IN Greensburg Salem Summer 2016 | Page 49

First Mini THON is Success For 12 hours in March the GSHS gymnasium transformed into a beehive of activity as more than 200 students raised money for the Four Diamonds Foundation through Greensburg Salem’s first ever Mini THON. About half of those students spent the night participating in a wide variety of activities to keep them awake and moving. Event coordinators, Elsa Breakey and Samantha Jobe, surpassed their $10,000 goal by more than $5,000 raising $15,018.38 to fight childhood cancer. High School Becomes an Art Gallery High school hallways are usually busy places. The bell rings and students scurry from one class to the next, calling out to friends, rushing past posters and flyers about upcoming events. But now GSHS’s National Art Honor Society (NAHS) is giving its classmates a reason to slow down and “smell the roses” – or in this case “enjoy the artwork.” These art students are transforming the high school hallways into galleries, showcasing around 20 pieces of framed student artwork at a time, featuring the creative expression of students from both Mrs. Audia’s and Mrs. Hajdukiewicz’s art classes. The pieces have been scattered throughout the halls in order to have the biggest impact. There are several pieces in the science and math hallways, down the cafeteria hallway, near the library and throughout the second floor. The NAHS hopes to continue this tradition and continue to purchase quality frames so that the entire student body can benefit from the impact of so many talented GS artists. The artwork is changed quarterly in order to showcase new pieces and artists. Teachers and students alike have raved about the transformation saying that the arts have brought the high school halls back to life. Comprised of 22 students with a passion for communicating through visual representations, the National Art Honor Society seeks to promote the visual arts within both the school and community by participating in fundraising and service projects throughout the school year. One of their biggest fundraisers is face painting at Friday night football games and at Greensburg’s Relay for Life event every June, which raises money for the American Cancer Society. Members of the NAHS are encouraged to enter artwork into local exhibits in order to promote themselves and the school. Greensburg-Salem | Summer 2016 | icmags.com 47 GRE E N SBU RG SAL E M SC HOOL DI STRI C T NE WS Photo by Jeremy Lenzi Not only did the team of Ryan Downs, Tristan Elma, Mary Joy, Riley Maruca, and Adam Petro earn a first place in the area Calcusolve competition but they so dominated the event that they won the individual first, second and third places. Downs won first-place honors, followed by Petro in second-place with Joy and Elma tied for third-place. Competing against 21 teams from Eastern Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties, the students faced off on ten math problems – nine individual and one team. Answering the question correctly within the first five minutes earns 5 points. If no one has gotten the right answer, a hint is given and the students have an additional three minutes to solve the problem. A correct answer at that time earns 2 points. Calculators are permitted and students are reminded to read the problems carefully and to pay attention to the requested units of measure. Greensburg Salem