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By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Writer
“The recent protests by parents in parts of the
United States because their children are being
exposed to religious programs other than their
own faith is not applicable to the local area.
According to local school administrators, Back
Mountain public school students are not required
to participate in or to attend holiday programs
that are not in accord with their religious
denominations.
A survey of Lake-Lehman and Dallas School
District elementary schools indicates that
niether district offers religious programs during
the holiday season.
There are no special religious Christmas
programs at the Lehman-Jackson Elementary
School, according to Principal Charles James.
There is a choral concert presented in the
elementary school and in the Lake-Lehman High
School. Some modern Christmas songs are also
sung in some of the classrooms.
Children of various religious denominations,
whose parents object to their children’s partici-
pation in Christmas programs, are exused from
the programs if they provide the teacher with an
excuse from their parents.
James explained that at the beginning of each
school term, administrators receive a list of
holidays observed by the various religious
denominations. If there are children of any of
those denominations in the district’s schools,
those children are given legal excuses for those
holidays not observed by their religion.
“The state school code mandates that no one is
denied the right to be excused in order to
observe their religious holidays,’ said James.
In the Dallas Elementary School, members of
the elementary school chorus, ‘“The Peacemak-
ers,” will entertain their classmates with a
program of holiday songs. Some of the classes
will have holiday parties, with some of the
homes revolving around Walt Disney charac-
ers.
Samuel Barbose, Westmoreland Elementary
School principal, explained that several mem-
bers of the Jehovan’s Witness faith attending the
school are given legal excuses from all holiday
programs which are not in keeping with their
religious belief.
Some of the classes at the Westmoreland
School have holiday decorations in the windows,
but there are no religious decorations nor are
there ‘any Christmas pageants or Nativity
scenes, according to Barbose.
“We are very conscious of the religious
denominations among the students and, if they
request it, we excuse them from any program
which is contrary to their faith,” said Barbose.
“In Pennsylvania, the Department of Education
mandates that legal holidays be provided for
students of all faiths and we adhere to that
mandate.”
Need a
perfect
present?
®
&
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Writer
With Christmas only a week
away, cookies are baked, cards
are addressed and ready to mail
and gifts are purchased and
wrapped — that is, most of the
gifts are purchased. There are
still those few - the difficult
ones. The gifts for that special
someone or someones, who have
Need some ideas? Try these
suggestions and perhaps come
up with some of your own as
you browse among the stores in
the Back Mountain.
You might visit J&J Deli and
buy a tray of their freshly-
baked assorted Christmas cook-
(See PRESENT, page 16)
HR
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
2 i
0
°
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Writer
Brightly colored lights appear in windows of
homes, last-minute shopping is complete and
busy homemakers are turning their thoughts to
Christmas Day menus.
Entire families are involved in making that
favorite of favorites, Christmas cookies. Chil-
dren choose their favorites and are busy in the
kitchen, helping mother mix dough, decorate
and drop by spoonsful on baking sheet. Soon the
aroma of fresh-baked cookies permeates the
house and you know Christmas is only days
away.
In this week’s Post Cookbook, we share with
our readers five of our favorites-easy to pre-
pare, economic and oh, so delicious. Children
and adults will find them their favorites as well
and enjoy them throughout the Yuletide season.
The Gingerbread Cookies are spicy and crisp
and can be cut in any shape. The tender, buttery
Chocolate Nut Logs are great for entertaining or
just for the family and the Swedish Christmas
Cookies are perfect for the cookie tray or
perfect to give as a gift with some of the No-
Bake Peanut Oat Cookies. Broken Cookies are
baked in a pan, then broken into pieces and are
delicious served with ice cream. Pack an
attractive tin with some of each and the variety
makes an ideal gift for a shut-in or someone who
doesn’t have the time to bake.
GINGERBREAD COOKIES
2/3 c. butter or margarine, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 T. cinnamon
2 T. ginger
1% t. cloves
) 11% t. baking soda
'1/4-1/3 c. water
2% c. flour
Icing
Cream together butter and sugar, add cinna-
mon, ginger, cloves and baking soda. Whip in ¥4
cup water and stir in flour till dough is pliable
and easy to roll out. If needed add more water
to prevent crumbling. Roll dough out to about 4
inche in thickness. Cut out cookie shapes as
desired such as gingerbread men, trees,
wreaths, or other shapes. Place cookie cutouts
on lightly oiled baking sheets. Bake at 375
degrees for eight to 10 minutes. Cool. Decorate
with icing, if desired. Yield: 4 doz.
CHOCOLATE NUT LOGS
3/4 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 12-0z. pkg. semi-swee chocolate bits
1 T. shortening
2 c. finely chopped nuts
Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and egg until
light. Mix flour and salt. Add to first mixture.
Using hands mix well until blended. Stir in half
cup chocolate bits. Use one level tablespoonful
mixture for each cookie. Shape into two inch
logs, one inch balls or flat rounds. Arrange on
ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for
12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Melt
remaining chocolate with shortening. When
cookies are cool enough to handle dip into
chocolate, covering entirely or partially as
desired. Coat or sprinkle with nuts and let stand
on waxed paper until firm. Yield: 4 doz.
SWEDISH CHRISTMAS COOKIES
1 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1 t. almond extract
Dash salt
215-234 c. flour
1 egg white, slightly beaten
2 T. sugar
4 T. chopped almonds
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg yolks and almond extract, add salt
and sift in flour. Mix well. Make a pliable dough
and chill for 30 minutes. To shape, divide dought
into six equal portions, roll out portions to make
six ropes about 24 inches long. Divide each rope
into two inch strips, place on cookie sheet, brush
with egg white and sprinkle with sugar and
almonds. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or
until cookies feel firm and are brown around
edges. Let cook for a few minutes, then remove
completely. Yield: 6 doz.
NO BAKE PEANUT OAT COOKIES
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
134 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
In saucepan, mix sugar and cocoa, add milk
and butter. Put over medium heat and bring to a
boil. Boil one minute. Remove from heat, stir in
peanut butter and oats. Drop by teaspoonfuls
onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Let stand until firm
and cold. Store airtight. Yield: 3 doz.
BROKEN COOKIES
11/3 c. flour
3/4 c. coarsely ground walnuts
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1/2 t. vanilla
2 1-0z. squares semi-sweet chocolate
Combine flour, walnuts and sugar; cut in the
butter until mixture is crumbly. Quickly stir in
vanilla and chocolate,. being careful not to
cream the mixture. Press mixture into a nine-
inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about
50 minutes. Cool. Break into pieces, serve or
store in covered tin.
Four hundred Dallas Junior
High School students flatly
refuse to ride with someone who
has been drinking alcohol. They
also strive to make people
aware that pedestrians, too, can
be injured by drunk drivers.
These students, all members
of the school’s Students Against
Drunk Driving (S.A.D.D.) Orga-
nization, work toward the pri-
mary goal of educating children
at an early age of the danger
involved in drinking and driv-
ing.
The members are working
toward furthering the national
program to prevent driving
while drunk by selling pins and
t-shirts to raise money. Through
these fund-raising sales, the
S.A.D.D. members are letting
the public know they are sup-
porters of the “no driving when
drinking” program.
Fifteen members, represent-
ing eighth and ninth grade stu-
dents selected by advisor Robyn
Jones on the basis of their
responsibility, dedication and
commitment, form the execu-
tive committee of the organiza-
tion. This committee sets the
guidelines and polices of the
program.
Members of the executive
committee explained that drink-
ing is becoming a greater prob-
lem among students every year
and is permeating the lower
grades each consecutive year.
Peer pressure forces many of
the students to return to school
on Monday and brag to the
others about what they drank on
the weekend.
The 1985-86 school year was
the first season for S.A.D.D. in
the Dallas School District.
During that year, members of
the organization wrote personal
letters to each of the seniors at
the Dallas Senior High School,
telling them they (S.A.D.D.
members) cared enough about
them to hope they would not
drink and drive while attending
the senior prom.
Contracts were distributed to
all students at a general assem-
bly. These contracts were to be
taken home by the students and
signed by both parents and stu-
dents as a commitment on the
part of both of them. If the
students had been drinking,
they would call their parents
fora ride home. The parents
agreed not to ask any questions
jof the students until the next
day.
“Minority pressure has been
in control in the past, scaring
other students through the use
of violence,” said one ninth
grade S.A.D.D. member. ‘Now
we are exerting positive pres-
sure through numbers. Preven-
tion is the key to furthering the
‘no driving while drinking’ pro-
gram.”
— CHARLOT M. DENMON
5
SE
Dallas Post/Charlo
Reidlinger,
Krysten Hardisky,
Becky Lewis,
Lorraine Mitchell, Tricia
Dr. Reich
serves at
convention
Dr. Harry Reich, of Dallas, a
gynecologist and infertility spe-
cialist, recently attended the
15th Annual Meeting of the
American Association of Gyne-
cologic Laporoscopists in
Orlando, Florida.
Dr. Reich spoke at three of
the general clinical sessions and
served on a special panel for
developing new instrumenta-
tion.
He also served with Dr. Kurt
Semm, Kiel, West Germany,
and Dr. Joseph Feste, Houston,
Texas, as faculty for a post-
graduate course entitled
“Operative Laparoscopy.
Shiskowski
interns at
state prison
Dolores E. Shiskowski, daugh-
ter of Mr. Michael Shiskowski of
112 Main Street, Dallas, is serv-
ing a 14-week internship at the
Dallas State Correctional Insti-
tute as part of her criminal
justice studies at King’s Col-
lege.
Upon successful completion of
her internship, Shiskowski will
be receiving academic credit
towards her Bachelor’s degree
requirements. She is involved in
the ‘Thresholds’’ program at
the prison. The program is
designed to teach the inmates
better decision-making skills.
Shiskowski is a senior major-
ing in criminal justice and
minoring in psychology at
King’s.