GS Graduate Gives Back to the Community
S
tate Trooper Aaron Allen has become
a familiar face on the campuses of
Greensburg Salem School District.
Whether he is speaking to high school
students about bullying, passing out candy at
Metzgar’s Trunk or Treat, or cheering on the
boys’ basketball team, he always seems to pop
up somewhere!
A former Golden Lion basketball player and
2008 GS graduate, Trooper Allen went on to
study Criminal Justice at Westmoreland County
Community College (WCCC) in Youngwood,
Genesee Community College in New York, and
Chowan University in North Carolina, playing
basketball for each school. He earned his
Master’s Degree at Point Park University, then
continued on to the Police Academy. He has
worked for the Pennsylvania State Police for
the past four years, with the last year for Troop
A out of the Greensburg barracks.
Trooper Allen is dedicated to supporting
students and being a role model and mentor
to local youth. “I’m always trying to look for
that kid who is in a funk and doesn’t have
guidance,” he stated. “I want to help as much as
I can because I remember being that student.”
Staying connected to former teachers
such as Mrs. Lucy Iapalucci, Mrs. Wendy
Jorgensen, and Mr. David Zilli helped Trooper
Allen reconnect with Greensburg Salem
and get involved with students. For the
past two years, he has talked to 9th grade
students in Freshman Seminar about bullying,
cyberbullying, and law enforcement.
“Every student goes through some sort of
bullying, whether through social media or
bullying in general,” he said. “I want students
to know I’ve been through it, we’ve all been
through it, and they are not alone.” He hopes
to continue to return to GS to meet with future
classes.
Senior Trent Stevens and Junior Sean Galvin
had the opportunity to work one-on-one
with Trooper Allen as part of Greensburg
Salem’s Career Awareness Program. Through
job shadowing as juniors, Trent and Sean
were able to interview him, learn about
equipment used in the field, and explore
the process of becoming a state trooper. An
adjunct professor at WCCC, Trooper Allen
had the students attend one of his Criminal
Justice courses to give them a taste of college
level learning and how college courses are
instructed. Now a senior, Trent is currently
working with the trooper for his senior project,
which is focused on preparing to be a state
trooper. Sean stated, “I absolutely loved
shadowing Trooper Allen! He is wonderful to
be around. Thanks to him, I am now set on
pursuing a career as a trooper!”
“I always envisioned going back to schools
as a coach or mentor,” Trooper Allen stated. “I’m
born and raised in Greensburg, and I’m happy
to give back to my community by helping
students.”
Trooper Aaron Allen
with Mrs. Jorgensen
and Mrs. Iapalucci
Sean Galvin shadowed
Trooper Allen
for the day!
Field Trip Helps Connect STEM to Sports
N
icely Elementary’s 4th and 5th grade students explored the
science behind sports as part of a field trip to PPG Paints
Arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins Open Practice for Kids
event presented by Highmark. The event is designed to support the
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation’s mission by
promoting physical well-being, encouraging
teamwork, emphasizing education, and
providing essential life skills to young people in
the area.
Prior to their field trip, students completed
online modules through Hockey Scholar to
explore science, technology, engineering, and
math (STEM) concepts as they relate to hockey.
Through the activities, students examined the
engineering behind equipment, calculated ice
surface area and volume, explored math, velocity
and kinetic energy, and discussed states of matter
and phase changes.
As they watched the team practice, students
were able to apply the math and science
concepts they learned through Hockey
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greensburg salem
Scholar. The program helped the group to understand the real-world
applications of science and math principles and realize that hockey is
much more than just a sport!