Mt. Lebanon High School is proud to announce the recipients of the 2016 Great Alumni Award: Mary D. Birks Class of 1982, Ruth Colker Class of 1974, Gretchen R. Haggerty Class of 1972, and Dr. Mark C. Lester Class of 1970. The high school will hold a luncheon tomorrow to honor the awardees and they will be recognized at the football game tomorrow night.
The Great Alumni Award is a project of the Mt. Lebanon High School Student Council. Administrators, faculty, students, and alumni serve on the selection committee. This is the 12th year of the award program. The recipients of the Great Alumni Award are selected based on exceptional work in at least one of the following areas: improvement in the lives of others, involvement in community service or achievement in a professional field.
2016 Great Alumni Award Recipients
Mary D. Birks Class of 1982
Mary D. Birks' professional and volunteer work careers have showcased her outspoken advocacy for children. This is evidenced by her focus on the development of leadership skills for underserved girls throughout Allegheny County while employed at Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, during the many years she was a PTA, PTSA, and PTA Council leader, while being a board member for the Mt. Lebanon Foundation for Education, and as a Mt. Lebanon School District School Board Director for the past seven years and currently the Vice President of the Board. She is the Executive Director of Outreach Teen & Family Services, a community based child, teen, and family counselling agency.
Mrs. Birks was nominated by Ms. Elyse Berkowitz Lattner, a friend.
Ruth Colker Class of 1974
Professor Colker is a Distinguished University Professor and the Heck Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law at the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University. She is an advocate for disability rights and is one of the leading scholars in the country in the areas of Constitutional Law and Disability Discrimination. Her legal writings had a strong impact on a major constitutional decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, Tennessee v. Lane. Nationally, she is an active member of the pro bono legal community who advocates on behalf of women's rights, LGBT rights and individuals with disabilities.
Professor Colker was nominated by Mr. Peter DiNardo, a Mt. Lebanon High School Social Studies teacher
Gretchen R. Haggerty Class of 1972
Gretchen R. Haggerty began as a management trainee at the United States Steel Corporation and thirty-seven years later she was its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She also served on the Board of Directors of the US Steel & Carnegie Pension Fund as chairperson of the Pension fund and the Investment committee for the Pension fund. Mrs. Haggerty currently serves as a board member of the USG Corporation, the United Way of Allegheny County , The Strategic Investment Fund, and Duquesne University School of Law Advisory Board. In 2012, she was elected as the first female president of the Duquesne Club, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Haggerty was nominated by Mr. Charles Brodbeck, a 2012 Great Alumni award recipient
Mark C. Lester Class of 1970
As a neurosurgeon and healthcare system physician executive, Dr. Lester has created clinical care systems at Texas Health Resources (THR) in Dallas, Texas. He led the development of a trauma center in Michigan and implemented a surgical checklist for THR. He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Physician Leadership and is the Executive Vice President of the Texas Health Resources organization.
Dr. Lester was nominated by Mr. Harold H. Wilson, Jr. a 2009 Great Alumni award recipient
Please join us on October 20 for an exciting evening as we begin to explore new opportunities to enhance the Mt. Lebanon School District elementary libraries. The program Dare to Dream: REIMAGINING OUR ELEMENTARY LIBRARIES will take place on Thursday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Center Court. Our speaker for the evening will be Keith Webster, Dean of University Libraries at Carnegie Mellon University. Mr. Webster will share the latest thinking in 21st Century school libraries.
Our libraries have always been a vibrant learning space in our schools and a valued part of a Mt. Lebanon education. This new initiative will explore ways we can enrich our current libraries with a view to the future. All Mt. Lebanon parents are invited to attend. We hope you will join us to learn more.
We will have supervised Maker Space activities available for children K - 5 during the event.
Plan to attend the Mt. Lebanon High School Marching Band 22nd Annual Festival of Bands on Saturday, September 24th at the Mt. Lebanon High School stadium. Bands from around the Pittsburgh area including the California University of PA band will participate in the festival. Tickets are $6 in advance, $7 at the door and children under 5 are free.
The Mt. Lebanon School District is proud to host the United States Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants from Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29 at 7p.m in the High School Auditorium. All tour concerts are free and open to the public. The tour includes stops throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Ticket information for the concert is available at https://bit.ly/USAFBandTour. Download your free tickets now. Seating is on a first come basis.
Mt. Lebanon High School Auditorium is located at 155 Cochran Road, Pittsburgh, 15228.
Several members of the Concert Band and Singing Sergeants are natives of Pennsylvania, and many are graduates of Pennsylvania schools including Duquesne University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Temple University.
Pennsylvania native Master Sgt. Joseph Haughton, a tenor vocalist in the Singing Sergeants, is looking forward to returning to Pittsburgh where he attended college.
"The best part about going on the road is reconnecting with family and friends," said Haughton. "I'm especially excited to have the chance to see colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh Opera!"
As part of the Air Force Band's "Advancing Innovation Through Music" (AIM) educational outreach program, local students will be invited to perform on stage during each tour concert.
The U.S. Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants are two of the six performing ensembles within The United States Air Force Band, the premier musical organization of the U.S. Air Force. Stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., The U.S. Air Force Band honors those who have served, inspires American citizens to heightened patriotism and service, and positively impacts the global community on behalf of the U.S. Air Force and the United States of America.
We're All In This Together
"We're all in this together" is the theme of the 2016-17 opening day video for staff.
Back to School Wave
Watch a BIG welcome back to school wave for our students from our staff.
High School Dedication
This is a slideshow of the High School Dedication on Oct. 11, 2015.
Mt. Lebanon Council PTA is presenting the nationally acclaimed film, "Screenagers" on Wednesday, October 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. The event is free and open to the community and is part of the MTL PTA Council Parent Education program. For more information about the movie visit www.screenagersmovie.com.
About Screenagers
Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.
In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and Internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids' development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.
Mt. Lebanon High School senior A'siyah Jordan was presented a certificate of recognition from High School Principal Brian McFeeley for her selection and participation at the Congress of Future Medical Leaders held in Boston, Massachusetts in June. This program hosts high achieving students who aspire to serve as future physicians or medical scientists. Presenters at the congress included Nobel Prize winners, scientists, and other experts in the field of medicine.
Each year on September 11 on Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance we pause to remember the attacks that occurred in 2001 in New York City, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, PA. We honor the memories of the victims and thank the first responders in our communities who work daily to keep us safe.
On September 9, a ceremony to commemorate the day was held at Markham Elementary School where members of the Mt. Lebanon Police and Fire Departments were recognized and thanked for their constant vigilance and care to keep our community safe from harm. Watch a video of the day.