nS See a mt | ! ! Sunday, May 6, 2012 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 Hampton Jr., both of Nanticoke, at a dog show held at Misericordia University. Who's the cutest dog in the land? By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Eskimo Joe, or E.J., as his fam- ily calls him, is a 6-year-old Pem- broke Welsh Corgi who manages to stay positive despite his lack of prize-winning pedigree in the dog world. He’s been entered in a few dog ows over the years, but has yet in a single title. Js owner, Ashley Scaffido, entered E.J. in the second annual M.UT.T.S. Dog Show at Miser- icordia University on April 28, hoping to change his luck. He was entered in three categories — cutest, best hair/fur and best name. “Were keeping our fingers crossed,” said Scaffido, of Swoyersville. E.J. was named after a Stillwa- ter, Okla.-based eatery called Es- kimo Joe’s, near where Scaffido and her family used to live. “We thought it was a cool Winners were selected in cate- gories including biggest, small- est, celebrity look-alike, cutest, best trick, best hair/fur, best personality and best in show. Prizes included gift certificates to local businesses and various pup pampering supplies. picked it out before we got him.” Scaffido said the logo of the restaurant features a grinning Es- kimo and an equally happy dog with pointy ears, which reminds her of her own Eskimo Joe. “He’s always happy and has a smile on,” said Scaffido. “We say he has honey bear eyes, and they sparkle when the sun hits them.” Macaroni, a pure-bred English bulldog, lounged in the grass be- fore the contest as his “parents,” Nicole Martin and Charles Hampton Jr. of Nanticoke, fawned over him. “Everything about him is spe- BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DLALAS POST Melissa Ostrowski, of West Wyoming, kisses her dachshund, Scarlet Rose, at the Misericordia dog show. Eskimo Joe, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, poses for a photo with his owner, Ashley Scaffido, of Swoyersville, at the second annual M.U.T.T.S. Dog Show benefitting Blue Chip Animal Refuge at Miser- icordia University. cial,” said Martin. “He loves to the breed. kiss and eat and lay around.” “ve always wanted one, and Martin said ever since she saw he exceeds my expectation every comedian Adam Sandler’s bull- day,” she said. dog Meatball, she fell in love with Macaroni, who was named as Olive, a Maltese owned by Ann Marie Arnone, of Dallas, poses for the judges in the ‘cutest’ category. such because he reminds Martin of a noodle when he walks; was entered in three categories — cut- est, best personality and best name. The 3-year-old pup is familiar with dog show fanfare — Martin entered him in several other com- petitions, and Macaroni is a pro- ven winner. “He won first place at a Hallo- ween show at Petsmart — he See DOG, Page 13 @ she said. “We actually RNAILIAC TAWMCUID DA LLAS IU W NSHIP Supervisors discuss PennDOT project By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Supervisors told residents during a work session on Tues- day about new plans proposed by the state Department of Transportation that would reme- dy traffic flow issues on Upper Demunds Road. The new plan features a throughway from Upper De- munds Road through township property to State Route 309, which would have a traffic light at the intersection. Part of Upper Demunds Road between that intersection and the intersection with Hilde- brandt Road would be cut off from public use. Supervisor Liz Martin said the new plan would cost about $1.5 million more than the original plan, and state officials wanted township input before moving forward with the options. The original plan was to cre- ate an extension of Upper De- munds Road between the Coun- try Club Shopping Center and M&T Bank, which would re- quire a traffic light once the road met Route 309. Township Engineer Thomas Doughton said the new option would be a safer choice because it would eliminate the S-turn m Route 309 to Upper De- nds Road and provide “sig- access” to the township building. He also said it would increase the distance between the two traffic signals, which would also increase safety. Doughton said the plan would need to be approved by the township planning commission if it were chosen for the project. The project is in conjunction with plans to create a round- about in the five-corners area of Dallas Borough. Martin said be- cause of the connection of the projects, PennDOT hopes to complete the Upper Demunds Road portion before the end of next year when work is sched- uled to begin in the borough. In other news... e Township Emergency Man- agement Agency Director Alan Pugh is still researching prices for emergency alert systems for residents. He said there is currently a county system at Luzerne.alert- pa.org that features Dallas Township as an alert topic, and alerts would be sent through e- mail and text messages. Pugh also said a 911 call was received on April 27 concerning loud noises coming from the Chief Gathering LLC pipeline construction project. He said the noises were made from a grinder that was part of the construction process. The project includes building a pipeline to connect to the Transco interstate pipeline near the Dallas School District cam- pus off Hildebrandt Road. e Supervisors will continue to research whether an independ- ent audit of township finances is a worthwhile venture. Supervisor Bill Grant said it would be helpful for Martin and See TRAFFIC, Page 13 i Niceness | Dallas Elementary fourth-grade students Anna Samanas, left, and Todd Phillips demonstrate how to greet each other with a handshake in front of a hand-painted sign at the school remind- ing all to be more courteous to each other. Developing character at an early age By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com New efforts at Dallas Elemen- tary School are bringing back the importance of character de- velopment among little ones and their teachers. Two years ago, the school be- gan working with the Ambassa- dor Company, which provides character development books and materials for students in first and fourth grades. The company works with local busi- nesses for donations so the ma- terials can be provided at no cost to the school district. “I found this program almost by accident, when the district first started with the budget cuts,” said Principal Tom Trav- er. He said the books Dallas Ele- mentary received last year were kept in good condition so the new books donated this year will be sent to Wycallis Elemen- tary for use by students there. The books feature lessons such as being and doing one’s best, manners, responsibility, friendship, family, poison con- trol and other topics. The program also features an interactive website that works with the books, so students can continue their learning at home. “It solidifies what we're teaching them at school,” Trav- er said of the books. Traver said this is all part of a school-wide positive behavior program he started at the school in his second year as principal. He said the program was spurred by ongoing behav- ior issues, such as seeing chil- dren use technology in a nega- tive manner. “Children have no break from each other anymore,” he said. “They used to have the sum- mer, with no phones or Inter- net, and they had limited social interaction. Now they have un- limited social interaction, with cell phones. iPods, computers — there’s always someone there, and it’s too much.” CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Dallas Elementary School students Jacob Esposito, left, and Dylan Hakim are reminded daily to be courteous and respectful of each other by hand-made posters painted throughout the school. ™ Local businesses that sponsored the Ambassador Program at Dallas Elementary School are: Bruce Goeringer Family Dentistry Nick of Time Printing LLC Nancy Balutis Hildebrandt Learning Center Thomas' Family Markets J & J Deli Leggio’s Italian Ristorante Tony DeCosmo/Grotto Pizza Valentine's Jewelry Traver said little lessons be- came imbedded into the curri- culum in order to teach kids to be more tolerant of one anoth- er. After years of rewarding stu- dents, he formed a committee of teachers and guidance coun- selors to create a more positive environment in which students could learn. Teachers created their own forms of positive behavior tac- tics, including reward systems for performing good deeds. Traver has seen the results of this “hidden curriculum” through decreased disciplinary referrals and students interac- ing with one another during lunch and recess periods. Now the school is working on a resurgence of the positive be- havior program, thanks to prin- cipal intern Mark Adams. The “Niceness is Priceless” cam- paign is depicted as a rainbow with each color representing a character trait students learn in each grade. A large rainbow has been painted in the cafeteria to re- mind students of the lessons, See AGE, Page 13
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