Gov. Tom Corbett announced Tuesday the Pennsylvania Governors School for the Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh would be revived this summer thanks to a state grant and matching funds from private donations.

Launched in 1982, the five-week program provides academically talented high school students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the sciences through cooperative learning and hands-on laboratory research. The school was discontinued in 2009 due to budget cuts under the previous administration and remained shelved until now.

This summer, 56 students from across the state will be given the opportunity to live on campus while attending rigourous classes in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. The program is part of the Pennsylvania Governors Schools for Excellence, which provided classes in the arts and science at a handful of universities statewide to bright students at no charge prior to being defunded.

Intensive learning and practical skills that lead to careers in the sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology are critical to Pennsylvanias long-term economic success, Corbett said. This program provides a pathway for students to secure high-paying jobs and affirms my commitment to ensuring Pennsylvanias students have access to high-quality educational programs.

Students selected for the program will receive full scholarships for housing, meals and all instructional materials that are paid for by a $150,000 state grant and matching funds through donations from alumni, parents and corporations.

Maureen Ryan, executive director of PGSS Campaign, a nonprofit affiliated with the programs alumni association, said the ongoing conversations that the organization maintained with the governors office, state Department of Education and local legislators over the past four years were an important part in the quest for funding. She said the programs alumni have provided the majority of the matching share, which also saw contributions from a number of companies, including PPG Industries in Pittsburgh and Teva Pharmaceuticals near Philadelphia.

The board of directors was very active in locating alumni and getting donations, Ryan said.

Ben Campbell, a 1997 alumnus and PGSS Campaign vice president, who taught at the school for four years as a teaching assistant and joined the faculty in 2005, said one of his former students was the driving force behind a website that raised nearly $40,000 for the program. The student, Campbell revealed, had worked as a high-volume trader on Wall Street and had some time on her hands after retiring before the age of 30.

An assistant professor at Robert Morris University in Moon Township who holds a Ph.D. in general engineering, Campbell said part of the effort to seek funding from the state has been through highlighting the schools success at producing highly educated professionals 93 percent of which work in science, technology, engineering and math fields. According to his research, 100 percent of the programs alumni have attended college with 87 percent earning a graduate degree and 60 percent going on to obtain a Ph.D., medical or law degree. He added that the program has produced more than 300 published research papers.

For Campbell, the school was about showing him how to push his limits and worker harder than he thought possible alongside other driven people.

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Pa. Governor’s School for the Sciences revived by state, alumni

The Jefferson Township Municipal Alliance Committee for a Drug-Free Community presented a powerful panel discussion on the dangerous consequences of drug and substance abuse on Jan. 8 at Camp Jefferson. The second in a series, the discussion featured speakers offering four different points of view, all very pertinent to the topic.

PHOTO/JOHN R. LUCIANO

Guest speaker Michael Frank of the Alumni Association of the Morris County Drug Court speaks about how the court helped him to recover from addiction at the Municipal Alliance Committee meeting on Jan. 8. Other speakers wait their turn.

"The title 'Consequences' is so far reaching and means different things to each panelist, and to each of us," Debi Merz said.

Merz is a co-chair of the Alliance and a Jefferson Township councilwoman. She opened the meeting to a crowd of concerned residents and volunteers who contribute to the township's efforts to fight drug abuse. The four speakers for the evening were:

Julian Hill, Esq., from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, who is the Morris County Drug Court Program Assistant Prosecutor

Detective James Caruso of the Jefferson Township Police Department who is the head of the detective bureau

Michael Frank, an alumni of the Morris County Drug Court and head of its Alumni Association

Superintendent Joseph Kraemer of the Jefferson Township school district

The meeting drew a crowd of about 40 people. Mayor Russell Felter was in attendance, as was Councilman Michael Sanchelli and Community Affairs Police Officer Joe Hale. School substance abuse counselors Joanne Martino and Barbara Francavilla attended, as did Missy Murtha and Donna Costanzo, two local PTA presidents.

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Municipal Alliance hosts panel discussion on drug abuse in Jefferson

University of York delegation on trip to India and Sri Lanka

9:04am Friday 18th January 2013 in Education news

A delegation from the University of York is visiting India and Sri Lanka to promote new health-focused and academic links with the two countries.

The visit includes the first formal event of the universitys 50th anniversary celebrations. A special reception will be held for York alumni at the residence of Ian Felton UK deputy high commissioner in Bangalore, and will be attended by the UK minister for public health, Anna Soubry.

The eight-strong delegation, led by the vice-chancellor Prof Brian Cantor, includes representatives of the Hull York Medical School and the universitys departments of health sciences, management, biology, chemistry and electronics.

It is focusing principally on building links with medical and nursing schools with a view to establishing formal partnerships on curriculum development and elective modules for medical students as well as joint work in diabetes nursing care.

In Sri Lanka, the York delegation will hold discussions with the University of Colombo about joint research in plant biology and ecology, and student mobility programmes.

There will also be a celebration to mark the university's 50th anniversary with Sri Lankan alumni.

The visit is part of the universitys broader approach to developing partnerships with a range of institutions of academic excellence across the world.

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University of York delegation on trip to India and Sri Lanka

Kevin McCarron was walking around the halls of a New York City hospital yesterday and may be home by tomorrow, six days after the former Central Catholic High School honor student and hockey star was clubbed into unconsciousness and left for dead with a fractured skull on a city street.

I just heard that Kevin is doing really well, Central Catholics director of alumni relations, Zibby McCleary, said in an email to the schools faculty and staff late Wednesday night. They are very hopeful that he will come home Saturday.

In a second internal email, McCleary confirmed that McCarrons brother, Patrick, also was injured in the attack, but said his injuries were not serious.

Kevin McCarron, now 24, graduated from the Lawrence school in 2007. His brother graduated in 2005.

It is going to be a long recovery, but hes on the right track, McCleary said about Kevin McCarron. He has many Central friends by his side and supporting his family, who are very thankful for all the well wishes.

The recovery may not be a full one. A New York City newspaper yesterday quoted unnamed police sources as saying McCarron may have permanent damage to his motor skills.

His parents, Timothy and Kathleen, have been at the hospital but have declined to be interviewed.

McCarrons rapid recovery at Manhattans Weill Cornell Medical Center was occurring as the second of his alleged attackers was arraigned for second degree attempted murder and first degree gang assault in Manhattan Criminal Court just before midnight Wednesday.

Sherif Rizk, 22, of Brooklyn, was remanded back to the Manhattan Detention Complex after he was unable to post $15,000 cash bail or a $30,000 bond. He remained at the jail last night, according to the New York City Department of Corrections.

A second suspect, Hatem Farsakh, 24, also charged with attempted murder, has been released on $5,000 bail.

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Speedy recovery for attack victim

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(photo courtesy Sue Larson/January 16, 2013) Fremont High School math teacher Jessica Uy recently earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The certification is regarded as a high-status benchmark for teaching knowledge, skills and practices.

Fremont High School math teacher Jessica Uy is now among the elite few teachers to achieve certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Uy is one of just six recent alumni of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation's fellowship to earn the elite certification. The five other early career educators teach science and math in high schools in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington.

The certification is regarded as a high-status benchmark for teaching knowledge, skills and practices, earned through a series of complex, rigorous assessments and testing. The voluntary program can take the better part of a school year and involve hundreds of hours of work beyond the regular demands of teaching, according to board certification officials.

"In a lot of ways, it was on par with the work it takes to get a master's degree," Uy said. "It was definitely a challenge. Teachers like to push themselves and see what they are capable of."

Teachers complete a comprehensive portfolio with written and video entries on classroom practice and discourse, instruction and content knowledge, as well as work with parents and the wider community. More than 97,000 teachers were nationally board certified as of 2011, representing approximately 2.7 percent of the 3.7 million American teachers, according to board officials.

Uy is in her sixth year teaching mathematics at Fremont

"I love teaching at Fremont," she said. "The administration is very supportive, and everyone is focused on the kids and what they are learning."

Uy grew up in Southern California and attended a number of gifted, talented and academically accelerated programs throughout elementary and middle school. She attended UC-Davis, where she saw a stark contrast between her own and her peers' schooling experiences, she said. The gap in public school experience inspired her to teach.

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Fremont High teacher among select few with national board certification

Published: Friday, January 18, 2013, 12:01 a.m.

Four hefty scholarships are available to Edmonds School District seniors, thanks to a grant from the Hazel Miller Foundation.

The foundation awarded $30,000 to the Edmonds School District Alumni Association to be used for scholarships for students graduating from any of the Edmonds School District high schools in June.

There are two $2,000 scholarships for a male and female at each of the five district high schools and two $5,000 scholarships for a male and a female from any one of the high schools. Application forms will be in the high schools by Feb. 1 and are due by April 10.

An additional grant of $1,700 was also given by the Foundation to assist the Alumni Association with the mailing of one of its two newsletters this year.

Gold Bar: Council seeks more help

Gold Bar has asked the Snohomish County Council for help filling a City Council vacancy -- for the second time in less than a year.

This time, it's for a position former City Councilman Chris Wright resigned from in September.

The County Council in June appointed Elizabeth LaZella to a separate council vacancy on Gold Bar's City Council, which has five positions.

The appointee will serve out Wright's term, which would have expired at the end of this year. To qualify, a person must have lived within Gold Bar city limits for at least a year and be a registered voter. The deadline to apply is Feb. 15, close of business.

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Around Snohomish County

Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2013, 9:00p.m. Updated 17 hours ago

Bethel Park High School has a long tradition of honoring its accomplished athletes in its Hall of Fame, but a basketball game on Friday will mark the beginning of a separate honor roll for accomplished alumni.

The first seven members of the Alumni Hall of Fame will be inducted at halftime of the game between Bethel Park and Canon-McMillan high schools, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Bethel Park High School gymnasium. The inaugural class of distinguished alumni includes veterans of the Air Force and Navy, Ivy League graduates, doctors, advocates and entrepreneurs.

The first group of inductees are:

Lt. Kenneth Buzz Beyda, Class of 2003, a U.S. Navy fighter pilot.

William Brucker III, class of 2000, a doctoral candidate and medical student at Brown University; founder of the Providence Alliance of Clinical Educators to improve the way science is taught in schools in the United States and Haiti.

Thomas R. Watjen, Class of 1972, president and CEO of Unum, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based insurance company. He established a $1 million fellowship at the University of Virginia for military students of the business school.

Dr. Roger Zelt, Class of 1972, a Harvard-educated opthalmologist and assistant professor of clinical instruction at the University of Pittsburgh.

Grant Hammond, Class of 1962, deputy director of the Air Force Center for Strategy and Technology at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.

Barbara Bowman Pierce, Class of 1962, president of the National Federation of the Blind and editor of Braille Monitor magazine.

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Bethel Park High School to welcome first seven inductees into Alumni Hall of Fame