1 Vol. 122 No. 19 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 June 26 - July 2, 2011 The barras Post. WILKES-BARRE, PA. www.mydallaspost.com AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER Dallas HS building comes crashing down By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The enormous claw of an exca- vator leaned into the old Dallas High School athletic locker rooms on Monday as demolition began on the 50-year-old school to make way for a parking lot. Bricks crumbled under its weight, and the jagged-toothed piece of machinery effortlessly lifted metal scraps, helpless and lying limp in its grip. Dallas School District Superin- tendent Frank Galicki called the scene of the building’s demoli- tion “bittersweet.” The old Dallas High School building will be gone but not forgotten - the bricks and masonry will be crushed and used as base fill for the parking lot, which will add about 215 spaces for students and faculty. Looking at a room where sports victories were celebrated at one time, Galicki described its décor when the football team re- turned from the 1993 state cham- pionships in Altoona. “It’s amazing,” Galicki added while watching the claw dig into the gym walls. He served as prin- cipal at the Dallas High School from 1983 until 2005 when he was selected for the position of superintendent by the school board. Demolition began Monday “on schedule,” according to Bob Nes- bit of Crabtree Rohrbaugh & As- sociates, the district’s architects. Nesbit said the 230,000 square- foot new high school, which is about 35 feet away from the dem- olition area, is “virtually fin- ished” with just some final minor installations and clean ups to complete. Asbestos abatement is ongoing in the old building, but construc- tion crews are working on the demolition piece by piece in or- der to prepare for sidewalks in front of the $38 million new school. The old Dallas High School building will be gone but not for- gotten — the bricks and masonry will be crushed and used as base fill for the parking lot, which will add about 215 spaces for students See DOWN, Page 14 CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Demolition began Monday on the old Dallas High School building. school. Joan Keating, of Dallas, a teacher at Gate of Heaven School, is comforted during a final Mass for the CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Members of the school choir at Gate of Heaven School sing for the last time. Gate of Heaven School is now just a memory By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com A memorable Mass marked the end of an unforgettable era. Gate of Heaven School cele- brated its final day after 60 years of academics and extracurricu- lars embedded in friendship and family at a Mass on June 15. Earlier this spring, the Diocese of Scranton announced the clo- sure of four schools — two in Lu- zerne County and two in Lacka- wanna County — to be enacted at the end of the 2010-11 academic school year. Students didn’t have to wear their uniforms that day, but some donned the iconic Gator green as they ushered into the pews. Graduates who ascended into a high school state of mind a week and a half earlier gathered at the church on Machell Avenue for one last good-bye. “We wanted to experience the last day and be here for the school,” said Cristina McFarland, 14, of Nanticoke. Students, family, faculty and friends, past and present, crowd- ed the aisles at the service which was led by the Rev. John Lam- bert, Episcopal Vicar for the East- ern Pastoral Region and Episco- pal Vicar for School Planning of the Diocese of Scranton. During his sermon, he told the Graduates who ascended into a high school state of mind a week and a half earlier gathered at the church on Machell Avenue for one last good-bye. audience that, though this may be a “difficult time of transition, God gives us bends in the road, but never a dead end.” Former principal Mary Tigue also addressed the audience at the Mass, sharing memories and words of wisdom for the stu- dents, faculty and families. She talked about how she had to kiss a pig as part of a fundraiser for the accelerated reading pro- gram years ago. She reminisced about how one precocious student insisted she and her husband had built the school. She even talked about decora- tions during St. Patrick’s Day, when she asked a little boy if he had ever heard of leprechauns. “He said, ‘I learned about lep- rechauns at Mass. Jesus cured 10 leprechauns,” Tigue recounted as the audience laughed. Parents and students sobbed quietly as Tigue recited her speech, acknowledging and thanking everyone who had ever been involved in the school. She said the students, past and present, are the “bricks and cin- der blocks” of the school and thanked the many aides and staff- ers who “answered the call.” “What you have loved, others have loved because you taught them how,” Tigue said, quoting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, of the school’s teachers. Principal Abe Simon was also praised at the event — Tigue called him a “jack-of-all-trades and master of all.” She congratu- lated him on his appointment as vice principal at Holy Redeemer High School, and said she’s glad he can continue his “commit- ment, dedication and gutsy hard work.” Though the Mass ended after an hour, not many attendees left the pews as many broke down in tears. The teachers embraced one another in the church foyer, burying their faces in each other’s shoulders. “l am devastated,” said Anne Flasser, of Lehman, one of the first attendees of the school in 1951. “No one will forget.” Marge Dewees, of Dallas, said three of her four children attend- ed the school, and she made sure to call them all that morning to share the day. “This school is a part of our lives,” she said. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Shawn Henninger, Jr., of Dallas, helps PA Game Commision venomous snake specialist Jim Chest- ney insert a readable micro chip into a snake he caught. Creatures By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Food, music and good old- fashioned fun slithered its way into Noxen during the 39th an- nual Rattlesnake Roundup at the Noxen Volunteer Fire Co. fair- grounds June 16-19. The fundraising event’s main attraction is a grassy enclosed pit filled with dangerous creatures which, according to fire compa- ny Chief Lew Hackling, are be- coming endangered themselves. “The Timber rattlesnake is in danger of losing its habitat,” Hackling said as a 29-inch black snake slithered across the top of his knee-high boots. He said the purpose of the event has changed over the years to raise awareness about how growing human populations and development affect snakes’ hab- itats. “They were everywhere when slither ito Noxen Anyone holding a state-issued snake hunting license could bring rattlers and other species to the event. The snakes were tagged and marked before being returned to their original habitat un- harmed by sundown on June 19. I grew up,” said the Noxen resi- dent. “We were always taught to respect them.” Anyone holding a state-issued snake hunting license could bring rattlers and other species to the event. The snakes were tagged and marked before being returned to their original habitat unharmed by sundown on June 19. While Hackling said getting involved in snake hunting was “another way to get out into the woods,” he has gained an exten- sive background on the reptiles and aims to inform the rest of the public. “There isn’t a lot known about the Timber snakes,” he said. “There are currently studies be- ing done on the effects of drilling in the Marcellus Shale on snake habitats.” In addition to the educational aspect, others came to the event to gawk at creatures they might otherwise never get to see in per- son. Thomas Zipay, 10, of Noxen said he loves everything about snakes. Though he’s seen snakes See CREATURES, Page 14 6098151200798
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