In conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, the BWEF hosted the first-ever Distinguished Highlander Alumni and Champions of Character Recognition Event on May 2, 2015, at the South Hills Country Club.
We inducted the inaugural Hall of Fame Class of Distinguished Highlanders that day, in a celebration that brought together generations of alumni, residents, teachers and students.
"We can't think of a better way to celebrate the District's 75th Anniversary than to recognize the contributions of these individuals," said Dr. Randal A. Lutz, Superintendent of Schools. "While their achievements are extremely diverse, our inductees represent one common idea - a future of unlimited potential for each of our current 4,118 students."
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From Kindergarten to Seniors, 25 students gathered under the direction of Baldwin High School teacher Brad Schulte to produce a video, formally announcing the first-ever inductees to the Distinguished Highlander Hall of Fame. Lindsay Bonetti, 6th Grade student at Harrison Middle School, notes in her introduction in the video, "They are people who make the world a better place." |
Distinguished Highlander Hall of Fame Inductees:
Sergeant Alexander Bennett, Class of 1960
Former Mayor of Baldwin Borough, Police Officer |
Kathleen Nord DePuy, Class of 1959
Member of Council, Whitehall Borough and Past President Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs |
United States Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Class of 1952
President Pro Tempore of the Senate Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee |
Mr. Edward Helbig, Jr., Class or 1969
Retired Educator and Coach, Baldwin-Whitehall School District |
Dr. Shawn Kelly, Class of 1992
Biomedical Engineer, Carnegie Mellon University |
Gregory M. Kraus, Class of 1993
FBI Special Agent and former United States Navy SEAL |
Mr. William M. Lambert, Class of 1976
President and CEO, MSA Safety, Inc. |
Mr. Paul McNulty, Class of 1976
President, Grove City College |
Mr. James F. Nowalk, Class of 1970
Mayor of Whitehall Borough, President-Pennsylvania State Mayor's Association, and President-Baldwin Whitehall Frieds of the Theater Arts |
Ms. Michelle Rogan-Finnemore, Class of 1981
Geologist, International Law Specialist and Antartic Research |
Mr. Dennis Yablonsky, Class of 1970
President and CEO, The Allegheny Conference on Community Development |
In addition to our Hall of Fame class, we recognized several Champions of Character during the event! |
Local News Coverage of the Gala
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Through the Eyes of a Child
As part of the Diamond Anniversary celebration, students were asked to consider their own futures and imagine what they want to be by the time they celebrate their own 75th birthday by creating a poster to illustrate the story of their lives at age 75.
One winner from each grade level was selected and each won a $75 gift card to The Mall at Robinson courtesy of our friends at The Mall at Robinson. |
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