Impact

Penn State Fayette recognizes middle, high schoolers at MLK Day Observance

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, honored the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. at a Jan. 20 ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of local African-American public school students. Friends and family members of the 50 outstanding youths filled the Community Center’s Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance, which featured a proclamation, speeches and certificates to mark achievement in academics, community service, athletics and performing arts.

In his remarks that day, Charles Patrick, chancellor and chief academic officer of Penn State Fayette, noted how King’s legacy lives on through the honorees. He said, “Today, we honor some dedicated individuals — students who have contributed their energies and efforts to making a positive difference — and in so doing, they honor the memory of one of our country’s greatest heroes.”

According to event chair Susan Crampton-Frenchik, 2015 marks the 28th year for the program. She said, “Penn State Fayette is a host institution for all kinds of educational and cultural events. We want to be an integral part of the community, and this is one of our great opportunities to celebrate the success of our community members.”

The day’s keynote speeches were delivered by African-American educators Gina Jones, instructor of human development and family studies at Penn State Fayette, and Sean Means, a teacher at Pittsburgh’s Westinghouse High School.

Means thought the program was a “great experience” and added that he was impressed by the potential he saw in the awardees. “It’s good to see so many students that are doing positive things — not only for themselves, but their community,” he commented. “I see a lot of promise in this room, and I just hope they capitalize on all of it.”

As a faculty member, Jones feels grateful Penn State Fayette has continued its longstanding and “important” tradition of recognizing students in the community in memory of King. She said, “It would be easy to honor people who already do the work, who are adults, but to honor kids and to let them know that they are able to achieve greatness, and they can do it as an honor to King’s legacy, I think is critical — especially in our community where there are not a lot of organizations that take time to honor the excellence of our students.”

Jurnee Lantz, a dancer, actor and piano player who attends Laurel Highlands Middle School, received an award in the performing arts category. Lantz said the MLK Jr. Day Observance was “amazing” and she was “so happy” to receive an award. According to Lantz, only five out of more than 300 students at her school were selected.

Lantz’s mother, Autumn, attended the ceremony and proudly watched as her daughter took the stage to accept an award certificate from Patrick. She said, “It was an honor for her to be selected, so we are very pleased.” Lantz also remarked on the importance of the Penn State Fayette program: “I think it shows that we continue to remember Dr. King, and we put that emphasis on our kids — the things that he did to make way for our kids.”

Another generation of the Lantz family also attended the King Observance. Jurnee’s grandmother Molli Vassar, adjunct instructor of religious studies at Penn State Fayette, said she felt pride not only for her granddaughter but also for herself. “I was so proud, not just as a relative of a recipient, but I was also really proud to be a part of Penn State,” said Vassar, “because I think that any institution that makes itself such an interwoven part of the community is one that shows people in the larger community how committed it really is.”

The 2015 Penn State Fayette Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance honorees are:

Laurel Highlands Middle SchoolSeventh gradeAcademic: Kaia ZungriCommunity Service: Kaylea GallagherPerforming Arts: Jurnee LantzEighth gradeAthletic: Cheikh Dossou, Atalaya Harris

Laurel Highlands High SchoolAcademic: Abigail BurdenAthletic: Dontay JacobsCommunity Service: Falyn DavisPerforming Arts: Avery Ezzi

Benjamin Franklin SchoolSeventh gradeAcademic: Justis Ellis, Mya MurrayAthletic: Emir CallowayPerforming Arts: Avionna Bannasch, Mya MurrayEighth gradeAcademic: Raelyn CanadyAthletic: Raymond JacksonPerforming Arts: Mikael Williams

Lafayette Middle SchoolSeventh gradeAthletic: Joshua Braxton, Raymond RobinsonCommunity Service: Gregory Smith, Liel ThomasEighth gradeAcademic: Kaylena Harrell, Jayden ThomasPerforming Arts: Makalia Redd, Kiaira Shaffer

Uniontown Area High School12th gradeAcademic: Tyajah McCargoAthletic: De’Andrey WinfreyCommunity Service: Jade BishopPerforming Arts: Jonée Shannon

Albert Gallatin North Middle SchoolSeventh gradeAcademic: Jazmine MooreCommunity Service: Torry RobinsonEighth gradeAthletic: Jayla JohnsonPerforming Arts: Danyle Wingfield

Albert Gallatin South Middle SchoolSeventh gradeAcademic: Autumn HagnerAthletic: Tyrese JacksonPerforming Arts: Brennin GroganEighth gradeAcademic: Yasmin MorrisPerforming Arts: Destiny Harrison

Albert Gallatin Senior High SchoolAcademic: Kayla GladmanAthletic: Michael LewisCommunity Service: Brittany LongmirePerforming Arts: Alexyss Coles

Brownsville Area High SchoolAcademic: Katawna FazenbakerAthletic: Keshawn GregoryPerforming Arts: Kyonte Martin

Connellesville Area Junior HighSeventh gradeAcademic: Dani WormackAthletic: Dani WormackPerforming Arts: McKenna Brown, Brianna Meade

Connellsville Area High SchoolAcademic: Sarah MickensAthletics: Griffin Thompson

Frazier Middle SchoolEighth gradeAthletic: Starlyn Ross

Last Updated January 29, 2015