Mont Alto

TOWSON, Md. - Kara Henson of Hagerstown has been accepted into the nursing program at Towson University for the fall semester. Henson is a 2010 graduate of South Hagerstown High School. She is the daughter of Kerry and Kathy Henson of Hagerstown. ANNAPOLIS - Nicholas Brandt , a student at Clear Spring High School, will participate in the 2012 U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar Program from June 16 to 21. The Naval Academy has invited 2,250 young men and women to attend the summer program, which is a fast-paced leadership experience for high school students.

Students at Penn State Mont Alto shared their knowledge on Wednesday with their peers and the community at the seventh annual Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival in the campus' Multipurpose Activities Center. “The Academic Festival is a great opportunity for students to showcase their projects to the campus and local community,” said Robin Yaure, senior instructor of human development and family studies, and chairwoman of the festival planning committee. More than 200 students, freshman to seniors, spent weeks putting together elaborate displays/exhibits on a range of topics including women's health, breast cancer, occupational therapy, the effects of poverty on children in Central America and nursing as a career for men. Some of the students worked alone and some worked in teams of three to four students.

Penn State Mont Alto's continuing-education program and the Franklin County (Pa.) Career and Technology Center are ending the partnership that allowed for adult vocational course offerings. The “mutually agreed-upon decision” to end their partnership at the career center goes into effect for the 2012-13 school year, according to a news release issued Friday. Penn State Continuing Education was occupying office and classroom space while administering post-secondary vocational classes for adults.

The "Blue and White" 5K will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 21, at Penn State Mont Alto. The race benefits club programming, community outreach initiatives and student scholarships. Everyone who participates will have an opportunity to win prizes. Early-bird registration is available through Friday, March 16. The fee is $25; $20 with a valid student ID. Ages 12 or younger can register for $15. Registration on Saturday, March 17, or later, costs $30; $25 for students; $20 for ages 12 and younger.

Few, if any, of the Penn State Mont Alto students gathered for a candlelight vigil Sunday night had met Joe Paterno. Gusts of winter wind threatened to extinguish their flames as they shared thoughts regarding a man they called an icon, a father figure and a legend. Paterno, the college's head football coach from 1966 to 2011, died Sunday at age 85 from lung cancer. “Our university is changed because of him, and I'm proud to go to Penn State,” said Chelsea Pittman, a sophomore from Chambersburg, Pa. Pittman, a human development and family studies major, was one of the students who pulled together the memorial in about 10 hours.

Penn State Mont Alto students had plenty to say Wednesday about coaching legend Joe Paterno being caught in the center of a child sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant coach, but faculty and staff remained mum on the topic. The 84-year-old Paterno, who has coached the Nittany Lions' football team for 46 years, was fired Wednesday night. Paterno said he was “absolutely devastated” by the case, in which Jerry Sandusky, his one-time heir apparent and assistant coach, has been charged with molesting eight boys in 15 years, including at the Penn State football complex.

Legislation designating Pa. 997 within the borough of Mont Alto as Sgt. Edward W. Shaffer Memorial Highway was signed into law Wednesday by Pa. Gov. Tom Corbett. Shaffer, 23, a resident of Mont Alto, died Dec. 27, 2006, from injuries sustained while on active duty in Ramadi, Iraq. He served with the 3rd Platoon B of the U.S. Army's 136th Infantry. The measure to name the highway after Shaffer was sponsored by State Rep. Todd Rock, R-Franklin. "Moving forward, I hope the Sgt. Edward W. Shaffer Memorial Highway will forever serve as a constant and lasting reminder of America's ever-growing roll call of military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation," Rock said.

Katie Monteleone was in third grade when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. "I remember sitting in class and our teacher telling us that something had happened. They weren't sure if they could tell us what had happened," said Monteleone, 19. "I just remember panic and our teachers not knowing what to do. It was just a very sad day. " The Penn State Mont Alto freshman and other classmates decided to remember Sept. 11 with a day of community service Saturday.