%]olid ... Sunday, January 15, 2012 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 STON TOWNSHIP ay house winners honored GERI GIBBONS Dallas Post Correspondent The board of supervisors pre- sented gift certificates to the re- cipients. of its annual Holiday House Contest at its regular meeting on ‘Wednesday. Rick Connors, Bunker Hill Road, said he used over 18,000 lights to complete his holiday presentation. “My favorite part is watching people look at the lights,” said Connors, who plans to add an additional 10,000 lights to his display next year. “This goes beyond just being a holiday contest; it shows the spirit of our township,” said As- sistant Township Manager Rob- ert Hivish. Supervisors passed a Sched- ule of Fees which includea a $150 fee to register a permit to an event in compliance with the township’s Amusement and Ex- hibition Ordinance. Supervisor Frank Natitus asked if this fee could be waived for charitable organizations. Township Solicitor Benjamin Jones said that, because it is an administrative fee, it cannot be waived. However, Jones said, if an event is for a charitable orga- nization and is community based, the municipality can make a donation to that charity to assist with the fee payment. Township supervisors also voted to continue with a 5% contribution rate for township police toward their pension. “With the township having fi- nancial concerns,” said Supervi- sor Chair James Reino, “it is necessary to continue to collect this 5%.” Reino noted the township has also trimmed its budget by elim- inating unnecessary expendi- tures, including some road work. The board voted to allow An- thracite Scenic Trails to place a kiosk on township property along the Back Mountain Trail, announcing upcoming events re- lated to the trail. Jones said the easement the township had previously grant- ed included the placement of the kiosk. The board encouraged resi- dents to access information re- garding township events, ordi- nances and services at its web- site at www.kingstontownship- .com or by “friending” the township on Facebook. The next meeting of the King- ston ‘Township Board of Super- visors will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6. &-ake-Lehman plans kindergarten series The Lake-Lehman School Dis- trict invites parents and children to the fourth installment of the Kindergarten Readiness Pro- gram for the 2011-2012 school year. The program is scheduled for January 31, February 1 and 2 and will feature “Nutrition and Pre- Registration.” ere will be an explanation of ¥: registration and breakfast/ lunch process. Parents can begin the necessary paperwork for reg- istration and are asked to bring their child’s immunizations with them. Parents are also invited to lunch. The schedule is as follows: Ross Elementary, Tuesday, Jan. 31; Lake-Noxen Elementary, Wednesday, Feb.1; and Lehman- Jackson Elementary, Thursday, Feb. 2. All programs start at 9 a.m. Parents are asked to register for the third installment by call- ing their respective elementary school office at Ross Elementary at 477-5050 or 256-7897, Lake- Noxen Elementary at 639-1129 or Lehman-Jackson Elementary at 675-2165. This program is only for chil- dren who will be 5 years old be- fore September 1 and are plan- ning to enter kindergarten for the 2012-2013 school year at Lake- Lehman. Scholarship exam set Current fourth through sev- enth-graders not already enrolled at Wyoming Seminary Lower School are encouraged to regis- ter for Sem’s Merit Scholarship Exam to be held Saturday, Feb. 4 at the school’s Forty Fort campus. Wyoming Seminary Lower School is a co-educational day school for students in preschool to grade eight. Up to five half-tuition merit- based scholarships will be award- ed to students who display out- standing performance on the competitive exam. There is also need-based financial aid available to those who qualify. : All students planning to take the Merit Scholarship Exam should complete a visit to the Lower School, shadowing a cur- rent Lower School student, on or before February 20 to qualify for an award. Exam registration will be at 8:15 a.m. and the exam will be given at 8:30 a.m., ending at 11 a.m. Parents are invited to stay for a presentation, including fi- nancial aid information, tour and refreshments. For more information about the Wyoming Seminary Merit Scholarship Exam or to register. for the exam, call the Lower School Admission Office at 718- 6610. Locals graduate from MU The following are local Miser- icordia University students who applied and were eligible to par- ticipate in the winter commence- ment ceremony on Monday, Dec. 19: Amy Bachman, Dallas, Organi- zational Management, MS ; Car- rie Balla, Harveys Lake, Elemen- tary Education, BS; Stanley Bal- loun, Shavertown, Business Ad- ministration , MBA; Susan Brdaric, Shavertown, Nursing, N; Kristopher Coughlin, Har- lys Lake, Government, Law and ational Security, BA; Lunda Dickson, Dallas, Business Ad- ministration, BS; Karen Downs, Dallas, Nursing, BSN. Also, Keith Evanosky, Dallas, Organizational Management, MS; Amy Hartman, Dallas, Psy- chology, BS; Jamie Kinney, Hun- lock Creek, Nursing, BSN; Sha- ron Mazzeo, Wyoming, Profes- sional Studies, BS; Cara Nolan, Shavertown, Elementary Educa- tion, Special Education, BS; Jo- seph Pretko, Dallas, Professional Studies, BS. Also, James Ready, Dallas, Business Administration, MBA; Luann Senchak, Dallas, Nursing, BSN; Jane Stredny, Harveys Lake, Nursing, BSN; Marcia Walsh, Sweet Valley, Business Administration, BS. Alyssa Monaghan, of Dallas, fends off her make-believe attacker with an elbow to the groin during a self-defense class for women at the Back Mountain Martial Arts Studio in Dallas. May Goebel prepares to ward off her male attacker, played by Marty Kravchick,of Mountain Top, in a martial arts self-defense class for women at the Back Mountain Martial Arts Studio. is Daniel Siblini, of Mountain Top. Protect By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Linda Cardany can’t be much more than five feet tall, though the 64-year-old from. Dorrance recently learned she packs quite a punch. Cardany was one of a group of women (and men) in attendance at a self-defense class geared to- wards females at Back Mountain Martial Arts in Dallas Township. The class, led by local martial arts experts, stressed the impor- tance of personal safety tactics — not martial arts technique. “We see a lot more people tak- ing this class because everyone has busy lives and don’t have time to take traditional martial arts classes,” said Sensai Ri- chard Dixon, of Mountain Top. He said the class was held about once a year but, due to high demand, is now instructed on a quarterly basis. Jackie Soper, a brown belt, has been practicing martial arts for more than 15 years and is an instructor at the studio. Her fo- ray into the discipline stemmed from a desire to feel confident and prepared in any situation. “I never want to be afraid of anyone,” said Soper, of Shaver- town. “If I get taken down, they're not getting up.” Instructors focused on keep- ing cool and calm during a sticky situation. Being prepared for an attack can completely change the situation, as those who are attacked won’t feel pan- icked. “It can definitely save a life,” said Soper. Cardany wanted to take the class for a while because she wanted to fend for herself in try- ing times, despite her small stat- ure. “I've managed to avoid those situations, but there’s so much YOURDELF Another women's self-defense class will be held at Mountain Top Martial Arts, 273 S. Main Blvd., Mountain Top, from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21. For more information, call 474-0171. more meanness in the world than ever before, and you never know when it’s going to pop up,” she said. Dallas High School student Kelly Monaghan has been in- volved in martial arts for about a year. The 18-year-old from Dal- las wanted to learn how to pro- tect herself for when she goes away to college. “It’s really important to feel safe,” said Monaghan. “I hope I never have to use it, but the knowledge is there.” Dixon said the most impor- tant part of handling oneself during an attack is to “even the odds.” Knowing where and how to strike an attacker and using everyday objects such as water bottles and umbrellas are good strategies for survival. “With a 100-pound girl and a 250-pound man, there’s no such thing as a fair fight,” he said. “No one has a right to touch you.” When responding to an at- tack, Dixon said to focus energy \ CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Jackie Soper, of Shavertown, demonstrates how fingers pushed into an attacker's eyes can be effective. The make-believe attacker CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Kelly Monaghan, of Dallas, and Linda Cardany, of Dorrance, prac- tice self-defense moves on each other at a class for women at the Back Mountain Martial Arts Studio. on the most vulnerable areas of the body, such as the eyes, groin, knees and toes, in order to de- mobilize the attacker. Once that has happened, Dixon told his students to get away from the situation as soon as possible and call for help. About 10 students practiced several moves during the class, including how to deal with at- tackers who may brandish dan- gerous weapons. “The biggest mistake people make is trying to grab the gun,” said Dixon. “A gun on the ground is just a hunk of metal. It’s the person that’s dangerous.” Dixon also spoke about con- trolling one’s environment, such as wearing appropriate clothing, traveling with a group and avoiding alcohol, to defray po- tentially harmful situations. PEOPLE BRIEFS Konnick named to dean's list Kimberly A. Konnick, of Dallas, has been named to the dean’s list at Cazenovia College for the fall semester of the 2011-2012 academic year. Konnick is a senior working toward a bachelor of science degree in human services spe- cializing as a generalist. Stull works on campaigns Jeremy Stull, of Dallas, is in New Hampshire taking part in a Quinnipiac University ad- vanced-level seminar on presi- dential campaigns. Stull is one of 28 students taking part in the seminar led by Quinnipiac Professor Scott McLean. The students have been researching the presi- dential candidates since the fall. As part of their research, the students visited New Hamp- shire in October to campaign for their favorite candidates. They returned again for a weekend in November and again in early January to expe- rience the days leading up to the January 10 New Hampshire primary.
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