Penn-Trafford On the Move: Book presentation, awards, more

Penn-Trafford football coach John Ruane, whose 2021 team won the WPIAL and PIAA championships, received 90 copies of “A Noble Knight/Dan Priatko’s Story of Faith and Courage” to distribute to players.

The inspirational book details the life of North Huntingdon resident Priatko, a 1984 U.S. Military Academy graduate who was seriously injured in a March 1985 car accident near Hazelton.

The book was written by Scott Brown of Greensburg, a former Tribune-Review sportswriter. Priatko admired the accomplishment of the Warriors’ championship team and spoke to players about for their tremendous degree of faith and determination to overcome tough challenges and become champions.

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The Penn-Trafford School Board students of the Month for May included:

Elementary: Brayden Bridge, a fifth grade student at Sunrise Estates Elementary.

Middle school: Eliyah McPherson, an eighth grade student at Penn Middle School.

High school: Seniors who will enter the military after graduation include Nicholas Deyarmin (Air Force); Zakary Fordyce (Army National Guard); Bryce Liller (Navy); William Remaley (Air Force); and Zachary Skalka (Marines).

The recipients of the American Legion School Award, which recognizes courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service, were Jack Jollie and Reaunna Bumbaugh.

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The Phoebe Bayard Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, recognized the DAR Good Citizen and American History Essay contest winners during a luncheon at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield.

Kyla Ann Kowinsky of Jeannette Junior-Senior High School received a DAR Good Citizen pin, a certificate and a $4,000 scholarship. The certificate represents the ideals of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism.

The American History winners included Adelaide McLaughlin, an eighth grade Trafford Middle School student, and Seolri Yun, a sixth grade student at Penn Middle School.

Penn-Trafford High School students Amanda E. Kramer, ninth grade, and Kari Ann Leventopoulos, 10th grade, presented their essays on a famous Revolutionary War figure. Both students wrote about Sybil Luddington and her 40-mile ride through the rain on a Connecticut night to raise the militia against a British attack. All four essay contest winners received certificates and cash prizes.

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Penn-Trafford junior Delena Steimer was recognized as a National Medalist in the Scholastic Writing Awards.

Steimer won a Gold Key in the Pittsburgh regional competition and her poem “Post-Apocalypse”advanced to the national competition where it earned a Silver Medal. More than 260,000 works of art and writing were submitted.

Mark Harris was awarded a Silver Key for his poem “Seersucker,” Kate Malley won a Silver Key for her poem “Roommates,” and Kate Malley won honorable mention for her poem “Gini.”

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Teresa Campbell-Steffens, a junior at Penn-Trafford, recently participated in the Pennyslvania Music Educators Association All-State Concert Band, which was comprised of students from the six PMEA regions. Campbell-Steffens, who plays the oboe, is the first Penn-Trafford student to advance as an All-State musician since 2018. She is eligible to audition for the National Association for Music Education’s All-East Festival, which will be held in Rochester, N.Y., in March 2023.