WHAT’S NEWS IN CHARTIERS VALLEY
CHARTIERS VALLEY
SCHOOL DISTRICT’S
MUSIC EDUCATION
PROGRAM RECEIVES
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Chartiers Valley School District was
honored with the Best Communities for
Music Education designation from the
NAMM Foundation for its outstanding
commitment to music education.
Now in its 20th year, the Best
Communities for Music Education
designation is awarded to districts that
demonstrate outstanding achievement
in efforts to provide music access and
education to all students. To qualify,
Chartiers Valley answered detailed
questions about funding, graduation
requirements, music class participation,
instruction time, facilities, and support
for the music programs. Responses were
verified with school officials and reviewed
by the Music Research Institute at the
University of Kansas.
This award recognizes that Chartiers
Valley is leading the way with learning
opportunities as outlined in the Every
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The
legislation guides implementation in the
states and replaces the No Child Left
Behind Act, which was often criticized
for an overemphasis on testing while
leaving behind subjects such as music.
ESSA recommends music and the arts
as important elements of a well-rounded
education for all children.
Research into music education
continues to demonstrate educational/
cognitive and social skill benefits for
children who make music. After two years
of music education, research found that
participants showed more substantial
improvements in how the brain processes
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speech and reading scores than their less-
involved peers and that students who are
involved in music are not only more likely
to graduate high school, but also to attend
college.
Everyday listening skills are stronger in
musically trained children than in those
without music training. Significantly,
listening skills are closely tied to the ability
to perceive speech in a noisy background,
pay attention, and keep sounds in memory.
Later in life, individuals who took music
lessons as children show stronger neural
processing of sound and young adults and
even older adults who have not played
an instrument for up to 50 years show
enhanced neural processing compared
to their peers. Not to mention the social
benefits, which include conflict resolution,
teamwork skills, and how to give and
receive constructive criticism.
A 2015 study supported by the NAMM
Foundation, “Striking a Chord,” also
outlines the overwhelming desire by
teachers and parents for music education
opportunities for all children as part of the
school curriculum.
CHAR VALLEY CUSTODIAN
HONORED FOR SERVICE
AT CHAMPIONS OF
LEARNING AWARDS
CELEBRATION
Winners in six categories took center
stage, along with two individuals receiving
Special Tributes for lifelong service to
the region’s youth, when the Consortium
for Public Education and United Way of
Southwestern Pennsylvania presented their
annual Champions of Learning Awards.
Chartiers Valley School District
custodian Dona Gaudio was honored in the
School Staff category. Awards also went to:
• Melting Pot Ministries Executive
Director Brenda Atkins Lockley in the
Leadership category
• Plum Borough School District teacher
J.R. Pilyih in the category
K-6 Educators
• East Allegheny School District teacher
Holly Spallone in the category
Educators in Grades 7-12
• Jewish Family and Community
Services Volunteer Coordinator
Andrew Van Treeck in the Community
Partners category
icmags.com
• Urban Impact Foundation volunteer
Abbie Manges in the Volunteers category.
The Consortium and United Way
also conferred Special Tributes upon
Bill Strickland, Founder and Executive
Chairman of the Manchester Bidwell
Corp., and Bob Nelkin, who is retiring as
president and chief executive officer of
United Way.
FREE PRODUCE THROUGH
THE FARMERS MARKET
PROGRAM FOR ELIGIBLE
SENIORS
Allegheny County residents 60 years
and older may be eligible to receive a set of
four checks for a total of $20 to purchase
locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables
through the Senior Farmers Market
Nutrition Program, administered by the
Department of Human Services Area
Agency on Aging (AAA).
Checks will be distributed by the AAA
senior center network on a first-come,
first-served basis. They can be spent
through Nov. 30 on produce grown in
Pennsylvania at participating farmers
markets. Those who are eligible but unable
to get to a senior center may designate a
proxy to pick up and redeem the checks.
There is a limit of two proxy forms per
person.
To be eligible, you must: be an
Allegheny County resident; be age 60 or
older before Dec. 31, 2019; not live in a
residential facility providing meals; and
meet income requirements ($23,107
annual gross income for a one-person
household and $31,284 for a two-person
household).
To access distribution sites, proxy
forms, locations of farmers markets and
other information about the Farmers
Market Nutrition Program, please visit
alleghenycounty.us/dhs/SFMNP or call
the SeniorLine at 412.350.5460. ■