Laurel: To good lessons taught by a good teacher. Joseph Welch is the 2020 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. He teaches American history at North Hills Middle School, and it’s not the first time he has been singled out for his extraordinary work making history more than a dusty subject in old books. He has previously been the state and national History Teacher of the Year.
“Mr. Welch is dedicated to helping his students learn by bringing history to life through acting, film-making, music, art and story-telling,” said state Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-West View.
Gold star, sir.
Laurel: To credit where credit is due. East End Brewing Co. in Larimer is celebrating its 15th birthday by honoring the first 15 producers of craft beer in Allegheny County. This week, the 15 taps at the brewpub are pouring one East End elixir — and the creations of 14 fellow brewers.
That camaraderie says something about founder and owner Scott Smith and his gregarious and generous nature. It also says something about how business can — and should — work. An industry thrives through the kind of competition that promotes more and better participants, and an appreciation for the work and the finished product.
Cheers.
Laurel: To a giving spirit.
It only took a few weeks, but the Blue Knights Westmoreland County chapter was able to raise about $7,000 in toys, food and entertainment for a Christmas party benefiting about 90 foster children served by the county children’s bureau Dec. 7.
Members of the Blue Knights, a motorcycle club of active and retired corrections and law enforcement officers, went immediately to work after learning this fall that the bureau had only “a few hundred” dollars in donations to spend for its seventh annual Christmas party.
Michelle Brant, foster care program supervisor of the children’s bureau, said the group’s efforts were overwhelming. The party went off without a hitch at the Westmoreland Manor in Hempfield.
And the best part is that the motorcycle group expects to fundraise for the party again in 2020, and get an earlier start to boot, according to president Irvin Shipley, a sergeant with the county sheriff’s department.
