Leslie Savisky stories, Page 3

A little bit of color can go a long way, especially when it creates appealing and creative spaces for students to learn and grow. PPG Industries, in coordination with PNC Bank, participated in a community outreach event at Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Sunrise School last month. More than 50 employee volunteers...

Aug. 22 marked the beginning of a new school year for the students at Divine Mercy Academy, and students and teachers had a variety of answers to the question “What are you looking forward to this school year?” The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Art and STREAM...

The sixth annual Monroeville Public Library Fun Fest was held Aug. 24 with community and vendor booths, food, games and music. Activities included balloon artists, hair tinsel station, bounce house and inflatable obstacle course, basket raffle, a magician and ceramic animal painting. Country Flair Farm was on site with a...

Gateway School Board tabled a request this week to form a student clay target shooting club. Parent Christine Sterner spoke to the school board this week and was accompanied by her husband, their two sons and one of their friends who are interested in starting a club at the Monroeville...

Gateway School Board may raise the salary for school nurses in an attempt to hire more staff for the Monroeville district. During the board meeting Monday, directors learned there are five nursing vacancies in the district. “Part of our hope is that after we looked at the data regarding compensation...

Friends recall a favorite saying of the late Scott Williams of Monroeville. “There’s a right way, there’s a wrong way, and then there’s the Gateway.” A paraplegic since the age of 18, Williams, 59, died July 26, 2024, at UPMC Montefiore Hospital in Oakland after a prolonged battle with cancer....

Sunrise School in Monroeville, part of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, had a “Picnic Month” theme during recent lessons. The school’s pupils, ages five to 21, are primarily special education students from the eastern part of Allegheny County. Class curriculum is geared toward learning support, life skills, multi-disabilities and autism, as...

After her mother passed away in 2016 from colorectal cancer, Dr. Abi Fapohunda wanted to use her education and background to focus on early detection. “I knew I had to give back, to do something,” said Fapohunda, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. Fapohunda...

Murrysville native Sam Wasilak’s fascination with photography and architecture will come to life on the walls of the Monroeville Public Library beginning this week. Now a Monroeville resident, Wasilak’s exhibit “Untitled Architecture,” sponsored by the Friends of the Monroeville Public Library, will kick off with a reception from 6 to...

Imagine as a child having your own creature – with names such as Red-Ranger, Cone-Jumper or Joker – come to life. After reading the interactive story “Go Away Big Green Monster” last year, Tracy Ricciardi’s preschool class at Gateway High School drew pictures and created their own monsters using templates....

Pittsburgh Riverhounds midfielders Kenardo Forbes and Robbie Mertz will be talking soccer and signing autographs from 4 to 6 p.m. July 17 at SpectroDolce Confectionary inside Monroeville Mall. The club’s mascot AMO will be present, and patrons will enjoy sweet treats and activities. SpectroDolce will be revealing a new milkshake...

Gateway Musical and Monroeville Recreation Parks partnered for the second year in a row for Gateway’s Summer Theater Camp. All students entering third through eighth grades at Gateway and surrounding districts were welcome to participate. Approximately 25 campers auditioned on June 22; workshops on acting, vocal lessons, choreography and staging...

Friends of the Monroeville Public Library are inviting patrons to own a piece of library history during this month’s art exhibit, which includes a showing and sale of artwork that was donated and previously displayed at the library. The sale will run from through July 29 at the Elaine Biondi...

Sabers Cheer Camp was held June 24 to 27 at Divine Mercy Academy’s gymnasium, 245 Azalea Drive in Monroeville. All It was open to students going into kindergarten through eighth grade from any local school. According to PTG Fundraising Chairperson Tina Cuda, camp consisted of 37 cheerleaders this year from...

Don’t try to stump Divine Mercy Academy’s Owen Brown with words like irreconcilable or independence. The sixth grader competed against twenty-five other students in grades 4 through 6 at the Pittsburgh Diocesan Spelling Bee on May 21. The spelling bee was held at St. Louise de Marillac School, 310 McMurray...

The Monroeville Public Library hosted “Wizard of Oz” tea fundraiser on June 2 at the Lourdes Center at Christ the Divine Shepherd, Monroeville Campus. Patrons were invited to dress up in “Wizard of Oz attire,” though costumes were not required. This was the library’s third consecutive tea fundraising event —...

The Friends of the Monroeville Public Library are hosting a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. June 15 at the library titled “Dots: The pointillist art of Jack Puglisi.” Puglisi’s work is on display through June 25 in the library’s Elaine Biondi Gallery Space, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd....

Monroeville Rotary held a scholarship luncheon on May 23 at the Courtyard by Marriott, where four Gateway seniors were awarded college scholarships. Bill Segar, who passed away in 2008, was an active Rotarian and District Governor. He was on the Gateway School Board for 28 years and a baseball coach...

Burchfield Primary School celebrated its third annual kindergarten prom on May 29. The early-evening event was for kindergarten graduates and their guests. The students dressed in their finest outfits while enjoying snacks, listening to music and dancing. Students entered on a red carpet, where they had the opportunity to have...

Monroeville resident Dr. Elisa Beth Haransky-Beck holds many titles, including optometrist, wellness practitioner, consultant, coach, somatic yoga instructor, educator and speaker. She founded Sustainable Monroeville in 2009 and Vegan Spirituality-Southwest PA in 2019. Along with several organizations, such as the League of Women Voters and Protect Penn Township and Trafford,...

Phil Randolph has been a full-time Gateway High School teacher for 18 years. “I first student taught here right out of college in 2005, and they’ve kept me around ever since,” said Randolph, who teaches English. In addition to serving as the boys’ volleyball team head coach, junior class council...

The 61st annual Negro Emergency Education Drive scholarship awards dinner was held May 3 at the Wyndham Grand in downtown Pittsburgh. This year’s theme was “We Are Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams!” The Negro Emergency Education Drive, or NEED, was established in 1963. In addition to scholarships, the nonprofit college access...

For Gateway High School’s Spring Impact Project, students of the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy wanted to show their appreciation to local police departments. “We want the officers to know that they are supported and appreciated,” said adviser Marci Klinger, adding that the students believe it’s their duty to give back to...

Gateway High School in Monroeville hosted its fourth annual Skilled Trades and Career Fair May 1, giving students a chance to meet with representatives from post-secondary skilled trades programs, apprenticeships and employers. School counselor Colleen Tortorella, who organizes several field trips for students each year, said the school has wonderful...

Keegan Parady, a high school freshman and Boy Scout with Troop 220 in Pitcairn, plans to revamp the busy food pantry area at Monroeville’s Gateway High School for his Eagle Scout project. Parady volunteers with the food pantry, helping with donations and distribution from a busy room located at the...