Bake sale supports Mom’s House

JOHNSTOWN — Members of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College’s Supporting Scholars recently hosted a St. Patrick’s Day bake sale, with all proceeds going to Mom’s House Inc. of Johnstown.

This two-day event raised more than $375 to support the operational needs of Mom’s House.

“The Supporting Scholars look forward to this spring service project each year and truly value the opportunity to give back to the community,” stated Nikki Wright, Supporting Scholars Chair. “Supporting Mom’s House Inc. is especially meaningful. It allows them to make a positive difference in the lives of local families, while strengthening their connection to the community.”

Mom’s House, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides safe, secure, and completely free childcare to single and abused parents wishing to continue their education or job training.

Supporting Scholars at Penn Highlands Community College complete multiple service projects per year, which have included a clothing drive for the Cambria County Clothing Boutique and a Pink Out event to benefit the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center.

College receives awards at Green Grand Prix

WILLIAMSPORT — Pennsylvania College of Technology students and faculty earned accolades at the recent Toyota Green Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York, a competition that promotes environmentally friendly road vehicles.

The college contingent — consisting of six students from the Penn College Motorsports Association and two automotive technology faculty members — collected five awards at the 22nd annual event, held at the famed Watkins Glen International race track.

The Green Grand Prix is a fuel-efficiency competition for alternative fuel vehicles, hybrids and traditional gasoline — and diesel-powered vehicles. It aims to inspire automotive technology students to pursue careers in advanced-vehicle technologies.

The college’s entries ranged from school-owned electric and hybrid vehicles used in labs to cars owned by individual students and David P. Showan, associate professor of automotive technology.

“This was a valuable experience for me and the other students because it gave us the opportunity to observe how each car handles on the track in a controlled environment,” said Violet L. Leonard, of Duncansville, majoring in automotive technology. “It allowed us to be directly involved and gain hands-on experience, helping us better understand vehicle behavior and how different setups affect performance. Being able to apply what we’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world setting made the experience more engaging, practical and memorable.”

There were approximately 200 cars at the Green Grand Prix, the only official Sports Car Club of America-sponsored event that offers both a fuel economy/energy efficiency challenge and an autocross on the same day.

The Penn College honors were:

Best mileage for modified diesel: Ethan A. George, of Dillsburg, and Owen L. Junge, of Mertztown, driving George’s 2012 Volkswagen Passat. George is majoring in automotive technology, and Junge is an engineering design technology student.

Best mileage for a third generation Prius: Alex S. Broyles, of Chadds Ford, and Tony A. Speece Jr., of Reading, driving the college’s 2012 Toyota Prius. Broyles is enrolled in automotive technology management, and Speece is studying automotive technology.

Most consistent laps, most efficient electric and the David Bovee Memorial Award: all won by Showan and fellow automotive technology faculty member Joe A. Tavani. They drove Showan’s 2022 Tesla Model 3.

The Penn College crew also included Ian T. McClain, an automotive technology student from Latrobe.

Student joins Phi Kappa Phi

BATON ROUGE, La. — Kristyn Smith of Portage was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at Louisiana State University.

Smith is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year.

Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter.