6510 yonkersd@montourschools.com Mrs. Susan Sinicki Director of Human Resources 412-490-6500, ext. 6235 sinickis@montourschools.com Mrs. Anna Borsos Business Manager (412) 490-6500, ext. 6232 borsosa@montourschools.com Mr. Bob Wagner Transportation Director (412) 490-6500, ext. 4700 wagnerb@montourschools.com Mr. Lou Cerro Athletic Director (412) 490-6500, ext. 1627 cerrol@montourschools.com (412) 490-6500 Mr. Todd Price Principal (412) 490-6500, ext. 1612 pricet@montourschools.com (412) 771-8802 Dr. Jason Burik Principal (412) 490-6500 ext. 4312 burikjason@montourschools.com Mr. Michael Marvin Assistant Principal (412) 771-8802, ext. 2612 marvinm@montourschools.com (412) 490-6500 Mr. Jason Shoaf Principal (412) 490-6500 ext. 4313 shoafj@montourschools.com Mr. Robert Carlisle Principal (412) 490-6500, ext. 1615 carlisler@montourschools.com Para-professionals: Bobbie Carlson Lisa Grega Samantha Kantz Briana Martino Samantha Nolfi Jill Reed Trudy Schiavo Samantha Woznichak District welcomes new teachers and support staff Montour School District welcomed a number of new faculty members this school year. They are as follows: Marching band revisits the 80’s with new show Children of the 1980s will appreciate this year’s throwback show by the Montour High School Marching Band. The band’s show, called 80’s Mix Tape, features genre-spanning and era-defining tunes like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” and A-ha’s “Take On Me.” The band worked hard on the show over the summer at the Hilltop and started two weeks’ worth of practices at 8 a.m. The second week of practices went well into the evening, but the band also got to enjoy some fun activities to cap off their days. In all, 70 students are performing in this year’s show. The band is also wearing new uniforms from the last time many spectators saw them in 2019. Though they donned the uniforms last year, many didn’t get to see them due to COVID-19 restrictions. Catch the band’s performances this year during halftime of the Spartans’ football games (see page 25 for a schedule), at the Chartiers Valley Band Festival and at the South Fayette Band Festival. Both festivals take place at 7 p.m. At the time of this writing, the band is also planning to host its Annual Montour Festival of Bands show at the Hilltop in early September. Full-time teachers: Jennifer Boehm - Hearing Support Alexis Bucci - Autistic Support Julia DeWit - French/Spanish Emily Ferraro - Seventh Grade Science Victoria Frauens - Sixth and Eighth Grade Math Ashley Hellmann - Spanish Karen Matarazzo - Sixth and Eighth Grade ELA Jordan Paddick - Art Amanda Seretti - First Grade Christiana Vamossy - Emotional Support Long-term subs: Chelsey Albert - Art Madison Bruni - Emotional Support Sarah Dawsey - Learning Support Beth Fleck - Kindergarten Madison Gray - Learning Support Matti King - STEM Mackenzie Kraft - Third Grade Kennedi Stevenson - Social Studies James Taylor - Fourth Grade Madison Treser - Math ABOVE: The Montour High School Marching Band takes the field during halftime of Montour’s home opener. BELOW: The band shows off some moves during their performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” September/October 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 31 In 2019, students in Christina Ferko and Pam DiIanni’s environmental sustainability course began collaborating with ALCOSAN on a project that challenged them to devise a way to incorporate green infrastructure into the high school campus. In so doing, they were tasked with creating an outdoor environment for educational, extracurricular and therapeutic purposes. Working on their own, students designed a courtyard with bioswales, trees and an instructional seating area. Their concept included boulders for seating, benches and a pathway connecting the high school’s existing courtyard entrances. Students who participated in the project development phase presented their ideas to a panel of professionals at ALCOSAN and also in front of the Montour School Board. Darryl Yonkers, Montour’s director of operations and technology, then worked with students to choose materials and help finalize their design. Just before school started this year, Yonkers oversaw the final touches on the courtyard, including installation of a brick walkway that links up with the greenhouse in the high school’s science wing. DiIanni says the courtyard will be utilized for both instructional and non-instructional purposes. As well, it will provide students with access to an outdoor learning environment, thereby supporting mental health and wellness. To raise money for the project, students sold custom-engraved bricks that were installed in the walkway. DiIanni says students will be selling additional bricks and pavers in the future. “We also received a Seeds of Change BIG IDEA mini-grant to support adding raised beds, including tools, soil and seeds, for our Classroom Cupboard initiative,” says DiIani. The Classroom Cupboard provides students in need with personal care items, food and other basic necessities. Due to COVID-19, the project was delayed for a time. Thus, many of the students who worked on the courtyard’s initial design have since graduated. However, their hard work, ingenuity and imagination will continue to benefit all students both this year and well into the future as the space takes on new purpose. Student-designed courtyard at high school gets closer to completion Montour High School again named PLTW distinguished school For the fourth consecutive year, Montour High School has been named a Project Lead the Way Distinguished High School. According to the PLTW website, the designation honors districts and schools that have demonstrated a commitment to “increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs. These districts and schools are empowering students to thrive in an evolving world and have achieved exemplary results from their PLTW programs…” PLTW is a national nonprofit that designs curricula in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. Classes often encourage hands-on learning and prepare students for future careers. Montour first began implementing PLTW courses at the high school in 2005. High school students can now take six secondary-level PLTW courses in engineering as well as four in the biomedical sciences. Montour High School is one of 204 high schools in the country and one of only four in the state to receive the honor. ABOVE: Updates to the courtyard at the high school are well underway after a walkway, trees and garden beds were installed just before school started. Some raised beds and outdoor seating will be coming in the future. BELOW: Work for the project was in part paid for with proceeds from the sale of engraved bricks that were installed in the walkway. 32 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021 Kylee Crawshaw High School Associate Principal Todd M. Price, High School Principal Dear Parents/Guardian(s) and Students, It is with great pleasure and excitement that we welcome you back for the 2021-2022 school year! We were extremely excited to greet our students on Aug. 26 and are looking forward to an exciting and successful school year! The Montour High School administration, faculty and staff are committed to fully preparing our students for their futures. As we explore and implement new educational programming and develop and refine curriculum, we are doing so with a clear focus on being Student-Centered and Future-Focused. All members of our school community are committed to Establishing a Learning Culture within all aspects of our work, creating and encouraging a Growth Mindset both for ourselves and within our students and, most importantly, Putting Children First in all that we do. We ask that all of our stakeholders visit the high school website frequently, as news and information from Montour High School is updated under the News and Announcements section. Additional resources to support students are available under the Quick Links and Counselors’ Corner sections of the website. Follow all of the exciting happenings at Montour High School on Twitter @hilltopspartan and @MrsKCrawshaw. Parent/guardians can review their child’s attendance and academic progress via Skyward Family Access, our student information system’s family portal. We ask that all parents make sure they have an accurate email address noted within their Skyward account, as the majority of communications from the high school will come via email. Anyone experiencing issues with accessing this portal should contact the technology department. In closing, parents should not hesitate to contact us should they ever have a question and/or concern about their child’s education. Our students are the heartbeat of our school community! We are extremely fortunate to work with amazing young people who inspire us each day! Looking forward to a great school year! Welcome back Montour High SchoolSeptember/October 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 33 Dear David E. Williams Middle School Families, The administration, faculty, and staff extend a warm welcome to all students and families for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year! We are fully committed to providing every child with an outstanding education and an enjoyable middle school experience. In return, we expect all students to come to school with a positive attitude and put forth their best effort each day. This year, DEW Middle School “Blue Print For Continued Success” goals and “Whatever It Takes” theme includes: Welcome back David E. Williams Middle School! Dr. Jason Burik, Principal Michael Marvin, Assistant Principal 1. Continue building a positive learning culture where students are challenged each day to meet their full potential and provide a building-wide focus on acceleration and targeted instruction 2. Address the impact students and staff experienced from the pandemic by intentionally building community and addressing Social Emotional Learning upon re-entry 3. Recognize individual needs of students through a renewed focus on personalized learning using innovative teaching techniques, devices, curriculum, and skills acquired during the pandemic 4. Create teacher leaders who challenge themselves to better understand next- generation learning and who empower innovation and risk-taking to create future- forward classrooms 5. Reshape learning spaces with new building furniture, creating more collaboration in classrooms, and utilizing outdoor learning areas 6. Enhance communication between home and school. Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to a great school year ahead!34 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021 New low-voltage lighting and an improved sound system were both installed at the David E. Williams Middle School stadium over the summer. The updates to the stadium will provide a number of benefits, including giving student athletes better access to the field in the evening hours. “The whole intention of the project is to expand the usage of the track and field, and more specifically, for athletic and middle school teams,” says Darryl Yonkers, Montour’s director of operations. “It gives students another turf field to be used past dark and is also a special treat to middle school teams that had been going up to the Hilltop.” Instead of traveling to the Hilltop campus for evening practices and games, DEW teams will now be able to utilize their own field in the dusk and evening hours. The lights have been attached to poles throughout the stadium and can be controlled remotely by administrators. When an event is scheduled, the lights can be programmed to be turned on and then off again once the event is finished. Yonkers says the new lighting also adds a layer of security and may eventually allow the district to expand the hours that the track is available to the general public. For now, however, when there isn’t an event, the stadium will continue to close at dusk. Improvements to the sound system include new fork speakers, a Bluetooth-enabled mixer and wireless microphones. The system delivers crisp, clear sound for everything from announcing games to allowing students to enjoy music during recess. Both updates come just a few years after both the Hilltop and DEW fields received new artificial turf surfaces. The collective updates promise to encourage athletics at DEW and continue to make the campus a valuable community asset. “There are not a whole lot of schools that can say they have two lighted turf fields,” says Yonkers. “We’re looking forward to letting the community and students enjoy it.” Field lighting and new sound system Updates on the David E. Williams Middle School campus David E. Williams Middle School has received a number of updates in recent years as part of a capital improvement project. These updates include new flooring, a renovated auditorium, an updated gymnasium, a resurfaced field and more. As the district was preparing to welcome back students for the 2021-2022 school year, a number of additional improvements were completed to the middle school’s outdoor areas. Here’s a rundown: New outdoor furniture Classroom furniture that allows for flexible seating has been shown to play a significant role in the effectiveness of student learning. With the right approach, schools can contribute to the comfort, posture and support of students, thereby positively impacting their ability to concentrate and work. In some cases, furniture can also transform or even create a learning space. Such is the case at DEW where, just before school started, new modern, molded outdoor furniture decked out in school colors was installed. The seating not only provides students and teachers with added flexibility, but has also transformed one of the school’s outdoor areas into a learning space. As well, the courtyard area will allow for social distancing while providing a safe outdoor environment during COVID-19. New lights were installed around the football field at DEW Middle School over the summer. Follow Montour High School @hilltopspartan Follow David E. Williams Middle School on Twitter @DEWMiddleSchool This new outdoor furniture has transformed one of the middle school’s outdoor areas. Stay up to date at www.montourschools.com! September/October 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 35 Students, parents and community: Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year at Montour Elementary School! We are happy to still be able to offer each family face-to-face learning and anticipate a great new school year of learning and growing. The administration, faculty, and staff extend a warm welcome to all students and families entering our building. We take great pride in educating the children of the Montour community, providing many opportunities to learn and grow in a safe and caring environment. We set high expectations both academically and behaviorally for all of our students. We expect students to work hard and come to school each day with a positive attitude. While we still face some challenges from the pandemic and will be requiring everyone at MES to wear a face covering while in the building, we will still work hard each day to ensure that every child has their academic, social, behavioral and emotional needs met at MES. We are proud to have been able to offer many summer programs to ensure that kids were still able to learn and grow with us through our STEAM Camp, Extended School Year and our Summer Jump Start Program. As we begin another school year, our goal is to collaborate with all of our parents and community members to ensure that every child learns and grows each day at MES and that we continue to develop positive relationships with every stakeholder in our learning community. We are excited to welcome the new kindergarten children to MES and to celebrate our fourth grade children, who are the first group of kids to have their entire educational experience (K-4) at MES. We are excited to open our doors again and welcome 1,175 kids back for the 2021-2022 school year. Welcome to Montour Elementary School, where we Educate, Innovate and Amaze. Jason Shoaf, Principal Rob Carlisle, Principal Welcome back, MES! Want more good news about Montour? Search #MontourProud on Twitter.Varsity Sports After sending six teams to the playoffs last year, the Spartans are again looking to continue their streak of success this fall. With many teams returning players, the season promises to be another strong one. Here’s a look at Montour’s fall sports teams and where they stood at the start of the season. For fall sports schedules, see page 25. 36 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021 Cross Country Last season, both cross-country teams closed out their regular seasons with undefeated 4-0 records and by clinching section titles. The girls team subsequently finished second at the WPIAL meet and the boys finished fourth. Lakyn Schaltenbrand and Harley Kletz both qualified for the state meet, where Lakyn finished an impressive seventh in the state and Harley finished 18th. This year, both of those girls are returning along with Alex Fleck, Sophia Trevenen and Amelia Trevenen. On the boys side, AJ Miller returns after finishing 42nd in last year’s WPIAL meet. He’s joined by returning runners James Walzer, Peter Chacon, Julian Kletz and Gavin Rawski. Head coach Robert Naylor says the team is looking to repeat as section champions and clinch a WPIAL title on their way to qualifying for the PIAA meet. A look at this season’s fall sports teams Girls Volleyball The girls volleyball team continued its streak of excellence last year by making it all the way to the WPIAL championship game. Though the team failed to knock off Franklin Regional and secure a title, they did earn runner-up honors and won a section title on their way to the post season. The team returns six starters this year: Olivia Lyscik, Paytun Wiernik, Olivia Persinginer, Kylie Barto, Raegan Kadlecik and Mia Arndt. Head coach Mike Machionda will be looking to players Mortan Cholewa, Sarah Faith, Ava Vietmeier, Delaney Brennan, Danielle Caliguiri and Nicolette Lyscik to step up and help the team repeat as section champions on their way to the playoffs. Entering the season, the team was ranked atop Section 3A by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the top 3A team in the preseason coaches’ poll. Football The football team just missed clinching a 5A playoff spot last year when they lost a close match to Beaver Area in the final game of the season. A late safety ended up being the deciding factor after an impressive offensive performance from the Spartans. After losing senior quarterback Luke Persinger, running back Gannon Kadlecik and receiver Jaiden Hill, the team will be looking to a number of players to step into starting roles. The team currently has two good options at quarterback in Jake Wolfe and CJ Sonson. Head coach Lou Cerro is also looking to seniors Braden Flint, Caleb Williams, Diuane Pinkett and James Haseleu - along with juniors Alonzo Labrie, John Midili, Brock Janeda and Jimmy Hazard - to anchor the team. The Spartans kicked off the season against some tough 5A competition in South Fayette, Moon Area and West Allegheny. Cerro said he hoped the difficult start would prepare his team for section play. “We have some experience on both sides of the ball and we have some talented young players who will need to get better each week so they can compete on a weekly basis in our conference,” he said, “plus our early season schedule will prepare us hopefully for our conference schedule.” Girls Soccer Last year’s girls soccer team battled injuries to finish 8-6 on the regular season but then made a strong playoff run to go all the way to the WPIAL semi-final game. This season, the team returns nine starters and should benefit from its roster of 12 seniors. The team only had four seniors last season. Among those returning players is senior midfielder Jessica Molitoris, who assistant coach Ryan Welsh says the team will be looking to in order to create space for their other players. Also returning this year is starting goalie Ashley Vith, a junior, and senior goalie Melena Groznik. Junior Eliana Davin also returns this year along with junior forward and defender Saveria Ulizzi and senior outside midfielder Natalie Allen. Welsh says the performance of those core players will likely determine the outcome of their season. At the same time, he says numbers are down a little this year, but that with a roster of 35, they still have plenty of depth. Saveria Ulizzi, pictured here last season, is one of the team’s players the team will again be looking to this year. Lakyn Schaltenbrand runs in last year’s WPIAL meet, where she finished second. She then finished seventh at the state meet. Last season’s girls volleyball team celebrates winning their section title. Running back Caleb Williams rushes the ball against South Fayette in the Spartans’ home opener. Stay up to date at www.montourathletics.org. See page 25 for fall sports schedules. @MontourAthDept @MontourGirlsVB @MontourFootball @MHSTrackTeam September/October 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 37 Girls Tennis Last year, the girls tennis team finished 3-2 in Section 5A and reached the WPIAL playoffs. Maddie Rimbey and Peja Cruise reached the finals at section doubles and qualified for the WPIAL doubles. The pair also won in their first round of the playoffs to reach the quarterfinals. Both of those players return this year along with the rest of the team’s starters from last season. Head coach Eric Hazlett is thus expecting a strong season from his team, with a shot at clinching a section title and going far into the post-season. Peja Cruise and Maddie Rimbey reached the finals at section doubles and the quarterfinals in the playoffs last season. They both return to the team this season. Boys Soccer The boys soccer team finished its regular season last year with an impressive 9-4-1 record and by clinching a playoff berth. The team then advanced through the first round of the WPIAL playoffs but failed to best South Fayette in the quarterfinal match. This season, head coach Stephen Okai, a former Riverhounds player, heads into his fourth year as head coach of the team. For the first time, he’ll also have a group of seniors who have played under him their entire high school careers - and there a lot of them. In all, the team has 11 seniors on the roster, seven of whom are starters. That should make the team formidable, but assistant coach Rick Zoltun points out that they’ll also once again have some excellent section competition from West Allegheny, Moon Area and South Fayette. Among the team’s starting seniors is midfielder and team captain Jac Caputo, who is flanked by two dynamic strikers in Nathan Myers and Henry Olandini, both of whom are poised for breakout seasons. Fellow starting seniors include midfielder Andrew Feeley, defender Jake Gamble and goalie Ben Koch. They’re backed up by fellow seniors Tony Dinh, Zach Groznik, Jake Groznik, Max Kroneberg and Dylan Sparkenbaugh. Zoltun says the group is a cohesive bunch who have played together from the time they were young. He thinks that chemistry will aid them as they take on leadership roles and realize their full potential this season. Golf Last year’s golf team finished second in its section and qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, which is something that it hadn’t done in some time. The team also won in the first round to advance to the semi-finals. That was last year, though, when the team had a healthy roster of seniors. This year, head coach Trent Karlik only has one returning senior in Ryder Blyzwick, but that has hardly dampened his expectations. Instead, Karlik is looking to build on last season’s success with a bunch of young players, including a number of juniors. Among them is Ryan Persinger and Caden Martin, who comes to the team with a hockey background. Karlik is also looking to Sarah Lugaila, Vincent Marino, Luke Giannetti and Vincent Frank to contribute to the team’s scoring. Perhaps the biggest surprise this year, however, is the team’s group of freshman JV players who are being coached by Nate Galiyas. Karlik says those young players did well in tryouts and then started the season strong. Now, he’s expecting that if they continue on that trajectory they’ll begin to challenge some of the older players for a spot on the varsity squad, which is something Karlik has yet to see happen on the team. That also bodes well for the future as the young players work toward the team’s goal of winning a section title. Your SchoolsYour Schools N 38 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021 Pittsburgh and Baltimore might be rivals on the football field during a handful of Sundays throughout the fall and winter, but when it comes to providing career training, the two cities have some organizations that couldn’t be better teammates. This past January, Pittsburgh Technical College in Oakdale and the Baltimore-based nonprofit Power52, which was founded by longtime Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, formed a new partnership that will provide career training for at-risk individuals from the Baltimore area. Through the agreement, students who start their training at the Power52 Energy Institute in Baltimore will be able to continue their education at PTC. There, they can earn either a certificate in electrician technology or an Associate of Science in smart building technology. The partnership promises to provide life- changing opportunities to individuals from at-risk and marginalized communities while providing a future workforce for sustainable building practices. PTC has joined the partnership as part of its five-year strategic plan, which includes expanding educational access to under-served populations. “At Pittsburgh Technical College, we take great pride in providing all students a clearly defined pathway to fill the middle skills careers that will fuel economic development and rebuild not only our Commonwealth, but neighboring regions as well,” said Dr. Alicia B. Harvey-Smith, president of PTC. “Our partnership with Power52 is the latest example in our commitment to these endeavors and we’re excited to welcome its students into the Pittsburgh community.” This past July, a group of students from the Power52 Energy Institute had the opportunity to visit the PTC campus. Throughout the day, the group got to tour the campus and participate in academic focus groups. They also had an opportunity to meet with financial planners. That evening, the group visited PNC Park for a Pirates game. Among those who visited the campus was Mikal Moore, a 32-year-old Baltimore native who recently completed the solar engineering program at the Power52 Energy Institute. Moore said he would like to study electrical engineering at PTC and also has an interest in design and sustainable building. By completing the Power52 program and then attending PTC, Moore would be trained to take on an advanced position once he graduates, says Cherie Brooks, CEO of the Power52 Foundation. She says that was one of the goals of a new initiative that the nonprofit has started. Called Power Pathways, the effort is what led to the organization’s partnership with PTC. “When I developed the concept of Power52, we never wanted to train individuals to land in entry-level positions,” she says. “So, now we’ve created Power Pathways, which we’ve just rolled out. Power Pathways is powered by these unique relationships with other organizations so that our graduates can continue to grow and learn, thrive, and gain stackable credentials or degrees so they can have additional opportunities.” At PTC, students continuing their education from Power52 will train either in the School of Trades Technology or at the School of Energy and Electronics Technology. Rodney Clark, PTC’s vice president of student affairs and enrollment, said, “Not only will the students from Power52 have access to PTC’s state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, like all of our students they will benefit from our numerous community partners and workforce development resources, including career placement services and internships.” Brooks says that because Power52’s curriculum aligns closely with that of PTC’s, students’ progression to take college-level courses will be a natural one. Students will also bring with them industry-standard credentialing. According to Anthony Johnson, craft instructor for Power52, the organization’s program differs from a union apprenticeship. “We are an accredited company using an accredited curriculum so they don’t have to be in the field for a certain amount of days or months to progress,” he says. “It’s performance- based.” According to information provided by the school, the Power52 Energy Institute is the first Clean Energy Private Career School specializing in solar PV installation to be approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. To learn more about PTC’s programs in the energy sector, visit www.ptcollege.edu. PTC teams to offer life-changing career training STORY BY DOUG HUGHEY ABOVE: Students and instructors from the Power52 Energy Institute in Baltimore, Maryland visited the Pittsburgh Technical College campus at the end of July. BELOW: Students get a tour of a CAD classroom and the Energy Technology Center. PHOTOS BY ETHAN MANSBERGER Cherie Brooks, CEO of the Power52 Foundation (at center), is pictured with Rodney Clark, PTC VP of student affairs and enrollment, and Eileen Steffan, PTC vice president of academic affairs. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEYSeptember/October 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 39Next >