Archbald

Borough residents are encouraged to participate in the annual Clean-Up Day on Saturday.

Volunteers will meet at the Borough Building at 9 a.m. to clean up roads throughout the borough, Mayor Shirley Barrett said.

Cleanup day is held in conjunction with the Great American Cleanup of PA. Volunteers from the Valley View football team and the Eynon-Archbald Lions Club will be cleaning the Eynon and Archbald Main streets and Kennedy Drive, Barrett said.

She started the program 10 years ago while on borough council to clean up blighted areas in the borough.

“If people take pride in their properties ... it just makes our town so much nicer,” she said.

Barrett also requests that residents take pride in their personal properties by removing old winter decorations and garbage from their lawns and porches.

Anyone wishing to volunteer, or any senior citizens or disabled individuals who may need help cleaning up Saturday, can call Barrett at 570-498-9398. Cleanup for individuals who need help does not include large objects like furniture, she added.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

Clarks Summit

A basket raffle will help raise money for the borough’s Veterans Memorial Park on North State Street and borough officials are asking local businesses to get involved.

On Monday, May 28, in conjunction with the Rotary Club’s Memorial Day Parade in downtown Clarks Summit, borough council, in partnership with Annie’s Country Kitchen, will hold the raffle. Baskets, donated by local businesses and families, will be displayed in Loughney Hall at the Clarks Summit Borough Building, 304 S. State St., in advance of the parade as well as posted on the borough Facebook page. At 10 a.m. on parade day, baskets will be displayed in front of the Borough Building and tickets will be sold during the parade.

The cost will be 10 tickets for $1 and 60 tickets for $5.

The drawing will be held at 2 p.m. parade day in Loughney Hall. Winners need not be present.

Borough officials are asking all to consider donating a basket and also for empty coffee cans to use to collect tickets. Donations can be dropped off at the borough office. Please call 570-585-4800 for additional information.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

Jessup

Beginning in May, borough residents will have the chance to grow their own garden as party of a community garden at Kids Korner park.

The borough plans to transform about 1,500 square feet of land at Kids Korner into a community garden, Councilman Gregg Betti said. The garden will run along the fence between Kids Korner and Memorial Field.

There will be around 15 plots in the garden, and each plot will be about 10 feet by 10 feet, Betti estimated. Each garden will be separated with storm fencing, and it will be up to gardeners to maintain their own land, he said. If a garden becomes an eyesore due to a lack of maintenance, the borough will step in and take over the plot.

There’s no restriction on what people can plant, as long as the plants are legal and don’t encroach into other gardens, Betti said.

Volunteers will begin preparing the land next week so residents can have their gardens planted by Memorial Day. The Girl Scouts will be helping the borough with the project, he said.

If the garden goes well this year, the borough could expand the garden to a larger location, he said.

Betti hopes the garden will attract families with children so children can learn where their food comes from.

“It’s more to get the children out, get their hands dirty, and to really find out carrots don’t come from a bag in the grocery store,” he said.

The borough is seeking donations of mushroom soil and plant material. Anyone interested in having a plot in the garden or donating can call Betti at 570-876-5711.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

Scranton

An art exhibit opening this week in the Electric City explores the issue of mass incarceration through portraits of incarcerated people created by fellow inmates.

Presented by NEPA Prison Advocates, Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration will feature 246 portraits of inmates done by a Dunmore artist currently incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas. It will also feature roughly 35 paintings made by other incarcerated artists, NEPA Prison Advocates co-founder and exhibit organizer Beth Ann Zero said.

“We hope to bring to light the whole situation of mass incarceration by bringing actual faces to maintain the humanness of (those who) are behind bars right now,” Zero said. “These are our fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters. ... It gives faces and represents them as the humans they are.”

A public preview evening with several guest speakers is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at ArtWorks Gallery & Studio, 503 Lackawanna Ave. The exhibit officially opens at the gallery 5 p.m. Friday and will remain on display throughout the month of May.

For information contact ArtWorks Gallery & Studio at 570-207-1815.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com

570-348-9141

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

AROUND THE TOWNS appears each Sunday, spotlighting the people and events in your neighborhoods. If you have an idea for an Around the Towns note, contact the writer for your town, or the Yes!Desk at 348-9121 or yesdesk@timesshamrock.com.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Auto and Sports Show rolled into the Watres Armory in Scranton on March 29 through 31, 1968. On display was more than $1 million worth of automobiles, motorcycles, snowmobiles and other sports equipment.

In addition to the big cars, model car enthusiasts enjoyed model displays and even got a chance to compete with their HO racing cars in a competition.

The future of transportation was on display with Pennsylvania Power & Light “car of the future.” The noiseless car, which was powered by a series of lead-cobalt batteries, could reach speeds of 120 mph.

The show was organized by the Scranton Junior Chamber of Commerce and The Scranton Times.

To view more images from the 1968 auto show, visit our local history blog, Pages from the Past, http://timestribuneblogs.com/category/pages-from-the-past/.

Sean Harder,

Tunkhannock Area High School

Despite finding it hard to balance academics and athletics, Sean Harder came out victorious.

The salutatorian of his Tunkhannock Area High School senior class, Sean also earned Wyoming Valley All Conference All-Star honors in both basketball and soccer.

He was captain of the basketball team for three years and this year for the soccer team. Outside of school, he volunteers as a referee for youth soccer

and youth basketball leagues.

Sean’s most rewarding activity was organizing a Trunk-or-Treat event as president of the Future Business Leaders of America. The event raised more than $1,000 for National Alzheimer’s Association.

More than 600 people from the surrounding community participated in the event — 200 more than the previous year. Tunkhannock Area clubs, sports, classes and local police officers handed out candy from decorated vehicles.

In addition to being in the gifted program and on the steering committee, Sean is also a member of National Honor Society, Physics Club and Envirothon. He is involved in his church’s youth group and the Stop Hunger Now campaign with the National Honor Society.

Sean admires his father and mother, Stan and Laura Harder, “because they have always believed in me and supported me in anything I do, while also teaching and pushing me in both academics and athletics, which has made me the person that I am today.”

After graduation, he plans to study business or engineering at Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College. In 15 years, he hopes to work as the CEO of a company or own a business near a large city like New York or Philadelphia. And he’s already on the way there — Sean runs an eBay store.

“My philosophy is that you should always be ambitious and work hard to achieve your goals,” he said.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

Caregivers sessions

Equines for Freedom caregivers program, including family and significant others who provide care to veterans in need of continual care, free equine-assisted workshops Saturday, and May 12, 19, June 2 and 9 at the Gary Johnson Arena, 2540 Port Royal Road, Clarks Summit. Participants work with a mental health professional, an equine specialist and horses. The program addresses concerns facing the caregivers of veterans. Call 570-665-2483; email eff@equinesforfree

dom.org.

Parade planned

Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069, Clarks Summit, will sponsor the annual Memorial Day parade May 28, starting at 11 a.m. Groups or individuals who want to be in the line of march must contact the post, 570-586-9821. The parade will form at 10 a.m. at the Clarks Summit Elementary Center, West Grove Street.

Post 6082 sets

pork dinner

Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082 pork and sauerkraut dinner, May 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. or sold out, post home, 123 Electric St., Peckville section of Blakely, $11, from members or at door, takeouts available.

Civil War Museum

sets program

Grand Army of the Republic Museum, basement of Scranton City Hall, program on Abraham Lincoln, 1 p.m. today. Susan Mertz will portray first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

Parade planned

Memorial Day parade and ceremony, May 28, Carbondale. Any organization wishing to take part should meet at Ben Franklin Apartments, 10:15 a.m.; parade, 10:45; ceremony, Memorial Park, 11:15; principal speaker, Capt. Loris Lepri; contact Frank Veina, 570-282-5588, or Russell Dilley, 570-282-5463.

Veterans event

slated in Hawley

State Sen. Lisa Baker veterans outreach with a VFW service officer, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 2512 Route 6, Hawley, lower level, rear, Lake Wallenpaupack Visitors Center; appointments requested, 570-226-5960.

Meetings

POST 207

Kosciuszko American Legion Post 207, Thursday, 7 p.m., SS. Peter and Paul Church hall, 1309 W. Locust St., Scranton.

POST 327 AUXILIARY

Olyphant Raymond Henry American Legion Post 327 Auxiliary, May 7, 7 p.m., post.

POST 25

Gen. Theodore J. Wint VFW Post 25, May 6, 2291 Rockwell Ave., Scranton, installation of new officers; canteen meeting, noon; post, 12:30 p.m.

109TH INFANTRY

The 109th Infantry Regiment Association, Wednesday, 6 p.m., Shopa-Davey VFW Post, Peckville.

AMERICAN LEGION DISTRICT 11

American Legion District 11, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Moscow American Legion Post 579, Church Street, Moscow.

POST 7069

Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069, Thursday, 7 p.m.

VFW DISTRICT 10

VFW District 10, May 20, 2 p.m., Post 7251, Boulevard Avenue, Throop; nomination and election of officers.

POST 6528

Hyde Park Memorial VFW Post 6528, May 29, 11 a.m.; 570-961-2696.

POST 3474

Dunmore VFW Post 3474, May 8, 7 p.m., post home; installation of officers.

DAV CHAPTER 11

DAV Chapter 11, May 7, 5 p.m., Dickson City Borough Building, Enterprise Street.

MILITARY SPOUSES

Support group for military spouses and significant others of all branches, May 24, 5:30 p.m., Gino J. Merli Veterans Center, Scranton; 570-961-4359.

Merli Center

Today: Keurig coffee, 8:30 a.m.; morning visits, 8:45; eucharistic ministry visits, 9:15; afternoon chess and board games, 2 p.m.

Monday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Bible study visits, 9:30; Octaband with music, 10:15; movie trip, 12:15 p.m.; bingo by the Foresters, 2; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4; pokeno night, 1 south, 7.

Tuesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; bingo social, third floor, 10:15; Ponderosa dine-in 12:15 p.m.; choir practice, 1:45; Catholic service, 3; unit visits, 4.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; new age nails, third floor, 10:15; resident council ice cream social, 2 p.m.; food committee, 2; Bible club, 2 south lounge, 4.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; chapel service, 10; American Legion Post 86 Susquehanna lunch trip, 10:15; bingo by the Stone family, 2; senior fitness, 3.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; coffee and doughnuts by VFW Department of Pennsylvania Ladies Auxiliary, 10:15; bingo sponsored by American Legion District 11; 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Saturday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; ball toss with music, third floor, 10:15; yogurt parfaits and Lawrence Welk video, second floor 2 p.m.

VETERANS NEWS should be submitted no later than Monday before publication to

veterans@timesshamrock.com; or YES!desk, The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

SCRANTON — The fastest finishers didn’t get trophies at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Moonlight Walk and Run. Instead, the top 50 or so athletes received framed drawings from victimized children whom the center helped.

A smiling woman’s face for a 10K second-place finisher. A giant red rose for a 10K first-place finisher. Flowers growing under a sunny sky for a 5K first-place finisher.

“You could have just so many awards, so many medals, so many ribbons, but something like this speaks volumes,” said Mary Ann LaPorta, executive director of the advocacy center.

The center held its 14th annual Moonlight Walk and Run on Saturday evening with the goal of raising money and spreading awareness of the cause, Director of Development Jess Farrell said. The advocacy center works to assess and treat children and teenagers who experience abuse or neglect. The center helps victims move on and have a better life, she said.

As a nonprofit organization, the advocacy center relies largely on donations and grants to fund its services, and its annual walk and run is one of its biggest fundraisers. This year, the center’s fundraising goal is $20,000.

More than 200 walkers and runners splashed through Nay Aug Park despite cool, rainy weather to support the center.

Participants had the choice between a 5K walk, a 5K run and a 10K run, and children could participate in a “fun run.” Registrants paid $25 to participate in the 5K and $30 for the 10K.

“It’s really special when you see all of the kids and adults running for the cause,” Farrell said.

Michael Sulzinski, a biology professor at the University of Scranton, offered some of his students extra credit if they participated in the run. Running a 10K gives him the chance to push himself as a runner while supporting a good cause, he said.

“I pick and choose what I run for, and certain things are more important,” he said. “This is one of the more important ones.”

Clad in nearly identical black athletic gear, Rita Tischler and her daughter, Lola O’Neill, 8, of Waverly Twp., participated in the 5K run together.

“This is a great cause,” Tischler said. “It’s something that she was able to do, and it was something we were passionate about.”

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181

CARBONDALE — A city woman faces charges after slapping her fiance and punching a 77-year-old woman, police said.

Chelsea Mae Verity, 18, 118 S. Main St., is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and related charges stemming from a confrontation Saturday morning with her fiance, Patrick Bryant, police said.

Officers responded to the rear parking lot of 60 S. Main St. to find Mary Ellen Dukarich bleeding from her nose.

Police checked surveillance camera footage and saw Verity arguing with Bryant before slapping him in the face. He then hit her in the face with a bag. Verity then ran up to Dukarich, who was standing nearby, punched her in the head and fled.

Dukarich suffered a fractured shoulder when she fell after being hit. She also had a lacerated nose.

Verity turned herself in Saturday night. Bail and preliminary hearing information was not available Saturday night.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

Pike County Judge Gregory Chelak recently sentenced:

■ George William Wildonger, 75, Milford, 12 months of probation and $400 fine for possessing instrument of crime, theft and criminal mischief on Oct. 10 in Dingman Twp.

■ Dillon Michael Wells, 20, Shohola, $500 fine for possession of drug paraphernalia on Oct. 16 in Shohola.

■ Laura Cornelia Newby, 68, Hawley, 18 months of probation and $500 fine for retail theft on July 27 in Blooming Grove Twp.

■ Ashley Morgan Nellums, 28, Port Jervis, N.Y., 18 to 36 months in a state correctional facility, $5,000 fine and six-month driver’s license suspension for delivery of a controlled substance Aug. 11, 2016, in Westfall Twp.

■ William J. Kidd, 55, Milford, nine days to six months in the Pike County Jail and $700 fine for DUI and drivers requiring to be licensed on Oct. 20 in Westfall Twp.

■ Leann Aguirre, 26, Hawley, six months of the IP Program, including 30 days of house arrest, $1,000 fine and 12- month driver’s license suspension for DUI on Dec. 24 in Lackawaxen Twp.

■ John Todd Christmann, 53, Bushkill, $300 fine for harassment in Lehman Twp.

Wayne County Senior Judge Raymond L. Hamill sentenced:

■ James Ames, 76, Jefferson Twp., five days to 12 months in the Wayne County Correctional Facility for simple assault on Aug. 9 in Dyberry Twp.

■ William Barnes, 51, Hawley, six months of probation, drug and alcohol addiction treatment, the Alcohol Highway Safety Program and 50 hours of community service for DUI on Sept. 2 in Cherry Ridge Twp.

■ Steven Krause, 56, Greeley, 12 months of probation and $500 fine for unsworn falsification to authorities on Feb. 25, 2017 in Lake Twp.

■ Enrique Manuel Olvera, 34, Hawley, 30 days to 23½ months in the Wayne County Correc­tional Facility and $300 fine for simple assault on Sept. 30 in Hawley.

■ Eileen Garland, 57, Wyo­ming, six months on the Accel­erated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, 40 hours of community service and 60- day driver’s license suspension for DUI on Sept. 1 in Salem Twp.

■ James Graham, 57, Gouldsboro, six months on the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, 40 hours of community service and 60- day driver’s license suspension for DUI on Aug. 25 in Lehigh Twp.

Find a pet who needs a new home at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.
 

Rennie is a three-year-old female, Labrador Retriever/Boxer mix. She is very friendly and personable.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird

Davy is an adult male, domestic long hair cat. He is very friendly and easygoing.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird



Watch the latest Pets of the Week video HERE:

SCOTT TWP. — A teacher in elementary school wanted Abbey Gillette to learn cursive writing one letter at a time.

Gillette wanted to jump ahead because she loved the way cursive looked.

“I was like, I’m just going to learn cursive on my own,” Gillette said. “I just want to write in cursive.”

Every passion set its roots somewhere back in time.

More than two decades later, Gillette, 32, writes in cursive for a living.

Gillette started StoneFawx Studios out of her Scott Twp. home two years ago centered on her specialty — calligraphy, a highly stylized version of cursive writing that dates back centuries.

Other stationery producers can offer products like wedding invitations with stylish lettering from computer programs.

Few produce them by hand, using the broad-tipped pens or writing instruments of calligraphers pretty similar to the ones the founders of the United States of America scratched across parchment to declare the new nation’s independence.

In immersing and teaching herself calligraphy, the kind of handwriting on the Declaration of Independence, Abbey Gillette gained a certain freedom herself 240 years later.

“To be very epic, yes,” Gillette said. “It just makes my blood pump, it’s really the most exciting thing and most fun thing I’ve ever done.”

Debi Zeinert, president of the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting, a national organization that promotes calligraphy, said Gillette is part of a massive growth of interest in calligraphy fueled by the internet with “gazillions” of modern calligraphers earning money across the country.

“The popularity has never been greater than it is now,” Zeinert said. “There’s many stories just like hers.”

For as long as she can remember, Gillette felt artistic and her mom encouraged her. She studied dance — ballet, tap and jazz. Her mom drew so she drew as she grew up. At Valley View High School, most students took a single art class a year. When she could, Gillette took two, drawing in charcoal, painting, sculpting.

She also loved computers, and developed a knowledge that helped when she studied graphic design at Philadelphia University. Nowadays, computers rule graphic design.

After graduating, she designed advertising and promotional materials for Hollywood Tans and managed one of the tanning chain’s salons. She also freelanced and planned to move to the West Coast. She came home to stay with her parents in Lackawanna County to prepare for the trip in 2011.

She never headed west.

She happened to reacquaint herself with Jayme Gillette, a childhood friend. They married in 2016 and their connection after she returned from Philadelphia and a general feeling that maybe California wasn’t such a great idea led her to stay here.

“It’s a big risk, there’s a lot of planning, a lot of money involved,” Gillette said. “It wasn’t a priority any more.”

Her love of computers led to a job at a local software company. Frustrated there, she joined a Wilkes-Barre company, Advertising Outsourcing, that designed advertising, which provided more of a creative outlet. She moved to Mac Sign Systems for two years after that, but the ultimate rush still eluded her.

“It really wasn’t my forever job,” Gillette said. “I found that I wanted to do something else, I wanted to do something more hands on. More drawing, more pencil to paper type stuff.”

The answer arrived as she planned her wedding. She wanted invitations that stood out.

She knew nothing about calligraphy, except that calligraphy intrigued her. She saw it on wedding invitations and while studying graphic design.

“It was always gorgeous to me, but oh my God, I could never imagine myself doing that,” she said.

For her wedding, she more than imagined it.

She designed her wedding invitations on a computer, but for the envelopes and the tags on potted plants that served as wedding favors, she turned to calligraphy. She never tried calligraphy before but taught herself using her artistic eye, tenacity and determination to make her wedding stand out. She practiced for months before actually addressing the invitation envelopes.

Wedding attendees asked her to do it for them. After she posted work on Instagram, strangers asked.

“I got to the point where I wanted to do something for mySelf and I (had) always told myself I never wanted a business, which is hilarious,” she said.

She began producing custom art fashioned out of words written in calligraphy. She can also draw customized illustrations without calligraphy, but her calligraphic skills separate her from others locally, she said.

Her work does not come cheap. An average wedding can cost $3,000 to $5,000, depending on how elaborate someone wants to go.

“It’s a luxury business,” she said.

As expensive as it sounds, remember, Gillette hand-addresses each envelope, and sometimes the place cards and other aspects.

Her wedding dabbling has turned into a serious business. Gillette has joined the national calligraphers group, and plans to keep studying.

“They have conferences, you go to them,” she said.

With a small stainless steel lamp lighting a blank page and her face, she pressed a calligraphic pen to the paper to demonstrate her skills. She works out of a second-floor office behind a desk that adds the formality of a business. The office started in the basement, but she found that too depressing.

No one who meets her will find Abbey Gillette depressing.

She bubbles with energy as she explains her craft and the evolution of her business.

“It’s more satisfying creatively,” Gillette said. “There’s limitations (in computers) — and I don’t mean like there’s limitations in terms of technology — but you’re working with a program, it’s still very mechanical.”

Holding a pen to produce calligraphy feels more human.

“Everybody wants nice handwriting,” Gillette said. “Anybody can write a letter to Santa with a Bic pen, but is it special?”

Did you know?

The name of Abbey Gillette’s Stonefawx Studios comes from a favorite movie, “The Virgin Suicides,” director Sofia Coppola’s first feature-length film in 1999.

A male character refers to a female character as “a stone cold fox.”

Gillette, who loves to play xBox online and considers the movie somewhat campy, said she adopted “stonefawx” as her gamer tag because “stonefox” was taken. When she started her business, she adopted the tag.

— BORYS KRAWCZENIUK

King’s College

Attorney Kelly Bray Snyder of Wilkes-Barre has been named annual giving leadership officer within the Office for Institutional Advancement at the college.

In her new role, she will identify and cultivate major gift prospects and build mutually supportive relationships with alumni, parents, faculty and staff, community partners and friends of the college. She will also be responsible for fundraising components of the annual Rev. James Lackenmier, C.S.C., Award for Achievement & Leadership event.

Since 2006, Bray Snyder has practiced residential and commercial real estate law.

Marywood

University

Patrick Fricchione, M.D., Linda B. Keene and Gerard Champi are serving as co-chairs of the university’s Fifth Annual Community Leadership Celebration set for Thursday, which will honor former Lt. Gov. William W. Scranton III and Maryla Scranton.

Fricchione, of Moosic, is a member of the university’s executive board and trustee. Fricchione’s connection to Marywood grew from his family’s association with the institution. The Fricchione Daycare Center, established in 1991, was the first large named philanthropy initiative at Marywood, as well as the first of many capital projects that would follow in subsequent years. Recently, he has served as a principal at his family’s business, Simplex Industries and Cornerstone Building Solutions.

Keene, of Taylor, has served as an executive assistant to the Scranton family for 50 years. In her position as executive assistant, she has had exposure to world affairs, local, state and national politics, and national and international business.

Champi, of Dunmore, serves as president and chief executive officer of FNCB Bank. He joined FNCB Bank in 1991 and has more than 30 years of banking experience.

Misericordia

University

Joseph Donahue, corporate relations coordinator of the Insalaco Center for Career Development, has been appointed to the Northeast Pennsylvania Hospital and Higher Education Authority. The authority was established under the Municipal Authorities Act of 1945 to provide access to the municipal bond market for health care providers and eligible educational institutions in Northeast Pennsylvania. Donahue, a resident of Pittston Twp., is one of six board members who volunteer to oversee the authority. His one-year term began in January.

Leamor Kahanov, Ed.D., A.T.C., L.A.T., dean of the College of Health Sciences and Education, recently co-authored the scholarly article, “Interprofessional Education Implementation in Occupational Therapy and the Health Sciences,’’ with professional colleagues and graduate students in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Kahanov collaborated with Dominique Lemire-Ross, M.C.A.T., M.T.-B.C., and Elaina DaLomba, Ph.D., O.T.R./L., M.S.W., and Terri Bugelholl of West Pittston, and Rebecca Hewit Pickel of Hummelstown, who graduated from the university’s master’s degree program in occupational therapy in 2017.

University of

the Sciences

Edward Foote, a resident of Trucksville, has been named dean at the university’s Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Foote has been serving as professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy of Wilkes University since 2004. He will start at USciences beginning July 1.

Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association

Wilkes-Barre attorney Jane M. Acri has been elected the 52nd president by the judges and lawyers of the association/the bar association of Luzerne County. Acri is a Northeast Pennsylvania native and has been practicing law for over 23 years in Pennsylvania. Her primary concentration is in family law matters. She was admitted to the bar in 1994.

Wright Center

for Primary Care

Joseph Anistranski, M.D., FAAFP, has joined the center as physician-faculty and will continue to serve his well-established patient base as a family medicine physician in Luzerne County. Concurrent with his role as a primary care provider, Anistranski will educate residents and interprofessional students in his role as faculty, preparing them to serve within the ever-changing health care landscape. He will practice medicine at the center’s newest location at 250 Old River Road, Wilkes-Barre. He also assumed the role of medical director of the center’s location at 335 S. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre, in mid-January.

SUBMIT PEOPLE ON THE MOVE items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Warmer spring temperatures that finally arrived are peachy for fruit farms.

Buds finally began to swell on peach trees at Brace’s Orchard in Dallas.

That’s a big change from last year at this time when they were already blossoming, said Paul Brace, who operates the fruit farm with his family.

“We’re thankful to have the crop,” said Brace, who has 20 acres of peach trees. “We’re still in the positive.”

Brace said it’s better that the weather took a turn from cold to warm rather than warm to cold because that ruins fruit on trees in bloom.

The recent unseasonably cold spring with relentless rain will delay peaches to reach the farmers markets, but the good news is it should only be by a week or two in July, Brace said.

Certain varieties of apples also likely will be delayed but probably not by much, he said.

“We’re at least a week behind,” he said. “We hope with this warmer weather, they will catch back up.”

Brace has been pruning peach trees to spark new growth to allow for easier harvesting.

He said he typically works about 100 hours a week on his ninth-generation family-owned fruit farm, which has been in business since 1828.

At Brace’s, they make cider out of a blend of at least 10 varieties of apples three days a week all year round, and 48 grocery stores throughout Northeast Pennsylvania sell it.

Brace’s newest venture is selling homemade fruit pies with apples, peaches, blueberries and cherries.

In addition to selling fruit at Brace’s Orchard, he also participates in farmers markets in Dallas, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Pittston that start in the summer.

“We’re looking forward to all our markets,” Brace said.

A generation ago, Brace said there were 88 fruit growers in Luzerne County. Now Brace’s and Heller Orchard in Wapwallopen, a third-generation business started in 1919, are the only two commercial tree fruit growers in Luzerne County.

Greg Heller, who owns Heller Orchard with his wife, Andrea, is happy with the way the weather has been progressing for peach and apple trees. The later spring has been sweet, he said.

“This is actually good. We don’t like when it warms up too fast,” Heller said. “This has been a perfect year for fruit.”

Heller also said peaches at his farm could be delayed a bit but he does not expect it will be long and said they could catch up. They typically start picking peaches in mid-July.

He said the late arrival of warmer weather has been better for fruit than the early spring that arrived during the last five years.

Apples are in much better shape than previous years, he said, adding it’s better when spring comes later than too early.

John Roba, owner of Roba Family Orchard in Scott Twp., also is pleased that the weather progressed from cold to warm rather than warm to cold.

“From our perspective, it’s a good thing,” said Roba, who has more than 16 acres of apples trees and grows about 20 different varieties of apples. “We’re less at risk for frost. An early spring is the worst thing for the fruit growers.”

Since opening in 2012, Roba has tripled the size of the orchard.

The earliest that some of the apples at Roba Family Orchard are in season is typically September. That could be delayed as a result of the recent cold weather but that will depend on how hot and humid is in the summer, Roba said.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115,

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter

Health system earns designation

Seven Geisinger hospitals have earned designations by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2018 LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Index. Geisinger Medical Center in Danville earned the LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Index “Leader” designation, the highest recognition possible. Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp. received “Top Performer” recognitions from the group.

New place to pay utility bills

After the closing of the “Happy Days” Store on Lackawanna Avenue on March 31, the new location to pay utility bills in Olyphant will now be Smoke Town, 594 Burke Bypass (next to Winners Circle Trophy Store).

Patient center opens in Wyoming Valley

Health Network Laboratories has opened a new patient service center in Mountain Top, bringing an upgraded laboratory-testing experience to patients in the Wyoming Valley, including many of those insured through Geisinger. Located in the Weis Shopping Plaza in Wright Twp. (237 S. Mountain Blvd., Unit D), the brand-new facility offers convenient early morning hours and a comfortable patient environment, along with HNL’s signature fast service, with an average waiting time of 15 minutes or less. Patients have access to a wide range of tests, from basic blood and specimen testing to the latest tests available for genetic conditions. All of these services can be accessed without an appointment.

Financial firms join forces

Fidelity Asset Management Services, a financial services firm located at Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank, has chosen to align with LPL Financial, a leader in the retail financial advice market and the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer. By aligning with LPL, Fidelity Asset Management Services gains access to the firm’s comprehensive array of tools, resources, technology and independent research to enable the delivery of objective financial advice.

SUBMIT BUSINESS BUZZ items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

DICKSON CITY — Alexandra Kochis hunched over a keypad while her friend and co-worker, Corinna Becker, read codes out loud.

Three other women crowded around them in the darkened room, breathless, while Kochis punched the buttons in what felt like a futile exercise.

Then, suddenly, it worked.

Click. Whoosh.

The five women, all colleagues with the Family Hearing Center in Kingston and Dallas, gasped as a hidden door unlatched and slowly drifted open.

The scene among the friends and co-workers played out at PA Escape Rooms in Dickson City, where any group, but increasingly groups of co-workers, book one of four themed puzzle scenarios for $25 per person.

They do it in the name of strengthening workplace rapport.

Team-building has grown into a pocket industry. New companies are cropping up dedicated to planning corporate retreats that include elements more akin to summer camp for middle school kids than working sessions for a financial firm.

“If you go back 10 to 20 years, it was the golf outing,” said Michael Levine, sales director at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in Monroe County.

Now retreat planners want a wider slate of options when arranging constructive leisure activities for their employees, he said.

“What the options allow is to find something everybody’s comfortable doing,” he said. “Not everybody’s comfortable going on the zip line, but you can put them in an escape room or you can put them in the arcade.”

Kalahari, an African-themed wonderland in Tobyhanna Twp. built around one of the country’s largest indoor water parks, believes so much in the fun side of corporate retreats that it’s expanding its footprint by more than double with 21 new meeting rooms and two new ballrooms.

One executive coach questioned the effectiveness of fun and games with colleagues, who already spend most of their time together anyway.

“In terms of actually improving functionality of teams, I don’t believe that you get the bang for the buck out of having people do some elaborate, fun day together. That’s not going to change the roles and responsibilities on your team,” said Maren Perry, an executive coach and founder of Arden Coaching, based in New York City.

Some smaller firms, for example, a young tech start-up led and staffed by millennials, might successfully build camaraderie playing paintball or bowling whereas a customer service agency, with employees across the age spectrum, might not find it appropriate.

The five colleagues at PA Escape Rooms solved complex series of riddles with moments to spare and a couple hints from the game master who was watching and listening from a control room. They try to spend a Friday night together often, just to change the pace.

Perry, the executive coach noted that escape rooms are different than some of the other activities. An escape room is focused on problem solving, which translates well to the workplace.

Clients often ask her to observe them in a problem-solving situation and critique them afterward.

Follow-up analysis after any event, even the most trivial, is the only way to improve a collaborative spirit, she said.

“A ropes course can teach you a lot,” she said. “You just have to apply it.”

Contact the writer: joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @jon_oc on Twitter

Officials will use dental and medical records to identify the bodies of a man and woman recovered from a fire Sunday in Scranton.

The two died after an altercation between police serving a protection-from-abuse order to a man who was living at 2116 Washburn St.

Authorities said Sunday they still have not located a third person who may have been inside.

Police have not publicly named the man they were serving.

The incident began when police arrived about 8 a.m. Saturday to serve the emergency court order.

When they knocked, the man lit fire to a couch. Police entered to extinguish the flames, and the man shot at them in the doorway.

The officers retreated and set up a perimeter around the house, calling in the Lackawanna County SWAT team and the city Special Operations Group.

Meanwhile, the man set other fires inside the house that soon engulfed the building.

Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano on Saturday said the bodies were burned too badly to be identified.

The Lackawanna County coroner’s office completed autopsies on the two victims Sunday. In a statement, Coroner Timothy Rowland said the deaths remain under investigation, and that his office would use medical and dental records to identify both victims.

CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES.

Contact the writer: joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @jon_oc on Twitter

The Lackawanna County district attorney’s office this week plans to file charges related to a fatal crash in Benton Twp. in which a prominent Susquehanna County school official died.

District Attorney Mark Powell on Friday did not disclose what the office would charge but did say that charges are forthcoming. They will come more than three months after a wreck on Interstate 81 near the Susquehanna County line left Patricia L. Pasierb, Ed.D., 62, of Jefferson Twp., dead.

Pasierb, the director of special services at the Mountain View School District, died Jan. 22 when the Subaru she was in collided head-on with another vehicle near mile marker 205 in the southbound lanes.

The Subaru, driven north by Rebecca Giordano, also a district employee, veered off the road and into a grassy median after being clipped by a merging Volkswagen Jetta driven by Jacob Bennett of Rahway, New Jersey.

The Subaru traveled into the southbound lane and collided with a Ford Escape driven by Nicole Onofrey of Union Dale. Pasierb died at the scene.

State police Sgt. Michael Joyce, commander of the Gibson station, headed an accident reconstruction.

Trooper Mark Keyes, a spokesman for the Dunmore barracks, said last week the crash investigation was completed and sent to the district attorney’s office for review to determine what, if any, charges would be appropriate to file.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9144; @jkohutTT on Twitter

MONDAY UPDATE brings

Times-Tribune readers up to date on past or pending stories of interest. To offer a suggestion for a Monday Update, please email metrodesk@timesshamrock.com with “Monday Update” in the

subject line.

April 30, 1968

Two major fires in Scranton overnight

Scranton firefighters were busy the evening of April 29 with two major fires — one in Pine Brook and one in North Scranton.

The fire in North Scranton was at Kelly’s Lunch, 115 W. Market St. It was called around 10 p.m. by a patron of Gilbride’s Cafe, 113 W. Market St., who had gone outside and smelled smoke.

Firefighters rescued Eugene O’Brien from the apartment above the lunchroom. O’Brien was taken to Scranton State General Hospital for smoke inhalation. After a second alarm was called, firefighters got the blaze under control by 11 p.m.

The second fire was at a vacant home at 335-37 New St. Scranton police discovered the fire shortly after the second alarm was called on the Market Street blaze. Fire officials reported one side of the vacant home was damaged by the fire, which appeared to have been deliberately set.

Wilkes-Barre was also the scene of general alarm fire that night. A structure at 42 E. Northampton St. — home to S&B Restaurant, Manfield Ballroom and the Marco Polo Room — was destroyed by flames. More than 100 Wilkes-Barre firefighters battled the blaze for several hours.

Vocational school gets thumbs-up

Lackawanna County commissioners endorsed the creation of two vocational-technical schools and urged that all school districts in the county support the effort.

The school directors from the county’s schools were to meet at Abington Heights High School on May 13 to form the county Vocational-Technical School Board.

BRIAN FULTON, library

manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history.

Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or

570-348-9140.

PHOTOS: Space exploration day at All Saints Academy

Police believe a third person’s remains lie beneath the rubble of a West Scranton home gutted by fire Saturday.

Authorities have not identified two other victims, a man and a woman, pulled from the duplex where police went Saturday morning to serve an emergency protection-from-abuse order.

Police also have not named the man to whom they were serving the order, but say he shot at officers and torched the home after they knocked.

“We searched the areas that we could safely access, but the home cannot be safely entered any further and it may have to be slowly taken apart to search the other inaccessible areas,” Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano said in a text message Sunday.

Today authorities plan to bring in equipment and personnel to dismantle the building, the chief said.

Property records show sisters Rosemary Smith and Sister Angela Miller, I.H.M., owned the home at 2114-2116 Washburn St. with two others.

Neighbors say Rosemary Smith’s son, Alan M. Smith, lived on one side with his mother and her sister lived on the other side. A PFA order from September 2017 against Alan Smith also links him to the address.

Officials have not confirmed the names of any victims or the shooter who started the fire.

Alan Smith, 49, had a checkered past, and in 2007 pleaded guilty to stalking two teenagers and child pornography possession.

Police also considered him a suspect in the 2005 death of his longtime acquaintance, Joseph Morrison.

An officer guarded the Washburn Street home all day Sunday, parked across the street in a cruiser.

Passing motorists slowed to take in the charred shell of a building. Some pulled into the parking lot near the patrol car, stared quietly for a few minutes, then moved on.

An excavator with a grapple claw sat off the front yard and yellow crime scene tape ringed the heavy equipment and the rest of the property warning away passersby from heaped bricks and charred building materials that were once a home.

The incident began when police arrived about 8 a.m. Saturday to serve the emergency court order.

When they knocked, the man they were trying to reach set fire to a couch. Police entered to extinguish the flames. The man shot at them in the doorway, police said.

The officers retreated and set up a perimeter around the house, calling in the Lackawanna County SWAT team and the Scranton police Special Operations Group.

Meanwhile, the man lit other fires inside the house, and it soon was engulfed.

No police or firefighters were injured.

The Lackawanna County Coroner’s office completed autopsies on the two victims Sunday. Rowland said that both deaths remain under investigation, and that his office would use medical and dental records to confirm the identities of the victims.

On Saturday, Graziano said both bodies were burned beyond recognition.

Neil Ivanoff lives in the neighborhood and often walks his dog on Washburn Street. He said a man who introduced himself as “Al” would often greet him from the porch of the home.

“He was very cordial. I liked the guy, from what I knew,” Ivanoff said, adding that he later found out about his past and was surprised, but not dissuaded from speaking with his neighbor.

Alan Smith got along well with Ivanoff’s dog, and the dog seemed to like him.

He also described what appeared to be a warm relationship between mother and son.

“She looked out for him,” he said.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

SCRANTON

The five Democratic candidates are scheduled to debate Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the University of Scranton.

The debate will take place in the Moskovitz Theater on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center, 900 Mulberry St., Scranton.

The candidates are Randy Castellani, of Archbald; Robert Castellani, of Blakely; Kyle Mullins, of Blakely; Tom Carlucci, of Dunmore; and Francis McHale, of Scranton.

Admission is free and open to the public.

— STAFF REPORT

Abington Heights

Phoebe Sebring is the editor of the Abington Heights yearbook.

She manages a staff and oversees the layout of the book. Phoebe also puts time in to check each page herself.

A diligent worker, Phoebe is the daughter of Kevin and Kate Sebring.

She is also the National Honor Society vice president and student council treasurer and a member of the school’s transition team.​​

In her senior year, Phoebe plans to study nursing at either the University of Pittsburgh or Penn State.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Carbondale Area

Emma McHale helps sell hot chocolate, brownies, assorted crackers, cookies, school spirit shirts, pencils, tablets and other school supplies at the Carbondale Area school store.

“I really like baking and selling the snacks,” she said. “I also like pushing the food cart around the cafeteria to sell our home-baked goods.”

Emma is part of Nicole Karausky’s life skills class. Emma and her peers are in charge of keeping a tally of the supplies sold. They also learned to count change, how the percent markup for merchandise is determined, to balance books and figure out the amount of goods to buy.

“I’m learning a lot about money and finance and inventory,” Emma said.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Career Technology Center

Anna Nulter, a senior in the Service Occupations program, has a determined work ethic that has made her well-rounded and outstanding beyond academics.

A student council representative, Anna participated in the SkillsUSA competition in Hershey for two years. She completed a co-op position for a nine-week job program at the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center in Scranton.

Anna also works as a cashier at McDonald’s and participates in track and field at Dunmore High School. After graduation, she will continue her education at Empire Beauty School.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

Delaware Valley

Sophomore Laina Bogusta is already a force to be reckoned with at school.

During her freshman year, she surpassed the school record for the 3,200-meter and was selected as the up-and-coming runner for cross country, as well as the outstanding track and field athlete as a freshman. She also served as cross country captain this year.

“Being involved in school-related activities has had a positive impact on my life. It has taught me leadership skills and self-discipline, which are both traits that I will use throughout my life,” Laina said.

In addition, she volunteers at the school’s ACE cross country summer camp. “I love being able to help kids learn the importance of running,” she added.

Laina hopes to be the school record holder for all of track and field and cross country’s distance events.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9130

Dunmore

Senior Marley Palmere was named to All-State Orchestra for clarinet and represented her school at the recent event. Since September, she has auditioned and advanced at district and regional levels, and is only the second all-state instrumentalist from the high school in the past 30 years.

A member of the marching band, concert band and jazz band, Marley was also woodwind captain and secretary of the school’s music guild. In addition to her musical activities at school, she also participates in the Marywood Youth Wind Ensemble and the Keystone Symphonic Band.

“It has always been a part of my life, and I feel inspired when I play,” Marley said.

Concerning the news of achieving state level, she said, “I was quite surprised. I’ve worked really hard on my own, but the music department at Dunmore has prepared me well and given me many opportunities. I am proud to represent Dunmore at the state level.”

Marley plans on majoring in psychology at Moravian College and continuing with music as a hobby.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9130

Forest City

Regional

Senior David Grosel worked the high school sports concession stand for Athletic Director Brian Durkin as his senior project.

His duties included setting up, selling and stocking concession merchandise for all boys/girls basketball and volleyball games. Proceeds benefit the letterman’s club to support student athletes.

“I enjoyed working with people and interacting socially,” he said.

David is active with the band, chorus and ski club, and also works outside of school.

He will be furthering his education in biology at Wilkes University.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9130

Holy Cross

Sophomore Matthew Kelly and other members of the history club recently took a trip to Baltimore.

On the trip, which students spent months planning and fundraising for, the club visited the historic Fort McHenry, which played a pivotal role in the War of 1812, and explored the Baltimore Inner Harbor.

“It was one of the most memorable moments so far for me at Holy Cross,” Matthew said of the educational excursion.

Matthew also is a member of the Tobacco Resistance Unit.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Lackawanna Trail

Quinn Jagoe earned the rank of Eagle Scout in February.

The senior’s final project was coordinating the restoration of athletic facilities at Lackawanna Trail.

He began his Scouting career at Troop 412 of the Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. Quinn and his family relocated to Northeast Pennsylvania.

Quinn is a starting member of the varsity football team. He signed a letter of intent to play football at Wilkes University next year, where he plans to major in business and finance.

He will be recognized at an Eagle Scout ceremony this May in Pasadena, Maryland.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter

Lakeland

Shane Novitsky was crowned king during Lakeland’s prom on April 21.

He was coronated after his name was pulled from the hat. The prom queen, Maria Good, is Shane’s childhood best friend.

“It made the night extra special to stand there with Maria,” said Shane. “It was a night to remember.”

Shane is a member of Mu Alpha Theta, Future Business Leaders of America and the newspaper club. He plays on the baseball and golf teams.

After graduation, he plans to attend the University of Scranton for computer science.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mid Valley

Justin Gohsler volunteers to teach younger kids the basics and mechanics of baseball.

In his junior year, Justin is also a varsity baseball pitcher.

He also volunteers with the Scranton Marathon and helps fundraise for an old baseball facility. He is a member of the Leo Club and French club and was recently inducted into the National Honor Society.

Although he still has a year left of high school, Justin hopes to attend the University of Virginia and pursue a career in the medical field while playing baseball.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mountain View

Senior Mason Fries is among the students who will be featured at the upcoming Arts Alive event at the high school.

On Wednesday, Mountain View will host the annual event that showcases student talent in visual and performing arts.

Mason will have several black and white pencil and pure ink drawings on display.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’ve had artwork entered into Arts Alive in the past but haven’t had my own display before.”

Finishing his artwork proved to be the biggest challenge because he works slowly, spending several hours on each drawing, he said.

Overall, the event is rewarding because it allows students who are interested in art to get noticed and recognized for their abilities, Mason said.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

Old Forge

Two brothers shared the distinction of being Devil PRIDE Students of the Month last month.

Kindergartener Brayden Guida and second-grader Bryce Guida earned the awards in March.

“This was my first award and I felt so happy and excited to get this award,” Brayden said. “I get my jobs done in school, such as clean up my area, and I help others.”

Bryce earned his award for being a quiet student and always helpful to his teacher.

“I was shocked because my brother and I received Devil PRIDE awards in the same month,” he said.

Both boys are involved in baseball and basketball but most enjoy playing video games with each other.

— CLAYTON OVER

cover@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5363;

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

Riverside

Students in grades three through six are taking part in today’s science fair in the multipurpose room of East Elementary.

“I’m excited and nervous because it’s my first time and I have to present to the people,” Kaysha Vasquez said.

Kaysha and Jessdaly Torres, both fourth-graders, worked together to make a functional volcano.

“I think it will explode because we have been experimenting with it already,” Jessdaly said.

The fair, organized by the school’s student council organization, is taking place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9130

Scranton

A team of West Scranton High School juniors placed second and third in two events earlier this month at an annual engineering contest at Wilkes University.

The team includes Evan Krysko, Maura Turi, Adam Mehall, Jake Butka, Cloe Capalongo, Caitlynn Woyshnar, Emily Rose, Jessica Paluskas, Emilia Doda and Milagros Cervantes.

At the university’s Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Olympics on April 13, the juniors competed against other high schools in five events that challenged their engineering know-how and creativity, the Scranton School District said.

They decoded complicated electrical circuits, built a boat designed to support a heavy load, designed a mouse trap car and fashioned an effective water filter.

Later, they toured the university.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

jkohut@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-91444;

@jkohutTT on Twitter

Scranton Prep

When Clare Collins , 18, of Scranton, rode into Houston from Galveston, billboards still blasted a message of unity in a city still recovering from Hurricane Harvey.

The Scranton Preparatory School senior spent spring break, April 2 to April 8, working alongside 16 fellow students refurbishing a home with Habitat for Humanity.

The group installed doors, hung siding and painted for a needy family of five who suffered through the storm, she said. Though they weren’t in parts of Texas hit hardest by the August 2017 hurricane, they felt the aftershock of one of the nation’s costliest storms lingering.

Billboards along the highway entering the city still read: “Help rebuild Houston.”

“You feel just so good when you know what you’re doing is helping another person, especially after the horrific events that happened in Houston,” she said. “I didn’t just waste my spring break sitting at home.”

— JON O’CONNELL

joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

Susquehanna

Seventh-grader Tatum Norris is a competitive gymnast.

She practices four days a week, three to four hours a day, at Head Over Heels Gymnastics in Vestal, New York, she said.

Tatum competes at the gold/platinum level, and she recently came in fourth place at the World’s AA at the silver level, she said.

She also received first place at the Monkeyin’ Around Gymnastic Competition in the platinum level.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

Valley View

Junior Taylor Bonacci placed in the Northeastern PTA Council Reflections 2D/Visual Arts Competition.

“I felt very excited because it is the first thing I’ve ever won,” Taylor said. “It feels good to have something to be proud of and have my hard work pay off.”

This year’s theme was Within Reach.

Taylor is also a member of the reading team.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Wallenpaupack

Nolan Teeple , 7, is a second-grader at Wallenpaupack North Primary School.

He has a 6-year-old sister, Aubry, who’s in kindergarten. They moved to Pennsylvania from New York a year ago.

Nolan enjoys watching baseball with his dad. The Atlanta Braves is his favorite team.

“I like the Braves because I was born in Atlanta,” he said.

Nolan enjoys going to school because he enjoys learning, he said. He likes gym class and going to the computer lab where he can play games on the computer, he said.

His favorite books are the Humphrey series of books by Betty G. Birney because Humphrey, a hamster, is very curious, he said.

His parents are Ronald and Mignon Teeple.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

Wayne Highlands

Senior Leah Neu is the president of the Wayne Highlands chapter of the Future Farmers of America.

In 2017, Honesdale High School supported a local chapter of the national farming organization for the first time since the 1970s.

Along with the FFA, Leah is active in her church’s youth group, basketball, cross country and ski club. She is enrolled in agriculture classes, including forestry, natural resources, food processing, animal science and horticulture.

“Being the president of the FFA means a lot,” she said. “I meet a lot of new people and a learn many new life skills. FFA is a huge part of my life and I’m very excited to have it back in Honesdale.”

Leah plans to pursue a career in fish hatchery.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

Western Wayne

Evergreen Elementary is taking a stand against sedentary lifestyles and making physical activity a lifetime priority for students.

The school is partnering with Marathon Kids for the program. Sponsored by Nike, Marathon Kids aims to help kids live healthier, happier lifestyles, according to its website.

Forty-eight fifth-grade students accepted the challenge to run the distance of four marathons, or 104.8 miles, over the course of the school year.

Participants run at their own pace and track their miles. After each marathon, students receive awards for reaching the milestone.

Lance Maiocco is the first student to complete a full marathon of 26.2 miles.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181