Hot town, summer in the city: I am certain the readers of this blog reflect on their summers
as special times during high school. As a child I was fortunate to live at the
end of St. Clair Ave. Thus I got to see and hear the band practice up and down
Waddell as they marched Waddell from the school to Tenth Street. On days I
could not afford or did not choose to pay bus fare to Noble J. Dick bus lines I
recall thumbing (otherwise called “bumming” or “hitch-hiking would) a ride to
the Park to enjoy a day at the pool. I remember walking to the Stadium to watch
the football players working out for the season after they’d returned from
camp, and seeing the Honeybears practicing their routines. Some days I would
walk up to the Fifth Street School playground or thumb a ride to the Terrace to
check out the playground activities. Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
were fun-filled activities that are no longer available.
Times change; kids don’t: Today the young people of Clairton have the same 10 weeks or so
off in the summer. But times have changed, opportunities have diminished and
the number of wholesome and constructive activities available has been reduced
by a large margin. Gone are the wpaying summer jobs in the mill or on the City
Parks and Recreation staff have disappeared. Summer jobs to bolster the college
fund simply no longer exist. The City does not fund supervision at the
playgrounds and the number of playgrounds has been reduced. The pool still
offers recreation, and with the building of the Ravensburg Bridge, kids from
“the hill” can easily walk to Clairton Park and the pool.
It boils down to economics: In our day nobody seemed to be extremely wealthy nad few were
dirt poor. Every family seemed to be middle class with two parents and three
and one-half kids. The lawns were green, dads worked and moms for the most part
stayed at home. Today, the number of single-parent families has skyrocketed and
opportunities for employment are sparse. Those who do not earn a scholarship or
receive financial aid will likely not pursue any post-secondary education
Summers have become a time to simply “hang out” between the end of one school
year and the beginning of another.
A few groups of current and former
Clairtonians, nearly all CHS alumni are working to change that. The Clairton
Chamber of Commerce, the Reaching the Reachable outreach program, and members
of the Clairton History Facebook friends have been working furiously over the
past year to provide mentoring for current CHS students, offering real life examples
of CHS alumni who have become successful in various fields of endeavor,
demonstrating job application and interviewing skills, teaching the ins and
outs of obtaining financial aid for post-secondary education, and many other
avenues to help current CHS students and grads reverse the cycle of poverty
that has gripped many in our hometown. Ted Kay, Terrence Fort, Dr. Pauline
Long, Joannie, Jordan, Terry Lancaster, Kathy Grisnik Tachoir, and Dr.
Elisabeth Erlich are among the many who have taken the baton to help the youth
of our community break the bonds of poverty.
First things first: With the school year about to end and graduation rate high,
athletic successes noted, a summer of uncertainty is about to begin. With few
recreational outlets many of our children will spend the summer hanging out and
doing little that is constructive simply due to lack of opportunities. Minutes
of a recent meeting of the group included the following: “After a review
of the process and template we would use, we identified, discussed and selected
the initiatives to implement for Clairton's youth for the summer. Volunteer
"Champions" were named to develop action plans/timing, identify local
contacts or groups and implement each initiative. Five immediate and three long
term initiatives were adopted.
Immediate needs: 1. Field Trips, 2. Swimming Pool Passes, 3. Playground
Activities, 4. Movie Nights, 5. Community Day.
Long Term initiatives: 6. S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Math Coalition), 7.
Computer Training, and 8. Vacation Bible
School Schedules.”
Help is needed: None of the
above can occur without help and support from CHS Alumni. Our fantastic alumni
has stepped forward in the past to help with scholarship and athletic projects
for our children. We ask you to do so again. The City of Clairton has committed
several hundred dollars as a first step in helping the summer projects and we
are asking you to supplement their commitment with your alumni gift. Every
person listed above, as well as many other fellow alums are providing their
time, money and effort on a volunteer basis helping with field trips and movie
nights. Donations are now needed to purchase pool passes for the 2012 summer
season.
The Clairton pool policy is to
admit free any child under 3 feet tall when accompanied by an adult. Your
donations will help purchase pool passes for children whose stature exceeds 36”
A few donations have already been committed.
Send your donation to: Joanie Jordan, 13 Wellington Woods Drive, Pittsburgh, PA
15229.
A little blogging music
Maestro: “Be True to Your School” by The Beachboys.
Dr. Forgot http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
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