| Sunday, May 27, 2012 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 Checking out programs at West Side CTC Dallas Middle School students tour Career and Technology Center. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Nearly 20 Dallas Middle School students attended a tour at the West Side Career and Technology Center on May 22 to decide whether they'd like to spend the next four years at the high school in Pringle. The tour was conducted dif- ferently than in previous years. Middle School Principal Tom Duffy said in the past, the en- tire eighth-grade class of about 200 students toured the facili- ty, but this year, through new software, students were able to express their interest before the tour and choose specific ar- eas they would like to explore. West Side CTC Principal Rick Rava said a student am- bassador group organizes the tours for incoming students to make the process a little less daunting. “When students come here, they come all together,” he said. “It’s like a home away from home.” tudents began talking about & possibility of attending the center in January or February, said Duffy. He said students don’t always have to make the decision right away, and some can attend ninth grade at Dal- las and then move on to West Side CTC in their sophomore year. Jory Brezinski, of Dallas, re- members his first week at the technology center as a bit nerve wracking, but a few weeks later, he began to make great friends. “When students come here, they come all to- gether. It's like a home away from home." Rick Rava WSCTC principal The 16-year-old automotive technology student wanted to learn more about his chosen trade, and he’s been working in a garage for the last eight months doing what he loves. “I wanted to get a job in the field, and now I have one,” he said. West Side CTC offers about 15 different career preparation programs, including law en- forcement, culinary arts, cos- metology, carpentry, audio vi- sual communications and more. Students broke into small groups to explore different ca- reer programs within the school. Students interested in culinary arts got a tour of a classroom comprised of dining room tables and a large indus- trial kitchen where West Side CTC students spend three to four hours a day preparing food. Fourteen-year-old Rachel Kon, of Dallas, said it was her first time ever visiting the school, and though she’s still deciding whether to attend the center, she has her heart set on studying culinary arts. “I like that you get to choose a specific major,” she said about the school. “I like baking and stuff.” The students received hands- on projects during their first visit tothe school. Britney Lias- lewis, 14, of Trucksville, and BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Dallas Middle School eighth-grader Spencer Simon, of Trucksville, left, scoops out orange pulp as West Side CTC freshman Jake Schnee, of Benton, watches during a tour of the school’s culinary arts department. Kaitlyn Hastings, 13, of Shaver- town, tore bread to make stra- ta, a brunch dish made with bread and eggs. Liaslewis was impressed by the professional kitchen, but she’s still worried about leav- ing her friends at Dallas be- hind. “I’m still deciding,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Culinary arts senior and tour leader Stan Sopata, of Swoyers- ville, recently earned his state certification in the field, which was paid for by the school. “As we like to say, this is like a hidden diamond that nobody knows about,” Sopata said of the school. The 18-year-old said most of his friends joined him at West Side CTC in ninth grade, but he met his girlfriend, who lives in Dallas, while attending the school, and doesn’t believe he would have met her otherwise. “It’s an opening experience for everyone,” he said. Dallas Middle School eighth-graders Paige Frederick, left, and Alycia Thomas, both of Dallas, break apart bread for making a spinach and cheese strata as West Side CTC senior Stan Sopata, of Swoyersville, watches during a tour of the school’s culinary arts department. Students give back to community by volunteering their time and expertise. Special to The Dallas Post What is a community? It’s an ambiguous question, but the answer can define a region for better or worse. Take James Miller, for exam- ple. He’s an active member of several communities - at Mi- sericordia University, in Ash- land and at the Dallas Fire and Ambulance Department (DFA). He’s “not out to save the world” as an emergency re- sponder, he acknowledges, but he does believe he should use the skills he’s acquired as an occupational therapy stu- dent, volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) for the betterment of others. It’s a common theme among many collegians on the cam- pus of Misericordia Universi- ty. They give their time tutor- ing school-aged children, rais- ing money for worthwhile charities or by simply working to raise awareness about im- portant issues. For Miller, an Ashland native, and his fellow MU students and colleagues, Suzanne Nowalk, of Hop Bot- tom, Jonathan Weiss, of Mi- nersville, and Shawn McArdle, of Nesquehoning, their com- munity is defined by the as- sistance they provide to peo- ple while responding to emer- ncy calls as members of the he town-and-gown rela- tionship is obvious on the up- per and lower campuses of Mi- sericordia University, but es- pecially outside the student residence halls. Working with Working with the university's administration, Mark Van Etten director of budgets and ac- counting at MU and president of the DFA, had special parking signs erected for the student volunteers to make it more convenient for them to respond quickly to emergency calls around the clock. the university’s administra- tion, Mark Van Etten director of budgets and accounting at MU and president of the DFA, had special parking signs erected for the student volun- teers to make it more conve- nient for them to respond quickly to emergency calls around the clock. Besides volunteering, the students also fill shifts that are available. The relationship reduces the department’s overtime budget and also pro- vides a stipend the students can use to offset the cost of their education. In 2011, stu- dents responded to 200 emer- gency ambulance calls in the community and earned about $9,000 collectively. They also participated in 454 response calls for the fire department, many of them when they mat- tered most. “Without our student volun- teers, we would have manpow- er shortfalls, particularly dur- ing the daytime hours which would leave a void in public safety in the community,” says Van Etten, who also volun- teered with the DFA when he was a student at MU. “Overall, student involvement over about the last seven years has put us in a position to increase our ambulance license from basic life support to advanced life support. Our ambulances Misericordia University students volunteer and work at the Dallas Fire and Ambulance Department (DFA) to give back to their adoptive hometown community. Participating as emergency responders with DFA, atop fire apparatus from left, are James Miller, Ashland; Shawn McArdle, Nesquehoning; Suzanne Nowalk, Hop Bottom; and Jonathan Weiss, Minersville, with DFA President Mark Van Etten, below. are staffed with paramedics who are able to administer medicine and we now have more advanced heart monitors for heart attack and stroke pa- tients. “Thanks to the quality of Misericordia’s student volun- teers we are able to provide the community with a higher level of medical care,” Van Et- ten added. The value of the students’ service was never more evi- dent than last fall when Hurri- cane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee caused millions of dollars in damage to homes and in- frastructure in regional com- munities, and resulted in countless others being evac- uated to higher ground. Like many residents, Misericor- dia’s student responders an- swered the call. They pumped out basements, assisted eva- cuees and helped cleanup from the aftermath. “There was such a great need for assistance in the Back Mountain and very few on people to provide assistance,” recalls Miller, who joined the DFA in 2007 and has been a volunteer firefighter with the Washington Fire Co. Commu- nity Ambulance since 2005. “The response from Misericor- dia was very impressive, dur- ing and after the flooding. During the evacuation of the Wilkes-Barre area, I was given the task to help set up the evacuation shelter at Dallas High School. I made several phone calls to a few of my friends at Misericordia and we soon had over 20 people who O1U students do so much more than attend classes came out to help set up.” “It (volunteering) is a won- derful feeling,” adds Nowalk, who is also a private first class in the Pennsylvania National Guard and volunteers with the Hop Bottom Hose Co. “I was amazed during the flood to see the people pouring into the Dallas Middle School to drop supplies off. It really helped me appreciate and be proud of my adoptive commu- nity.” It also seems natural for these Misericordia students to volunteer at DFA. After all, they each majored in an occu- pation that strives to make the world a better place for hu- mankind. Miller earned his undergraduate degree in psy- chology and is working toward his master’s in occupational therapy. Weiss majored in biol- ogy with a minor in chemistry and will begin his graduate studies at Misericordia in the fall as a physician assistant student. McArdle is a psychol- ogy major and Nowalk will earn her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in May. “I do it (volunteering) be- cause I care and it is a calling,” says Nowalk. “I have always felt that if I cannot put my time in to help someone else, how can I expect someone else to take their time and help me?” “Giving back to your com- munity, whether it’s your hometown or your adoptive community, really instills a feeling of satisfaction in you,” says Weiss, an EMT since 2008 and a member of the DFA since 2010. “You feel good knowing that you were able to help someone in some way and you know it means a lot to them. Being a member of DFA has also allowed me to be- come more integrated into the community.”
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