Vol. 117 No. 43 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 October 22 - October 28, 2006 ®° The DALLAS POST. SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Latin perfect language for Farias BY GENELLE HOBAN Post Correspondent SHAVERTOWN - Katherine Farias not only knows the mean- ing of the phrase “carpe diem.” She knows how to do it. The Wyoming Seminary Upper School student was able to “seize the day” while taking the 2006 Na- tional Latin Examination. The Shavertown resident attained a perfect score in the Latin II test, which was taken by 149,000 stu- dents from the United States and 13 other countries. Only 1 percent of students received a perfect score. “I really was surprised to find out that I did so well,” said the Wyom- ing Seminary sophomore. “I didn’t find it Farias easy or difficult whenItookit.It was just another test.” The approximately 45-minute exam tested the students’ abili- ties in Latin reading comprehen- sion, grammar, vocabulary and culture. As a reward for receiving the unusually high score, Farias thinks her teacher might give her afew extra credit points in her La- tin class at Wyoming Seminary. She will also receive a hand-let- tered certificate from the Nation- al Latin Exam. The daughter of Alan and Ann . Farias said she began taking Latin about four years ago at school. “It wasn’t required, but a lot of @®... took it,” she said. “It was just something I did. I really like Latin compared to any of the mod- ern languages.” Farias, who also speaks Span- ish, says Latin is more complex and completely different from the English and Spanish languages. “It is difficult because of sen- tence structure and tough to speak because of word order,” said the 15-year-old. “We don’t speak it in class because the word endings change depending on the part of speech you use.” Since Latin is no longer a spo- ken language, Farias said it is in- teresting to figure out what it was like thousands of years ago when people spoke it. “Sometimesit’sneat though be- cause some words we still use in English come from Latin, like summa cum laude when someone graduates with honors,” she said. Aside from speaking three lan- guages, Farias also plays sports & is active in many school activ- ities. She is a member of the ten- nis, basketball and lacrosse teams, as well as a part of student government, Blue Key and S.A.C., the student activities com- mittee. “I also love watching Grey's Anatomy and shopping,” she said. V Inside The Post 10 Pages, 1 Section CRUE ascidian cisiciearsivans 2 ODIUBTIBS cee iiicnssisinissnes 5 People Briefs ...........cx 6 SPOILS erie bind IE 7 v How To Reach Us News: 829-7248 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 1871 Advertising: 829-7101 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dallas Middle School special education teacher, Kathleen Andrusisian. gives a hug to Caitlin Trainor a blind student at Dallas Senior High School who in- troduced her at the state convention. An inspirational lesson By DAVE KONOPKI Dallas Post Editor DALLAS TWP. - For the last 30 years, Kathleen Andrusisian has inspired count- less students as a special education teacher. “To be a good teacher you have to love learning. And you have to love teaching others.” students. “Kathleen has a passion for teach- ing. She’s every dedicated and she truly believes that every child can Kathleen Andrusisian, Special education teacher, Dallas Township learn.” Andrusisian says she had mixed Earlier this month, it was time for one of the students to return the favor. Caitlin Trainor, a sight-impaired 11th grade student at Dallas High School, intro- duced Andrusisian during the Pennsylvania “Teacher of the Year” luncheon in Harris- burg. The Dallas Middle School teacher was one of 12 finalists from across the state, be- coming the first educator from the Dallas School District to be named as a finalist. Using a speech written in Braille, Trainor introduced her former teacher to the crowd of more than 300 people. “She was the star of the show,” said Andru- sisian, who has been teaching in the district for the past 10 years. “She was incredible. Ev- eryone in the room was silent. Her speech made you want to cry. I was teary-eyed. She inspires me so much.” Students, parents, colleagues and community members from across the state nominate teachers for the annual award. A committee of former “Teacher of the Year” recipients and past finalists narrow the list to 30 semifinalists and eventually to 12 finalists. The selection process includes an- swering essay questions and providing a videotape of work with students. The committee and the Pennsylvania De- partment of Education select the win- ner. This year’s award was given to Lois feelings when Rebich was an- nounced as the winner. Rebich will represent Pennsylvania at the nation- al Teacher of the Year convention next April in Dallas, Texas. She is al- so expected to make several other ap- pearances across the country and write in various publications. “Part of me wondered if there was something I didn’t do to win,” she said. “The other part was relief. If I had won, I would have been very tax- ing to maintain my teaching job and meet requirements as Teacher of the Year. I didn’t know if I would be able Rebich, an instructional support teacher at Ross Elementary in the North Hills School District. Dallas Middle School principal Antho- ny Martinelli nominated Andrusisian for the award. He also attended the lun- cheon with Dallas school board member Dick Orloski. “Each year, I try to nominate a person who exemplifies the type of teachers we have in our school,” said Martinelli. “I carefully make a selection based upon performance. It’s very, very difficult. But I believe we have to celebrate our teach- ers’ success as well as the success of our See TEACHER, Page 8 Kids with books have dogs’ ears By DAVE KONOPKI Dallas Post Editor DALLAS - It didn’t take long for Emily Lofing to real- ize the well-behaved grey- hound sitting next to her at the Back Mountain Memorial Library wasn’t an ordinary dog. While the 10-year-old Sha- vertown resident read several books, Tia sat quietly nearby, her undivided attention fo- cused squarely on the young girl. “I thought it was neat that dogs would listen to you read,” said Emily, a third grade stu- dent at Wycallis Elementary School. “Most dogs wouldn’t listen. I thought it was fun. The dogs weren't jumping around like a normal dog would.” The pet therapy dogs were part of special reading pro- gram at the library last week. The dogs — licensed members of Therapy Dogs International — visit places such as schools and libraries to help children gain confidence and improve their reading skills. “I kind of felt more comfort- Shavertown resident Stephen Lofing, 7, reads to Anna, a pet therapy dog owned by Marty Neely. Stephen attended the program with his 10-year-old sister Emily. able reading to the dogs,” said Emily, who attended the pro- gram with her 7-year-old broth- er Stephen. “They wont get make fun or get mad at you if you make a mistake.” That’s a comment Natalie Pu- hak has heard repeatedly dur- ing her time as a pet therapy dog handler. PHOTO FOR THE DALLAS POST/JONATHAN J. JUKA Darcie Hungarter and her dog Tia help Nichole Conrad, 5, of Shavertown, read "Haunted Castle’ dur- ing a special reading program at the Back Mountain Memorial Library. Jacob Garnett reads to Cody, while his brother ie] 3 Ln po ; Zackery pets the grey- i y a som hound. At left is Cody's i : ro handler, Diana Cognigni. The dogs and their handlers dressed in See DOGS, Page 8 Halloween costumes during the reading program at the Back Mountain Memorial Library.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers