perform seated readings of some of the
original work before peers and other
teachers. Classmates then offered
valuable feedback about the insightful
and thought-provoking writings. The
young playwrights followed strict
submission guidelines as outlined in the
Standard American Formatting Guide for
play writing. Plays submitted for the
contest will be reviewed and judged by a
committee made up of authors, actors,
teachers, editors, and literary critics. Every
entry will receive feedback and six plays,
out of over 400 submissions, will be
chosen to be fully staged and performed
at City Theater in the fall. Students writing
and submitting original work included
Hunter Bedzel, Kaitlyn Crowell, Jane
Grabowski, Hayley Kerns, Bellaire
Lowry, Aerial McNeil, Lacey Rybacki,
Rose Talmonti, Rachel Welsh, Marshall
Whitaker, and Kevin Zhang.
continued
students in the fall.
In early April,
Emery Delrosario
of Crafton secured
the title of spelling
bee champion
following a
competition held in
The Carnegie-Collier the Crafton
Rotary sponsored the Borough
Carnegie Elementary
third grade spelling Community Center
with competing third
bee. Champion
Justice Ogar edged
graders from Crafton
past Emma Arnold
and Grayson Jodon, Elementary, Montour
second and third
Elementary and St.
place finishers, for
Philip School. Near
the win.
the end of April,
Justice Ogar of Carnegie celebrated a
first place win over 14 other finalists in his
class, following a competition in the
school’s auditorium. As champions, Emery
and Justice advanced to a regional
spelling bee held at Seven Springs in May,
YOUNG INVENTORS
Senior Kaitlyn Crowell (seated left), who
wrote the play “The Self-Proclaimed Mean
Girl,” performs a seated reading of the piece
with sophomores Jane Grabowski and
Hayley Kerns, freshman Kevin Zhang, and
senior Bellaire Lowry.
Sixth graders Caden Crow, Gabe
DiPietro, Ella Snyder, Bailey
Vetter and Amyah Wren brought home a
third place title in the 2018 Envirothon
competition held in April. The
competition gauges student knowledge
of environmental topics including
aquatics, land and soil, forestry, wildlife,
and current events. Students in grades six,
seven and eight from a number of area
school districts took part in the
competition.
Every spring, Carnegie and
Crafton elementary third grade
pupils compete in an annual spelling bee
contest. The bee is sponsored by the
Carnegie-Collier and Crafton-Ingram
rotaries who donate dictionaries to
46
CARLYNTON-MONTOUR
Sixth graders Caden Crow
and Gabriel DiPietro secured
a silver and bronze medal,
respectively, at the annual invention
convention held in the junior-senior
high school in late April. The event
hosted 38 students from eight area
schools districts who exhibited self-
made inventions to address everyday
challenges. Fifth grader Eva Milliner
and sixth grader Ella Snyder received
the Triple Crown Award, given to
those who have participated in a
convention for three or more years.
competing against
students from 40
area school
districts.
Seniors
Saman
Majed and Sean
Steding received
Emery Delrosario
the prestigious
of Crafton captured
SHASDA
Award at a
the spelling bee
conference held in
title sponsored by
the Crafton-Ingram
Southpointe in April.
Rotary. He and
SHASDA, or South
Justice advanced
to a regional
Hills Area School
competition held at Districts Association,
Seven Springs.
is represented by 23
South Hills area superintendents who
meet monthly to collaborate and share
ideas with a focus on meeting the
demands necessary for educating
students. Each year, SHASDA selects and
recognizes two students from every
school district who have succeeded in the
face of adversity. Saman and Sean were
honored for hard work and diligence to
attain a higher grade point average while
remaining involved in a number of STEM-
related school activities. The keynote
speaker for the conference was 2015
Carlynton graduate Conor Richardson, a
pivotal player for the Duquesne University
women’s basketball team. She addressed
the 2018 theme of conference, “Viewing
Obstacles as Opportunities to Succeed,”
by sharing that dedication and
perseverance pay off. Despite surgery for
scoliosis and some serious setbacks with
injuries, she overcame to play basketball
at the collegiate level and complete an
undergraduate degree in three years.
SHASDA also hosts a student forum every
spring, bringing together hundreds of
students in roundtable discussions to
gain a better understanding of what
teens hope to gain from a high school
education.
SHASDA award winners Sean Steding and
Saman Majed with Principal Michael Loughren.