Leslie Savisky stories, Page 3
Monroeville Mall shop fills special request for Beyoncé fan
SpectroDolce in Monroeville Mall, a business created to give adults with autism to a safe place to gain work experience and job readiness skills, recently fulfilled a special request from a Beyoncé fan. The customer wanted a package of custom Oreos for her friends, who were attending the Beyoncé concert...
Monroeville church celebrates Scottish heritage
Monroeville’s Hillcrest United Presbyterian Church recently celebrated Scottish Heritage Sunday — a day filled with a special service, music and food. The all-ages, community-wide celebration on May 4 remembered the historic sacrifice of Scottish Presbyterians, whose faith had wide-ranging effects that went beyond Scotland. The worship service reflected on the...
Monroeville Rotarians offer assistance, validation with college scholarships
Monroeville Rotary recently awarded $1,000 scholarships to six Gateway High School seniors based on a variety of factors, including merit, financial need, community service, academics and written essay. Connor Evans plays hockey and bocce, is a member of Chick-fil-A Leader Academy and InterAct Club and has a 3.64 GPA. Evans...
Gateway school board expected to OK budget, grant money
Gateway school board is expected to adopt a 2025-26 general fund budget when directors meet May 27. Property owners in the district will pay more an additional 1.2 mills in real estate taxes, from 24 mills to 25.2 mills, for next school year. That’s about $2,527.18 on each $100,000 of...
Husband and wife use unconventional tools to create artwork
Sam Gentile was always intrigued by the arts, but his interest really piqued about a decade ago. Following his retirement from the science and engineering field, he began taking classes and workshops with his artist wife, Judith. He didn’t intend to learn rules or techniques; Sam wanted to create artwork...
Gateway adds new vendors, service work to skilled trades, career fair
Nearly 40 technical schools, local unions, college representatives and vendors gathered at Gateway High School on May 7 for the district’s fifth annual Skilled Trades and Career Fair. “The setup is similar to the College Fair held during the first semester,” school counselor Kurt Martin said. “The reps all looked...
Gateway party rewards positive student behavior
About 100 Gateway High School students participated in the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports celebration recently and enjoyed a petting zoo, games and treats. Faculty has been working with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit to roll out the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, program since the covid pandemic. “Essentially,...
Gateway board hears presentation from robotics club, approves vestibule work
Quasics — Gateway High School’s robotics club — is hoping the school board approves $10,000 in annual funding to cover the registration fees for the group’s competitions. Team members Salma Mukhtar, Emma Parrish and Vivian Rader made a presentation and thanked the board at a recent meeting for previous funding,...
Gateway students provide care packages for cancer patients
Gateway High School Chick-fil-A Leader Academy students recently spent one morning preparing care packages for cancer patients at AHN Cancer Institute Forbes. The cancer center in Monroeville sees 250 patients each week, and the teens wanted to provide tote bags for every patient. Each school year, the high school organization...
Flowers are a common theme for artist featured at Monroeville library
As a child, Stacey Pydynkowski didn’t encounter much art in the traditional sense of visiting galleries or museums, but was instead fascinated by the visual imagery in everyday life — especially in nature. “The vibrant flowers in my neighbor’s garden bed in the trailer park I grew up in inspired...
Gateway students decorate, distribute bags for Earth Day project
Kassandra Poliziani started organizing school Earth Day projects before she began teaching at Gateway. “This is my sixth year doing the project at Gateway and I previously started it at Blairsville school district,” Poliziani said. The kindergarten teacher begins by picking up paper bags — which are donated by Giant...
Tax hike expected for Gateway School District property owners
Property owners in the Gateway School District will pay more in real estate taxes if the tentative 2025-26 budget is approved. School directors Monday voted to move forward with a $98.6 million spending plan for next school year, a 4.8% increase over this year’s budget. The tentative budget includes a...
Spectrum Charter School students showcase their talents during Autism Awareness Month
Spectrum Charter School has been holding its annual talent show since before special education teacher Lori Yurkovich started working there in 2005. Every year, students showcase their skills by singing, dancing, telling jokes or reading poetry. Some students have unique talents, such as spinning balls, while others will use the...
Monroeville Rotary hosts cafe founder, Big Brothers Big Sisters coordinator
On the first Thursday of every month, Monroeville Rotary showcases different nonprofits. Rotary’s meeting on April 3 at the Monroeville Public Library hosted Kevin Bode, founder of Knead Community Café in New Kensington. Bode is a financial advisor who spent time overseas doing mission work. He was raised in New...
The gift of vision: Monroeville Lions, Boy Scouts partner for a cause
When Boy Scouts Troop committee leader Kris Cattau approached the Monroeville Lions about possible service projects, Mary Raynak knew just how they could help. Raynak has been a member of the Monroeville Lions Club for 6 years, and is the eyeglass recycling program chairperson. “One of our service projects is...
Gateway faculty, students highlight Champion School Initiative
Gateway High School teacher Shawn Whelan highlighted the district’s collaboration with the United Way’s Champion School Initiative, as well as the backpack program and monthly drive-thru food distribution when she addressed the school board last week. Many of the student volunteers for these activities are InterAct Club and National Honor...
Local quilter’s ‘challenges’ showcased at Monroeville library
Karen Junge Luce’s “Challenge Accepted” quilt exhibit will be on display in the Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space from March 28 to April 22. The public is invited to a free opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. March 29. Many of Luce’s quilts will be available for purchase. The...
Monroeville mayor optimistic about mall’s future
In his eighth and final year as mayor of Monroeville, Nick Gresock is optimistic about the changes in store for the community’s retail corridor. Gresock discussed some of the recent developments at March’s Monroeville Rotary meeting, held at the community library. Community members praised Gresock for helping to save the...
Brick by brick: Monroeville resident gains confidence, hones Lego craft
Andrew Szczerba became interested in building with Lego after “The Lego Movie” was released in 2014. “I bought my first kit at Toys “R” Us,” Szczerba recalled. “It was a trash compactor from ‘The Lego Movie’ set.” A little more than a decade later, the 20-year-old Monroeville resident has about...
Gateway OKs assessment settlements, technology coach discusses AI benefits
Monroeville’s Gateway School Board unanimously approved two property assessment settlement agreements this week. The first was for One Monroeville Center, 3824 Northern Pike. The 10-story building was built in 1984 and has about 101,665 square feet of space. The property owner initiated an assessment appeal for the 2025 tax year,...
‘Once Upon a Mattress’ marks last performance for some Gateway high school students
For many Gateway students, this spring’s musical, “Once Upon a Mattress,” will be their final high school performance. “It’s been such a blessing to be a part of all of this,” senior Scarlett Davis said. Davis has been part of the high school musical for the past four years. Davis,...
Gateway sophomore earns Eagle Scout rank
Keegan Parady, a member of Lackawanna District’s Troop 220, earned his Eagle Scout rank in January. For his project, the Pitcairn resident purchased and installed shelving for Gateway High School’s food pantry. The Eagle Scout award is the highest honor available to Boy Scouts of America youth members. Only about...
Gateway school board member embodies pioneer aviator during Black History Month
Monroeville resident Susan Frazier Delaney is no stranger to dressing like well-known historical figures, particularly strong female pioneers. For Black History Month and Women’s History Month, the retired teacher has dressed as the Egyptian queen Nefertiti and American author Phillis Wheatley and given presentations at the Monroeville library, elementary schools...
Monroeville library’s mini golf fundraiser had something for all ages
Monroeville Public Library featured a custom-designed miniature golf course for its annual fundraiser, and this year’s course encompassed both levels of the library — even incorporating the stairs for hole eight. “This year we’ve added even more decorations, including eight large inflatable animals and holes with special themes such as...
Gateway School Board OKs field improvements, grass cutting contract
Gateway School Board members voted unanimously to replace the surface of the batter’s box and pitching area at the high school athletic field for a total of $11,937. The vote was 9-0 this week to approve the proposal from Shaw Turf. Continuing the discussion that began at a recent study...
