December 2009 - Allegheny West Magazine

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FEATURESCOLUMNSLEFT: LibertyTree Grove atDonaldson Parkin North Fayetteis underway,thanks to thesupport of localbusinesses andcommunityorganizations.PHOTO SUBMITTEDBY FRANKBLASKOWITZ“GOOD NEWS ALWAYS, MAILED & DELIVERED FREE, EVERY TIME”TO REACH USPUBLISHINGTEAM MORE INFOOUR OTHERPUBLICATIONSABOUT THE COVERRegistered with Dun & Bradstreet2007 WinnerBBB Torch AwardforMarketplace Ethics

OURAs with every issue, your community businesses are the reason for the publication of Allegheny West Magazine. Please support these businesses. Their supportallows us to mail this magazine, free, into the households of Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon, and portions of McDonald as a community service.:

PICTURED: High school life skills students that decorated a tree forthe annual Clinton Light Up nights were: Alexa Cupelli, John Cinna,Matt Cook, Stephanie Fierro, Lauren Lescalette, Tyler Lyle, MattMarlowe, Dale McDonald, and Emily Schneider. Peer helper wasKatie Colbert. Their teacher is Tony Castelucci.ABOVE: Varsity football players Billy Carpenter, Ben Simmen, C.J.Revtai, Mike O’Donnell, and Tanner Cogar, along with a number oftheir teammates and members of the cheerleading squad, representedWest Allegheny High School at the “Light the Night” Walksponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on October 1 atHeinz Field.

LEFT: Three West Allegheny MiddleSchool girls from the Helping Handscourse planned and carried out acommunity service project to help localfamilies in need. The girls, TaylorHottenfeller, Victoria Cavolo, and KristiBehme, made 11 fleece blankets anddonated them to the West AlleghenyFood Pantry where the blankets weregiven to local children for Thanksgiving.ABOVE: Trees were planted to establish Liberty Grove at the new park in North Fayette Township onDonaldson Road. Taking part in the tree planting project were Frank Blaskowitz; North FayetteTownship supervisors, Jim Morosetti and John Meyers; North Fayette Township manager, Bob Grimm;township recreation director, Bob Brozovich; Dave and Thomas Rutkauskas; Cathy Donne; and JimEdson, Sally and Bill Matts, and Gary Adams of Bartlett Tree Service. Bartlett Tree Service donatedtheir equipment and labor to complete the task.

BY DICK GLOVIERPHOTO BY G. PAUL DeBORSign PalkoDespite the astronomicalodds, it’s the dream ofevery youngster that everstrapped on a helmet andshoulder pads to one dayplay professional football.In these parts, the dreamof playing for the Steelersis one every young boywho ever picked up afootball wants to do.West Alleghenyalumnus Tyler Palko, theliving legend in his owntime around these parts, isno exception. Except,however, that his goal as aprofessional footballplayer has not onlybecome a reality it hascome to pass with the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.By now, everyone that knows anything about local footballknows the news -- the hometown boy has hit it big.At his weekly news conference two days before Thanksgiving,Steeler Head Coach Mike Tomlin said that rather thansign a veteran to fill the need for a third quarterback theywould bring in a young strong armed passer for the practicesquad. Later when asked by an “Allegheny West Magazine”reporter if Tyler Palko was in the mix, Tomlin’s reply was ‘yesdefinitely.’ He signed the next day and was at practice onThanksgiving.“I am just happy to be back with a chance to compete in theNFL again,” says Tyler, 26. His signing with the Steelers hasbrought a smile to the faces of friends, fans, and relatives thathe has in the West Allegheny area.Long time Steeler fans Lee and Ann Grant of Hankey Farmsare typical of those fans.“We are excited and happy for him. My goodness he is nowa Steeler,” says Ann. “He is such a nice young man. We wishhim all the luck in the world.”“Whatever happens with the Steelers, his mother and I arevery proud of him both as a football player and as a person,”said his dad Bob. Their father-son relationship is also a coachand son relationship. Bob Palko is in his fifteenth year as headfootball coach at West Allegheny, where Tyler played under hisdad’s coaching.ABOVE: The Palko family at this year’s golf outing to benefit the TC HouseFoundation (www.tchouse.org) established by Tyler and his friend, ChrisMcGough. Pictured left to right, Luke, Bob, Amy, Sally, and Tyler.Brother Luke also playedfor his dad at West Alleghenyand is now a scout forthe Arizona Cardinals.Ironically, Luke started hiscareer as an intern in theSteelers Player PersonnelDepartment. The sportstheme prevails throughoutthe family. Sister Amy is onthe volleyball team atDuquesne University. Hismom Sally is, as Bobdescribed a recent similarsituation, the glue thatholds them together.Tyler was the PennsylvaniaBig School Player of theYear in 2001. He was theAP Big School Player of theYear in the state while asenior at West Allegheny. And the community watched as Tylerthrew a pass during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in SanAntonio that resulted in a score.He would have been welcomed at any university in the countrywith open arms and a full scholarship coming out of high school.However, Tyler chose Pitt because it was close to home and hewas a Panther and Steeler fan since childhood. His loyalty to hisfamily, his school, and the Pittsburgh area was factored into hischoice of Pitt.When his schedule permitted this fall, Tyler could be seen onthe sidelines at Pitt and West Allegheny games. His roots and hispersona will always be there.Tyler’s journey back to Heinz Field as a pro comes full circle. Itwas there where he was the quarterback in three straight WPIALchampionship games.The community watched as he later was the starting quarterbackfor three years at Pitt. His professional career took him toNew Orleans then Arizona and Canada before coming back homewith the Steelers. He was under a futures contract with theMontreal Canadians and had to be released by them before hecould sign with the Steelers.He last played at Heinz Field this past August suited up as aCardinal when they played the Steelers.Yes, Tyler has come back home. Local Indians and Steelers fansare smiling proudly.

PICTURED: Christmas Light Up at Clinton Park on Route 30,just past the Clinton Post Office, is only $7 a carload. It’sopen daily, including holidays, through January 3 from 5 to 10p.m. For details, call (724) 899-3602.See the Lighted Horses Riding Through the Park on Dec. 12th! Schedule a Hayride to See the Lights Any Night!Take Your Group or Family! Call (724) 899-3159Rt. 30 West, 1/2 mile west of Clinton Post Office

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BY ATTORNEY JOHN A. D’ONOFRIOAttorney D’Onofrio may be contacted by telephone at (412) 893-2552 or by e-mail at jdlawyer@aol.com.

ABOVE: West Allegheny sophomores Christopher Allison,Tiffany Atkins, and Joshua Coury learn how to create asimple motor using copper wire and a D-cell battery in theElectronics workshop on Career Exploration Day atPittsburgh Technical Institute in October.ABOVE: West Allegheny senior cross-country and track team members Brian Crossley (front, right) andAbby Hudak (front, second from right) sponsored a cross-country race at Settlers Cabin Park in Augustas part of their senior project. Pictured also are (front) Coach James Hamilton, sixth graders Alicia Hower,Katie Quasey, Mia Spinelli, Emily Metz, and Katie Hannan, and (back) Anthony Dominick, Jared Lanni,Nick Loniero, and Jarrett Parker. The group met twice a week under the supervision of Coach Hamiltonlast summer for workouts. Many of the young runners competed in the North Fayette Township andFindlay Township 5-K runs.

ABOVE: Larry Walter shows students in his HVAC class at Parkway someof the new equipment installed by PTI for their education.ABOVE: A Business Technology student atParkway learns how to create business cards.

For that Maids to Order Clean

NOTE: This list of servicesrepresents the churchesserved in the West Alleghenymagazine area, andrepresents the informationthat was made available bythe churches at the time ofprinting.

1009 Beaver Grade Road,Suite 210Moon Township, PA 15108(412) 262-2260www.senatorpippy.comjpippy@pasen.gov1009 Beaver Grade Road,Suite 220Moon Township, PA 15108(412) 262-3780www.repmustio.com

They say three times is the charm. Well, what about four? This season, four West Allegheny High Schoolteams, or athletes, have taken their skills to the top of the leader boards, an unusual feat for a singleseason. This season touts three WPIAL section titles, a WPIAL championship, a WPIAL runnerup, a statechampion, and a state semi-finalist. This shapes up to be an awesome fall sports season here in Indiancountry.Last year the West Allegheny girls volleyball team had only three seniors ontheir roster. They literally flew under the radar, with first-year head coach LisaPyrdek at the helm, to capture the school’s first WPIAL championship. One ofthose seniors was All-State performer Michelle Walker, who is now at Pitt onscholarship. The Indians captured the State Championship in 2006 but theyhad never won the WPIAL title before.This past fall the six seniors that returned from the 2008 WPIALchampionship team team faced the added pressure of being the experienceddefending champions. The net seemed higher on their side of the court, so tospeak.Seniors Chelsea Katkich and Korin Wengryn and junior Carissa Miararesponded to the challenge with WPIAL All-Star performances that presentedCoach Pyrdek with her second WPIAL title in her second year of coaching theIndians.Other seniors on the squad were Haly Hanzar, Libero Alexis Seabold, AngelaDevereaux, and Jaimie Borchart. Junior Katelinn Long and sophomoresMorgan Seabold and Jaclyn Placha were also in the starting rotation.The Lady Indians went into the play-offs as section co-champs withSouth Fayette with a 10-1 record. Their only loss was to the Lady Lionsin the third match of the season. WA reversed that outcome later andtied with South Fayette for the section title.With their 10-1 record and number one ranking the Indians wentinto the play-offs as the top seed. No flying under the radar this timearound.Not to worry. “We had a lot of good players back from last year. Theyknew what it takes to win a match of this importance and didn’t let thepressure of being the defending champion get to them,” said CoachPyrdek.WA did not lose a single game while shutting out Beaver, Derry Area,and Blackhawk to reach the title game against Freeport. Middle hitterKorin Wengryn had 14 kills and 8 blocks as WA swept Freeport 3-0 towin the championship.“We had a lot of extra pressure on us being the defending champs. Wejust made sure we worked hard every day,” said Carissa Miara.Next up was Meadville in a preliminary round of the PIAA. TheIndians won 3-0 to register their fifth consecutive play-off shut out. Buttheir streak was broken when they lost to Marion Mercer 2-1 onNovember 13 at York in PIAA Pool Play. They were defeated 2-1 againby Archbiship Carroll in the double elimination tournament beforewinning a consolation match over Phillipsburg Osceola to end theirseason as section co-champions and WPIAL champions with a 16-3-1record.PHOTOS THIS PAGE SUBMITTEDSophomores are not supposed to win the state high school golfchampionship. It had been 25 years since a sophomore won thePennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association title. Then along came15-year-old West Allegheny sophomore Garrett Browning to win thePIAA title at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York on October 29.

EXTRAORDINAIRE!STORIES BY DICK GLOVIERGarrett and his 12-year-old brother, Connor,are the sons of Sherri and Dave Browning ofWestbury.Garrett credits his parents and his coaches forinstilling in him the moxie that it takes tobecome a golf champion -- things like practiceand patience and playing in all kinds of weatherconditions.“I try to go into every game or match with thesame attitude, that is to play one hole at a timeand shoot as low as I can,” said Garrett.The pursuit of attaining that low score everytime while maintaining his poise is foremost inthe success he has had on the golf course so far inhis blossoming career.Garrett began to play before he was ten yearsold and has since competed in U.S. JuniorTournaments and other events in his age bracketlocally and throughout the Eastern United States.This past summer he played in the U.S. JuniorPGA Championships held in Cincinnati at theTPC Riversbend Course. He has already qualifiedto compete next summer in national andinternational AGA events.“I like golf because it is an individual sport. Intournament competition you are out thereresponsible for every shot. Even in high schoolsection play where you match up and go one-ononewith another guy it’s all on you,” says thestate champion, who also plays basketball.With all that Garrett has accomplished in golfit is hard to believe that he is only a sophomorein high school. “When he’s not on the course orbasketball court he’s into rap music,” says his dad,Dave.WA’s home course is Quicksilver Golf Club, arenowned facility that once hosted a Senior PGAtour event on an annual basis. It is recognized asone of the longest, most difficult courses in thispart of the country. Browning considers it a plusto have the opportunity to play and practiceRIGHT: WPIAL selected one WestAllegheny girl soccer player on the WPIALAll-Section soccer team: Kristina Tissue.WPIAL also selected seven WestAllegheny boy soccer players, the mostever, on the WPIAL All-Section Team:Andy Jackson, Nick Kolarac, Corey Cleric,Tyler Graziani, Brian McMillan, Ryan Capo(honorable mention), and Tony Monaco(honorable mention). In addition, for thefirst time ever, West Allegheny HighSchool soccer had a player named to theAll-WPIAL Team. In fact, they had fiveplayers named to the All-WPIAL Team:Jackson, Kolarac, Cleric, Graziani andMcMillan (honorable mention). Pictured,Front: Nick Kolarac, Andy Jackson,Kristina Tissue, Tony Monaco; Back: RyanCapo, Corey Cleric, Tyler Graziani, andBrian McMillan. PHOTO SUBMITTEDthere.“You have to be long to score at our homecourse, especially from the back tees,” says theWA sophomore, who hits the driver far enoughthat he can reach the greens in two ofQuicksilver’s challenging par fives.Browning’s length off the tee is a distinctadvantage no matter where or who he is playing.“About 95% of the time I outdrive the kids Iam playing with or against. That means I useshorter irons for my approaches. After that it’s allabout putting,” says Garrett.There is an age old golf adage that you drive forshow and putt for dough. Garrett heartily agrees.He considers himself a work in progress aroundthe greens. “I’m a pretty good putter but I have tocontinue to get better at it,” says Garrett.As a freshman last year Garrett didn’t qualify forthe WPIALs. This past fall he was the medalist atthe sectionals, third at the WPIALs, and ninth atthe regionals to qualify for the States.The State championship is a two-day, 36-holeevent. Even in fair weather conditions, Garrettfired a three under par 69 on the first day. Drearyrainy weather conditions greeted the golfers onthe second day and the scores soared. Garrett shot40 on the front side but was still in contention.He kept his poise and came back to shoot a oneunder 35 on the back despite worseningconditions. His 144 total was good enough to winthe title by a stroke over Lower Marion’s GregJarmas.Although Mike Philips won back-to-backWPIAL championships in 1970 and 1971,Garrett is the first-ever West Allegheny golfer towin the state championship.PHOTO SUBMITTEDOPPOSITE PAGE: Top, WA fielded sixseniors on the winning volleyball team;Bottom, the winning volleyball team, withtrophy. THIS PAGE, ABOVE: GarrettBrowning becomes the first golfer in WestAllegheny history to win the PIAA finals.

The long ball knocking tenth grader has aspirations of a professionalcareer and playing in the U.S. Open. But first there are two more years ofhigh school and then hopefully college at a university that is noted forboth its golf program and academics. They were in foreign territory, the West Allegheny boys soccer team,when they faced Hampton in the WPIAL semi-finals. No team of theirpredecessors had ever before advanced that far in the play-offs.The Indians went into the post season as section 5AA champions with a16-1-1 record. They motored their way to the section title by outscoringtheir opponents 78-12 in the regular season. It was the first section title forthe Indians since 1991.Most of the Indian scoring in the regular season was done by front linersTyler Graziani, Corey Cleric, Nick Kolarac, and Scott Stawiarski. All werein double figures in scoring for the year.Graziani, only a sophomore, led the team in goal scoring with 25 duringthe regular season despite sharing time with senior Scott Stawiarski whostarted in the rotation. Coach Kevin Amos kept both players fresh byinserting Graziani as often as was needed.Five Indians were on the all WPIAL team. Graziani was joined by AndyJackson, Kolarac, Cleric, and Bryan McMillan (honorable mention).Jackson, Kolarac, Cleric, Graziani and McMillan were on the All Sectionteam. Ryan Capo and Tony Monaco earned honorable mentionrecognition.The Indians defeated Belle Vernon 4-1 in the WPIAL first round thensqueezed by center 2-1 in the quarter finals. The Hampton Talbots put up aroad block in the semi-finals and WA’s play-off run came to a halt in ashootout won by the Talbots, 3-2.The Indians rebounded from that overtime loss to defeat Chartiers Valleyin the consolation game to capture third place and qualify for the States.In the PIAA play-offs for the first time, the Indians got by Slippery Rock2-1 in the first round. They faced Hampton again in the quarter-finals.Again the Talbots prevailed in overtime by shutting out the Indians 1-0.Their season goes into the books as the best ever in WA soccer historywith a 20-3-1 record.There have been a number of outstanding running backs down throughthe years at West Allegheny. To name a few there were Joe Sladick and Bob‘Buck’ Druga in the school’s first decade of existence in the 50’s. Latercame Matt Majocka in 1997 and Dorin Dickerson in 2005.Put junior Mike Caputo at the top of that list, or any other list for thatmatter. His numbers this year are out of this world and still climbing. Hehas led the Indians to the WPIAL championship game for the first timesince 2001.Heading into the Indians’ WPIAL semi-final match-up withThomas Jefferson on November 20, Caputo had rushed for 1,951 yardson 267 attempts and scored 27 touchdowns.Add to the Indians’ ground game the efficiency of their passing attackengineered by quarterback Jared Buck and it makes Caputo’s running evenmore effective. Buck threw for 202 yards in the Tribe’s quarterfinal 30-7victory over New Castle. Prior to the semi-finals he had thrown just oneinterception all season while throwing for 1,043 yards and 13touchdowns. His favorite targets were Ben Simmen, 23 catches for 359yards, and Aaron McKinney, 15 catches for 334 yards. Mike Cherokeeadded 334 yards rushing to the Indian attack.Thomas Jefferson came into the semi-finals as the three-time defendingWPIAL champions with an 11-0 record. The Jaguars were on a 48-gamewinning streak against WPIAL teams with 26 straight wins overall. Theywere ranked number one in the WPIAL and the PIAA all season long.The Indians were 9-2 and ranked 4 th in the WPIAL. The two teams hadwon seven of the last ten WPIAL championships between them with TJwinning four of the past five.It was the Indians, though, that headed to Heinz Field for the title gamethis year. WA snapped the Jaguars’ win streak with a 28-21 victory in athriller at Chartiers Valley stadium. Caputo passed the 2,000-yard seasonrushing mark by running for 257. He had touchdown runs of 1 and 96yards. He also scored on a 97-yard kickoff return. Receiver Mitch Poselteamed with Buck on a 12-yard pass for the Indians’ other touchdown.“He’s not that fast but he’s quick. He’s not that big but he’s strong. It’shis ability to make people miss and avoid tackles that sets him apart,” saidTJ Coach Bill Cherpic.Caputo runs behind a mostly senior offensive line that doesn’t careabout individual credit, said Indian Coach Bob Palko. “Tim Johnson andAlex Zupanovich are the glue that molds us to what we’ve been doing.Sam Bailey and Nate Bell, who also plays defense, are our other senioroffensive linemen,” said Coach Palko.“These guys have all bought into the team concept,” said Palko, as theIndians prepared to meet Hopewell in the finals at Heinz Field onNovember 27.PHOTO BY G. PAUL DeBOR

junior PICTURED: Just like the NFL, the West Allegheny 9U Indians showed theirsupport for breast cancer awareness this season. During their game againstSouth Park on October 24, the boys and their coaches sported pink wristbands.PHOTO SUBMITTEDPICTURED: The West Allegheny boys middle school team after they beatpreviously undefeated Montour, at Montour, in their last game of the season3-1 to win the Southwest Conference Championship and finish their seasonunbeaten. PHOTO SUBMITTED

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LEFT: The Enlow Tunnel is apopular place for users ofthe trail. Located in FindlayTownship near mile marker7, it gives respite to those inneed of cooling off onwarmer days.FAR RIGHT: The trailmeanders through valleysand meadows, passinghomes in some spots, likethis one. The photo wastaken from the McDonaldBridge of the PanhandleTrail portion.RIGHT: Ron Figurella, ofAliquippa, says that he feelsmore comfortable riding onthe trail than on the roadswith cars. His favorite viewsfrom the trail are the tunnelsand trestles betweenCoraopolis and McDonald.ABOVE: A caboose from the original MontourRailroad line sits proudly between the trail and the Findlay ActivityCenter. The activity center was built in the same location as theformer railroad station.ABOVE: Montour Trail Council President Mark Imgrund, left,accepts a proclamation presented by Congressman Tim Murphyon the 20th anniversary of the trail during the organization’sanniversary celebration held November 1.

TOP: Bikers pass each other on the trail between Boggs Stationand the Quicksilver Bridge.BOTTOM: A walker passes under the overhead bridge along theMcDonald section of the trail.

ABOVE: Pat Jennette, center, publisher of “Allegheny West Magazine,” asks WestAllegheny Middle School seventh grade students Ethan Peternel and Jenny Forse aquestion during a presentation of the Choices program. The program is sponsored by thePittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by volunteers who arechamber members. The Choice program presents ideas to the students to help them thinkabout how to prepare for their future, and consider the choices made now in their educationand how those choices will impact their lifestyles, their careers, and their goals in thefuture.ABOVE: In an effort to help increase survival rates for people who suffer from suddencardiac arrest, Ohio Valley General Hospital has donated an automated externaldefibrillator to the #1 Cochran Automotive of Robinson and the Sewickley Valley YMCA.Through the use of automated external defibrillators (AED), the risk of survivalfollowing cardiac arrest drastically increases. About the size of a laptop computer, anAED is a computerized device that analyzes the heart rhythm and prompts a rescuer todeliver an electrical shock if needed. When AEDs are used in conjunction with CPR, theycan increase cardiac arrest survival rates between 50 and 80 percent. They are designedso that a person with no medical experience can operate the device.Rob Cochran, President and CEO of #1 Cochran, explained that this device will be agreat addition to the dealership. “We’re grateful to have this life-saving device in ourshowroom and we appreciate Ohio Valley for their kind contribution.”Pictured, Rob Cochran, President and CEO of #1 Cochran; James Morgan, ServiceManager; William Provenzano, President and CEO of Ohio Valley General Hospital, bythe donated defibrillator in the #1 Cochran Robinson showroom.

PHOTO SUBMITTEDABOVE: Front, Lauretta Roberts, Lorraine Warner, and Evelyn Kohm; Center, Doris Scott,Stephen Auman, Frank Roberts, Carrie Marr, Theresa Miller, Bill Miller, Richard Warner, DelnoraAuman, Bill Kohm; Back, Mary Ann Parente, Rebecca Roedler, and Cindi Leszunov.LEFT: Let’s go for a walk. A WISE WALK. Sincethe middle of September, senior citizens andfuture seniors looking for an easy and funexercise experience walked around the gym inthe community center. The Wise Walk program,sponsored by the Allegheny County LibraryAssociation (ACLA), in partnership with AARPand the Highmark PALS (People Able to LendSupport), provided everyone with a pedometer,T-shirt, and healthy snacks. Participants kepttrack of their steps for the week and thenreported the total each Friday. Western AlleghenyCommunity Library was one of 21 libraries inthe county that participated in Wise Walk. TheNorth Fayette Recreation Department providedthe gym and support for the program. Tammy,wellness director and instructor from BodySystems Fitness, showed the group how tostretch. About 15 people came each Friday towalk. Another session will begin sometime inJanuary. Call the library for details. Kudos to thefour couples came regularly - Evelyn and BobKomm, Theresa and Bill Miller, Lauretta andFrank Roberts, and Lorraine and RichardWarner.

BY PAT JENNETTEPHOTOS SUBMITTEDPeru is located on South America’s centralPacific coast. The world’s twentieth-largestnation, it borders Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile to theeast and south, and Colombia and Ecuador to thenorth. The Peruvian population is extremely young withmore than fifty percent of its population below the age ofthirty.Two of those young adults -- Enrique Bernardo andGiuliana Contreras -- make their home here in Pittsburgh.Both of them are musicians and share their musical talentswith two churches here in the West Alleghenyneighborhood.Enrique came to Pittsburgh in 2004 after completing fiveyears of study at the National Conservatory of Music inPeru, followed by completing his bachelor’s degree in musicfrom the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Hecompleted a Master’s of Music at Carnegie MellonUniversity. He stayed in the city after receiving his degreewhile attaining the Artist Diploma Program at DuquesneUniversity, which he completed last year.While studying at CMU, Enrique saw an ad on theInternet posted by Hebron Presbyterian Church in Clintonseeking a musician for their Sunday services. Heinterviewed for the job and started shortly thereafter.Born in Lima, Peru, in 1980, Enrique said that he wantedto be a musician from the time he was 13.“I joined a group in my school; I enjoyed playing thekeyboards, and at some point I realized I wanted to be aconcert pianist,” he recalls.However, becoming a pianist in Peru is not common.Enrique said that there is not much in the way of classicalmusic opportunities in Peru, particularly outside of hishome city of Lima.“When I used to live in Huancayo, it was very difficult topursue music because at that time there were no pianos inthe city. In fact, I went back to Huancayo in 2003 to do apiano recital and I was never able to find a grand piano,” heexplains.Just a few miles away from Hebron in Imperial, GiulianaContreras is the organist and pianist for Valley PresbyterianChurch, where she is also a member of the church’s praiseband.The two musicians knew each other before either one ofthem began sharing their musical talents here in thecommunity.Enrique said that they studied at some point with thesame music teacher in Lima, Enrique Graf. Giuliana addedthat the two also participated together in piano festivals,concerts, and competitions.“We have known each other for more than 15 years,actually,” Enrique said, noting that it is nice to havesomeone from his home country right here in the city.“He has been of great help and encouragement to me,”Giuliana said of Enrique.Giuliana, who also hails from Lima, is currently studyingmusic on a full scholarship at Carnegie Mellon University,where she is a second year graduate student in music-pianoperformance.PICTURED ABOVE: Enrique Bernardo isthe musician in residence at HebronPresbyterian Church in Clinton, whileGiuliana Contreras is the musician at ValleyPresbyterian Church in Imperial.She started playing the piano at age six,surrounded by a family that either listened to orplayed classical music. She soon entered the NationalConservatory of Music in Lima where she studiedfor 12 years before coming to the United States in2002, particularly because, she said, “Studyingclassical music in Peru was and still is very difficult.”Giuliana discovered Valley Church in September2008 when she received a forwarded e-mail from thechurch seeking a musician.“Valley Church and Pastor Jeri-Lynne have becomemy family ever since,” she said. “They have openedtheir doors to me and even welcomed me forholidays at their homes.”When not sharing her musical talents at Valley orstudying, Giuliana also keeps busy using her musicaltalents. This past summer she performed with twofriends from CMU the Beethoven’s Triple Concertofor piano, violin, and cello with symphonyorchestras in Colombia and Peru. The concerts weresponsored in part by the CMU School of Music.Next year, Giuliana and Enrique will join togetherto perform a Bach concerto for three pianos as partof the International Piano Series of Charleston.Enrique said he is now taking voice lessons at theCleveland Institute of Music, where he travels once aweek. This fall, he was involved in the operaproduction with the Cleveland Institute of MusicOpera Theatre. He is also busy as the music directorof the Latin American Choir of Pittsburgh.In upcoming months, Enrique said he will be quitebusy with numerous musical commitments. Amongthem are the Pittsburgh Opera as part of the chorusin Evteny Oneguin and Falstaff, performances inSteubenville, Clarion, and Pittsburgh, and a concertseries that is dear to his heart -- Hebron’s Concerts inthe Country Series, which debuted last month. Aseries of concerts (see box, above), will be presentedunder the direction of Enrique.As he says, the concerts are his gift to Hebron. “Imentioned the idea of a grand piano a few yearsback, but nothing came out of it. Earlier this year, Imentioned it again, and got a great response, so weended up buying a new piano. The people from thechurch have been very supportive, so we put thisconcert series together.”The series will conclude in April with the 200thanniversary celebration of Hebron Church.When asked what they thought of Pittsburgh,Giuliana said, “Pittsburgh has great schools, one ofthe best symphony orchestras in the country, and issurrounded by different styles of music.”Enrique added, “United States is a great countrythat offers great opportunities for musicians.”He said the he and his fiancee are eyeing Europe asa possible future for his music career.“I am very grateful to be where I am now,” he said.“I love the people at Hebron.”

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The Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber ofCommerce (PAACC) is pleased to announce anew look. Over the past several months, a team ofchamber volunteers, led by Dan Murphy ofHeritage Valley Hospital, was given the greenlight to completely revamp and update thechamber’s name, logo, tagline, Web site, andmore. After months of work, the chamber willreceive its biggest facelift within its past 105 yearsof existence.“Over the years the chamber in the PittsburghAirport Area has become the second largestchamber in the Pittsburgh region,” notedcommittee chairman Dan Murphy. “We wantedto leverage the fact that we are the host chamberin the area that welcomes new businesses into thePittsburgh region and beyond.”Many Pittsburghers are unaware that thechamber covers 31 communities surroundingWestern Allegheny County, even including someof Beaver County. Because of its large name, nonchambermembers often were confused that itresides inside Pittsburgh International Airport oreven downtown Pittsburgh.“We’re excited to have an opportunity toportray a much stronger organization whilespelling out exactly what we do best,” saidchamber president, Sally Haas, “and that’sconnecting business, not only locally -- butglobally.”The chamber is adopting the tag line, “Connectedto the World” while maintaining theidentity as Pittsburgh Airport Area.The board of directors approved the final logo,tagline, and combination. The chamber’s staffand communications team are currently implementingthe new look into the Web site andmarketing materials.

STORY AND PHOTOSBY PAT JENNETTETOP: Imperialresident Bill Thomas,being interviewed byWest Allegheny HighSchool sophomoreMorgan Brailey,speaks with teacherJessica Conforti andDr. John DiSanti,school superintendent,during the initialmeeting of theveterans andstudents for a yearlongbiographyproject.RIGHT: Tiffany Atkinsand Chelsy Lalamalisten as CarmenCook from MoonTownship shares hisexperiences.

ake 47 military veterans from around the community, pair them with 47 tenth gradersfrom English class at West Allegheny High School, and you have the makings of historybeing recorded by the younger generation of those military members of the community.These veterans are telling the students, in their own words, what it was like to serve in themilitary during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and peacetime.The project commenced at a Veteran’s Breakfast held on November 18 in the high school cafeteriawhere about 30 of the 47 veterans were able to attend.The project was the brainchild of high school English teacher Jessica Conforti. She said she wasinspired to do the project by her father who served in the Air Force during peacetime. She addedthat from a young age he taught her about patriotism and the importance of honoring veterans.The West Allegheny Foundation thought the idea so valuable that it awarded a grant to Jessica forher to undertake the project. Called the “Voices for Veterans” biography project, the students willcontinue to correspond with their veteran “partner” thoughout the year, collecting memorabilia,taking notes, asking questions, and compiling biographies.Jessica said the students will also research the period of war time that their veteran served in so thatthey can have a better understanding of what happened then, giving them a deeper perspective ofwhat veterans experienced while serving the country.For some of the veterans, like Dan Cronin of Wexford, it’s a chance to share with his grandson,Nicholas, who is one of the students, his experiences in World War II when he served in the Navy.“This is a wonderful opportunity to tell him what I experienced in the war and have him write itdown for keeping,” Dan said.Findlay Township resident Fran Dugo told of how he was with the U.S. Air Corps from 1943-45.He worked on the armor with the 452nd Bomb Group.“I grew up quickly then at the age of 18 when the B17 plane that I worked with got shot down,”TOP: Keith Kropf shares his story with student Levi Seifert.CENTER, LEFT: Emily Celedonia receives a hug from her veteran,Ralph Shannon; CENTER, RIGHT: Amanda Zucchero takes copiousnotes from former Pittsburgh Steeler, Rocky Bleier, who is a friend ofAmanda’s family. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War andunderwent extensive rehabilitation to recover from a war injury beforerejoining the Steelers; BOTTOM: Former Wilson Elementary teacherPaul DeBor tells his story to Anna Mianzo of his experience serving inthe Vietnam War.NEXT PAGETOP, LEFT: Kenneth Elliott of Walden Woods and Rachel Goldstromwill compile his story of serving in the Vietnam War.TOP, RIGHT: The High School Junior ROTC presented the colors andthe Show Choir sang the National Anthem before the breakfast began.CENTER, RIGHT: Dan Cronin tells his stories of the military to hisgrandson, Nicholas Cronin.BOTTOM, RIGHT: Findlay resident Fran Dugo brought a variety ofmemorabilia from his war years serving with the U.S. Air Corps.

he explained.He’s proud that his youngest son, Todd Dugo, has served for 24years with the military, and currently serves at Maxwell Air ForceBase. Todd is a West Allegheny alumnus.Student Marina Lauff is working with Fran on his biography.Kenneth Elliott of Walden Woods, who is being interviewed byRachel Goldstrom, served in the Army in Vietnam from 1970-71. He was a secret agent with top secret clearances, responsiblefor locating the enemy and relaying the information back to thebase.Findlay resident Keith Kropf, who served in the Army from1965-68 in Vietnam, was part of the Tet offensive in 1968. TheTet offensive was a military campaign during the Vietnam Warthat began on January 31, 1968. The purpose of the offensivewas to strike military and civilian command and control centersthroughout South Vietnam and to spark a general uprisingamong the population that would then topple the Saigongovernment, thus ending the war in a single blow. Student LeviSeifert is telling Keith’s story.Several West Allegheny current and past employees are also partof the project, including Paul DeBor, a former reading teacher atWilson Elementary who served in the Vietnam War, and StewartMorgan, who taught for 43 years at West Allegheny. He is aWorld War II veteran who served with Patton’s Army in theBattle of the Bulge and was the chaplain’s assistant throughout hisentire service time.Once the research is complete, the students will compile theirwritings, memorabilia, and photos from the vets into scrapbooks.At the end of the school year near Memorial Day, the studentswill host a reception for the veterans and present them with acopy of their biography. A copy will also be kept in the schoollibrary for future reference by students in years to come.

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This fall, Flabeg officially opened its new solar mirrorplant in Clinton Commerce Park, followed quickly by aribbon cutting and tour of the ADC -- ApplianceDealers Cooperative’s new warehouse on Solar Drive inthe Findlay Industrial Park at the Westport interchangeof the Findlay Connector.The two facilities are among the latest to set downroots in Findlay Township. The municipality continuesto be home to numerous businesses and industries thatare finding that setting up shop in Clinton CommercePark, Route 30 Industrial Park, North Field, FindlayIndustrial Park, McClaren Woods, Chapman CommercePark at Westport, and the RIDC Park provides easyaccess to interstate highways and PittsburghInternational Airport.Flabeg is a global leader in high-tech glass and mirrorapplications. The new 209,000-square-footmanufacturing facility will have an annual capacity todeliver solar mirrors which are used to help generateelectricity at large-scale solar power plants.The German-based company was founded in 1882and has manufacturing facilities in Europe, America,and Asia.ADC is a nonprofit warehouse distribution networkthat works with local stores to provide them with anefficient way of purchasing inventory.Its members are the owners, comprised of independentand family-owned stores. Their membership empowersthe owners to be able to compete with big box storesthrough larger buying power and better discounts andrebates.The company has a large presence in Pennsylvania,particularly in the Harrisburg area, and brings itsconcept now to the Pittsburgh region.ADC also becomes the second facility to establish apresence at the new Findlay Industrial Park. Earlier thisyear, the Okonite Company built a 155,000-square-footdistribution center with warehouse. The companymanufactures electrical cables and wiring.Still in the building stage is the new Dick’s SportingGoods headquarters building at North Field onPittsburgh International Airport property. The firstphase of this project is the company’s 670,000-squarefootoffice campus .At Clinton Commerce Park, Buncher added 200,000-square-feet to its warehouse space for Fedex on SweeneyDrive, and Prominent Fluids added a 17,000-squarefootaddition to its building on Industry Drive in theRIDC Park.ABOVE: Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and officials from Flabeg openedthe company’s new solar mirror manufacturing facility in Findlay Township. FlabegCEO Axel Buchholz, Allegheny Conference CEO Dennis Yablonsky, and other localand state government officials, including Senator Tim Murphy and StateRepresentative Mark Mustio, above, participated in the ribbon cutting.ABOVE: On hand at the ADC Grand Opening ribbon cutting on November 20, were,from left to right, Kenneth Kohn, ADC Vice President; Michael Napoletano, ADCPresident; Helene Siegel, ADC Executive Director; David Neyer, President & CEO ofAl. Neyer; Dennis Davin, Director of Allegheny County Economic Development;Frank Horrigan, Director of Pennsylvania Governor’s Action Team.It’s a busy intersection at the crossroads of Route 30 and Clinton Road, wherethe Clinton Post Office and Findlay Municipal office sit.As the intersection has increased its traffic flow over the years, so has congestiongrown.To address the issue, Findlay Township is working with PBS & J, a trafficengineering firm, to develop plans to realign and widen the intersection, as wellas look at options to add turning lanes.Maronda Homes’ foundation, which owns both the Mamone’s Restaurant siteand a vacant house at the intersection, has offered to donate those properties forthe purpose of improving the intersection.Since the two roads are owned by the state, the township plans to askPennDOT to consider the project for future improvement.

Twenty-two Pennsylvania police departments received Platinum Awards fromAAA for their community traffic safety efforts, according to officials at AAA EastCentral.The Platinum awards were given to “Commendable Leaders” for their safetyefforts and enforcement activities geared towards making communities safer. Thelocal recipient of the prestigious award was the Findlay Township PoliceDepartment.The departments were among hundreds nationwide that participated in theCommunity Traffic Safety Program and among 82 regional entrants recognized byAAA.Gold awards, the second highest recognition to be given, were awarded locally topolice departments in McDonald and Moon.“We are very proud of the departments for their achievement and participationin the Community Traffic Safety Program,” said J.J. Miller, AAA Safety Advisor.“They went above and beyond the call of duty by organizing projects which wouldmake their community a safer place for motorists as well as local residents.”To be eligible for the annual awards, a community must conduct traffic safetypromotions and educate the public on safety topics.There were few changes in local elections across the communities.In the school district board of directors election, two members ran unopposed --John Scott and Patrick Konieczny. Eugene Sciulli replaced Jeff Sweet, who lost onboth tickets in the primary election. Board member Tracy Kosis retained her seat,winning over Dan Wojtaszek.In a close race, Dorothy McCullough retained her seat as Findlay Township taxcollector over opponent Sheri Lee.Also in Findlay Township, Supervisor Tom Gallant retained his seat in a raceagainst Jerry Waldorf.In North Fayette, incumbent Jim Morosetti will serve a second term as townshipsupervisor, with a win over Roxanne Buckels, and tax collector Tom Falcioni ranunopposed.In Oakdale, Ross Rohbeck was reelected mayor and Huck Gamble was reelectedto council. Wilson Sturgeon replaces Russell Campbell. Donna Swider is taxcollector and Donald Hines will serve as constable. All other seats remained thesame.BY NYNA BRYANTOWNER, A DOOR TO MEMORIESNyna Bryant is founder and owner of A Door to Memories,helping customers preserve their photo and videomemories on DVD. To reach Nyna, call (724) 630-1212.Or, visit her Web site at www.adoortomemories.comLearning Curves is provided as a service to advertisers ofAllegheny West Magazine to share educational and/orinformational knowledge with the readership. To inquire aboutLearning Curves, call (724) 695-3968.

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PERSONALByErma DoddNorth Fayette Township resident

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