< PreviousYour SchoolsYour Schools N Pittsburgh Technical College STORY BY DOUG HUGHEY In 1980, a recent high school graduate from Greenville named Mike Yurisic drove to Pittsburgh in order to enroll at a drafting school called Pittsburgh Technical Institute. Over 40 years later, he can still recall the feeling of being overwhelmed by the sight of the big city as he exited the Fort Pitt Tunnel. A self-described small-town kid, he says he almost felt like doing a U-turn right there, but didn’t. Instead, he enrolled at PTI, which in turn launched him on his future career track and eventually led him to found what is today a multi-million dollar company. “There was a little tear-off card in my [high school] drafting class,” he says. “That’s how I found them. I pumped gas for $1.75 an hour to pay $4,025 to come here.” After graduating from PTI, Yurisic moved to California, where he honed his trade before moving back to the area. In 1992, he started Advanced Bulk and Conveying, a company that builds storage and conveying systems. According to Dun and Bradstreet, the company generates $10.66 million in sales per year and has 30 employees. “As I say, I stretched this little degree for all that it’s worth,” says Yurisic. From those humble beginnings, both Yurisic and PTI have gone far. While Yurisic went on to experience the success he did, Pittsburgh Technical College, as it is now known, has gone from a single-program drafting school to an accredited nonprofit college with 10 academic schools and over 30 programs. The reason for the school’s success has much to do with Jack McCartan, who rescued PTI from bankruptcy in 1990. In those pivotal years following, McCartan moved the school to where it now operates in the suburbs outside of Oakdale. At the same time, he merged the school with two other schools - Penn Tech and the Wilma Boyd School of Travel - and later sought out accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. While serving as PTI’s president until 2002, McCartan grew the school’s offerings to 22 programs and its enrollment to 2,000 students. “Jack was very much a strategic thinker and planner,” says Dr. Peggy Williams-Betlyn, president emerita of the Community College of Beaver County. A 23-year veteran of the board of trustees at PTC, Williams- Betlyn knew McCartan well. She currently serves as the board’s chair. “The fact that he bought 180 acres in Oakdale shows how strategic he was,” she says. On June 10, PTC honored the memory of McCartan, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 79, at a special event on the PTC campus. Yurisic and a number of original board members were also honored. PTC president Dr. Alicia Harvey-Smith presented McCartan’s widow, Margaret, with an official proclamation designating June 10 Jack McCartan Day on the PTC campus. McCartan was also named president emeritus. Original board members who have since retired and were also recognized were Velma Jackson, Dr. Dina LiVolsi, Tom Sapienza and William Day. In remarks, Harvey-Smith recounted how each individual had contributed to developing the school’s programs. While Jackson, an attorney and chemical engineer, aided with the school’s transition to nonprofit status and the establishment of its bachelor programs, LiVolsi, the board’s first female member, was instrumental in developing PTC’s school of nursing. Sapienza, meanwhile, a former board chair, was actively involved in the American Academy of Culinary Arts at PTC and helped lay the groundwork for PTC’s nonprofit status. Day, president of St. Barnabas Health Systems, helped grow the school’s healthcare programs and establish PTC’s school of nursing. “They helped to lay the foundation of this institution and I think it’s very important to recognize those efforts as we move forward,” said Harvey-Smith in her remarks. “Many of them worked very closely, obviously, with Jack McCartan to expand educational access across our region.” For Yurisic’s part, Harvey-Smith recognized the PTI alumnus with the highest honor given by the school - that of trustee emeritus. Yurisic retired from the board this year after serving for 17 years on it. In an emotional speech, Yurisic said he attributed all of his success to the education he received from PTI and that little tear-off card he happened upon in his drafting classroom in high school. In her own remarks, Williams-Betlyn described McCartan as a humble person who probably wouldn’t have been too happy with a gathering organized in his honor. Speaking following the event, she also described McCartan as a savvy and forward-thinking businessman who brought together highly capable people while building the school. She says he cared deeply about education and training good teachers. To that end, she says he offered many classes to his faculty so they could enrich their credentials. According to the Pittsburgh Foundation website, McCartan also founded the Teacher Excellence Foundation to award the best teachers in southwestern Pennsylvania. PTC honors college’s history by establishing Jack McCartan Day, recognizing original board of trustee members Dr. Alicia Harvey-Smith, Pittsburgh Technical College president, delivers remarks during a special event held on the college’s campus June 10. She is flanked by a picture of the school’s late president, Jack McCartan, who Harvey- Smith posthumously named president emeritus. Harvey-Smith also delivered a proclamation naming June 10 Jack McCartan Day on the PTC campus. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY 20 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2021N Your Schools Your Schools McCartan, whose father founded a Pittsburgh for-profit accounting secretarial school that later became Robert Morris University, also established an employee stock ownership plan. That plan allowed employees to have an ownership stake in the school. “He was very concerned about those who taught there,” says Williams-Betlyn. She says McCartan recognized that different types of educational experiences were important for different students. “Jack believed in education,” she says. “He said we need different types of education because the students are all different, whether they go to a two- or four-year college. PTC’s role was to take students and to educate them, to give them a career. We offer placement. That’s what PTC has always done well.” According to Harvey-Smith, PTC has continued to be successful in that regard. She cites the school’s 95% placement rate in recent years and says salaries in the fields PTC trains for have increased in 2021. She says some graduates are entering the workplace and earning upwards of $75,000 to $100,000 per year. Dr. Alicia Harvey-Smith, a nationally recognized higher education leader and author, was recruited through a national search and selected unanimously by the Board of Trustees and the college community to lead PTC into the future. Though she is PTC’s fourth president, she is the first African-American and the first president selected from outside of the college for the position. She is also the first president to lead the college as a nonprofit institution. Most recently, she served as the executive vice chancellor of Lone Star College in Houston, Texas, where she served more than 95,000 students. She was previously president of River Valley Community College in Claremont, New Hampshire. There, she successfully expanded access to education in the region through the establishment of new sites in western New Hampshire through the utilization of public and private funds. With a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, a graduate degree from The Johns Hopkins University, an undergraduate degree from Morgan State University and competitively selected executive training from a variety of institutions - including training for the college presidency from Harvard University - Harvey-Smith is equipped and ready to lead PTC in writing its next chapter by expanding its vision and the execution of strategic planning and partnerships. “Our vision to become a world-class academic institution, partnering with business and industry to deliver innovative, cutting-edge education that drives student and alumni success, supports the economy and empowers the well-being of our global community is our north star and was set in motion through Jack’s vision of career ready education and a commitment to student success,” says Harvey-Smith. She says the school’s transition to nonprofit status has significantly aided PTC as it has sought out millions of dollars in grants that would not have otherwise been available to it. She says the total in grants received by the institution between 2020 and 2021 exceeds $5.9 million and that PTC now has over $13 million in total grants pending. Part of that amount includes three National Science Foundation grants. Those grant dollars are helping the school offer college courses to students at Montour High School, award scholarships to under-represented groups and boost employment among underrepresented groups in cyber-security. Harvey-Smith also recently guided the school as it completed its five-year strategic plan to guide its future development. “We emerged from the planning process believing in our key priorities of becoming an educator of choice, a primary pathway for filling middle skills jobs and fueling economic development to rebuild our Commonwealth and serve as a model for other educational institutions,” she says. She says PTC will also continue to expand its work with business, industry and educational partners to meet the ever- changing needs of students and employers. “PTC is a unique organization blurring the boundaries between what is considered traditional technical training and college education,” she says. As for drafting, the discipline that brought Yurisic all of his success, PTC now offers CAD, which is essentially a modern version of drafting, as part of its design and engineering technology track. Williams-Betlyn says it continues to be one of their most popular programs. CAD has also been identified as a highly sought-after skill in today’s economy. In addition, PTC also offers training in nursing, information technology, business, criminal justice, culinary arts, hospitality, healthcare, trades technology, and energy and electronics technology. For more about PTC, visit ptcollege.edu. PTC’s next chapter A number of current and former Pittsburgh Technical College Board of Trustee members were honored June 10. They include (back row) trustee emeritus Michael Yurisic; former trustee Tom Sapienza; trustee Eli Shorak; trustee Carla Ryba; former trustee William Day; former trustee Dr. Dina Livolsi; trustee Wayne Zanardelli; and former trustee Velma Jackson (not pictured). Accepting the honor on Jackson’s behalf was trustee Dr. Patricia Grey (pictured far left, seated). To her left is trustee chair Dr. Margaret Williams-Betlyn; honoree Margaret McCartan; and Pittsburgh Technical College President Dr. Alicia Harvey-Smith. PHOTO SUBMITTED July/August 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 21Your SchoolsYour Schools N STORIES AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY ST. PHILIP CATHOLIC SCHOOL St. Philip Catholic School Junior Achievement scholarship St. Philip eighth-grader Natalie Kirsch has been awarded a $3,000 Junior Achievement Inspire Scholarship to attend Bishop Canevin High School this fall. Under the auspices of the Junior Achievement program, students from Bishop Canevin High School spend a day each year at St. Philip School teaching children about economics in its various forms. Lessons are presented at all grade levels and include topics such as money use in kindergarten, business strategies in fifth grade, and communications and transportation in sixth grade. The children enjoy being taught by students just a little older than themselves and relate well to this style of learning. Junior Achievement’s purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. JA Worldwide is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers as they all work together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential. Besides giving elementary students an introduction to the world of work and business, JA participation opens the door to immediate financial rewards. Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania offers $3,000 scholarships to qualifying eighth- graders who plan to attend a Catholic high school in the fall. Students must have participated in a Junior Achievement program in their Catholic grade school for at least two years and must complete the scholarship application process, which includes writing an essay and submitting recommendations. Natalie Kirsch Graduation - St. Philip Class of 2021 The American Legion Awards for Scholarship and Citizenship from Frank R. Kirk Post 145 were awarded to eighth-graders Everett Sargent and Natalie Kirsch. Legion representatives reminded recipients that the virtues of honor, courage, scholarship, leadership, service and Americanism, which the award recognizes, are the foundation upon which this country was founded. They are also the virtues that must be fostered for the country to remain strong. Rachel McDevitt and Ryan Jameson received Christian Leadership awards. Recipients of these awards were chosen by vote among students and St. Philip faculty. Everett Sargent, Natalie Kirsch, Rachel Boehm and Rachel McDevitt received the Principal’s Award for earning a perfect 4.0 average all four quarters this year. An awards ceremony was held the morning of graduation, followed by an evening mass and distribution of diplomas. The 18 graduates honored that night will attend Bishop Canevin, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Central Catholic, Oakland Catholic, or a public high school, with 89% choosing Catholic high school. Pictured is the St. Philip Class of 2021. Read and share stories from Allegheny West Magazine! Current and back issues can be read at AWMagazine.com. Copy the URL from individual pages and then share via email and on social media. 22 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2021y > Learning Curves Learning Curves Major changes in attitude about school Is your child refusing to talk about what they are learning in school? If your child becomes bored, distant or angry toward school, they may not understand some of the material being taught. Boredom may be a coping mechanism. When the student cannot understand the material, he/she disengages from the content. If a child previously loved school and no longer wants to be there, it may be their way of expressing their academic struggle. Difficulty sleeping or eating Most children require eight to 10 hours of sleep each night to function properly. Your child may have trouble sleeping or eating if they know that they aren’t keeping up with their classwork. Kids who skip breakfast or go to school hungry are more distracted and unable to focus. Spending excessive time on homework Students should be spending 10 minutes per grade level on homework every school night. It’s important to have a general idea about how much homework your child is normally given on a particular day. If you notice a pattern of too much time spent on homework, your child may be encountering problems. Your child’s teacher expresses concern It’s important to be open to the issues your child’s teacher raises. The teacher’s thoughts and ideas can be combined with everything you know about your child to identify if they are struggling. Your child receives low grades Probably the most definitive gauge by which parents can determine if a child is struggling in school is a report card. Low grades are a sign that they are not successfully completing their work. A major symptom of school disengagement is not turning in homework, and this is a problem that can snowball. The further students fall behind, the more overwhelmed they often become and the less likely they are to feel that they can catch up with their work. Misbehaving at school Sometimes, misbehaving at school is your child’s way of trying to take attention away from the fact that they are having difficulty with their classwork. If your child is usually well behaved and suddenly begins to have behavior problems at school, look at what is happening in their social world and academic work. Warning signs that your child could be struggling in school CONTENT SUBMITTED BY NINA KAPLAN, OPEN MINDS STUDIOS When students begin to struggle in school, they tend to show signs. Here are some of those warning signs that parents can watch for and identify. Should these signs start to become a pattern, it’s best to identify the problem early in order to best address it. What you can do: Here are some strategies that parents can use to help students who are struggling in school: Try to be compassionate Finding out that your child has let schoolwork slide may trigger an angry response. Getting mad, however, will only cause kids to adopt a defensive stance. What students who have fallen behind need most are problem-solving partners who want to understand what they are going through. Even teens who are attending school in person and using familiar systems for tracking assignments may be having a hard time managing their work. The mental skills that help us stay organized, the executive functioning skills, are being undermined by psychological stress, which is unusually high among today’s teens. This has, of course, been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Be proactive and get help Speak with your child and his or her teacher to see what may be getting in the way of their learning. As a parent, it’s essential for you to address the problem quickly and seek assistance to get your child back on track before the problem spirals out of control. There could be a number of reasons why your child is struggling. Your child might not understand the material. They could be struggling to manage time between schoolwork and sports, or they just might not be doing the work. Some students are not trying hard enough. They don’t put in the mental effort required to learn the material. Other students do not know how to study, so they are reluctant to do the practice and give the attention needed to understand what is confusing. For students who know what they’re supposed to do but aren’t doing it, they may be having a hard time sustaining motivation and need support. They may also be swamped with commitments such as caring for younger siblings that make it impossible for them to complete their schoolwork. Parents and students should make a realistic plan for addressing the biggest priorities in light of current circumstances. A child’s teacher may suggest tutoring when a student has major gaps in foundational skills. Every student has a unique learning style and one-on-one tutoring allows for incorporating the skills and knowledge needed in a highly personalized manner. Some kids with learning differences meet with a tutor for a few hours each week to reinforce material and learn study skills. We need to see the big picture in light of the difficulties students have encountered over the past year and sort through what students really need and what they don’t. As students start to work their way back, consider how comprehensive their turnaround needs to be. Do they really need to get equally high grades in every class? Some experts say that lowering expectations, for now, can help kids get back on track. This school year may be one where students gain a deep understanding of how they respond when feeling overwhelmed and need to learn how to ask for help or rebound from setbacks. These are lessons that they will use long after the pandemic is gone. Parents also need to be part of their child’s education. As a parent, the best thing you can do is be involved, be consistent, be supportive and be patient. Nina Kaplan owns and operates Open Minds Studios, an online content tutoring and academic coaching center for grades K through 12. For more information, visit www. openmindsstudios.com or call (412) 600-1125. July/August 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 23Your SchoolsYour Schools N STORY AND PHOTO SUBMITTED BY OLSH Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School The 87th annual OLSH Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony were held June 6 at Sts. John and Paul Church in Wexford. This was the second year that graduation was held at that location due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Class of 2021 gathered on a beautiful day to celebrate Mass together one last time as a class, and to receive their diplomas. Four students addressed the audience this year. Andy Besong, Class of 2021, shared his perspective as one of 11 senior-year transfer students who came to OLSH after the closure of Quigley Catholic High School last spring. He shared that while he and several of his classmates were saddened by the closure and just planned to “get through” their senior year at a new school, OLSH had other plans for them. He shared his appreciation to the school for helping to make him and his friends feel welcome and for encouraging them to take advantage of the opportunities presented, including to wear the Quigley colors in the form of honor cords on graduation day. Several former Quigley teachers also participated in the ceremony, joining the OLSH faculty in the procession. Co-salutatorian Alaina Marks spoke next and encouraged her classmates to lead a life filled with kindness, purpose and gratitude. She reminded her peers that true purpose has nothing to do with a career or salary, but with glorifying God in all things, and serving others with one’s gifts and talents. Co-salutatorian and class president Finn Sweeney also had a message of gratitude. He appreciated that OLSH has helped him and his classmates to grow and be prepared to make a difference in a world where faith and the Felician Core Values are much needed. It is because of OLSH, he said, that the best is yet to come for the Class of 2021. Valedictorian and legacy student Ella Wrabley shared of the many accomplishments of her class - in academics, athletics, and the arts. She reminded everyone that their success came with the help of God’s grace and guidance. She encouraged her classmates OLSH celebrates the Class of 2021 to use the tools they have been given during their time at OLSH to live out the values and keep their faith central to their daily lives. After remarks from principal Tim Plocinik, diplomas were given out to each student, tassels were turned, and the Class of 2021 was officially welcomed into the OLSH Alumni Association. The OLSH Class of 2021 came to OLSH from 27 previous schools and 24 zip codes. Five of the graduates were legacy students, with at least one parent having graduated from OLSH. This class recorded over 6,701 service hours over the past four years. Members of the Class of 2021 were offered acceptances to 88 schools, 23 of which are ranked in the top 25% of national universities by US News & World Reports. The OLSH Class of 2021 will attend 38 colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions in 10 states. Of those, 25% will attend a Catholic institution and 64% will attend a school in Pennsylvania. The class has earned over $7,255,276 in documented scholarship and grant offers. The OLSH Class of 2021 poses for their graduation picture. © 2021 Kumon North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Kumon Math and Reading Center of Robinson Township Robinson Town Centre 1940 Park Manor Blvd. Ste. 512 Pittsburgh, PA 15205 412-790-6100 Unlock Your Child’s Learning Potential with The Kumon Math and Reading Program. Pre-k THROUGH High School To learn more, schedule an orientation today! 24 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2021The future plans of the OLSH Class of 2021 cover a wide range of subject areas. Among the graduates: • 41% will go on to study a STEM or medical- related field • seven students will study natural sciences, two will study computer science, seven will study engineering, eight will study nursing, five will study health sciences, and two will study architecture • four will study education • 14 plan to pursue a liberal arts major • 13 will study business • two will study arts • six students are undecided • one student plans to enter the work force • two students plan to enter the military • four student-athletes will play sports at the collegiate level July/August 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 25Moon Area School District News Middle school student Camille Ali was named as the recipient of the 2021 Michael R. Walter Memorial Award. The award was established in the memory of middle school science teacher Mike Walter and recognizes one student each year who demonstrates their understanding of a unique scientific concept in a creative, humorous and appropriate way. This year’s concept was “simple machines” and, once again, entries were judged based on how well they addressed the chosen concept. Camille’s comic strip was chosen as this year’s winner and will be displayed in the middle school. Camille is an extremely hard worker who values her education and is committed to obtaining the highest level of academic achievement possible. She is helpful and extremely respectful to others while demonstrating maturity and leadership. Camille’s teachers are very proud to award the Michael R. Walter Memorial Award to her. 2021 Michael R. Walter Memorial Award winner Moon Area Middle School student Gabriela Friel has been recognized as a Promising Young Writer by the National Council of Teachers of English. The Promising Young Writers Program represents NCTE’s commitment to early and continuing work in the development of writing. The school-based writing program was established in 1985 to stimulate and recognize writing talents and to emphasize the importance of writing skills among eighth grade students. Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, American schools abroad, and the Virgin Islands are eligible to nominate students. Gabriela Friel named Promising Young Writer Gabriela Friel Two Moon Area High School band students have been named PMEA All-State Musicians! The sophomores, flautist Lauren Radeschi and oboist Michael Gallagher, were both named to the band after participating in various virtual festivals earlier this year. Only about 15 to 20 percent of students chosen to participate at the district levels are chosen to move on to the state level. High school band students named all-state musicians Lauren Radeschi and Michael Gallagher have been named all-state musicians. Camille Ali The 2021 Moon Rotary/Moon Area School District Zoom Third Grade Spelling Bee was held May 24, with two representatives and one alternate from each of the third grade homerooms earning spots as a result of their performance on a district-wide qualifying test. The 28 homeroom representatives did an outstanding job representing their homerooms and schools! Unique to this year was the fact that the spelling bee was conducted via Zoom due to COVID restrictions. Congratulations to everyone who participated. 2021 Moon Rotary/MASD Third Grade Spelling Bee 26 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2021Want more good news about Moon Area? Visit moonarea.net The Gatorade Company named high school cross-country runner Mia Cochran as its 2020-2021 Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Cross Country Player of the Year. Cochran, a junior, won the Class AAA individual state championship this past season with a time of 18:28. She also captured the District 7 championship, the PIAA Foundation Invitational and the Red, White & Blue Classic. She took ninth place at the XC Town USA Meet of Champions. She also maintains a 3.79 GPA in the classroom. Cochran is the first Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Moon Area High School. Mia Cochran named Gatorade Player of the Year Mia Cochran High school senior Chancharik Mitra was one of five students chosen to receive a $500 Outstanding Senior Award from the Academic Games League of America. According to the organization’s website, the award is given to “those graduating seniors who have enviable competitive records and have given of themselves to promote the spirit of Academic Games in their own schools and leagues. These individuals exhibit the highest qualities of character and sportsmanship.” Chancharik Mitra wins Outstanding Senior Award Chancharik Mitra Congratulations Class of 2021! LEFT: Distinguished student speakers Ankita Somu (far left) and Dalton Dobyns (left) deliver remarks during commencement. ABOVE: Graduates process onto the football field to receive their diplomas. LEFT: Graduates listen to a performance by the Moon Area Senior Singers (also pictured above). RIGHT: Students line up in the gym in preparation for commencement exercises. Barry Balaski, Moon Area superintendent (left), and David Gallup, Moon Area High School principal (right), deliver remarks during commencement. FAR RIGHT: Families watch on as students get ready to receive their diplomas. July/August 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 27{ GroundworkGroundwork A garden club with deep roots in Moon STORY BY FRAN LOPINSKY, MOON TOWNSHIP GARDEN CLUB HISTORIAN Back in the early 1900s, Moon Township was predominately a farming community, but steel and banking executives were beginning to build homes in the township. In the fall of 1919, Mrs. Stewart Johnson invited three of her neighbors who lived on nearby farms to be her guests at the Pennsylvania Women’s National Farm and Garden Association meeting in Oakland at the Twentieth Century Club. The association was organized to enable women to cooperate in furthering agricultural and horticultural interests. Her guests were Miss Mary McKee, Miss Hazel Phillips and Myrtle McCormick (Mrs. Robert McCormick). About 15 women began meeting in the spring of 1920. In July, Mrs. Johnson entertained women interested in belonging to the garden club at a garden party at her home on Hassam Road (her farm is now Londonbury). Miss McKee and Miss Phillips went door to door on Beaver Grade Road, Coraopolis Heights Road and Montour Street inviting women to become members. This was before telephones and few women drove cars. As a result, 28 members joined. In 1921, the Pennsylvania Women’s National Farm and Garden Association - Moon Township Unit - was formed and Mrs. McCormick was elected the first president. As new neighbors moved into the area, the women were invited to join the garden club. For many years, the monthly meetings were held at a member’s home and the meetings and activities were often published in the local newspapers. In the early years, as a way to educate each other, members would research gardening or horticultural subjects and present the findings at meetings. They learned about birds and how they help the garden. They’d discuss peonies, conservation, composting and even manure. They took field trips to Old Economy, Fallingwater and McConnell’s Mill. They visited Phipps Conservatory for the Mums Show “on the day President Kennedy was assassinated,” as was recorded in the secretary’s journal. The goals of the club in 1921 were not much different than the goals of today’s group - to stimulate a greater knowledge and love of gardening, aid in the protection of native plants and birds, and encourage civic planting. There were many worthwhile community projects, including an effort to purchase milk for families in the township with children under 2 years of age. In 1936, they wanted to do something special to make a happier Christmas for some of the poorer children of our township, so they purchased and wrapped gifts for 87 children. They also donated money so the local school nurse could secure medicine, eyeglasses and clothing for students in need of these necessities. Yearly flower shows were popular educational and social activities. In 1942, a Victory Garden exhibit was held. Admission was 25 cents and the proceeds were donated to the Army and Navy Relief Funds. Oftentimes, the public was invited to display their The Moon Township Garden Club is celebrating its 100th year anniversary this year. I was appointed historian of the club in 2020 as we began planning for this milestone event. To get a better understanding of our history, I read all of the journal entries, the majority of which were handwritten, as well as newspaper articles about club meetings and activities. My trip into the past has given me a fascinating glimpse into the history of Moon Township and how our garden club members have contributed to help make Moon Township a better place to live. It all started... homegrown fruit, vegetables, flowers and egg specimens. They supplied seeds for children to grow at home and exhibit at shows. Since our members were involved in many community efforts, they formed a civic committee in 1949 with the purpose of promoting goodwill, encouraging civic pride and fostering civic responsibility. The club was recognized by the newly formed Civic Committee of Moon Township as an association to be notified of any proposed zoning changes in the township. Alarmed by the large number of trees and saplings being removed for highway signs, they were responsible for initiating a ban on billboards on the “Airport Parkway” in Moon for several years. For several decades, cancelled commemorative stamps were collected for participation in the National Garden Club’s project to “Save the Bald Eagle.” The Florida Audubon Society sold the stamps they received and used the money to care for injured birds of prey. In 1949, the club honored five young men from Moon Township who lost their lives in World War II by planting a pin oak tree at Pleasant View School, complete with a plaque placed at the base of the tree with the soldiers’ names inscribed on it. In 1953, the members voted to change their organization’s name to the Moon Township Garden Club. In 1954, the club offered a free program held in the theatre at Greater Pittsburgh Airport for residents to learn about landscaping the small home. Horticultural and landscaping professionals provided simple and wise solutions for improving the grounds around a home. The garden club’s Airport Base Committee worked diligently to brighten the quarters of the soldiers assigned at Greater Pittsburgh Airport. Members brought flowers from their homes to beautify the soldiers’ living spaces and delivered holiday wreaths and swags designed by our members. In appreciation of these efforts, our members received invitations to musicals and coffee get- togethers. They also took part in landscaping the grounds of the local Nike missile defense site for Battery A, 509th AAA Missile Battalion, and chose Arbor Day 1957 to launch this project. Three arborvitaes, a black cherry tree and flowers were planted. Club members organized a cleanup campaign to remove roadside trash and joined the “Keep America Beautiful” litterbug project. The KDKA radio station was contacted for help in announcing our battle against litter. Moon Township police assisted and worked to prevent the dumping of garbage along local roads. After elections, Moon Township Garden Club members planted this pin oak (top) and installed this plaque (bottom) in 1949 outside Pleasant View High School to honor five local men who lost their lives during World War II. 28 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2021{ Groundwork Groundwork they recruited the Key Club of Moon Township High School to take down the election signs as a public service project. Our members were interested in conservation efforts locally and throughout the U.S. They remained informed on forest conservation and anti-pollution legislative bills. Members were urged to write their state legislators about zoning and house bills on beautifying highways, wildlife conservation, trails in Appalachia and a law banning the use of non-returnable bottles. In order to make children aware of the necessity of keeping schoolyards free of debris and to foster pride in their school, the club initiated an ecology flag program. All of Moon’s elementary schools were inspected monthly for cleanliness for the privilege of flying the green and white ecology flag. It was the responsibility of the students to raise and lower the flag each school day. The club also purchased ecology books for teachers and students. Moon Township has been the recipient of many trees, shrubs and flowers furnished by the club and planted in local schools and parks. In 1963, a garden club seal that is still in use today was designed and incorporated. It depicts a moonflower along with the Pennsylvania laurel leaves and its blossoms, as this is the state flower. With an M in the middle, a rake and shovel were used to form the initial T. In the spring of 1969, our members embarked on an ambitious effort. The discovery of a large stand of spring ephemeral native plants such as Dutchman’s breeches, squirrel corn and other wildflowers from an area to be excavated on the hillside above Route 51 near the Sewickley Bridge prompted them to take action. The goal was to remove and transplant these plants to the nature trails in Moon Park. With the help of three local garden clubs and Boy Scout Troop 310, it took three weekends to accomplish this task. They battled poison ivy, briar patches and dirt trails, but found wild ginger, yellow violets, red trillium and fern. Had this not been done, the trails would have been deprived of a beautiful collection. For several years, the club was honored to be named Garden Club of the Year by the Beaver County Times. These community service awards were given for our scholarship and education programs, for supporting environmental projects, maintaining a public garden, and for continuing to beautify Moon Township. In 1988, the club hosted a fall flower show with the theme “Jubilee” as a tribute to Moon Township’s bicentennial, with floral design categories of “Blast- off” and “Moon Magic.” Since 1992, the garden club has held its meetings and gatherings at Robin Hill Center. Our members worked in many capacities with other local groups on the restorations of the house and grounds at Robin Hill Park. Volunteers from the club continue to enhance and maintain the Fleur de Lune Garden, which is French for “Garden of the Moon.” It is a very popular spot for wedding and graduation pictures. Annuals, herbs, perennials, and interesting structures have been added. If you visit the garden while the volunteers are weeding and planting, stop and say hello. We are always happy to give you a tour. The club provides funding support to a number of local organizations involved in gardening or environmental projects. The club has also purchased garden books as well as garden magazine subscriptions for Moon Township Library. Each year, the club offers a scholarship of up to $2,500 to graduating high school seniors and college/university students from Moon and Crescent Townships who plan to study biology, horticulture, wildlife science, environmental concerns, landscape design or a related field. Funds for these community, educational and philanthropic programs are achieved by raising money through garden tours and our winter Greens N’ Things sale. Now that the club is 100 years old, celebrations are in order. On June 25 and 26, the club held its Rockin’ Round the Gardens tour, which featured the times and music of eras from the 1920s through the 1990s. While the Victory Gardens 2021 initiative is promoting vegetable gardens through seed and seedling giveaways, the Fleur de Lune Garden saw many new additions. We will continue to work with our youth through Earth Day activities. What started 100 years ago as a group interested in gardening and horticulture has continually evolved into decades of people with tremendous talent and dedication. Today, our members continue the legacy of supporting and enhancing the Moon area through civic, horticultural and environmental projects. To learn more about the Moon Township Garden Club, visit our website at: moontownshipgardenclub.com or our Facebook page, Moon Township Garden Club. The Moon Township Garden Club created their official seal in 1963. The Moon Township Garden Club started an ecology program and awarded this flag to elementary schools that kept their grounds clean. July/August 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 29Next >