MARKILINSKI: Game On?

Game On? I’m not talking about the Pens Playoffs here; I’m talking about the ongoing legal feud between community school advocates and those who support consolidation and the super school concept.

This has been going on in middle Armstrong County since the inception of the Armstrong School District in the 1960’s. The latest scenario pits the ASD School Board against some folks from the “other” side of the river who continually try to build “something” to “better” their community.

I have always wondered where the people of Kittanning Borough stood.

Since the early 1980’s the people of the Ford City Area, specifically the Ford City School Board Members, have made sure that Kittanning had a high school in their borough. Just like Ford City, a high school in the community is good for the town and good for business or what little that is left.

The people of Armstrong County do not have much. Heck, we only have one McDonalds.

But we have our churches, we have our communities, and we are proud of our community schools. That’s why we fight, to preserve our communities.

To some this is not a value. They could care less. They think it is “ok” to put a child on a bus for an hour. They think it is “ok” to build a middle school and strip another building of half its students. To them, another building is PROGRESS.

In this day and age, when you can get a college degree online, why would anybody want to build anything?

The people of the Elderton attendance area deserve to have a modern, technological, up to date school in their community.

If the people on the western side of the river want to sign petitions to keep Elderton closed, if they want to file frivolous lawsuits based on how many votes the “box of rocks” got, then maybe we give them what they want.

Let’s push Applewold, East Franklin, West Franklin, West Kittanning, and Worthington to the Butler School District. They do sit side by side geographically. Just like how East Brady went to Karns City. Just like how the previous educationally misguided board tried to send the Elderton Community down the road to Apollo Ridge.

Hey, Route 422 travels East and West doesn’t it?

Wouldn’t the West Hills area get their much coveted QUAD AAAA High School, a QUAD AAAA education, and of course prized QUAD AAAA SPORTS?

And Butler High School is only 25 minutes from McDonalds. That is about the same distance between Elderton and West Shamokin. Redistricting? Game On!

Just think about it.

OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND REFLECT PAID SPONSORSHIP.

MARKILINSKI: Good Friday Meditations

For The Sick

O God, your Son accepted our sufferings to teach us the virtue of patience in human illness. Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brothers and sisters. May all who suffer pain, illness or disease realize that they are chosen to be saints, and know that they are joined to Christ in His suffering for the salvation of the world, who lives, and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to St. Michael

Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
– Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903)

For Peace

Mary, Queen of Peace, save us all, who have so much trust in you, from wars, hatred, and oppression. Make us all learn to live in peace, do what is demanded by justice and respect the rights of every person, so that peace may be firmly established. Amen.
– Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND REFLECT PAID SPONSORSHIP.

MARKILINSKI: “Little Billy”

“Little Billy”

Until a child tells you what they are thinking, we can’t even begin to imagine how their mind is working…..

Little Billy was doing very badly in Math. His parents had tried everything… tutors, mentors, flash cards, even special learning centers. In short, everything they could think of to help his math.

Finally, in a last ditch effort, they took Little Billy down and enrolled him in the local Catholic school. After the first day, Little Billy came home with a very serious look on his face. He did not even kiss his mother hello. Instead he went straight to his room and started studying.

Books and paper were spread all over the room and Little Billy was hard at work. His mother was amazed. She called him down to dinner.

To her shock, the minute he was done, he marched back to his room without a word and in no time, he was back hitting the books as hard as before.

This went on for some time, day after day, while the mother tried to understand what made all the difference.

Finally, Little Billy brought home his report card. He quietly laid it on the table, went up to his room and hit the books. With great trepidation, his mom looked at it and to her great surprise, Little Billy got an “A” in math.

She could no longer hold her curiosity. She went to Little Billy’s room and said, “Son, what was it? Was it the nuns?”

Little Billy looked at her and shook his head, no.

“Well then,” she replied, was it the books, the discipline, the structure, the uniforms? WHAT WAS IT?

Little Billy looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school when I saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew they weren’t fooling around.”

Just think about it.

Comments to: mmarkilins@aol.com

OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND REFLECT PAID SPONSORSHIP.