High notes
St. Clare/St. Paul eighth grader Rocco Rinaldi raised more than $7,000 to replace broken or outdated drinking fountains at his school.
Rocco solicited various businesses and banks for donations and received funds from fellow students during the school’s $2 pay-to-dress- down day.
The project took into consideration the benefit of the student community and demonstrated caring and responsibility for fellow students, according to the school.
Through Rocco’s donations, three new fountains will be installed at the school’s main campus and one will be installed at the primary campus.
A member of the honor society, Rocco embodied the society in his strive to demonstrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, character and citizenship.
St. Clare/St. Paul students pledge daily to give back to their school, their community and their world, and Rocco lives this pledge, the school said.
Super students
Keyonna Snedeker, a visually impaired Mountain View Elementary student, wrote a braille letter to teacher, Mike Penn, who went on a research expedition to Antarctica.
Keyonna’s teacher of the visually impaired, Tracey Ranze, helped her with the letter and made sure it was delivered to Penn, who works as a teacher of the gifted at Shaler Area School District, near Pittsburgh.
After his expedition was over, Penn visited the school and gave a presentation on his adventure to the entire second grade at Mountain View Elementary.
Penn was in Antarctica for six weeks as part of the PolarTREC program, a National Science Foundation-funded program that connects teachers with researchers. He worked with a scientific research team from the University of Wisconsin studying Antarctic meteorology and climate science at both McMurdo Station and Amundsen-Scott Station.
While at the school, Penn gave Keyonna a framed photograph of him holding her letter at the geographic South Pole. He also brought extreme cold weather clothing to show the students. Keyonna tried on the clothes and described them as “very hot.”
Penn encouraged the second graders to consider science as a career.
Holiday shop with local authors, vendors
The Lackawanna Historical Society will present a Local History Holiday Emporium featuring local authors and vendors.
The authors on hand to sign books include poet Sandra Burgette Miller, who tells the story of her ancestor’s experience on the Underground Railroad through verse; author Gary Ryman and his firefighting memoirs; Julie Esty’s tales of the “stories in stone” found in the Dunmore Cemetery; Nancy McDonald’s work discusses why if you can play Scranton, you can play anywhere; Kathleen Munley’s work focuses on the scandal of the Freach-Keen murders; Cheryl Kashuba provides a look at Scranton through time; Bill Conlogue, a Marywood English professor, combines poetry, memoir and environmental history; author Ron Moskalczak details heavy industrial history in his works on Scranton’s automobiles and Maccar trucks; Carbondale Historical Society President
S. Robert Powell will have research on the Delaware & Hudson Railroad; Jay Luke’s work examines coal mining in Olyphant; Nick Petula outlines the history of Scranton schools, neighborhoods and Civil War soldiers in his stories; and Stephanie Longo profiles the Italian ethnic communities in the region.
Also, Scranton Lace and letterpress designs from Chris Medley of Crow Designs and handmade items from Juliana Piccini will be available.
The marketplace will be held Saturday, Dec. 14, from noon to 3 p.m. at the society’s headquarters, the Catlin House, 232 Monroe Ave., Scranton. For details, contact the Lackawanna Historical Society at 570-344-3841 or email lackawannahistory@gmail.com.