IN Carlynton-Montour Fall 2019 | Page 44

ENVIROTHON CHAMPS The 2019 Envirothon competition, hosted by the West Jefferson Hills School District, was held on the grounds of South Park. With over 250 students competing from school districts across Allegheny County, the Carlynton middle school team (pictured above) of Sean Hart, Bailey Vetter, Ella Snyder, Caden Crow and Wilson Choate finished in a three-way tie for first place. The outdoor contest featured a variety of challenging environmental stations and activities that allowed over 40 teams of students to follow a rotation schedule to find solutions to present- day environmental issues. The annual spelling bee for 15 Carnegie Elementary third graders left some stumped with words such as “ultimatum” or “tarantula.” Prevailing and named victor of the bee was a delighted Caleigh Lynch, who edged out Noah Natale and Kiley Clapperton for the win. Sponsored by the Carnegie-Collier Rotary, and held in Carnegie Elementary third grade spelling bee winners included Caleigh Lynch, Noah Natale, and Kiley Clapperton. 42 CARLYNTON conjunction with the annual gift of dictionaries for the third grade classes, the top three winners took home prizes of Target gift cards and colorful certificates. Caleigh also won the chance to compete in a regional spelling bee held at Seven Springs Resort in May. High school students enrolled in an A.P. U.S. Government course traveled to Gettysburg in the spring to tour the battlefields in the Gettysburg National Military Park. Using curriculum learned in class, the teens were able to explore the area and recreate moments in history. Individuals role-played scenes or battles that took place during the Civil War, including the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee’s second and most determined invasion of the North. The day-trip to Gettysburg was used as an extension to social studies teacher While standing in the fields where bloody battles were once fought, rising seniors Dakota Mayfield, Jaimee Cabili, Elana Heffner and Haley Simcic re-enacted a scene from the Civil War. Rising seniors Izaiah Babish, Jane Grabowski, Camryn Kwaitkoski, Olivia Robb, Anya Carrasco, and Elizabeth Duffy used a large, flat rock in the middle of a battlefield as a stage to interpret a moment in history from the Civil War. Standing on the same spot once occupied in 1863 by former President Abraham Lincoln, Savannah Sevacko read the famed “Gettysburg Address” to peers and nearby visitors. Laura Begg’s U.S. government course and provided straightforward lessons about some of the most brutal battles of the Civil War. Sixth graders Charlie Burcham, Mateo Carrasco, Lana Mihelcic, and Uzochi Orji captured first place at the Battle of the Books competition held at the Children’s Choice Literature Festival in May at Soldiers and Sailors Hall in Oakland. Earning a respectable second place were fourth graders Emery Delrosario and Akachukwu Orji and second graders Emmet Spitzer and Lexi Wiater. The competition prompts responses to questions about the characters and plot of an assigned reading book. For their accomplishments, the champions received tickets to a Pirate game and drawstring backpacks. In light of a peer who experienced a devastating fire earlier in the school year, members of the Carlynton National Junior Honor Society launched a “Cougar Closet,” a space to store donations of gently-used clothing, shoes, books, and other items. The “closet” will be maintained as a safe place for students-in-need to privately “shop” for provisions. To further supplement the variety of items available in the Cougar Closet, NJHS members held a campaign to