Hits & Misses
Hit: High-fives to the Titanium Titans Robotics Team, whose members will be traveling to Houston, Texas, next week to participate in the FIRST Championship, a global competition for high school robotics teams. Fresh off an award-winning regional showing last week in Tennessee with its robot, Oceanus, the Titans – made up of high-schoolers from 15 area school districts and home-schooled students – will make their first trip in the group’s 13-year history to compete on the world stage. Almost as impressive as the team’s ingenuity and know-how is its spirit of cooperation and camaraderie: One of the Titans’ main goals is to teach and to inspire people through STEM. “If you see someone’s having trouble, it’s almost an expectation that you in the robotics community go over and ask if they do need help and what you can do to help,” says team member Michael Garin, a senior. Now that’s a winning attitude.
Miss: In a disturbing report published Sunday, staff writer Karen Mansfield took a look at chronic absenteeism among school students and found that a whopping 28% – or roughly 1 in 4 – missed at least 10% of the 2022-23 school year. The pandemic played a significant role in the increase, but other factors, including lack of motivation, family instability, mental health issues and chronic medical issues, also contributed. As a result, students fall behind in coursework and struggle to catch up. “Regular school attendance is critical to academic success,” said Dr. Edward Zelich, superintendent of Charleroi Area School District. “Chronic absenteeism significantly increases the risk of dropping out.” In response, Charleroi has hired an attendance officer, which has cut the district rate in half. Some schools have hired social workers and counselors to assess student needs, and are partnering with outside agencies to offer support services to address barriers to attendance, such as transportation and basic needs. The problem reaches beyond graduation. Said Fort Cherry Superintendent Thomas Samosky, “Employers consistently express concern that consistent attendance and punctuality in school directly influence future workforce readiness. As a district, we are working to reinforce this message with students and families.”
Hit: Thanks to the generosity of an organ donor, Dan Warzinski of Carnegie will be able to see his daughter graduate. Warzinski, 46, who underwent a heart and liver transplant in 2022, shared his story during last week’s annual flag-raising ceremony coordinated by the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) at UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene hospitals in celebration of National Donate Life Month. More than 100,000 people nationwide are waiting for a lifesaving transplant, including more than 7,000 in Western Pennsylvania. Warzinski, who was born with a single-ventricle heart and underwent two surgeries as a child, expressed his gratitude to the donor’s family. “I can’t thank them enough. It’s the biggest gift,” said Warzinski. “I’ll be here to see my daughter graduate, and maybe she’s lucky enough to have kids and a family, and I’ll be around for that. It’s been an unbelievable ride, and I’m just very thankful to everyone, for CORE, my doctors, my family, and to still be around.”