lementary school libraries are always a bustling place.
Students develop their love of books early and the activity in
the Pleasant Valley library reflects that love every day in Peters
Township.
This spring, Pleasant Valley librarian Nancy Barley once again
brought some new names to the book shelves – many first time
authors who are surely destined for great things. In the annual
PV Young Authors program students in grades K-3 wrote and
illustrated their own stories that are now on the
shelves to be checked out by their classmates.
“It’s exciting to see how this has grown over
the past few years since we began the project,”
said Barley. This year there were 85 stories submitted and all of
them will be available in the school library. Students can even
search the online card catalog and find their names among
the authors.
Student authors were recognized during PVTV, the school’s
morning announcements, and medals were given to all who
participated. Special accolades were given at each grade level
with a grand prize given to 3rd grader Katie Pazuchanics for her
outstanding story “The Four Curious Mice.”
This is Katie’s fourth story she’s written. She
participated in the Young Authors since 1st grade and
also entered a story in the WQED PBS Kids’ Writers
Contest as well. She is an avid reader and encourages
other kids to give writing their own story a try.
“Sometimes when you start writing, you can’t
really stop,” she said. Katie also enjoyed the chance to
illustrate her own stories and was excited when her
friend was the first to check out her book.
When the new books become available, they are
a hot commodity in the school library, added Barley.
“We love to see how proud our young authors are
when their classmates check out their stories.”
Elementary Run Clubs: Building
Healthy Bodies and Minds
N
o one knows the energy levels of our youngest students better
than their elementary teachers! Over the past few years, Peters
Township teachers have focused on starting healthy habits early,
knowing that students would feel the benefits of exercise not only
for a healthy body but a for a healthy mind as well.
The Pleasant Valley Run Club has been a huge success at the K-3
school, and this spring the school was rewarded with a $1,000 Kids
of STEEL Physical Education Grant. In recognition of the grant, all
runners from Peters Township were also included in the first heats
of the Toyota Pittsburgh Kids of STEEL Marathon on April 30.
The club at Pleasant Valley was started by special education
teacher Heidi Colombo, who has been a running enthusiast for
years and saw the marathon as an opportunity to reach out to the
students at the school.
“Much too often I see our learning support students having
difficulty participating in team sports whether it’s due to lack of
agility or an understanding of the mindset behind the game,”
Colombo said. “Running has always been a sport that most
everyone can do. You don’t
need equipment, you build
strength and endurance
the longer you stick with it,
and it is an overall healthy
alternative to team sports.”
The run clubs at each
elementary school work to
help the students gear up for
the Kids of STEEL marathon.
Throughout their weeks of
preparation, the goal is for
students to log 25
miles of running or
walking and then they
have the opportunity
to complete the final
mile on the actual race
course downtown during the event.
Pleasant Valley’s Club meets weekly after school starting in
the winter. They begin with stations involving strength, agility,
flexibility and running organized by a dedicated team of teachers
and parent volunteers. This spring the students even had a special
visit from PTHS seniors Nick Wolk, captain of Peter’s Township’s
cross country team and an All-State Runner of Distinction in
Pennsylvania, and Matt Massuci, a distance runner for Peter’s Track
team. They shared some tips on running with the children and
answered questions before demonstrating running a lap on the
track at race pace.
Peters Township Schools had nearly 300 students participating
this year from Pleasant Valley, Bower Hill and McMurray
Elementary. With help from the Kids of STEEL Physical Education
Grant to help fund the club and other wellness efforts at the
school, the team looks to grow the program even more in
future years.
Colombo proudly adds that several of their club member have
already established themselves as runners building up to enter the
5K race for children also sponsored by the Pittsburgh Marathon.
“Our goal is to motivate the student to build a healthy active
lifestyle that includes running,” Colombo said. “Nothing beats the
smile on the faces of the children on the day of the race crossing
over that finish line.”
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Peters Township
Young Authors at Pleasant Valley