Environmental Education Center Offers Summer Day Camps

environmental day campThis summer, more than 200 local youths ranging from ages five through 18 will have the opportunity to participate in LCEEC Summer Day Camps, which are focused on connecting children to nature.  They will take place at the Lackawanna College Environmental Education Center in Covington Township.

Each weeklong camp takes place at LCEEC’s beautiful 211-acre property and LEED Gold Certified facility.  The property is home to native plants and wild animals, forested areas, a stream, a marsh, meadows, instructional gardens, and indoor and outdoor classroom space.  Campers will spend time exploring natural habitats and playing summer games while the experienced staff guides campers through innovative experiential activities including hiking, stream and forest ecology, environmental activities, nature-based art projects, and much more.

Focusing on discovery and teamwork, children gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all life while daily interactions with one another helps develop cooperation skills and encourage friendships. A low camper-to-counselor ratio ensures children are safe, supervised, and engaged in activities that keep their minds and bodies healthy.

High school students interested in getting a jump-start on their college career can register for a 10-day Environmental Quality field course. Students will assess the quality of our local environment to determine the extent and sources of pollution. This three-credit course is open enrollment for any high school student who has completed their sophomore year.  Completion of the course earns students three-credits towards their Environmental Science degree, which are transferrable within Lackawanna College or to other institutions.

Other weekly themes include ArtVentures, Wilderness Survival, Backyard Habitats, Closer Look, Eco Explorers, and Eco Quest.  On the last Friday of each camp, LCEEC hosts a family program where parents and siblings can come to watch the campers receive their Ecological Awareness Certificate of Completion and present a program about their week’s experience.

For more information or to register contact the Lackawanna College Environmental Education Center at (570) 842-1506 or email wheelerm@lackawanna.edu.

Calendar of Events: February 2018

ServSafe Course:

PennStateExtension mark (stacked)_0The ServSafe course, conducted by Penn State Extension, is being held at Penn State Worthington Campus, 120 Ridgeview Drive, Dunmore, on Monday, Feb. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Feb. 26 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., with the exam scheduled for 11 a.m. on Feb. 26.

The course covers information related to preventing cross contamination, safe handling of food, temperature control, cleaning and sanitization, proper storage, and pest control in addition to other relevant topics.

After attending the sessions and passing the multiple choice exam, participants will receive a ServSafe certificate which meets the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s requirement for food safety certification.

The cost of the class is $185, and the registration deadline is Feb. 14. Individuals can register online at extension.psu.edu/servsafe.

Contact Nicole McGeehan at 570-421-6430 or nmd5140@psu.edu with any questions.

Lenten Bible Study:

The VNA Hospice in Olyphant invites you to join us as we study the Book of Ester and how this story relates to the promises of Easter. Through Bible readings, video lessons and conversation, we’ll learn how one person’s sacrifice and courage saved millions.

Bring a friend and come to VNA Hospice at 301 Delaware Avenue in Olyphant on four consecutive Mondays: February 19th and 26th and March 5th and 12th from 6:30 to 8:30.

The program is open to the community at no charge. For more information, feel free to call (570)383-5180

Modified Hospital Visiting:

commonwealth-healthCommonwealth Health has modified its visitation guidelines during the cold and flu season. In order to protect its patients and to prevent the spread of disease to the community, Commonwealth Health is asking people who are sneezing, coughing, running a fever or experiencing a runny nose or other respiratory symptoms to refrain from visiting patients at any of its hospitals.

The health care network also asks that children younger than 12 refrain from visiting the hospital at this time. The request is aimed at protecting both patients and visitors during this season of increased cases of flu, cold and other respiratory illnesses.

Commonwealth Health  hospitals are Berwick Hospital Center, First Hospital, Moses Taylor Hospital, Regional Hospital of Scranton, Tyler Memorial Hospital and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

APPRISE Session:

State Rep. Kevin Haggerty, D-Lackawanna, will offer a session with an APPRISE counselor on Friday, Feb. 16, from  11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at his Dunmore district office, 1414 Monroe Ave.  APPRISE is a free health insurance counseling program designed to help older Pennsylvanians with Medicare. Counselors are specially trained staff and volunteers who can answer questions about Medicare, Medicare Supplemental Insurance, Medicaid and long-term care insurance.

Haggerty said constituents should bring their Medicare cards, other insurance information such as PACE, Veterans Administration and ACCESS cards and a list of medications with their dosages and quantities.

For more information, you call Haggerty’s Dunmore office at 570-342-2710. Walk-ins are welcome and no appointment is necessary.

Cinderella Auditions

Marywood University’s music, theatre, and dance department will hold auditions for the ballet, Cinderella, on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 11 a.m., in the Center for Athletics and Wellness, Room 230. Pointe experience is preferred, but not required. The performance of Cinderella will be presented on Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5, 2018. For additional information, please email Linn McDonald, dance director at Marywood University, at mcdonald.linn@marywood.edu.

Lackawanna College Open House:

LCLogoFUTURE1Lackawanna College will host an open house for prospective students and their families on Saturday, Feb. 10, from 9 a.m. to noon at Angeli Hall, 501 Vine St., Scranton. The event highlights the application process, resident housing, life on campus, and academics.

The open house is an opportunity for prospective students and their families to tour the campus, attend individual academic sessions, and meet with admissions and financial aid representatives. Coaches from the Athletics Department will also be available.  

Open House is free and walk-ins are welcome, but advanced registration is preferred. To register, visit lackawanna.edu/admissions/open-house/. For additional information, contact Assistant Director of Admissions, Michelle Ketten, at (570) 961-7868.

Marywood Exhibition:

Marywood University is hosting a  Make, Believe: The Maslow Collection and the Moving Image exhibition through March 21 at the Mahady Gallery for Contemporary Art at Marywood. A curator talk will be held on Feb. 7 at 4 p.m.

Make, Believe generates a dialogue between the work of artists in The Maslow Collection and artists working with the moving image.

Using photography, drawing, painting, printmaking and conceptual practices throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, artists such as Alice Aycock, Mark Cohen, Barbara Kasten, Dorothea Rockburne and Sandy Skoglund examine similar themes surrounding unexpected spatial realities.  The exhibit features moving image works by Basma Alsharif, Nazlı Dinçel, Julie Harrison & Neil Zusman, David Haxton and M.M. Serra; with works from The Maslow Collection by Alice Aycock, Jennifer Bartlett, Mark Cohen, Hamish Fulton, David Haxton, Barbara Kasten, Martin Mull, Ellen Phelan, Robert Rauschenberg, Dorothea Rockburne, Sandy Skoglund, and Andy Warhol.

Make, Believe is curated by Herb Shellenberger, independent curator, and Ryan Ward, curator of The Maslow Collection at Marywood University.

Crimson Company Princess Pirate Tea POSTERPrincess and Pirate Tea:

Dunmore High School Crimson Company will present Disney’s The Little Mermaid for two weekends in March at the High School Auditorium. Leading up to the production, the Crimson Company will host a “Princess and Pirate Tea Under the Sea.” This fundraiser, which will benefit the Crimson Company and its future endeavors, will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 24th in the Dunmore High School Cafeteria.

Admission is $10 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Advanced reservations can be made by sending an email to mcgurld@gmail.com

Master Garden Program:

Penn State Extension in Lackawanna County will be offering the Master Gardener training program beginning in March. This program involves extensive classes on the major aspects of home horticulture along with opportunities to serve area communities with the knowledge received at the sessions. In order to understand the Master Gardener training initiative, three informational meetings have been scheduled.  They will feature an overview of the program, a question and answer session, and an opportunity to sign-up for the trainings.

The sessions are: Saturday, Feb. 10, 9:30 a.m., North Pocono Community Library, Moscow; Saturday, Feb. 10, noon, The Greenhouse Project, Nay Aug Park, and Tuesday, Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m., Abington Community Library, Clarks Summit. To register, call (570) 963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu.

LRCA Anniversary Concert:

Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert present a concert in Scranton on Friday, June 1, at Shopland Hall at the historic Scranton Cultural Center to cap LRCA’s 30th anniversary celebration and RiverFest 2018. The evening’s proceed will benefit the LRCA’s ongoing work to improve and protect the Lackawanna River and its watershed. Additional show information, including ticket and sponsorship packages, will be announced. To learn more about Steve Forbert, his artistry and career,  visit www.steveforbert.com. To learn more about the LRCA, visit www.lrca.org

Dunmorean of the Month: Marina Pegula

Marina Pegula photo

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore graduate Marina Pegula is playing as much softball as she can while setting sights on a career in pharmacy.

Daughter of Mark and Diane Pegula, Dunmore, Marina is now in her sophomore year as a pre-Allied Health major at Lackawanna College.

She is a starting shortstop on the Lackawanna College softball team.

Marina, 19, played four years of softball at Dunmore a High School. She is a former all-star and started at shortstop for three years at Dunmore. She also played some third base under Dunmore softball coach Ryan Ferguson.

bucksThe scholar-athlete played basketball and volleyball and also was a football cheerleader at Dunmore.

Jeff Pittsman is her softball coach at Lackawanna. “Our team started to click last season,” Marina said. “I’m really looking forward to playing this season.”

She talked about what it takes to be a good shortstop.

“You need to be aware about what is going on during the game on the field at all times,” she said. “You can’t be overwhelmed. You have to stay calm and make the plays come to you. You can’t be psyched out by anything.”

Marina played travel softball from age nine through her sophomore year in high school. “It was a great experience,” she said. “It was great traveling state to state and even to Florida for the championships. I was away playing every weekend in the summer. It is a lot of fun and you learn a lot from the different teams and players.”

Marina said she learned a lot from her travel team coaches and Dunmore coach Ryan Ferguson. “Coach Ferguson taught us to be focused and put forth your best effort out there. The travel team coaches also taught me a lot about the game.”

The 2016 Dunmore graduate said she became interested in pharmacy after shadowing Tom DePietro at DePietro Family Pharmacy in Dunmore.

“He is a friend of my cousin, Jim Dartt. I really enjoyed the experience shadowing him and I was very good in chemistry in high school. So I decided on a pre-pharmacy major with a goal of going to pharmacy school.”

lccMarina had successful first year at Lackawanna doing well academically and hitting .334 while starting every game at shortstop on the softball team.

She hopes to continue her softball career after the coming season. “It will depend on where I go to school in my junior year. If the opportunity presents itself, I definitely want to continue playing.”

Marina talked about her future goals. “Well, my number one goal is to become a pharmacist. I would like to someday open my own pharmacy. I would like to play softball as long as I can in college. I like being a part of the team.”

Marina enjoys listening to music in her spare time. If she could see anyone in concert, she said, it would be the late Michael Jackson.

Her biggest supporters are her parents.

“My parents always tell me to do my best. They tell me to perform up to my capabilities both in academics and softball. They are very supportive, go to all of my softball games and that gives me a very comfortable feeling.”