IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Summer 2019 | Page 73

LEAD Assembly at
Brentwood
Social media, drugs and alcohol, bullying…these
are all issues that can present challenges for kids as
they navigate through their teenage years.
Allegheny County District Judge Ron Arnoni
and National Youth Speaker and author Brad
Killmeyer addressed each of these topics during a
recent presentation for students in grades 8-12 at
Brentwood Middle/High School. As a Brentwood
graduate and former mayor of Brentwood, Judge
Arnoni told the students that he feels a special
obligation to help them make good decisions
and avoid the negative consequences that poor
decisions can bring.
Judge Arnoni and Mr. Killmeyer recently
established the LEAD program to “inspire students
to achieve their goals.” The acronym LEAD stands
for Leadership, Education, Accountability, and
Direction. During the assembly, Judge Arnoni and Mr. Killmeyer used statistics, videos, and real life situations to educate the students
about the impact that their decisions can have on themselves as well as their friends and families. In addition to discussing the
dangers of negative behaviors, Judge Arnoni and Mr. Killmeyer also presented the students with the 5 D’s that they consider “Keys to
Success”: Direction, Distractions, Decisions, Discipline, and Development.
After the presentation, the students had an opportunity to ask questions of the guest speakers. When asked his favorite part of
being a judge, Mr. Arnoni responded that this position provides him with an opportunity to help people. By taking time to meet with
students across the region to present the LEAD program, Judge Arnoni and Mr. Killmeyer are certainly making an effort help students
to be their best!
Brentwood Middle School
Students Offer Solutions
A group of 8th graders (Lindon Arboleda, Katelynn Handa, Jamie Kurtz,
Rachel Levandowski, Myranda Mackoff, Kenny Pfeil, Gabrielle Sedlar,
Rylee Sell, Candler Smith, and Sam Tujague) at Brentwood Middle School
participated in an essay contest where they were asked to offer solutions
to address veteran homelessness in our communities. The essay contest
was sponsored by American Legion Post #935 in Baldwin. Student solutions
covered a broad range of topics including things like creating new social
programs for veterans, attempting to increase the role of American Legions
in local communities, and focusing on the mental health of veterans as they
reintegrate to civilian life. Students worked to complete the essays on their
own time; all materials and requirements were made available to them
electronically using Microsoft Teams. This allowed students to work on their
essays when it was convenient for them and did not interfere with other
extracurricular activities or school-related functions. Students stayed after
school one day to complete peer reviews of the essays; showing a true team
approach even though their essays would be judged against their peers’
work. The students would like to send a special “thank you” to Big Guys Pizza
(3600 Brownsville Road; 412-892-9672) who donated pizzas for students
during their peer review session.
BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL
❘
SUMMER 2019
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