® rres-pARRE PA. q Vol.121 No. 27 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 August 28 - September 3, 2011 The DALLAS Pos 50¢ www.mydallaspost.com AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER Classes start tomorrow for Lake-Lehman students By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Lake-Lehman students will be- gin trading summer vacation sto- ries and comparing class sched- ules on Monday, Aug. 29 - the first day of classes for Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School, Leh- man-Jackson Elementary, Lake- Noxen Elementary and Ross Ele- mentary. A few changes will greet stu- dents when they walk through the doors, and The Dallas Post spoke to each principal to get the back-to-school scoop. Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior a RL High School At the junior/senior high school, students can expect to ex- perience some curriculum changes. Principal Doug Klopp said the classes are intended to better align the school’s curriculum with state standards while teach- ing students the importance of critical thinking. For seniors, there are a few new options in different subject areas, including a personal finance course, an environmental science course and a civics and govern- ment course. Juniors will have a chance to take a brand new character devel- opment course, which Klopp said “teaches students to think criti- cally and make responsible deci- sions.” This class will replace a speech course for that grade lev- el. Klopp also said a revamped child development course for sophomores will dig deeper into the subject matter. Freshmen will have a new well- ness course. Students with at least two years of study in a foreign lan- guage can participate in an inde- péndent study-like class utilizing Rosetta Stone language software. Seventh and eighth-graders See CLASSES, Page 12 Earthquake? You're kidding! 1] 4 Some Back Mountain residents shook while others didn't feel anything. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Was it a rocking, swaying mo- tion? Or did the whole room shake? Or, like some residents in the Back Mountain, did you feel nothing at all? A 5.8 magnitude earthquake based in Virginia rocked the East Coast on Tuesday and its tremors were felt as far south as Georgia and as far north as Massa- Cavanaugh chusetts. Much of Luzerne County was aken briefly by the quake, and iany downtown Wilkes-Barre businesses were evacuated around 1:52 p.m. Some Back Mountain resi- dents felt the effects of the earthquake, and some say they Wagner “I didn't know what it was and then | started hearing about it on the news.” Lexi Harry Harveys Lake But Wagner believed what she heard when her mother told her the ordeal she felt while working at a bank in Forty Fort. “She said whole building had to be evacuated and the po- lice were there,” said Wagn- er. She also said her sister’s workplace, the Luzerne County Sheriff's Department, was evacuated as well. Hearing about others’ experi- ences made Wagner a little jeal- ous. After all, it’s not every day she has an opportunity to expe- rience an earthquake. “Im upset I didn’t feel any- thing,” she said. “I said, ‘I hope a the had no idea what had hap- there are af- pened tershocks!™ until Even they though turned some resi on their dents didn’t televi- experience sions. it firsthand, Six- worrying teen- about loved year- ones closer old Lexi . to the epi- Harry Harry, Banish center of the of Har- e€arthquake was an ordeal in it- self veys Lake, was lying down when she felt her whole bed shake for about a minute. “l didn’t know what it was and then I started hearing about it on the news,” she said. Her friend, 17-year-old Mack- enzie Wagner, was near Dunkin’ Donuts on Memorial Highway when the earthquake’s tremors traveled north, but she didn’t feel a thing. “I got a text message from meone about it and I laughed,” said Wagner, of Har- veys Lake. “I didn’t believe it. We're not Wilkes-Barre - we don’t get earthquakes here.” ¢'"M098157120079%, Anna Marie Bandish, of Pikes Creek, said she didn’t get “all shook up,” but her daughters who live in southern Pennsylva- nia were affected by the event. She said spotty cell phone servide made communication more difficult after the quake. “My daughter lives outside of Philly and the only way we could keep in touch was through Facebook because her cell phone service was out,” said Bandish. Dylan Cavanaugh, 10, of Tunkhannock, and his mom were in the same house when it happened, and he was the only one to feel the shakes of the quake. “I was playing video games and the whole TV started shak- ing,” he said. “My heart drop- ped a little bit.” His mom, who was one story above him, didn’t feel a thing. eniors learn how to navi By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Eighty-five-year-old Edwin Smith, of Dallas, clicked his mouse while looking at a colorful visualization of his own name on a computer screen. After receiving a laptop as a gift recently, Smith and his wife took abasic computer class at the Back Mountain Memorial Library to learn how to use it properly. The Smiths aren’t the only ones interested in computers, though, as four other adult stu- dents recently attended the class to get a better handle on utilizing technology to the fullest extent. Computer whiz Brandon Co- letti, 19, of Sweet Valley, teaches the class on a bi-weekly basis. The college student and entrepreneur said he enjoys teaching the class and hopes to help those who may be timid about using a computer for the first time. “The Internet isn’t something to be feared — it’s something to be mastered,” he said. Smith said he had previously used an older desktop computer for various purposes, from sort- ing files to reading documents. The Internet, he said, was more of a challenge. “I was trying to find the name of a friend’s wife,” said Smith. “Her father passed away, and I was able to find the obituary on- line.” Part-time Harveys Lake resi- dent Joan Treiber, 78, of Burke, Va. said she saw a notice of the class while visiting the library’s farmer’s market and thought it was a good time to practice her technical skills. “I want to be able to do e-mail so I can talk with my children,” she said. Gerry Chickeletti, director of the Mature Workers program from the local agency on aging, said most older adults are resist- The Back Mountain Memorial Library plans to offer a Facebook and social networking class and an intermediate computers class. For more information, contact the library at 675-182. ant to learning to use computers, but they’re coming around. “Now out of 25 people, maybe 15 of them are learning to use computers,” he said. He said much of the time se- nior citizens want to learn about computers to better communi- cate with family, but some are hesitant to learn new skills. “Actually, senior citizens are the largest growing group getting computers because it’s cheaper than spending money on long -is- tance phone calls to talk to loved ones,” said Chickeletti. Programs, like the one offered at the Back Mountain Memorial Library, can help because Coletti doesn’t assume students have a working knowledge of computers at all, which keeps everyone on the same level. “We start with turning a com- puter on, so it’s very basic,” he said. Marie Kern, 72, of Dallas, had tried to enlist her family mem- bers to help her learn the ins and outs of computers before coming to the library class. “I want to use the computer without the help of everybody,” she said. “There (are) no instruc- tions. My children try to help and say I could play games but I don’t wan to play games — I just want to learn how to use it.” Coletti said the age difference between himself and the students is never an issue, and he tailors the program to compliment the skills, not the age, of a person. “We learn and we laugh,” he said. “I'm glad to be able to teach anyone because, when they come CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Diane Traver takes a lesson on the computer at the Back Mountain Memorial Library from instructor Brandon Coletti. gate the Web Edwin Smith takes a computer lesson at the Back Mountain Memo- rial Library. in, they say no one else has the time to teach them.” Smith said, after taking the class, he now has an intricate knowledge of the Microsoft Word program and plans to take classes in the future. Coletti said next month the Back Mountain Memorial Li- brary plans to offer a Facebook and social networking class and an intermediate computers class. at Fire & Ice on Toby Creek. Best of Back Mountain’ voting begins today Readers can vote by paper ballot or online for their favorites in more than 80 categories. Voting in the 2011 Best of the Back Mountain contest starts to- day. Readers of The Dallas Post and The Times Leader are en- couraged to vote for their favorites in more than 80 categories. The Best of the Back Mountain ballot appears on page 7 of to- day’s paper. Readers may complete the ballot and mail it to Best of the Back Mountain, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa 18711 or they may vote online at www.mydallaspost.com. Voting will continue until Thursday, Sept. 22. Winners in all categories will then be notified and will be invited to the Best of the Back Mountain awards event scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 25 A special section announcing the winners in all categories will publish in the October 30 issue of The Dallas Post.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers