MAKING HEADLINES
The respect and admiration Damon Chiodo
holds for his brother Devin Tomei was felt
in an essay he wrote about his hero. The
surprise homecoming was captured on
camera and fetched national attention.
“Who is my hero?” Sixth grade
English/Language Arts teacher
Cynthia Bevan asked students to write
an essay about a hero. For Damon
Chiodo, there was no question: “My hero
is my brother, Devin Tomei,” he wrote.
Damon’s heartfelt essay shared a simple
story. Specialist Devin Tomei was
stationed in Germany as a U.S. army
helicopter mechanic where he
maintained and repaired Chinook or CH-
47 helicopters. “Hundreds of army
missions depend on these helicopters, “
Damon penned, “And my brother must
make sure that all of them are safe and
ready to fly.” When Damon was in third
grade, his brother left for the army.
Though they communicated by phone,
Damon missed the companionship they
once shared. Damon wrote, “My brother is
brave and smart. He is always there for
me, even if I just want to talk. I am very
proud of him for choosing to protect me
and everyone in the United States. He is
not just my brother. He is also my friend.”
On September 29, Damon was reading his
essay to classmates in the school’s
auditorium when his brother walked onto
the stage. “Devin!” he screamed with
shock, before jumping into his brother’s
arms. Local news stations and
newspapers sent cameramen to capture
the surprise homecoming. The story was
featured on Pittsburgh news channels,
Sunday evening’s World News Tonight
with David Muir, and Inside Edition. To
celebrate the first day with his big
brother, Damon was given the day off
from school. Devin’s visit with family was
memorable although brief. In October, he
headed to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky to
continue his service in the army.
52 Carlynton-Montour
continued
“When given the choice between
being right or being kind, choose
kind!” Fourth graders from Carnegie
Elementary school have learned that
lesson while reading the novel Wonder by
R.J. Palicio. The main character in the
novel, Auggie, is born with facial
deformities. The storyline teaches
personal and academic lessons as Auggie
starts schools and tries to fit in. Teacher
Julie Lewis said the book prompted in-
depth discussions with students. “They
are thinking of others and how their
actions affect the people around them,”
As part of an assignment related to the novel
Wonder, students created faces to resemble
the main character in the book and then wrote
five approaches to show kindness to others.
Twins London and Paris Lee sported black and gold face paint to show their support of
the Penguins.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, in partnership with
its Future Goals program, chose Carnegie Elementary as the
recipient of 100 tickets for a Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
game at the PPG Arena on Saturday afternoon, September
30. Teacher Scott Donnelly received the tickets in response
to submitting evidence of STEM instruction in the classroom.
For some, it was the first time to witness a professional hockey
game. The Future Goals program is sponsored by EverFi, a nationwide critical skills
education platform. Using hockey to teach lessons, classroom curriculum was
provided for students to learn the engineering design behind hockey equipment.
It also provided the op