June 2011 - Allegheny West Magazine

Student Government
Collects Pop Can Tabs for
Spina Bifida Program
Kindergarten Students
Learn to Prioritize Nutrition
The West Allegheny Middle School Student Government
collected approximately 80 pounds of aluminum pop can
tabs to benefit the Pop Tabs for Spina Bifida program. The
project involved a competition among the classrooms to
collect the most tabs. Pictured are seventh grade students
in Mary Lococo’s home room (sitting) Austin Conn, Randy
Doehre, Zoe McDaniel, (standing) Connor Roese, and
Abigail Shipley, whose class won the contest. Krista
McGuire, middle school speech and language pathologist,
is the student government staff advisor.
Student Government members keep busy during the year
with various community service projects. Examples
include a food drive last fall for the West Allegheny Food
Pantry. They also raised over $1,900 to benefit the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and collected
donations to support the Best Buddies organization and
other local charities.
While McKee Elementary School kindergarten students (sitting)
Marc Starkman, Emily Nolan, Emily Vavrek, (standing) Gage Upton,
and Jessica Kiss learn the importance of nutrition through classroom
lessons and information posted in the school, a visit with their
classmates to the Giant Eagle Market District store at Settler’s Ridge
on May 31, 2011, helped reinforce those lessons. The visit, which
included a discussion on nutrition and a tour of the facility, was
coordinated by kindergarten teachers Christine Pratt, Mariann
Winning, and Elise Wolf. The students also had an opportunity to
eat lunch in the cafeteria where the Food Services Department
displays posters containing nutrition information on all items served
as part of an ongoing effort to emphasize the impact of healthy
eating on student success.
Wilson Elementary School Receives
Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge Grant
Wilson Elementary School was awarded a
Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge
grant for approximately $9,700 in April,
2011. In general, the grant is intended to
support West Allegheny School District’s
efforts to help students adopt healthy
behaviors that will stay with them for a
lifetime. The grant money will provide
Wilson students with enhanced physical
activity through the purchase of Wii
System equipment, televisions, stands, and
software. This is the third of these grants
Wilson has received since 2007.
All Wilson students in grades K-5 will
have a chance to use the equipment in gym
classes conducted by Matt DeChicko and
Michael Kennedy, physical education
teachers, and for other supervised fitness
activities throughout the year.
“Since the health and wellness of our
students are essential for success,” said
Kathleen Sites, Wilson Elementary School
principal, “this grant will help us offer
students more opportunities to keep fit
while developing athletic and socialization
skills and learning to follow rules.”
This funding is provided by Highmark
Healthy High 5, an initiative of the
Highmark Foundation. The mission of
Highmark Healthy High 5 is to improve
the health of children and adolescents,
ages 6-18.
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