Follansbee chamber hands out school grants, prepares for Halloween event - The Steubenville Herald-Star

GRANTS AWARDED — The Follansbee Chamber of Commerce presented 4 grants Wednesday to Brooke County teachers and students for innovative projects and teaching strategies. On manus were, from left, front, acquisition committee members Mary Jane McElroy and Suzanne Davidson; Jayanna Wilson; assistance recipient Jerri Wilson; Wilson’s teacher Tom Bane; assistance recipient Amy Ludewig and Chamber President Eric Fithyan; and back, Jennifer Sisinni, main of Brooke Middle School; assistance recipients Chris Moore and Thomas Olenick; Michael Lewis, main of Brooke High School; and Jeff Crook, superintendent of Brooke County Schools. -- Warren Scott

FOLLANSBEE — Efforts centered astir section younker were the absorption of the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce’s gathering Wednesday, with the group’s acquisition committee handing retired grants to students and teachers for innovative projects and teaching strategies and details of its upcoming Trunk oregon Treat for the nationalist announced.

The chamber’s acquisition committee, which includes Chairperson Suzanne Davidson, Mary Jane McElroy and Carmel Esposito, presented $300 grants to teachers Chris Moore and Amy Ludewig and students Thomas Olenick and Jerri Wilson.

The grants were provided done a donation from enclosure members Lou and Pat Accetollo.

Moore said helium volition usage his assistance to acquisition virtual world instrumentality and bundle that volition assistance students successful his past classes astatine Brooke High School to acquisition historical events firsthand.

“It’s 1 happening to speech astir history. It’s different to spot it,” said Moore, who added the VR instrumentality besides allows students to perceive sounds and simulate the touching of objects.

He said helium volition acquisition virtual world scenarios with the assistance but determination besides are galore disposable astatine nary outgo done the Internet.

Moore added his science students besides tin usage it successful assorted ways, from “exploring” areas of the encephalon to observing and analyzing assemblage connection displayed by a virtual person.

He said it whitethorn beryllium imaginable for students successful the school’s vocation exertion courses to usage the instrumentality to simulate workplace experiences.

“I person precocious hopes for it,” said Moore.

Ludewig, a machine subject teacher astatine Brooke Middle School, said she volition usage the assistance to acquisition a tennis shot sized robot operated by a mobile instrumentality that volition beryllium programmed by students to execute assorted tasks, including engaging successful jousting matches.

In keeping with the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math program, the robots volition flooded a bid of obstacles created and decorated by students arsenic well, she noted.

A elder astatine Brooke High School, Olenick said helium and classmates volition usage the assistance to physique a caller filter for the aquaponics strategy created by students successful Tom Bane’s engineering plan and improvement course.

The strategy has been utilized to turn potatoes, strawberries and herbs successful h2o and to harvest food and aquatic plants.

Olenick said the erstwhile filter didn’t forestall the enactment of algae, which caused the plants to die, and the extremity is to make 1 that volition clasp nutrients derived from the fish’s discarded portion preventing the dispersed of algae.

He said pursuing graduation, helium would similar to prosecute a vocation successful chemic engineering.

A Brooke High School sophomore, Wilson said she volition usage her assistance to acquisition a robot astir a ft and a fractional wide that she volition programme to execute tasks, specified arsenic a circular of disc golf, for schoolhouse robotics competitions.

She is simply a pupil of Chris Mockbee, a Science Technology Engineering and Math teacher who has led Brooke High School students to national, authorities and determination robotics competitions.

Chamber President Eric Fithyan said of the grants, “Part of our ngo is to ever enactment our businesses and assemblage and nexus them together, and I deliberation this is simply a cleanable illustration of that.”

Fithyan said the grants assistance to hole students for their aboriginal relation successful the economy.

The 4 recipients besides were presented proclamations of congratulations from U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; by his representative, Mary Jo Guidi.

Chamber members besides heard from Jeff Crook, Brooke County superintendent of schools; and Michael Lewis, the precocious school’s caller principal; who discussed galore opportunities for learning offered to Brooke students.

Fithyan said enclosure members are invited to ballot connected respective nominees for its caller Young Professional of the Year honor, 1 of respective awards to beryllium presented astatine its yearly dinner.

He said tickets are $40 each for the dinner, which volition beryllium held Nov. 16 astatine St. Francis Centre, and whitethorn beryllium purchased astatine First National Bank successful Follansbee.

Chamber members besides are preparing for its yearly Trunk oregon Treat, which volition beryllium held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 27 extracurricular the Follansbee Community House.

Chamber treasurer Brandy Puskarich said aft being held astatine Lyle’s Auto Sales successful caller years, the lawsuit needed much space.

Puskarich said the car dealer, which had moved vehicles into its showroom to accommodate the event, has been an fantabulous spouse and volition proceed to participate.

She said with the summation successful space, the fig of businesses and organizations offering trunks afloat of treats has grown from astir 17 to 40.

Puskarich said successful the past, the businesses and groups person been originative successful decorating their vehicles, adopting themes ranging from astronauts to pirates, and donning costumes to match. This year, arsenic an other incentive, determination volition beryllium trophies for the champion trunk and astir unsocial costume, she said.

Puskarich added determination besides volition beryllium escaped amusement by magician the Amazing Nick and disc jockey GCon, a escaped pumpkin-decorating contention and nutrient for merchantability by the Chef’s Table nutrient truck, which volition connection a peculiar children’s menu; and a kettle maize vendor.

She said the lawsuit is simply a bully mode to amusement that “We arsenic a concern enactment and nonprofit attraction astir the children successful our community.”

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