Vol. 118 No. 02 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 January 14 - January 20, 2007 "The DALLAS 50¢ SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS ICE WATER, ANYONE? Rushing water forms ice on the rocks and fallen trees at the creek on Hillside Road near the Huntsville dam. ei SR RS A Ra AR ¥ igs hi Wy : i : FR ali A Sa pls ) Sgr, PHOTOS FOR THE DALLAS POST/DAVE KONOPKI he cold weather is upon us - finally - as ice begins to form on the water at the Huntsville Reservior. By DAVE KONOPKI Dallas Post Editor LF Editor's note: This is part of The Dallas Post's occasional question and answer series called “10 Minutes With...” If you would like to recom- mend an interesting person for the feature, call editor Dave Konopki at 829-7248 or e-mail him at dkonopki- @mydallaspost.com. LEHMAN TWP. - Jim McGovern didn’t come to the Lake-Lehman School District with a goal of making sweeping changes. In fact, the only change he wanted to make was a -change of attitude. That's one of the things the Lake- Lehman superintendent discussed during an interview with Dallas Post editor Dave Konopki. McGovern says he’s been extremely impressed with the district since he assumed the job duties in May, calling it one of the “best-kept educational secrets” in the ® The 38-year-old, who quickly rose through the ranks of the education field, has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superin- tendent and superintendent since graduating from Crestwood High School and Colgate University. He was a teacher and principal at Crest- wood, as well as an assistant princi- pal, principal and assistant superin- tendent at Dallas. The former high school and college football standout lives in Larksville with his wife Maureen and their sons A.J., 14, Tyler, 13, and Connor, 9. DK: What was it like during your first day on the job? JM: It was an eye-opening experi- ence. I opened the paper and it talked about some heated controversy at Lake-Lehman. I wondered ‘what the heck did I get myself into.” (laughs) But to be honest, the entire communi- ty has been very generous and open- minded about me coming in. “lI came here with the idea that there didn’t need to be a complete overall of everything at Lake-Lehman. This is a very unique school district and I really feel the people here should embrace their uniqueness. We need to identify our needs and strengths. I think Lake-Lehman is one of the best-kept educational secrets in the area. he » PHOTOS FOR THE POST CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK cGovern: District is best-kept secret DK: What makes the district so spe- cial? JM: “The people really care for each other. There’s such a strong sense of community. I don’t think some of the people really understand what they have. I try to look at everything from a positive side. This is a unique and ex- tremely special community. You have students who come from farming ar- eas, from lake communities, and from rural areas. There’s a unique blend of people.” DK: You mentioned the district’s strengths and needs. What are the strengths? JM: “One of them is the strong fam- ily background and tradition. We're talking about multi-generation fam- ilies who have come to Lake-Lehman. The names are so familiar. When you hear a certain name, you know they're from Lake-Lehman. One of the amaz- ing things about Lake-Lehman is that people who have retired or worked in the district continue to be associated with it. They don’t abandon it. That’s special.” See MCGOVERN, Page 8 — Bob and Mary Law, Dallas, are members of the Meadows Nurs- ing Center Aux- iliary. The group has been help- ing residents for more than 20 years. Meadows Auxiliary continues to shine By DAVE KONOPKI Dallas Post Editor DALLAS - Thanks to the generosity of many members of the Back Moun- tain community and the hard work of dozens of volunteers of the Meadows Auxiliary, the residents of the Mead- ows Nursing Center have a chapel in which to worship, vans that provide much-needed transportation, and pi- anos and organs that provide hours of inspiration and entertainment. Members of the Auxiliary would like to do even more. And you can help. The group is in the process of hold- ing its annual membership drive. For just $8, you can help provide much- needed services and equipment for the residents at the West Center Hill Road facility. Last year, the Auxiliary collected $14,205. And every penny benefited the residents. “Our primary goal is to do things for the residents of the center. All of our money is used for them,” said member- ship drive coordinator Irene Transue, a 22-year charter member of the Auxilia- ry. “We don’t set a (membership) goal. We're grateful for whatever we get. We're also very grateful to the commu- nity. We've received a lot of support over the years.” And the Auxiliary has given a lot in return. Since its inception, the organiza- tion's members have donated more than 210,000 service hours and more than $125,000 has been raised for vari- ous projects. In addition to the chapel, vans and or- gans, the organization has funded things like a special needs wheelchair Memberships for the Meadows Nursing Center Auxiliary are $8, although dona- tions of higher amounts are accepted. For membership information, call the center at 675-8600, ext. 195. for the physical therapy department, bingo supplies, a wheelchair-accessible garden table for the activities depart- ment, as well as new carpeting and a new piano for the chapel. The Auxiliary also holds an annual Christmas shop- ping spree, coffee birthdays, and pro- vides entertainment for a variety of events. Last week, the Auxiliary agreed to purchase four air mattresses for resi- dents with skin problems. The mat- tresses cost $1,000 each. “The residents are so grateful,” said Auxiliary president Bob Law who, along with his wife Mary, has been a member of the group for the past dec- ade. “We try to do as many things as we can for them. We have about 30 or 40 members who are active volunteers.” The rest of the Auxiliary is com- prised of community members who join as a way of making a donation to the organization. Although member- ships cost $8, many people give more, says Transue, who recently sent out ap- proximately 1,700 letters during the membership drive. In addition to the membership drive, the other major fundraiser is the annual Market on the Pond flea market, which is held each June. The Auxiliary has been holding the event for the past 22 years. Last year’s event raised a record $13,000. “We do a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” said Law. “It’s worth it to see the smiles on their faces.” PHOTOS FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK A new chapel is among the many things purchased by the Meadows Nursing Center Auxiliary over the years. ¥ Inside The Post 12 Pages, 1 Section ¥ 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 =
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