Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A hoax bomb threat evacuated Fretz Middle School for a short time this morning. Bradford Area School District Assistant Superintendent Sam Johnson tells WESB someone called the FBI’s new reporting system saying he or she saw a bomb threat on Twitter. The school was evacuated while police and school district personnel did a sweep of the building. Police visited the home of the person purported to have called the FBI but learned it was not only a hoax but that the person had been “spoofed” – meaning another person used a program to make it look as if the call to the FBI came from the first person’s phone number, Johnson said. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Designed Kendall, Zippo, Fretz buildings Preston Roger Abbey, 90, of 670 East Main St, passed away July 10, 2014 at the Bradford Ecumenical Home following a brief illness. Born on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924 in Smethport, he was a son of William Hugh and Geneva Belle (Owens) Abbey. On June 24 1950 in Port Allegany, he married Lois A. (Hanna) Abbey. Preston graduated from Port Allegany High School and entered the U.S. Marine Corps where he served on the USS Guam during WW2. Upon returning from the War, he studied architecture at Williamsport Community College for two years. After completion, he did an internship with Raymond Hall Archetects. Once Preston passed his architectural boards, he decided to move to Bradford with his young family and worked for Earl Wheeler. He later established Abbey, Hemingway and Coatsworth and in 1980 renamed the firm Preston R. Abbey and Associates Inc. He designed numerous banks, schools, churches, and hospitals. Among his accomplishmen...

Bradford Area High School will be hosting the IU9 Elementary ChorusFest at 7 p.m. Thursday. This choir includes 114 5th and 6th grade students from around the Intermediate Unit stretching from Northern Potter to St. Marys. The students rehearse many hours during the day to culminate in a spectacular evening performance. The host director and guest conductor for the day are Andrew Dutko, choral teacher at Fretz Middle School, and Gina Lupini. Lupini is a teacher at Valley View School District, the recipient of many awards for her choirs and holds an MA in Choral Conducting Mansfield University. The Fretz Middle School Show Choir will open the concert with tunes like "Drive My Car" and "One Moment in Time," and the 114-member choir will perform pieces like "I've Got the World on a String" and "Old Dan Tucker." Tickets for the event are $3 for adults and $2 for students. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Avi, the Newbery Award-winning author of more than 70 books for children and young adults, will visit the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford March 19. The presentation, “A Conversation with Avi,” will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Harriett B. Wick Chapel. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the Pitt-Bradford Hospitality Management Program will provide refreshments. The visit, sponsored by the Pitt-Bradford education program and the Education Club, is free and open to the public. To reserve a seat, contact Dr. Wayne Brinda, assistant professor of education, at wjb27@pitt.edu. Most recognized for his Newbery-winning Crispin series, Avi will talk about how he gets his ideas and thoughts on using adolescent literature and will read excerpts from his most recent story, “Sophia’s War,” and other books. A book signing will follow the presentation, and books will be available for purchase. Avi says that engaging his readers is one of the key reasons he ke...

Floyd C. Fretz Middle School students actually gave history lessons as they portrayed presidents of the United States before Monday's school board meeting. Teacher Jan Russell worked closely with the students to create their roles. Pictured, Floyd C. Fretz Middle School principal Dara Signor listens to President John F. Kennedy (Donny Pattison); school board president Paul Ridley listens to Franklin D. Roosevelt (Makenzee Maley); and school board member Shane Oschman listens to Harry S. Truman (Collin Haskins). The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Pennsylvania's Big 30 All-Stars got a little bit of a break from the rain during this evening's practice at Fretz Middle School. The 39th Annual Don Raabe Big 30 Charities Classic football game is at 7 p.m. Saturday at Parkway Field, and on 1490 WESB and 100.1 The Hero, where the pre-game show starts at 6:30 p.m. with Frank Williams, Stefan Arlington and Matt Walter. You can also hear the game at wesb.com and 100.1TheHero.com.

Terrance J. Hoover, Ph.D., 65, of 65 Ann Lane, passed away Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at Olean General Hospital. Born September 24, 1946, in Clearfield, he was a son of the late Edna Mae (Smith) and John Claire Hoover. On August 1, 1970 in the Heinz Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh, he married Linda J. (Popovich) Hoover, who survives. A 1964 graduate of Curwensville High School, he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts in 1964. He then received a Master of Arts in Teaching in 1969 from the University of Pittsburgh and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration, also from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981. He worked as a teacher and Assistant Principal at South Park Area Junior/Senior High School from 1968 until 1973. He then was the Assistant Principal at Indiana High School from 1973 until 1979. In 1979, he moved to Bradford with his family and was the Principal of School Street Junior High School until 1988, when he ...

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Dozens of first- through sixth-grade students are immersing themselves in science this week at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s X-treme Science Camp. The camp was organized by Dr. Lauren Yaich, associate dean of academic affairs and associate professor of biology at Pitt-Bradford, and Brenda Brandon, who has worked with the campus’s Science in Motion program. Each day of camp has a theme such as motion; water, buoyancy and density; the natural world; and every kid’s favorite, gross stuff. Motion was the theme on the second day of camp, with students learning about machine, human and animal motion in hands-on labs planned by Pitt-Bradford faculty and brought to life by middle and high school teachers from the area. Building roller coasters for marbles taught children all about how to get an object to build and keep momentum. The goal of the exercise w...

Yesterday four of our resident St. Francis Drive ducks checked out the grounds of Fretz Middle School. Today ... ...Fretz students are holding their third annual Mini Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Betsy Matz is not the kind of person to just let an idea fester. She likes to do something about it. So when the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford professor saw a Facebook post about The Compassion Project in Appleton, Wis., the wheels in her mind started turning of how to do something similar in Bradford. The Art of the Heart project in Bradford is now involving hundreds of people throughout the community, including students from every school, Pitt-Bradford and the Kiwanis Club of Bradford. At the center of the project is a simple idea: Have children talk and learn about compassion, then depict that in art on 4-inch square tiles. Each child painted his or her own tile with paint markers. The hundreds of tiles that make up the “Art of the Heart” show can be seen from June 4 through June 15 in the KOA Art Gallery of Blaisdell Hall at Pitt-Bradford. Gallery ...

Representatives from Safe Kids McKean County are promoting youth safety and injury prevention with presentations to more than 200 sixth- and seventh-grade students in the Health and Wellness classes at Fretz Middle School. "Our students had the wonderful opportunity to have a great presentation on many imperative safety topics,” said Health and Physical Education Educator Judy Abbey, B.S. M.Ed. “It is important to use our community resources to help explain the importance of safety and awareness to all youth in our school district. CARE for Children staff spoke to students about bike safety and the importance of wearing a helmet, demonstrating through the use of a coconut crusher the potential damage that could be sustained in the case of an accident without the use of a helmet; youth sports safety including concussions, hydration and proper rest and training techniques. The students played a Safe Kids Sports Safety bean bag toss game, which the McKean County chapter rec...

As we reported this morning, rumors of a student with a gun at Fretz Middle School turned out to be just that -- rumors. Police believe one student overheard another student talking about a gun and texted parents about it, and the rumor spread. Police say, just to be safe, they searched the area around the school and nearby St. Francis of Assisi Church to make sure there was no gun. A city police officer was searching the bushes in front of the church while speaking with WESB and The Hero at just before 9:30 a.m. Students were on lockdown until just after 11 a.m. while the investigation was going on. School District Human Resources Director Sam Johnson tells WESB and The HERO that everything is back to normal at the school. Police did question a student. Bradford City, Foster Township and Bradford Township police officers and the McKean County Sheriff’s Department were on the scene. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Rumors of a student with a gun at Fretz Middle School turned out to be just that -- rumors. Police believe one student overheard another student talking about a gun and texted parents about it, and the rumor spread. Police say, just to be safe, they are searching the area around the school and nearby St. Francis of Assisi Church to make sure there is no gun. Bradford City Police, Foster Township and Bradford Township police are on the scene. A McKean County Sheriff's deputy was also on the scene. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

One of the most emotional parts of the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life is the Survivor Ceremony. Friday was no exception. Following his speech that didn't leave a dry eye in the tent, 16-year-old cancer survivor Tyler Johnson accepts a check from fellow survivor Dorie Meabon of Kids and Cancer. Kids and Cancer helps families defray the costs of cancer and other illnesses. Their benefit motorcyle (and all street vehicle) run is July 16. Here, some other survivors and their caregivers take a lap around the track. Brenda Dunn Brian and Val Abers and Jon and Dorie Meabon Melanie Luther-Shay, Tom Shay, Tony Danias, Christy Danias During the Fretz Mini Relay the Shays' daughter Kathleen was the top money-raiser with more than $500. Tyler's sister Samantha won an essay contest, writing about how her brother is her hero. center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaiwYc6TUApcv9QYDiZx3dkZANVqH7wEyC2ih1T...

The Orak Grotto’s annual Tag Days recently raised $1,500 that will support scholarships for CARE for Children’s upcoming day camp, as well as scholarships for specialty camps, all for children with developmental and physical disabilities. During the day camp, CARE kids will take part in inclusive activities such as open gym, crafts, adaptive swimming, gross motor sessions and field trips; as well as a day at Mystic Waters for putt-putt golf, crafts and outdoor play. The donation will also enable 10 children to attend camps, including Camp JJ and Woodlands Youth and Teen Sports Camp. Pictured from left to right are: Dr. Karl Frankovich, M.D., Chief of Staff Emeritus, from Shriners Hospital in Erie; Zethan Brougham; Terry Matthews, Orak Grotto Treasurer; Rodney Jones; Tina Martin, CARE for Children Executive Director; and Gene Carll, Shriners Transportation Volunteer. Brougham, a seventh grade student at Floyd Fretz Middle School, is the son of Steve and Ann Brougham of Bradford. Jone...

Fretz Middle School students and staff held their second annual Mini Relay for Life today and raised more than $6,300 for the American Cancer Society. Principal Tina Slaven announced that they raised $809 during today’s carnival; the Ping Pong-Palooza, cupcake sale, penny war and ice cream sales brought in $2,000; and the envelopes the students brought in added up to $3,567. The grand total was $6,376. Teacher Judy Abbey noted that student Kathleen Shay brought in more than $500. The “big” Relay for Life is June 17 and 18 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The American Cancer Society Relay for Life exceeded its goal by nearly $9,000 – and there’s still money to be counted. The goal was $76,000. As of noon on Saturday, they had counted $84,962. “You are guys are awesome,” Fran Stewart of the cancer society told the team members after making the announcement. “Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for all your hard work. I know how hard you guys work. I know how hard this committee works. I know how hard the team captains work.” “It was a very successful year.” Stewart said. “There was everything that was going on that was right – so much energy. I can’t talk about you guys enough. I’m telling regional. I’m telling divisional. You guys rock!” Thirty-two teams participated in this year’s relay. The online donation goal was $3,500. They brought in $6,231. “Blew that out of the water,” Stewart said. She also mentioned the mini relay at Fretz Middle School earlier this...

Amy Silvis is the Survivor Ceremony Chairman (the ceremony starts at 7 p.m. Friday at Pitt-Bradford). Mary Boser is Relay Chair and Brian Abers is Co-Chair. Amber Bacha is behind the wheel of the Zippo car, while the McKean Ccounty Roadrunners Zem Zem Shriners do their thing. Bradford City Police Officer Heil Bartlett waves from the DARE car. These are a few members of the Fretz Middle School team that raised nearly $8,000 during their mini relay earlier this month. Way to go, Fretz!

Bradford City Firefighter Greg Lewis tends to people injured when their car hit a school bus in the Fretz Middle School parking lot Monday afternoon. The crash jammed the front door of the bus. Also pictured, in the third photo, is Bradford Area School District director of transportation Barry Bryan. While emergency crews were still on the scene of this "accident," at about 5:45 p.m., they got a report of another accident at the intersection of Jackson and Davis streets. P.S. The crash at Fretz was only a drill. I would love it if, during real accidents, Boo Coder told me to get closer to get a better picture ~~ A

Fretz Middle School students held their first-ever Mini Relay for Life on the last day of school for the Bradford Area School District. Principal Tina Slaven said it's the best last of school in all her years as principal. The kids raised more than $7,500 -- and they're still counting. Pictured below are scenes from the relay including the tug-of-war battles, dunk tank and the actual relay walk. (Photos by Scott Douglas) (Photo by Anne Holliday)