Mover & Shaker of the Month Jean Dennison Executive Director for the Office of Mission Advancement Sisters of Divine Providence Click here for article

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Spotlight on Schools
Business Spotlight: Pediatric Therapy Associates, Inc.

Allegheny General Hospital recently opened the region’s First Center for Women’s Heart Disease.  The facility is located in the hospital’s McCandless Building at 9335 McKnight Road.

Matthew J. Sabo, D.P.M., joined the medical staff at Butler Memorial Hospital as a doctor of podiatric medicine.  He specializes in forefoot and rearfoot reconstructive surgery.

Paula L. Hooper, Esquire, recently joined the administrative team of Butler Health System as vice president and general counsel.

The HeartCenter at Butler Memorial Hospital expanded its services by opening electrocardiology (EKG) services at several Outpatient Services of BMH locations throughout Butler County.

After being in practice for 12 years, Mary Peterson, M.D., has accepted a position at Magee-Women’s Hospital as the director of the Midlife Health Center.

Two Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC physicians, otolaryngologist David L. Mandell, MD, and pediatric surgeon Kelly A. Miller, MD, were named fellows of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. John Williams was elected to the Board of Directors of Family House.  He will serve a three-year term.

Home Instead Senior Care, a local company serving Northwest Allegheny County, has joined AARP’s National Employer Team (NET).

The Sisters of Divine Providence announced that Pamela Greer was hired as the communications specialist.  Lisa A. Moser, right, was promoted to the director of facilities and property management.

The Cranberry Rotary Club honored the six individuals and one business establishment:  Dr. William Christie, Jeffrey Fuller, Lauren Balmert, Maggie Gignac, Linda Heery, Chris DeCree and NexTier Bank.

The Pittsburgh Marriott North at Cranberry Woods has been recognized as the best Marriott Hotel in North America in 2007 through a Guest Satisfaction Survey Program.

Zonta Three Rivers Pittsburgh North announced that its Fifth Annual Glass Slipper Ball, featuring the Best of the North Hills Chefs and Wine Purveyors netted over $50,000 for their scholarship program.

The Howard Hanna Family has been chosen the recipient of the 2008 Ad Lucem Award, to be presented at the Third Annual La Roche College Founders Gala on Saturday, April 12, at Carnegie Music Hall.

McCandless photographer Alicia Dal Lago has earned the McKnight Journal’s 2008 Citizen of the Year award.

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre has hired Michele McClendon to be the new director of Education.  Also elected to PICT’s board were: Francine Abraham, Anne Mullin Burnham, John Sotirakis, Leslie Forney and Diane S. Samuels.

West View Savings Bank president and chief executive officer, David Bursic, announced that the bank is celebrating its 100th Anniversary.  Stop by any branch office to join in the celebration.

St. Barnabas president and CEO, William V. Day, published the book Day by Day by Day: A Daily Guide to Managing Personal and Professional Life.  For information, call (724) 443-0700, ext 5258 or visit www.stbarnabashealthsystem.com.

James Kreshon Jr., D.O., has joined St. Barnabas Clinical Services as its consulting physiatrist.

St. Barnabas Health System announced its Employees of the Month for February.  They are: Patricia Baker, Dottie DeRose, Robert Pickett, Carol Randall and Tammy Zaremba.

Jean Purvis of Penn Township was awarded the fifth annual Women of Legacy Award presented by the Butler Health System Foundation during the Crystal Ball ceremony.

At the Allegheny County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner on Feb. 21, The McCandless Republican Committee received the Ronald Reagan Award for the best performing committee in Allegheny County.

Renaissance Day Spa in Cranberry Twp. is the first Day Spa to be awarded all five Tribune Review Reader’s Choice Gold Awards for Best of the Best.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre announced its 39th season.  It will perform The Great Gatsby, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

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Mover & Shaker of the Month Jean Dennison Executive Director for the Office of Mission Advancement Sisters of Divine Providence

By Paula Green For the past ten years, Jean Dennison has been working for the Sisters of Divine Providence.  She first served as the communications director, and then on March 1, she was promoted to the position of executive director for the Office of Mission Advancement. This newly created position was formed by combining the communications and development efforts of the congregation in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Missouri; and Kingston, Massachusetts.  The purpose of the restructuring was to more fully integrate the mission into all providence-wide communications, fundraising and donor relation activities. “I feel greatly blessed to be working in an environment that encourages women to succeed and in which we are valued for our wisdom and vision.  I am at an age when most people are thinking about retirement, but instead I am entering a new and exciting phase of my life and career,” Dennison said. Her career path began when she enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dennison attended college when she was an adult and the youngest of her three children was in preschool.  Finally, in 1991 after 11 long years, she earned her undergraduate degree in English writing with a minor in Women’s Studies. She was raising her children by herself while holding down a full-time.  During this time period, Dennison was also actively involved with her church, Assumption in Bellevue.  She chaired the annual festival, served as a lector, and was also a part-time development director for the parish school. Dennison continued her education at Point Park College.  In 1999, she earned a Masters degree in journalism and communications.  The hectic schedule that she maintained during college was a great preparation for her present job. “I am energized every day by working shoulder-to-shoulder with women ten, even twenty years older than me, who are still vibrant and serving the people of God in very meaningful ways.  It is a life-giving environment and one in which I have been encouraged and inspired,” Dennison said. In addition to her position at Divine Providence, Dennison is actively involved in the National Communications Network for Religious Women.  She served as the organization’s chair from 2006 to 2008.  She also belongs to the Collaborative Communications Committee of the Tri-Diocesan Sisters Leadership Conference. Dennison has three grown children Tracy (California), Brad (Chicago) and Christy (Pittsburgh), and one 2 ½ year old grandson Gustav in Altadena, California. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her friends and family.  According to Dennison, “I am blessed with a lot of energy, and I plan to stay active and engaged.  It is important to not dwell in the past but to look ahead to what’s next.  That’s what keeps life fresh and exciting!”  Back to top

Spotlight on Schools

Clarion University cross country runner and Ross Township resident, Caitlin Palko, right, was named to the United States Track & Field and Cross County Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Cross Country All-Academic Team.  Palko is an Elementary Education major with a perfect 4.0 GPA.  She finished 37th at the NCAA East Region cross country meet this past fall and 42nd at the PSAC Championships.

Fifteen Saint Sebastian School students competed at the regional Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition in February.  First place awards went to: Joe Bray, Nicholas Boone, Kevin Loughlin, James Ludwikowski, Shannon Masterson, Sarah Scholze, Sara Trant and Jennifer Wright.  Second place honors went to: Cole Barkich, Paige Kunz, Zachary Mannella, Danielle Melvin, Alexa Mosser and Sara Waldschmidt.  Andrea Bejjani received a third place award.

Five North Allegheny Senior High School seniors who are members of the JROTC program placed 2nd in the 2008 JROTC President’s Academic Championship.  The honorees are: Sarah Kelly, Brian Guzek, Sean Guzek, Brian Heckmann and Michael Bartlam.

North Allegheny High School senior Marco Giovengo is being honored as a Distinguished Finalist in the 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in Pennsylvania.

North Allegheny High School senior Andrew Ho, left, performed at the Butler Symphony Orchestra concert in March.  Ho is the winner of the 29th Annual Young Artist Competition.

Nineteen North Allegheny High School seniors have been named Finalists in the 2008 National Merit Scholarships program.  The finalists are: Gwen Agnew, Nathan Carlin, Peter Gayler, John Grennan, Daniel Harrison, Steven Kang, Clifford Kim, Xiaolei Liu, Samuel McCandlish, Hillary Richard, Rebecca Scheuer, Stephen Tjader, Anlu Wang, Edward Wu, Christopher Xiao, Li Xu, Wen Xu, Yilu Zhang and Xiao Zhu.

North Allegheny High School senior Nimish Teland scored in the 91st percentile in the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) National German Exam.

The North Allegheny School District Board of Directors named Dr. William P. Stropkaj to the position of Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education and Curriculum.

Brian Miller, right, principal at Carson Middle School, has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals (PAESSP) Middle Level Principal of the Year. He will now represent the state of Pennsylvania in the 2008 National Middle Level Principal of the Year competition.

Ingomar Middle School teacher Richard Gebrosky hosted the 2008 National Middle School Science Bowl regional competitions which were held March 7.

Dr. James M. Bradley has been appointed principal for Marshall Elementary School, which is part of the North Allegheny School District.

Five Fox Chapel Area High School students were named winners in the District 10 level of judging for the 2007-2008 National PTA Reflections Contest.  Winners included:  Jessica Tarantine, Marlo Wilhere, Molly Joyce, Praveen Tummalapalli and Catherine Tarantine.

Three Fox Chapel Area High School students qualified to compete in the Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Tournament.  Those selected are: Amanda Jacobson, Liann Sun, and Molly Ford.  Additionally, Mikhail Attaar, Anirudh Malkani, Krishna Hedge, Jessica Tarantine and Andrew Altman qualified as alternates.

A total of 22 Fox Chapel Area School District students were named to the Western PA Scholastic Chess Honor Roll: Gregory Vaisleib, Sequoia Leuba, Randall Gough, Prem Rajgopal, Roman Cano, Jacob Norman, Addison Lynch, Anand Tayal, Vishan Chaudhary, Madison Borkovich, Steven Cano, Asher Tayal, Alyssa Melani, Yifeng Ding, Kota Furuhata, Dipak Krishnan, Alexander Zhang, Eric Zhang, Alexander Olsson, Daniel Paviglianiti, Logan Dick and Zachary Zytnick.

Several Fox Chapel Area High School students placed in the Pennsylvania Technology Student Association State Leadership Six Leadership Conference.  The honored students included: Michael Cravotta, Anirudh Malkani, Alexandra O’Sell, Casey Domski, Olga Graves, Adam Attaar, Joseph Cider, Frank Csech, Evan Gostowski, Jammie Mountz, Casey Domski, Carly Lewis, Catherine Longhini, Kartik Darapuneni, Daniel Dunn, Agustin Lopez, Jay Vogtsberger, Angela Lopes and Margaret O’Sell.

Three Fox Chapel Area High School students qualified to compete in the Catholic Forensic League National Championship Tournament and two qualified as first alternates. Katelyn Muenck, Molly Ford and Liann Sun qualified to compete and Mikhail Attaar and Anirudh Malkani will serve as alternates.

The Fox Chapel Area Board of Directors elected Robert Mauro to fill the seat on the school board vacated in February by Shirley R. Wiley.

Dorseyville Middle School teacher Peggy Perdue was appointed to two national posts beginning June 2008. Perdue will serve on the Board of Advisors for the National Science Teachers Association and the Committee on Middle Level Science Teaching.

Four Dorseyville Middle School students were recently selected to perform with the Pennsylvania Educators Association (PMEA) District 1 Junior High Orchestra.  The students are: James McCullough, Nicole Segall, Andrew Tabas and Jad Hilal.

A team of North Hills Senior High School students earned Best of Category in the 2008 Visions & Voices, Pittsburgh Technical Institute’s annual high school show.  Jordan Weichel, Ryan Blehner and Eric Preisendefer earned top honors.

Three North Hills School District teachers are among the 101 honorees in the annual Teachers of Excellence awards, sponsored by the Teacher Excellence Center.  Those recognized include: Jim Cassandro, Jackie Karenbauer and Cody Ressel.

The North Hills School District was named a test site for the American College Test.  During the 2008-09 school year, North Hills Senior High will offer the ACTs in September, February and April

Seville Elementary School, of the North Hills School District, was involved in an exciting learning opportunity with pupils from across the state.  The students participated in an interactive webinar with storyteller Robin Moore. [See photo right]

The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced the 2008 USA Softball Junior Men’s National team roster that will compete in the 2008 World Championship.  Wexford resident and Pine-Richland junior, Mitchell Elliott was named to the team.

Pine-Richland Middle School eighth graders welcomed a refugee family to America the first week of March. The students gathered household goods and helped set up an apartment for a refugee family of seven who arrived from Burma.

The Ancient Scottish Rite of Freemasonry named Jonathan Marks, an 8th grade student at Pine Richland Middle School, as a winner in its annual “What My Family Means to Me” essay contest.

Pine-Richland Middle School eighth grader Branden Glass earned first place in the Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) 2007-2008 Essay Contest.

Six sixth grade students from Evans City Middle School, in the Seneca Valley School District were chosen to have their art work exhibited at Slippery Rock University.  The students chosen were: Frank Boring, Cade Corey, Trisha Donaldson, Jessie Miller, Sydney Older, and Nicole Wisniewski.

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Business Spotlight:
Pediatric Therapy Associates, Inc. Opens New Office

Pediatric Therapy Specialists, Inc., was co-founded by Marcia Goble, MS, OTR/L and Theresa Kollar, MS, OTR/L.  Their primary office location since 1991has been in Robinson Township.  A satellite office is now opening in Wexford in Dr. Robert Prazer’s Pediatric and Adult Vision Care office.  Staff includes pediatric occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists.  Pediatric Therapy Specialists, Inc., specializes in the treatment of children birth to 18 years of age.  The staff includes therapists that are trained in pediatric neurodevelopmental treatment, the sensory integration and praxis tests, and therapeutic listening.  Other treatment modalities offered include visual perceptual development and therapeutic feeding intervention.

When should you seek a referral for an evaluation by a pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist or speech therapist?  A parent once said, “you just know as a parent when the difference impacts your daily life so much.”  Well visits with your pediatrician are short and offer a brief glimpse into your child’s life and your family’s routines.  Parents have the inside pulse as to what their child needs and what challenges they are facing.  It is the parent’s responsibility to educate the pediatrician on the need for an evaluation. 

Our therapists’ philosophy is to provide intervention as early as possible.  If you’ve been told to wait until your child turns 2 before seeking a speech therapy evaluation, we recommend seeking a speech therapy evaluation to determine if your child might benefit from services prior to the age of 2.  Infants are preparing their mouths for speech from the day they are born.  If a child lacks some of the foundational skills for speech production, the speech pathologist can address those missed foundational or poorly developed skills to prepare the mouth for speech production.  If you question your child’s motor development, whether it is gross or fine motor, our occupational or physical therapist can provide an assessment of those skills.  There is a systematic way of assessing a child’s sensory needs and how they impact his daily living skills and the family’s.  Our occupational therapists have extensive training in sensory integration assessment and treatment.  Atypical responses to sensory input can result in picky eating, restrictive clothing choices, difficulty with hair and nail care, mouthing of objects, and movement that makes the child look inattentive.  The earlier the therapist and family can intervene, the greater the chance for change.

For an appointment at either the Robinson Township office or the Wexford office, please call 412-787-1180.  For more information about the practice, please see our website: PediatricTherapySpecialists.com

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