e n. E : W » » Vo. 110, No. 48 December 1 thru December 7, 1999 Most Dallas » fest scores are higher By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff DALLAS - Dallas scores on the 1998- 1999 Pennsylvania State Schools Assess- ment (PSSA) were higher than last year’s results in nearly every subject area and grade level. The largest increases were in reading exams as Dallas High School juniors notched a score of 1350, 50 points higher than last year. Westmoreland 5th grad- ers scored 1410, which is 60 points higher than the 1997-1998. n Westmoreland’s improved reading S cores were attributed to a number of factors including a special focus on de- veloping critical thinking skills. “We don’t have a program set up to improve test scores but what we do have are very high goals for our students,” said Kathleen McCarthy, principal of Wycallis Elemen- tary. “We expect students to be able to do more than read the words on the page and so we're teaching reading as a think- ing activity.” bios Creative strategies are used to foster reading comprehension at the elemen- tary level and beyond. “Our teachers have started asking students to think ‘about: what they're reading,” said McCarthy. “The children may have to come up with a new ending for the story they're reading or to relate it to a real life experience of their own. These activities make reading more enjoyable and the students get more out of it.” bi McCarthy said writing is another tool being used effectively to enhance the literary experience. “Our new reading series includes many prompts for writing and reflection which makes it easy for my teachers to incorporate writing assign- ments in their lesson plans,” she said. “As a faculty we have spent a lot of time talking about the importance of writing, both creatively and informatively.” Writing is even required on the math- ematics portion of the PSSA and in math QPclasses throughout the district. “New state standards make teaching math very dif- ferent than it was just 20 years ago,” said McCarthy. “It used to be that elementary school students were taught to add, sub- tract, multiply and divide but now fifth grade students are asked and expected to use geometry. They need to have a grasp of measurements and they must be able to solve word problems relating these @:kills to everyday situations.” See TEST SCORES, pg 11 By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff DALLAS - Dallas Middle School stu- dents worked hard to improve their com- munity and made some new friends in the process. Two years ago, Tara Puchalsky noticed that Main Street could use some spruc- ing up, so she recruited several class- mates to join a fund raising campaign to support a beautification project. “We had approximately 40 students involved,” said Puchalsky. “Some of us sought cash do- nations, others organized a volleyball game between the teachers and KRZ and we all worked on the peanut tin sale.” Selling peanuts turned out to be more work than these youngsters had antici- pated, but no one minded. “Everybody just stayed after school and volunteered their own time to fill the tins,” said ~ Puchalsky. “It was actually fun.” A special bond formed in that class- room filled to capacity with teenagers / POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Alexis Arnold added her custom-made decoration to a tree in front of the Dallas Borough building. Brownie Troop 624, with help from Junior Troop 624, made decorations and then hung them on the tree, which was dedicated to Paul LaBar, the late Dallas mayor who passed away earlier this year. More photos on page 8. Students’ downtown Dallas project to be dedicated ss 7 iq 1 4 ; ; bags of peanuts everywhere,” said Puchalsky. “But it was cool because we all got along so well and not everyone gets along all the time.” Puchalsky was surprised to learn that a common goal can often unite a diverse - group. “We all worked together to make this a success but so many kids were saying, ‘What will we do when the Main Street Project is done?’ we didn’t want it to end.” The hardest part of the project has See DOWNTOWN, pg 8 POST PHOTO/JIM PHILLIPS Happy fans, at the time A big crowd of Dallas fans made the trek to the state quarterfinal football game between Dallas and perennial power Strath Haven. The result wasn't a win, but the Mountaineers put up a good fight against the state's #1 Class AAA team. More photos on page 9. Farmers struggle to hang on Proposed change in pricing, which would have made things worse, is off for now By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent BACK MOUNTAIN - Local dairy farm- ers feared the worst when Congress con- sidered changes in the way they are paid for milk. Pennsylvania milk prices are currently set by the Milk Marketing Board, a three-member panel appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate, but legislation in the last session of Con- gress would have lessened or eliminated the premium local farmers now receive over the minimum federal price. “The board sets a premium that is added to the Basic Formula Price set by the U.S.D.A.,” said Tracy Jackson, the Milk Marketing Board. The price is deter- mined by a very elaborate scheme that includes transportation costs, overall supply and demand, federal policies, and prices set by dairy cooperatives. It is also based on the price of cheese sold in the Midwest three months earlier. “The price set has nothing to do with the actual production costs to dairy farm- ers,” said Arden Tewksbury, Manager of the Progressive Agriculture Organization (Pro Ag). “It has nothing to do with trans- porting the milk. It is based on the price of cheese and if they glut the market with cheese causing the price to go down, the base milk price goes down.” Rates are usually set by the middle of the month. When dairy farmers sell their milk they don’t know how much they will be paid for it until the check arrives. Tewksbury said, “The price announced on November 5, $11.55 per hundred weight (cwt.), shows a $4.77 cwt. decline over October prices.” These prices will be seen in a decrease in the cost of milk to See FARMERS, pg 7 16 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar................... 16 Classified............. 14-15 Crossword................ 16 Editorials... ................. 6 Obituaries................. 14 SOhoOL........ccccinii iiss 13 SPOS... cakeiis, 9-10 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@aol.com The Dallas Post MAILING LABEL- Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612-0366
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