WHAT ’ S NEWS IN PINE-RICHLAND
Natalie Christel
NATALIE CHRISTEL HONORED WITH HIGHEST AWARD IN GIRL SCOUTING
Girl Scouting ’ s highest awards — the Bronze , Silver and Gold Awards — are a girl ’ s chance to make a lasting difference in the world . For Natalie Christel from Wexford , “ going gold ” means earning the highest achievement in Girl Scouting , the Gold Award .
This award , presented to Natalie by Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania , recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through sustainable and measurable Take Action projects that address important community needs .
Natalie is a junior at Pine-Richland High School , and a member of the National Honor Society . She also has earned a varsity letter in her first two seasons of track and field . As a Girl Scout member for 11 years , Natalie is an Ambassador of Troop 50442 . She was supported in her Gold Award effort by Father Kevin Fazio and other members of the Saint Alphonsus School and Church community . Her Gold Award project began in May of 2016 and was completed in November 2016 .
While attending Saint Alphonsus School , Natalie noticed a long white wall that would be perfect for educational messaging . At Pine- Richland High School , she learned a number of artistic techniques through her art classes . Her Gold Award project was to transform the plain wall into a 30-foot mural of seven panels , one for each of the seven Catholic sacraments . The mural is an educational art piece for children of all ages at St . Alphonsus School , as well as for guests attending community and sporting events there .
With Father Fazio ’ s direction , Natalie also produced educational materials that could be delivered to students to stimulate and maintain interest in the seven sacraments
mural . She learned how to produce an art piece that also teaches , and plans to continue artistic pursuits in service of education .
The Gold Award is a national award , with national standards , and it represents a Girl Scout ’ s time , leadership , creativity and effort contributed to making her community better . Not only do Gold Award projects help communities , they also give girls important leadership skills , teaching them to seek out the work that needs doing in the world .
There are other benefits to going gold as well . Some universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients , and girls who enlist in the U . S . Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements .
For more information , visit gswpa . org / girls / awards / gold-award /.
MUSIC FOR MS
MuSic for MS , a Pittsburgh-based music festival that benefits those living with MS , will host its fourth annual event at Hartwood Acres on Aug . 12 . Over the past three years , $ 132,500 has been raised .
Many local performers will be featured this year including Mark Dignam , Tullycavy , the North Allegheny Fiddlers and Folk Chorale . National band performances will include The Seamus Egan Project ( founder of Solas ) and Donna the Buffalo . The Master of Ceremonies for the event will once again be Pittsburgh ’ s own Michele Michaels from WDVE Radio .
In addition to great music , this familyfriendly event will include some of the region ’ s best local food , beverage and merchandise vendors . Doors open at 3 p . m . and musical acts will begin at 4 p . m . All parking for this event is available on site and is free of charge .
MuSic for MS will be held rain or shine and is a general admission event with 100 percent outdoor seating on the Hartwood Acres Amphitheater lawn . Please bring your own chairs and / or blankets . No umbrellas , tents or shelters will be permitted in the main seating area .
For more information , contact Greg Lusty at 724.601.3923 .
CADD CONNECTIONS : LOCAL COMPANIES INSPIRE FUTURE ENGINEERS
David Yackuboskey and his students from the Intro to CADD class at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School ( CWNCHS ) spent a day touring relevant STEM career locations . The first stop of the STEM tour , Michael Baker International , introduced actual models used in the construction and renovation of roadways — generated using the same computer software students use in the classroom .
Lunchtime found the group at Robert Morris University ’ s Department of Engineering . The scale of RMU ’ s STEM efforts was exponential next to the CWNC classroom . Students were blown away by the amount of computer-aided machinery available to the engineering students . They recognized that the seemingly simple skills they are developing in class are being honed at universities across the nation and deployed to solve some of our generation ’ s most pressing challenges .
The afternoon brought the group to Cadnetics , a full-service production team that leads a project from existing building document through computer-aided design and building information modeling , to 3D visual representations . James Mauler and Travis Johnson of Cadnetics captured students ’ attention with a laser scanner rendering of a 3D model of the room they were in . The model was created and could then be manipulated using similar CADD software to that used in the classroom .
The combination of the tour with a passionate teacher and project-based opportunities for the students prepares a new generation for the 21st century jobs we can only imagine .
Read more at stemcareertours . com . n
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