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Plant a Seed to Read event and Reading Rainbow Writing contest

Watson Third Grade teacher receives award

Mrs. Groat being surprised by Niki Weirich as the class looks on. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO.

Jill Groat, a third grade teacher at Watson Elementary School, received WYTV's "One Class at a Time" Award on April 9. Television personality, Niki Weirich, paid a surprise visit to the classroom and presented Mrs. Groat a $500 check for her novel approach in using guinea pigs to help teach a variety of lessons in her classroom. Whoever would have thought that guinea pigs could touch and teach children in so many unique ways. Mrs. Groat has used the pets to motivate her students to learn a variety of "academic content standards" in so many interesting ways. Her hands on approach with the guinea pigs has enabled her students to experience "book" learning in real-life meaningful situations.
Ironically, her first guinea pig was given to her by a father of one of her students who worked at a pet store. Mrs. Groat recalled thinking, "What am I going  to do with a guinea pig?" Little did she know that the answer to that question was going to open the door to unlimited possibilities. In one school year, her guinea pigs (yes, they've multiplied) have been written about, measured, compared and contrasted weighed, graphed, researched, photographed, used as rewards, cuddled and befriended.
Mrs. Groat plans on using the $500 to expand her classroom library to include more books on animals which third graders seem to gravitate towards. She also plans to purchase more math manipulative and resources for language arts. The possibilities are endless.

Eric Grantonic stands with PBS characters , holding his new DVD player. Grantonic was awarded the Grand Prize for the Mahoning Valley area in the Reading Rainbow Writing Contest. Grantonic's story will now move on to the Reading Rainbow National Contest. Photo by Roselyn Gadd.

Marissa Conroy of Austintown models her hat , fashioned from a Dr. Seuss book, at the Plant a Seed to Read event at Mill Creek Metroparks Davis Center. Hundreds of children enjoyed the annual event that included book authors, free books , crafts and celebrity storytellers. Photo by Roselyn Gadd.

Kelly Pavlik Makes Special Appearance at St. Luke's School

Austintown Friends meeting

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO.

Home Savings recently held a "Win a classroom visit from Kelly Pavlik!" contest for its Big Buck$ Children's Account holders, ages 6-12, throughout Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. 
Joe Granchie, a first grade student at St. Luke's School, was the contest winner so he and his classmates had the pleasure of meeting Kelly and receiving an autographed photo of him when he visited their classroom at St. Luke's School earlier today.
To make the guest appearance even more special, it

was suggested by a St. Luke's student that the entire school do something for the KFC manager who was recently shot by a robber and is now paralyzed.  Therefore, students who brought in a donation for this fund lined the hallways and welcomed Kelly with the rousing applause that he deserves!
With current assets of $2.8 billion, Home Savings operates 39 banking offices and six loan production offices throughout Ohio and western Pennsylvania, employing nearly 700 people.  For more information, please visit www.homesavings.com.

Dr. Ann Harris , geology specialist will speak at the Austintown Branch of the Mahoning-Youngstown Library. The Friends of the Austintown Library will host Dr. Harris at their meeting on Monday , April 24 at 10 AM. Dr.Harris, Professor Emeritus of the YSU Geology Department , will reveal the locations of underground mines in the area. The meeting is free and opent to the public. For more information, contact your local branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County or visit the web at www.libraryvisit.org.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO.