From conservationist to coach, New Kensington-Arnold honors 8 distinguished alumni

From conservationist to chaplain to researcher to coach, this year’s distinguished alumni class recognized by the New Kensington-Arnold School District covers a bit of everything.

The eight distinguished graduates from Valley High School and its predecessors will be recognized at Valley’s homecoming football game Sept. 26, said School Director Sarah Yurga.

There were 10 nominations.

About the honorees:

• Rachel Carson, Parnassus High School, 1925, was an American marine biologist, writer and conservationist whose sea trilogy and 1962 book “Silent Spring” are credited with advancing marine conservation and the global environmental movement.

“At the time that Ms. Carson was in school, Springdale did not have a high school so she attended Parnassus High School before attending the Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University),” Yurga said. “As a young Girl Scout, I remember visiting the Rachel Carson homestead in Springdale.”

• Maj. Gen. Roger Lilly, Ken-Hi, 1935, served a 35-year career as an officer in the U.S. Army. In World War II, he was battalion commander of the 339th Field Artillery Battalion at 24 years old, making him the youngest lieutenant colonel in the ground forces in early World War II. He received many medals including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Service Medal.

• Edward Thomas “Eddie” Adams, Ken-Hi, 1951, was a photojournalist known for portraits of celebrities and politicians, and for coverage of 13 wars. He is best known for his photograph of the execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém, a Viet Cong prisoner of war, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1969. He received more than 500 awards throughout his career.

• Harold Mele, Arnold High, 1959, is the longtime chaplain for Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #39. He provides spiritual guidance to about 350 officers, performs officers’ funerals and comforts victims. He also serves as chaplain for about 200 firefighters at several departments in the New Kensington area. He spent years serving in several churches in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

“He’s the only person I can think of who’s a non-member of law enforcement who has access to our meetings and our membership,” said Steve Aulerich, president of the FOP Lodge.

• Joseph Steven “Steve” Ansani, Valley High, 1978, served in the Air Force from 1978-82 and later became a teacher in the New Kensington-Arnold School District, where he taught seventh grade reading for 30 years. During his teaching career, Ansani served as Valley’s assistant wrestling coach under Chad Hanna for seven years and became head coach from 2002 to 2015, the height of the Valley wrestling program. He was hired as Burrell’s assistant wrestling coach in 2015 and named head coach there last year. He also owns and coaches Bones Freestyle/Greco-Roman Wrestling Club.

“What he’s given back to the community, it’s a whole cornucopia of things,” said Jason Moore, Valley teacher and coach. “Quite honestly, he is one of the best coaches in the state, if not the country.”

• Joseph Mazzulli, Valley High, 1995, is a doctor who researches neurodegeneration processes in disorders in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. He has led two recent studies uncovering previously unknown cellular mechanisms driving the disease. Those studies highlight the potential for new therapeutic targets, including restoring neuronal function for patients with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

“Having seen family members suffer with Parkinson’s disease, it is deeply personal to know that one of the world’s leading researchers is a New Kensington native and Valley grad,” Yurga said.

• Jennifer Pallone, Valley High, 2005, is New Kensington-Arnold’s director of special education. One of her most notable accomplishments was creating an Autism Support Classroom in the district. District officials say that, under Pallone’s leadership, the special education department has seen significant improvements in student outcomes and engagement.

“My relationship with Jennifer goes back to when she was my oldest daughter’s learning support teacher. I knew then that there was a fire in her to advocate for every student,” Yurga said. “It has been a privilege to watch her through her career and I am thrilled to have worked as her colleague during my years as a school board director.”

• Katelin Omecinski Samski, Valley High, 2014, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, where her thesis was accepted with a research focus on designing and testing an artificial placenta for extremely premature infants. While completing her research, Samski joined the artificial heart program at UPMC Presbyterian hospital and was promoted to a full-time engineer. She joined the research staff at Pitt in the Ex-Vivo Ocular Perfusion program. She also teaches bioengineering thermodynamics.