10 The Post SCHOOL Sunday, January 25, 2004 John Murphy bids farewell to job he loves By KALEN CHURCHER For The Post LEHMAN TWP. — During his nearly four decades at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, John Mur- phy has held a variety of infor- mal positions. Surrogate father. Confidante. Bail bondsman. “I absolutely love what I do,” Murphy said from his Hayfield House office. “There haven't been two days that have been the same.” The Dallas resident said goodbye January 15 to campus friends, colleagues and stu- dents. By day’s end, the campus mainstay was officially retired from his job as director of stu- dent affairs. “When we came here, this was it, this building and what the kids call “The Commons,’ ” Murphy said, surrounded by piles of books and photos, left- overs from days of packing. Murphy began his Penn State career at the university's Scholarship fund in planning stages A scholarship to benefit fu- ture students is being devel- oped in John Murphy’s name. To contribute to the scholarship fund, send dona- tions to Penn State Wilkes- Barre, Office of Institutional Advancement, P.O. Box PSU, Lehman Township, PA 18627-0217 or call 675-9107 for more information. Ogontz campus, now Penn State Abington. Shortly after, he was wooed by the Wilkes- Barre campus, which made him two job offers before. On the ad- vice of Penn State officials he fi- nally agreed to accept the posi- tion. In 1968, the year Penn State Wilkes-Barre conducted its first classes at its new Lehman Township campus, Murphy was already on board as the campus’ assistant to the dean of student affairs. Katherine Flanagan-Herstek named interim Director of Student Affairs Katherine Flanagan-Herstek, Shavertown, has been appointed interim director of student affairs (DSA) at Penn State Wilkes- Barre. She will replace retiring director John R. Murphy. Flanagan- Herstek has been with the University since 1990, serving as coor- dinator of the division of undergraduate students and department head of advising/counseling and registrar services. She holds a bachelor of science in elementary education with a minor in psy- chology and a master of science in human services administration. She has been listed in Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in the East, and is a 1989 graduate of Leadership Wilkes- Barre. As DSA, Flanagan-Herstek will be responsible for the overall ad- ministration of student programs and services at the campus in Lehman, including directing the planning, organization and imple- mentation of student personnel services in the program areas of student activities, admissions, financial aid, recreation and athlet- ics, and health services. FOR THE POST/MADALYN RUGGIERO John Murphy, director of student affairs at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, reflects on nearly four decades of work at the Lehman Township campus. Today marks Murphy's final day before retirement. Sitting back in his chair, Mur- phy smiles as he remembers one student, a bright young man who had several leadership positions on campus but “ran afoul with the local law.” The young man used his one phone call at the police station to call Murphy, who posted his bail. Penn State alumni keep in touch with Murphy through e- mails and telephone calls. Dur- ing a recent commencement, class speaker Kimberly Boyle thanked him for his guidance and classmates provided a standing ovation in his honor. So thankful for the time Mur- phy spent with him on campus, Rick Barry, a Penn State gradu- ate, endowed a scholarship — the John R. Murphy Excellence in Leadership and Service Award — on his behalf. Not all of Murphys memo- ries are happy. Mixed in with his books, photos and countless pieces of PSU paraphernalia are three dried carnations in a short Penn State glass. The flowers are from the funerals of three former students who died during his Penn State tenure. Those are just some of the memories Murphy will carry with him as he becomes chief cook and vacuum pusher at home while his wife, Shawn, continues working. “I have never not worked, so I just don’t want to work for six months.” After that, he'll continue working on his book, “What They Didn’t Tell Me in Gradu- ate School.” Murphy admits there have been some sad points as he has said goodbye to colleagues and students, but overall, his depar- ture has not been as bittersweet as he'd expected. “This hasn't been anything like I thought it would be,” Murphy said, gazing around his office. “I've enjoyed the hell out of what I've been doing and I like leaving that way.” ) Trucksville Nursery School open house Trucksville Nurséty School is accepting applications for the 2004-2005-school year. Develop- mentally appropriate programs are offered for preschoolers from 2 to 5 years of age. “Hands-on” learning activities encourage the development of social and communication skills and the love of learning. Staff members will be avail- able to accompany prospective parents and children as they tour the new state-of-the-art fa- cility during open house week, January 26-30. Call the school office at 696-3899 to reserve a tour. The Trucksville Nursery School is located on Church Road, Trucksville. Practice SAT at Dallas The Dallas High School Guidance Department, in con- junction with the Princeton Re- view, will offer a practice SAT at Dallas High School on Satur- day, Feb. 14. Students should arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. The test is open to all area college bound students. Each student will receive a detailed printout of their strengths and weaknesses to help prepare them for the actual SAT. There is a $25 charge. Checks should be payable to Dallas High School and mailed to: Dal- las High School Guidance De- partment, P.O. Box 2000, Dallas PA 18612. Registration deadline is February 4. For information, call 674-7218. od hid Dallas Middle School honors outstanding students Recently, an assembly was held at the Dallas Middle School to honor the outstanding aca- demic students for the first marking period. Mr. Anthony Martinelli, Dallas Middle School principal, announced that 14 eighth graders, 17 seventh graders, and 6 sixth grade students achieved Honors With Distinction. To be eligible for this recognition a student must have earned a 3.8 to a 4.0 grade point average, with no F or D grades. Pictured are students who earned Honors with Distinction. From left, row 1: Austin Thomas, Nicholas Lombard, Monica Esopi, Danielle Harding, Sarah Kennelly, Michael Jayne, John Prater and Scott Webb. Row 2: Tim Ropel, Kevin Pierce, Stacey Stepniak, Kristina Toussaint, Nicole Clemson, Hi- lary Grube, Katrina Heintz, Molly Gilligan and Diana Smith. Row 3: Erica Lisses, Alyssa Pyros, Meghan Pietraccini, Katelyn Confer, Niccole Rivero, Chris Jayne, Josh Shaver, Bradley Johnson, Ilya Volodarsky and Rachel Kesselman. Row 4: Virginia Reinert, Lauren Kelly, Rosemary Shaver, Preston Balavage, Elena Haber- sky, Frederick Mihal, Stephen Pearson, Jordan Thimot and Joseph Stachnik. Absent from picture was Carli Menzel. Entries sought for Rosetti Art Contest All area students in grades 7-12 are invited to enter the 23rd Annual Suzanne Maria Rossetti Memorial Juried Art Contest. Joe and Sue Hand of Dallas sponsor the contest in memory of the daughter of Louise and the late Peter Rossetti of Saugus, Massachusetts. Students in grades 7-12 re- siding in or studying art with- in the geographical boundaries of the school districts of Dallas, Lehman, Tunkhannock, and Northwest Area may enter the contest. Entries must be delivered to Sue Hand’s Imagery, 35 Main Street, Dallas, between Febru- ary 9 and 18. Ribbons will be awarded in 12 categories on each separate grade level by two panels of three judges each. Entries will be judged separately on each grade level in a variety of categories in- cluding pencil, pastel, water- color, acrylic, oil, ink, scratch- board, mixed media, fibers, photography, prints, and miniature drawings and paint- ings. Photographs must be at least 8” by 10”. No entry may exceed. a total size of 40 inch- es in any direction. All two-di- mensional entries must be mounted or matted, or framed (exception: works on canvas board or stretched canvas), and must be accompanied by an entry form, available from area school art teachers or from Sue Hand’s Imagery. All two-dimensional art- work, other than matted pa- per, must have a secure hang- er on the back, Artwork must have been completed in the last 12 months and may not have been entered in the 2003 g& | Rossetti Art Contest. Each student may submit a total of three entries. In addition., a separate awards jury will as- sign many community-spon- sored cash awards and gift cer- tificates. Deadline for entries is February 18 at 6 p.m. For a complete listing of rules, call 675-5094. Kindergarten Readiness program at Lake-Lehman The Lake-Lehman School District announces the third installment of the Kinder- garten Readiness Program for parents and pre-school chil dren. The program is sched- uled for February 3, 4, and 5, and will feature “Nutrition and Health.” Faculty from each building will conduct the presentation. It will include an explanation of proper nutrition for chil dren and will include the screening procedures for kindergarten registration in March. Separate activities are intended for the children. Par- ents and children are invited for lunch in the cafeteria fol- lowing the presentation. The schedule is as follows: Ross Elementary, Feb. 3, 10 a.m.; Lake-Noxen Elementary, Feb. 4, 9 a.m.; Lehman-Jack- son Elementary, Feb. 7, 9 a.m. Register by calling your neighboring elementary school offices at Ross Elemen- tary, 477-5050 or 256-7897; Lake-Noxen Elementary, 639- 1129; Lehman-Jackson Ele- mentary, 675-2165. This program is only for ) children who will be 5 on or before September 1, 2004, and are planning to enter kinder- garten for the 2004-2005 school year. It is requested that younger brothers and sis- ters are not brought, if possi- ble. SAT prep course at PSU. High school students can register now for Penn State Wilkes- Barre’s review course for the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), to be given March 27 and May 1. This course offers students a . seven-session grade-free course to prepare for the verbal and math portions of the SAT. Students can find ways to reduce time needed to answer questions, learn the recommended test taking order, increase reading comprehension, become familiar with"g¥ | math grids and when to use a calculator. The grade-free review course will be held on Saturdays, January 31 through March 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the campus in Lehman. Students may take one or both of the verbal and math reviews. For more infor- mation, call Penn State Wilkes-Barre Continuing Education at 675-9219 or e-mail paal0@psu.edu. 7 DMS slates physicals The Dallas Middle School spring sports physicals will be held ; on February 5 and February 12 at 8:30 a.m. Parent permission forms are available in the school office and must be completed and returned to the nurse prior to the examination. Any student who plans to play baseball, softball, or track and field in the spring is required to have a physical before attending the first day of practice. Youth chess club forms A newly formed group of chess players, the Smart Alekhines, a scholastic chess club for children ages 5 through 18, meets Saturdays in the community room of the Back Mountain Memo- rial Library from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. No fees or dues are required. Interested persons are asked only to bring their own chesshoards and pieces. Level of play is from beginner to expert. Practical play and instruction will be directed by certified chess instructor George Trent. Call 740-7662 for further information. Tell our advertisers you saw them in The Post. They'll appreciate it, and so will we. Sweet Valley YANKEE CANDLE January FRAGRANCE * OVER 34,000 MONOGRAM DESIGNS » COUNTRY ¢ PRIMITIVE GIFTS * 62 YANKEE CANDLE SCENTS 570-477-3940 5% Bilo 0il Co. Call around for prices — then make us your last call! We'll beat any advertised ¢ home heating Per oil price in our Gallon area b y MINIMUM 125 GALLONS CALL TOLL FREE (-888-BUY-BiLO®' (1-888-289-2450) 24 HOUR HOT LINE J
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers