Patricia Carpenter, Title 1 and Gifted Education teacher at the Lackawanna Trail Elementary School, and Karen Voigt, Director of Curriculum and Instruction and Federal Programs in the Mountain View School District, were honored with membership into the Beta Rho Chapter of the Delta Kappa Society International at the October meeting. Dreyer Hall in Montrose was the setting for the meeting. Newly elected chapter president Carol Goodman, supervisor of student teachers at Keystone College, conducted the business meeting. Ellen Whipple, retired fourth grade teacher from the Laceyville Elementary School was awarded the Beta Rho Achievement Award which is the highest chapter recognition.

Pictured are two local educators were recently initiated as active members in the Beta Rho Chapter of the DKG Society International at the October meeting in Montrose. Pictured left to right are member Cindy Reynolds escorting initiate Karen Voigt and initiate Pat Carpenter escorted by member Dr. Nancy Simon.

Just prior to dinner, a lovely candlelight initiation ceremony was conducted by membership chairman, Ann Gay. The backdrop for the ceremony was the beautifully designed quilted banner of the symbols of the Society. The new initiates received their key pins from their sponsors and were presented with a lovely single red rose, which symbolizes friendship, loyalty and helpfulness to all in the Society. Pat was escorted by Dr. Nancy Simon, chapter member and formerly Pat’s principal. Karen Voigt was escorted by Cindy Reynolds, chapter member and former Mountain View colleague.

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International is a professional honor society for women educators with more than 115, 000 members. Established in 16 member countries around the world, the Society defines its mission as promoting professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.

The Beta Rho Chapter is one of sixty-three chapters in Pennsylvania whose members are key women educators in Bradford, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties. The Society offers more leadership training opportunities for women educators than any other professional organization. These include scholarships for both active and retired members, stipends for educational projects, and online courses for professional growth. The next Beta Rho Chapter meeting will be at St. Paul’s Church in Montrose on December 6, 2012, at 4:30 PM and will feature a program by Sheri Wolfe titled “Holiday Enjoyment.”

Dreyer Hall in Montrose was the setting for the October meeting of the Beta Rho Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. President Carol Goodman, retired teacher from Northeast Bradford, conducted the business meeting. The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the fourth Beta Rho Achievement Award. Carol Goodman and Pat Arnold, cochairmen of the committee, began the presentation by giving a few highlights of the member’s dedication and involvement at the chapter level who had served as the chapter’s treasurer for years and is presently finance committee chairman. She has also attended the Society’s Fall Area Conferences, State Conventions, Regional Conferences, and International Conventions. When the recipient, Ellen Whipple, retired fourth grade teacher from the Laceyville Elementary School, was presented with the specially designed, engraved pin with a rose with a red center, she was completely surprised and was warmly acknowledged with a standing ovation. Ellen was initiated in the Beta Rho Chapter when it was installed twenty-eight years ago at Shadowbrook in Tunkhannock.

Pictured is Ellen Whipple, center, awarded the the Beta Rho Achievement Award at the fall chapter meeting in Montrose. Cochairmen of the committee, Carol Goodman on the left and Pat Arnold on the right presented the highest award that chapter bestows. The award recognizes and honors a member who has given distinguished and outstanding service to the Beta Rho Chapter and has promoted the purposes and policies of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

The chapter award is given to recognize and honor a member who has given distinguished and outstanding service to Beta Rho Chapter and has promoted the purposes and policies of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International is a professional honor society for women educators with more than 115, 000 members. Established in 16 member countries around the world, the Society defines its mission as promoting professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. The December 6th meeting will be at St. Paul’s Church in Montrose at 4:30 PM with a holiday theme.

If you were asked if you believed in ghosts, what would you say? Most of our minds would go back to childhood Halloweens and more tricks than treats. What would the term “paranormal activity” bring to mind? Maybe the hauntings in the 2007 horror film by that name.

What if we look at it another way? The term paranormal literally means something outside of the range of normal experience. Now it doesn’t seem so surprising that many universities offer courses in paranormal investigation that use techniques similar to forensic investigators. Through cameras and tape recorders, electromagnetic field detectors and temperature sensing equipment, what is discovered in areas of paranormal activity is unusual energy. This energy shows up in the form of orbs of light in pictures. These orbs are distinguished from dust particles and reflections by glowing rings. They also show up as transparent and sometimes with colors.

Soldier’s Orphan School in Harford

That is what a group of students from Susan Wilson’s paranormal class of Montrose was looking for when they recently visited the Soldier’s Orphan School in Harford.

The school was originally founded as the Franklin Academy in 1817 and became the Soldier’s Orphan School in 1865. Children from 4 to 16 were eligible to attend if their father had been killed in the Civil War or was unable to support them. The state of Pennsylvania founded twelve such schools. By 1880, children were permanently living at the school in Harford. Eventually there was a total of five classroom buildings and seven dormitories for girls and boys. The school did not officially close its doors until the early 1900’s.

The paranormal class in Montrose thought it was the perfect place to look for energy from the past and the Harford Historical Society was contacted. The building they investigated is the only original building left and it currently houses a museum and many artifacts from the old school, all sponsored and cared for by the historical society. Eight students attended the session and took pictures with their own cameras. What to take pictures of was left up to the participants. Many of the pictures showed evidence of orbs.

Two of the resulting pictures are shown here. One is of the front porch of the school with the orb in the upper left of the porch ceiling.

The second one is taken upstairs with the orb shown over one of the displays. Both show the distinguishing transparent quality and ring.

Are these really ghosts from the past? What if we ask, could the children who suffered loss have left something of themselves, something of their youthful energy, at a place where they found care and comfort?

Each month The Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center recognizes the remarkable lives of its residents by honoring one of them each month. The Resident of the Month for the month of October is Mrs. Helen Casmer.

Born on June 21, to Mary Banko Gerchman and John Gerchman, Helen was one of six children. No stranger to hard work, Helen worked in the Banko Family Theatre in Simpson as a young girl. She attended Simpson School up to the 7th grade when her mother passed away. She then quit school to care for her younger siblings. Placing a high value on education, Helen accomplished a goal of hers when she completed her G.E.D. with honors later in life.

October Resident of the Month, Helen Casmer

One Christmas Eve at the Parkway Restaurant, Helen danced the night away with a charming young man by the name of John Casmer. This night would be the first of many, as Helen and John were married on

June 5, 1954. The couple had two daughters, Carol and Lori. John found work at the Tobyhanna Army Depot while Helen worked at Gentex, the Carawanna Restaurant, and Ames Shower Curtain Company, from which she retired.

A creative woman, Helen enjoys baking, gardening and sewing. She was known for the beautiful bride dolls she made which graced the vehicles of many wedding parties throughout the years. She also is known for the beautiful hand made Christmas ornaments she took pride in giving to patrons of her daughter Lori Casmer’s Beauty Shop. They are still treasured by many local residents.

These days Helen enjoys playing Bingo, going to Catholic Mass, and listening to Jude Wasileski’s Polkas. She is a loving mother and grandmother to Jared and Kelsey, her daughter Lori’s children, and a member of the Sacred Heart Church in Forest City.

Congratulations to Helen Casmer on being Resident of the Month!

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association’s (NPRA) Celebration and the Literacy Award Presentation was recently held at the Ramada Inn in Clarks Summit. Following dinner, Elaine Geroulo, Pennsylvania was honored with the Celebrate Literacy Award, an honor bestowed by the International Reading Association and the local chapter for exemplary service in the promotion of Literacy. Donna Salva, Chairman of Membership and Professional Development for NPRA, introduced Elaine and told of her outstanding commitment to NPRA and support of its programs.

Elaine is a graduate of Marywood University and received a full Fellowship to Columbia University where she received a Masters of Science in Special Education. She was well ahead of her time as Donna noted that she wrote her dissertation on Serving Students with Autism’ which is a topic now but she wrote this in the 1970’s. She was one of the first to receive certification in Autism from Penn State University. She is presently a member of the Special Education Department at NEIU 19 which serves twenty school districts in the area. She serves as a member of the training and consultant staff of the department.

Pictured is Elaine Geroulo (center) receiving the 2012 Celebrate Literacy Award at the Ramada Inn in Clarks Summit. The Award is given by the International Reading Association and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association which recognizes individuals who give exemplary service in the promotion of literacy. With Elaine is Victoria Sheridan and Donna Salva, chairman of the award committee and membership and professional development respectively.

Her expertise which she enthusiastically shares is extensive. She is Regional Facilitator for Positive Behavior Intervention and Support and Behavior Consultant and Autism Consultant in Special Education. She provides intervention coaching for teachers in a wide variety of topics which include behavior management, autism, conflict resolution, non-violent crisis intervention and restraint training. She extends her knowledge and concern for students with special needs to general education classrooms, local colleges and local school districts. She is always ready, willing, and able to provide professional development sessions for NPRA. She was joined at the dinner by her husband’ the Honorable Judge Vito Geroulo. They have four children and five grandchildren. Close colleagues from work also attended the dinner to celebrate with Elaine on receiving this prestigious award.

Elaine graciously accepted the award and in her own unique fashion turned it around to recognize the reading teachers who have given so much to children. She noted how each of her children were encouraged and inspired to become readers. Her individual stories of each of her children touched those in attendance.

Local chapter member and KSRA’s president-elect, Jane Helman spoke briefly about the 46 year history of the local chapter. NPRA is a professional organization serving Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties devoted to the improvement of all aspects of reading. They provide extensive professional development opportunities in a variety of topics at different locations throughout the area including schools, libraries, colleges, and universities. Other literacy events which the association sponsors include Community Reading Day throughout the schools in the area they serve, Reading Time at Steamtown Mall featuring celebrity readers and book characters, and Young Authors’ Day in November at Keystone College with a featured children’s author.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association (NPRA) recently held its annual membership drive and fall social at the Interactive Children’s Museum, Timmy’s Town Center (TTC) on the second floor of the Mall at Steamtown. Light refreshments were served as new and old members socialized and learned about the offerings at TTC. Free passes were distributed to those in attendance and free drawings for door prizes were also a part of the event. It was a great opportunity for teachers who had not done so before to visit TTC and to see all it has to offer to young children and their families. Two members did bring a new member who joined along and were entered in a drawing for a $50.00 gas gift card. Jane Helman and Donna Salva donated the gift card back to the association.

Pictured are Andrea James, Amy Yoblanski, Brittany Andrews, and Renee Yales enjoying the Fall Social and Membership Drive held at Timmy’s Town Center for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association.

With the busy beginning of the school year, this is a great time to relax, see old friends, meet new members, and hear about the organization’s plans for the year. NPRA is celebrating its 46th year of excellence and serves Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.

Benefits of being a NPRA member include the following: Professional Development sessions on current educational topics, Author presentations, Workshops, Free ACT 48 hours through the Keystone State Reading Association (KSRA), KSRA membership, journals, newsletters, and services, and reduced rates for KSRA conferences.

If you are interested in joining the association, contact President Elizabeth Dessoye at edessoye@gmail.com for more information. Contact Donna Salva at donnasalva@yahoo.com for further information about the professional development sessions offered by NPRA.

The Pennsylvania Association of Retired State Employees, Endless Mountains, Chapter 15, met on October 9 at the Towanda American Legion for their final meeting of the year 2012.

In attendance was Northeast Region, Vice President Tom O’Neill, who thanked Chapter President Jesse Bacon for his years of service as president of the local chapter. President Bacon had previously announced that he would be retiring after this October meeting. The members also joined in thanking him.

Bradford County Vice President Bernice Landmesser agreed to be acting president for the April, 2013 meeting, at which time a new slate of officers will be presented.

Vice President O’Neill reported on the State PARSE meeting held in September. He stated members will receive information on the new health program; however, there will be a change in the provider, but no change in the benefits. A Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) will not be enacted in the near future. He also stated that notices will be sent to retirees from the state offie in October for renewal of their membership.

The next meeting will be held at the Towanda American Legion on April 9, 2013. Members will be notified prior to the meeting. Contact Bernice Landmesser (570-265-9678) or John Benio (570-278-2380) for information about the PARSE organization.

The Susquehanna Chapter of PASR (Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees) held its fall meeting at Dreyer Hall, Montrose PA on Thursday, October 18, with 30 members in attendance. Prior to the meeting, members had the opportunity to meet and greet candidates for the State Legislature and Senate in the upcoming November election.

Entertainment was provided by the “Jazz Band”, from the Montrose Music Department under the direction of Mr. Nino Benicci.

The Social Service Memorial Honor Fund, chaired by Barbara Bush, conducted a Memorial Service for 12 members and friends who passed away during the past fiscal year.

The John Dillon Award recipient for 2012 is Barbara Bush. In addition to the memorial service, she directs the Season of Caring, where our confined members are given gifts along with a visit from various members of the committee

President Robert McNamara was presented with a certificate and pin, from Region III Director Gary Parker, for his service as an outstanding Chapter president.

Our Educational Support committee will continue to donate baskets of books, to the Blueberry Festival and the Apple Literacy Festival, in 2013.Also, an Educational Support Grant of $150 will be presented to a member of the Susquehanna Community District later this year.

Members voted to donate $300 to the New Milford National Guard unit to assist with funding for their memorial to fallen members of the unit.

A delicious buffet luncheon, provided by the Montrose Bible Conference, was enjoyed by all following the meeting.

Bill Cee is just waiting for the right people to come along and give him the home and attention he deserves. The shelters in our area and beyond are receiving an overload of animals. Please consider adopting and always keep an ID and/or license on your pet or better yet get them microchipped. Thank you to all who supported our pumpkin and bake sale. Halloween is here. Be very careful with your pets and make sure they are safely confined and that all candy is kept where they cannot get it. Many animals get confused or frightened at this time and will escape. Certain candy; can make them extremely ill or even cause death. Some pets may even bite if they are scared. It is always best to keep them in a safe place when you have Halloween visitors. Have a happy, safe and boo-tiful Halloween.

On Sunday, November 4th between 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon Cub Scout Pack 81, Boy Scout Troop 81 and the Girl Scouts will be holding their annual Scouting For Food drive. Scouts will be out in their neighborhoods collecting non-perishable food that will be given to the Susquehanna Food Bank in time for the holidays.

Residents of Susquehanna, Oakland, Lanesboro, and Thompson are asked to please leave canned goods in bags on porches or steps for pickup or bring donated food to the Susquehanna Fire Department between 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon or Thompson Fire Department between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

On Wednesday, October 3rd the employees of Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center and Forest City Personal Care had fun while raising money for a good cause. For a donation of $1, employees got to wear their favorite team shirt. The money raised goes to the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s™, the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

Pictured are (front): Mia Crotti and Colbert; Back Row: (l-r):Kathy Bezek, Kathy Pelick, Mary Ann Rogan, Patsy Seaman, Carol Rotherforth, Cheryl Cotter, Marcy Kerzic, Jackie Tyson, and Christine Rudolph .

Forest City Nursing & Rehab is a part of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Team on Saturday, October 6th at Snö Mountain.