Vol. 95, No. 21
‘By ANN DEVLIN
_ Staff Correspondent
Over 100 Sisters of Mercy from
the United States, Canada, Central
and South America gathered at
College Misericordia last weekend
for the Mercy Higher Education
Colloquium’s annual conference.
This June conference marks the
10th such colloquium sponsored by
the MHEC, and is being held at
Misericordia because Dr. Regina
Kelly, professor of English at Miser-
icordia, is now the executive direc-
avr of the MHEC.
| Sister Mercy Cervantes, a native
of Belize, Central America, explains
that the Mercy Higher Education
Colloquium is ‘‘an organizatin of
Sisters of Mercy involved in higher
education.”
Sister Mercy continues, ‘I have
come up here to learn, attend, and
observe. I want to be up-to-date on
new trends in education and see
how I can apply them to the institu-
tions in my country.”
This is the first time Sister Mercy
has been in this area. At home in
Belize, she is involved in tertiary
education. This is a two-year institu-
tion, she explains. “In American
style, we eall it a junior college,”
says Sister Mercy, ‘“‘and in British
style, it is a 6-form and A-level
school.”
In Belize, at St. John’s Junior
College run by the Jesuits, Sister
Mercy is the Dean of Students, and
Dean of Academics as well.
“Because it is a small school,” she
Pd with a chuckle, “1 am Dean of
verything.”
* The purpose of tertiary schools is
usually for the student to prepare to
LHS advanced level exams from the
niversity of Cambridge in Eng-
land. Depending on their success on
the exams, some of the students will
then go on to study abroad, whether
it be in England, the U.S., or the
West Indies. According to Sister
Mercy, the students can get govern-
ment scholarships to attend these
universities.
“Our school system is very unique
and interesting to foreigners,” says
Sister Mercy. A major difference
between the United States and
Belize, says Sister Mercy, is the
separation between church and
state. ‘In Belize, there ‘is little
separation between church and
state,” explains Sister Mercy. The
grammar schools of Belize are gov-
ernment schools, but they are also
religiously affiliated. The govern-
ment pays 50 percent of the school’s
needs and 50 percent are met by the
church.
SISTER MERCY CERVANTES
According to Sister Mercy, there
are separate Catholic, Methodist,
and Anglican schools in Belize. The
Roman Catholics alone have over
100 grammar schools in Belize.
Even most of the smaller denomina-
tions of Belize, such as the Baptists,
have their own schools.
The secondary, or high schools of
Belize are grant-aided schools, how-
ever. The students pay tuition and
the government then supplements
the school through grants, accord-
ing to Sister Mercy. About 10 or 12
secondary schools presently exist in
Belize. Sister Mercy describes the
Belize schools as a ‘very good
system of education.”
(See SISTERS, page 8)
Happy Father’s Day
Dallas Post/Ed Campbell
By WALLY KOCHER
Statf Correspondent
Governor Dick Thornburg signed
a-bill on May 30 that will enforce
“boating under the influence’ laws
on boat operators which is similar
to the Driving Under the Influence
Law recently enacted for motorists.
Through the proposed legislation,
waterways patrolmen would be per-
mitted to administer pre-arrest
breath tests and to arrange a
breath, blood and urine test.
The signing of the bill came just
19 days prior to the one-year anni-
versary of a tragic boating accident
at Harveys Lake that left four Back
Mountain residents dead.
Killed in that accident, which
occurred on June 18, 1983, when a
high-powered motorboat crashed
into a smaller boat were Sharon
Pallis, 39, of Valley View Drive, RD
3, Wyoming; her son, Joseph, 6;
Karen Pitcavage, 34, of Crown Hill
Village, RD 3, Wyoming; and her
son, Thomas, 7.
The driver of the boat, Denis J.
Abromavage, 25, of 84 E. Columbus
Ave., Pittston, was sentenced to 16
months to nearly five years in
prison after pleading guilty to one
count of aggravated assault, four
counts of involuntary manslaughter,
one count of recklessly endangering
another person and one count of
negligent operation of a motorcraft.
State legislators, Senator Frank J.
O'Connell and Representative
George Hasay were strong Support:
ers of the bill.
According to O’Connell “and
administered only by qualified
police departments, and the blood
and urine tests by licensed clinical
laboratories. Further a person’s
refusal to submit to chemical test-
ing results in a mandatory one-year
suspension of both their boating
privileges and registration.
‘“The law upgrades the penalty for
operating under the influence from
a summary offense to a misde-
meanor of a second degree,” noted
0’Connell and Hasay.
In an interview with The Dallas
Post, Sen. O’Connell explained why
he felt a bill of this type was so
important.
“The problem (boating under the
influence) isn’t just a localized
problem,” O’Connell said. ‘It’s
statewide. However, after the boat-
ing: accident that took place in
(See BILL, page 8)
Now that the governor has signed
ties for “boating under the influ-
ence’, many Harveys Lake resi-
dents feel they can breathe a lot
easier: Others, however, aren’t
quite ' sure just how effective the
new law will be.
Several residents have expressed
concern over the frequency of the
patrols conducted at the lake.
Although they have this law protect-
ing them now, they’re not sure as to
how well it will be enforced.
Mr. Joseph Royer Jr. is one of the
concerned residents.
ling,” said Royef in a recent survey
conducted by The Dallas Post.
“There are just too many careless
boaters on the lake.”
According to Mr. Kerry Messerle,
Regional Supervisor for the Penn-
sylvania Fish Commission, the
patrolling conducted by the Fish
Commission is adequate.
“We feel our coverage is quite
we bring in officers from other
counties to help out.”
(See PATROL, page 8)
“Rediscover Our Region’s Great-
est Natural Wonder” - that’s the
theme of the Harveys Lake Home-
coming Festival which will be held
on June 16-17.
A A steering committee comprised
} borough organizations and inter-
ested persons ’is sponsoring the Har-
veys Lake Homecoming Festival
attic of an apartment on Main $
~The stone which was discove
this year with a host of activities
from an amateur fishing contest to
an afternoon tube race and sand
sculpture contest to the homecom-
ing festival dance, complete with
fireworks.
Last year, the Harveys Lake Pro-
tective Association participated in
the festival. The objective of the
Association was to hold a non-profit
event designed to promote fellow-
ship and civic pride. As a result, the
Association launched an effort to
bring the residents and friends of
our community closer together by
was a huge success and 900 resi-
dents and friends enjoyed the excel-
lence of choice beef.
Once again, the Association
invites the people of Harveys Lake
and friends to an event which may
become a tradition. The ox roast
will be held on Saturday, June 16,
from 12 noon to 5 p.m. at Old Sandy
Bottom. The Association will pro-
vide a complete beef dinner with
takeouts available: Ox roast tickets
must be purchased in advance.
Tickets cost $7.00 for each adult
nd $4.00 for each child age 12 or
under and may be purchased by
contacting Mary Jo Shisko, at 639-
5763 or by sending a stamped self-
addressed envelope with a check
payable to H.L.P. Association to:
Mary Jo Shisko, RD 1, Bpx 650, Pole.
Dallas Post/Ann Deviin
By ANN DEVLIN
Staff Correspondent
The Harveys Lake Homecoming
Festival, June 16 and 17, will be
invaded by famous characters such
as Big Bird, the Smurfs, Mickey
Mouse, Care Bear, the Cabbage
Patch Kids, and the Cone Heads.
Look for them on the ground, in the
air, and on the water.
These costume characters are
actually the members of the newly
formed Harveys Lake Knite Skiers.
Jerry Sands, president of the water-
skiing club, says that the Knite
Skiers will be all over the Harveys
Lake area during the Homecoming
Festival weekend. “We can’t be
missed,’’ he says.
The costume characters will be
found on the land at area businesses
and in the parade on Sunday. Other
characters will be waterskiing and
riding in the boats. Still other char-
acters will be parasailing in the air.
Jerry Sands explains that a parasail
is actually ‘a parachute which is
baat AL
attached to the parachute and the
boat, starts by running off the beach
and is then pulled off the ground
and into the air.
Some of the Knite Skiers will be
performing without costume in a
variety of ski shows throughout the
Festival, such as multiple skiing,
which is several skiers pulled
behind one boat. The main function
of the Knite Skiers presence at the
Festival is to “entertain the public
and to create activity at the Lake,”
The Knite Skiers started last fall
as a group of waterskiers who got
together to pool their finances to
buy equipment that they otherwise
wouldn’t have been able to buy
individually. But that’s only one of
the reasons that the group stays
together. Jerry Sands explains, ‘We
like to waterski'as a gorup. The
main purpose is to enjoy ourselves
and have a good time.”
The club has an open membership
and meets the first Sunday of each
month at the Lakeview Inn, Har-
veys Lake. Presently the club con-
sists of about 20 members, ages 20
PES coi AA oS aii
to 42. Beginners are welcome,
according to Sands. “There are new
skiers and old,” says Sands, “We
teach people how to ski and help
each other learn new things. ”
The next time you're out at the
Lake, look for the Knite Skiers.
“We ski almost every day during
the summer, weather permitting,”
says Sands. “Even now, we ski as
much as we possible can.”
Inside The Post
Births ....................
Calendar ................
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Obituaries
People ................. +6
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