Mover & Shaker of the Month Randall Ruskin Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient from Gateway Rehabilitation Center Click here for article

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Spotlight on Schools | Business Spotlight: Kowall and Standish

Gateway Rehabilitation Center was recognized nationally for winning one of the 2008 James W. West, M.D. Quality Improvement Awards.  The award is named after Dr. James W. West, medical director emeritus of the Betty Ford Center and a long-time quality advocate in the addiction treatment field.

Nancy Jaquette, MSW (center in photo left), compliance officer for Beaver County Behavioral Health, was named Gateway Rehab’s 2008 Thank You Award recipient.

Gateway Rehab received a grant of $148,000 from The Pittsburgh Foundation to support Liberty Station, Gateway’s new halfway house for adolescent boys.

Gateway Rehabilitation Center received a significant gift for its Youth Services Center campaign from Eden Hall Foundation.  The grant was given in support of expanding the youth Extended Services and Youth and Young Adult programs at Gateway Rehab.

Gateway Rehab won a gold medal from the Hermes Creative Awards 2008 competition in the media relations category for its “Media Highlights and More” video.

The Butler Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Junior Auxiliary (Candystripers) were honored by the hospital for donating 23,466 hours of service to the hospital this past year.  Receiving the 2008 award for Auxilian of the Year was Mildred Beneigh and Candystriper of the Year was presented to Samantha Lehnerd.

Butler Memorial Hospital received recognition for its pneumonia vaccination initiative from The Hospital & Health System Association of Pennsylvania.

St. Barnabas Health System announced the Employees of the Month of April.  They are: Heather Detch, Kathy Harris and Berdella Williams.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and local entrepreneur, Franco Harris has been elected chairman of the board of The Pittsburgh Promise.

The Pittsburgh Superstars Cheer and Dance Team, located in Warrendale, took 6th Place at Worlds Competition which was held in April in Orlando, Florida

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre announced that Bear Brandegee is now the organization’s new director of marketing and communications..

Laura Elm, left, received the 2008 Make the Connection Award sponsored by the National Association of Women Business Owners for her volunteer efforts with Women’s Small Business Association (WSBA).

Fiduciary360 announced the addition of Coral Ellshoff and Mike Limbacher to its growing professional staff.

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Mover & Shaker of the Month Randall Ruskin Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient from Gateway Rehabilitation Center Click here for article

By Paula Green In April, Gateway Rehabilitation Center honored their volunteers at their annual awards banquet held at the Marriott Pittsburgh Airport.  The theme for the event was “Volunteers…The Heart of the Community.” One individual was given a special honor for his heartfelt effort in reaching out to the community.  Randall Ruskin, 51, was bestowed with the 2007 Volunteer of the Year Award.  Ruskin was the recipient of this award because of his outstanding volunteerism at Gateway’s Moffett House.  This 25-bed men’s halfway house established in 1997 is located in Ruskin’s hometown of Beaver Falls.  He has been volunteering there for the past 2 ½ years. Ruskin was both surprised and humbled to receive such a prestigious award.  “I don’t go to Moffett House to be recognized.  I am currently in a rebuilding phase of my life; it is just my way of giving back to the community,” Ruskin said. “I basically do what is needed of me.  I try to make things easier for both the staff and the residents.” Some of the ways that Ruskin lends a helping hand include leading recovery groups, driving patients to 12-step meetings, grocery shopping and visiting and spending quality time with the Moffett residents. “Randall’s volunteer efforts have become an important part of our Moffett House mission of health and recovery.  We are so fortunate to have him in our halfway house family,” said Jill Perry, who as director of Gateway Rehabs Extended Care Division presented the award to Ruskin. Ruskin is the father of two children, a 33-year old daughter and a 19-year old son.  “My children are proud of me that I received this big honor from Gateway.  They are the ones that are the highlight of my life.  I plan to continue helping out at Moffett House.  The staff takes pride in what they do; they are good people.  The volunteer work that I do keeps me grounded and on my toes.  It is a good fit for me,” Ruskin said. Northern Connection magazine congratulates Randall Ruskin on his “2007 Volunteer of the Year Award.”  We wish him and all dads a very Happy Father’s Day! Back to top

Spotlight on Schools

Carnegie Mellon University chemistry professor Terry Collins is the first recipient of the $50,000 Charles E. Kaufman Award.  He received the award for his substantial contributions to science.

North Catholic High School student Luke Walker has been selected for membership into the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS).

Four students (photo right) have been named winners in NexTier Bank’s T-Bones branch’s essay contest titled “Why Saving Money is Important.”  Winners were: Nicholas Matelan (Pine-Richland Middle School); Tia Lammers (Bradford Woods Elementary); David Skrovanek (Marshall Elementary) and Branden Glass (Pine-Richland Middle School).

Three North Hills Senior High School students earned third place honors in the 29th Annual Chemistry Olympics at the University of Pittsburgh.  Winners were: Andrew Decker, Megan Hebda and Ben Funk.

Aquinas Academy has begun construction of the new multi-purpose facility which is slated to be completed by October.

The following Beattie students earned medals and scholarships at the FCCLA State Leadership Conference: Karen Chui (Hampton High School); Matthew Haider (Avonworth High School); Haley Gunnell (North Hills High School); Kevin Dias, Brianna Sanders, Mike Ledonne, Ian Hatheway and Leah Boehler (Shaler High School).

Four members of the North Hills Senior High Forensics team competed at the Grand National Tournament.  Team members included: Jeff Ciak, Youngkwon (Johnny) Bae; Allison Snyder and Anastasia Wooten.

The North Allegheny Senior High School Honors Wind Ensemble has been named the High School Classical Group winner in the 31st Annual Student Music Awards Program sponsored by Downbeat Magazine.

Five North Allegheny Intermediate students were awarded a trip to New York City for the national Euro Challenge Competition.  The team consisted of: Aidan MacDonagh, Joshua Kaib, Sujaya Balachandran, Adrianna Jensen and Thomas Helgerman.

North Allegheny High School senior, Merit O’Hare won the teen category of the first Borders Open-Door Poetry Contest with her poem “Jainism.”

The North Allegheny Senior High (NASH) Safari Yearbook has been honored with an All-State Award by the Pennsylvania School Press Association.  Safari was also awarded a Silver Crown by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

The North Allegheny Senior High (NASH) North Star student newspaper has been honored by the American Scholastic Press Association with a First Place Distinction in their annual contest review for a second consecutive year.

Thirteen North Allegheny High School students were selected to participate in the 2008 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) All-State Honors Ensemble.  They are: Anne Caruso, Andrew Ho, Shinyoung Kang, Steve Kang, Jeffrey Lin, Michael Lorenzo, Taylor Praskach, Sean Radermacher, Erin Smith, Hannah Snyder, Nicholas Amoscato, Brett Freithaler and Joshua Waynick.

The following North Allegheny School District students won awards at the Technology Student Association’s State Conference.  Winners were: Douglas Bauer, Sara Lutty, Brenna Thorpe, Clarissa Costa-Lima, Joel Mackay, Mariah Vaglia, Clayton O’Connor, Taraneh Manesh, Sara Lutty, Erin Bishop, Christopher Change, Cullen Minahan, Samuel Rutan, Skanda Koppula, Tareneh Manesh, Emily Wu, William Dignazio, Adam Majewski and Shane Smith.

North Allegheny Middle School student Joey Zou represented the state of Pennsylvania in the National Geography Bee which was held in Washington D.C. on May 21 & 22.  He received a perfect score at the state level.

North Hills Junior High School music teacher Heidi Kohne was named a 2008 recipient of the Scott E. Folmer Memorial Award.  She was honored for her work with special needs students.

Members of the North Hills Senior High School Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Orchestra earned multiple honors in the Festivals of Music competition, which was held Apr. 26-27, in Chicago.

Washington & Jefferson College German major Matt Rudzki, has been awarded a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Austria for 2008-09.  Rudzi is a 2004 graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School.

Two Fox Chapel Area High School students were named winners in the Institute for German American Relations Essay Contest.  Garret Huff and Taylor Hersh each won second place and $100 cash awards for their essay.

Eleven Fox Chapel Area High School District students won awards at the 69th Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair.  Those honored were: Ishan Chatterjee, Karthik Narayanan, Mondira Ray, Akansh Murthy, Molly Joyce, Zhihong Xu, Manu Goyal, Alfred Lentzsch, Praveen Tummalapalli, Liann Sun and Yanbo Chang.

Several Fox Chapel Area High School students won awards at the Pennsylvania Technology Student Association State Leadership Conference.  First place winner was Jammie Mountz.  Second place was awarded to: Mikhail Attaar, Joseph Cider, Frank Csech, Evan Gostowski (two second places), Anthony Karpinski, Jammie Mountz and Agustin Lopez.  Aaron Cichowski and Margaret O’Sell received third honors.

Eight Fox Chapel Area High School students were selected to attend the 2008 Pennsylvania Governor’s Schools of Excellence.  The students chosen were: Krishna Hegde, Harrison Goldberg, Arpa Mukherjee, Liann Sun, Carol Lin, Julia Segal, Shiyu Wang and Emily Feenstra.

The Fox Chapel Crew Varsity Women’s Lightweight 8+ boat won a gold medal and now qualifies for the 2008 USRowing Youth National Championships.  Team members include: Kristen Boyle, Erin Ford, Audrey Kelly, Cara Masserelli, Kathryn McCarthy, Meghan Monahan, Molly Toig, Risa Trump and Lindsay Miller.

O’Hara Elementary School in the Fox Chapel Area School District has been awarded a Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grant of $7,855.00 to implement a program aimed to address the growing issue of physical inactivity.

The Pine-Richland Opportunities Fund (PROF) awarded three Hall of Fame awards during the district’s 50th celebration.  PROF president Don Foster awarded 1976 Richland High School graduate Jeff Calhoun, photo right, 1997 Pine-Richland High School graduate Jonathan Passavant and former Pine Elementary student Martin McKinney with Hall of Fame Awards.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has named Pine-Richland High School senior Christina Knapp as a semifinalist in its 20th anniversary Scholars Program. 

Six students (photo left) from the Pine-Richland School District will compete in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.  John Matty, Michael Clouse, Isaac Egyed, Michael Matty, Tim Skillen and Sarah Clouse will compete May 31-June 3 at the University of Maryland in College Park

Pine-Richland High School ninth grader Natalie Ficco won first place in the “Make Sense of Your Makeup” Braincake design contest and earned a $250 scholarship.

Pine-Richland High School sophomore Adam Janssen earned 1st Chair in the state and now qualifies for the “All East” Honors band.

Pine-Richland High School took home two awards from the 15th annual Robert Morris University Television and Video Teachers’ consortium (TVT) in Moon Township.  Pine-Richland earned awards in the “Performing Arts” and “School Announcements” categories, during the awards program.

The following Pine-Richland High School students earned top awards at the PA State Future Business Leaders of America Competition.  Winners included: Tyler Grubbs, Nate Blandino, John DeLacio, Phil Rader, Alan Boyd, Cory Lammie, Joe Kwon, Nick Capitano, Peter Hilton and Derek Feger.

Students from the Pine-Richland High School World Language Department earned third place overall in the individual Spanish language division at the 23rd annual Slippery Rock University World Language Competition.  Winners were: Ed Misback, Danny Nigh, Emily Sisk, Zach Dionise, Meghan Blumer, Shelby Grubbs and Travis Donnelly.

Pine-Richland Middle School student Lindsay Miller was a finalist in the Highmark Healthy 5 Anti-Bullying Poster contest.

The cast, crew and orchestra of Pine-Richland High School production of “Seussical the Musical” earned 11 nominations in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Association’s Gene Kelly awards.

Pine-Richland Middle School eighth grader Cameron Barnes earned first place in the individual historical paper junior division during the National History day Pitt Competition at the Senator John Heinz History Center.

The Northern Area Alliance Against Highly Addictive Drugs announced the finalists of its seventh grade poster contest.  The winners included the following Pine-Richland students: Kripa Venkatakrishnan, Michael Cikovic, Julia Frazier, Kayla Raber and Austin Kozar.

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Business Spotlight: Kowall and Standish

By Janice Lane Palko

The decision to end a marriage is not an easy one, and the legal process required to obtain a divorce is often painful, lengthy and expensive. “There’s always a better way to do things,” said veteran family law attorney Lisa Standish. “With the Collaborative Divorce process, I finally feel that I’m helping people.”

In Collaborative Divorce, clients and their attorneys commit to a cooperative negotiation process and to keeping their dispute out of court. Unlike traditional litigation, with courtrooms open to the public and documents posted as public record, Collaborative Divorce is private and confidential. No documents are filed with the court without the parties’ agreement. When the issues are resolved, attorneys file an uncontested divorce action and the necessary forms for obtaining a final divorce decree.

The collaborative process helps to foster respect among the participants and helps spouses communicate in an open and secure environment, laying the foundation for an amicable relationship once the divorce is final. This is invaluable, particularly when children are involved, no matter what their ages.

“Because Collaborative Divorce offers an opportunity to be creative in coming up with solutions to benefit both parties, it works for just about every situation,” Standish said. “With the help of their attorneys, the parties work together in an atmosphere of cooperation, rather than as adversaries. It’s especially good for custody issues, because then the focus is on the children’s needs, rather than the parents’ positions.”

If necessary, the parties may retain experts such as financial planners, advisors, therapists and child psychologists to assist them in the process. The experts, as well as the parties and attorneys, work as a team to generate innovative solutions that best benefit the family.

“A significant benefit of Collaborative Divorce is that, in working outside the traditional court system, the parties can be creative and come up with solutions that are tailored to their individual interests,” explained Standish. “Although the parties are informed regarding the law, they are not bound by its sometimes strict confines, which are created to accommodate the general population and may not meet the needs of individual families.”

The parties and their attorneys meet and confer at mutually convenient times and places and are not subject to arbitrary court dates and schedules. That frequently means that matters can be settled in a significantly shorter period of time.

“I often get calls from individuals who know that the time has come to end their marriage, “Standish said, “but they are intimidated when I explain the process, time and costs involved. This is an alternative that makes sense – emotionally, financially and legally.”

Lisa Standish can also help with other issues that families may face, such as prenuptial agreements, wills and power of attorney, adoption, custody, support and traditional divorce.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Standish lives with her family in Wexford. The firm is located in The Pennsylvania, Suite C-2 in downtown Pittsburgh, but convenient North Hills appointments are available. For more information, call 412-281-9505 or visit the website at www.ksfamilylaw.com.

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