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Struthers BOE hosts senior citizen picnic
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Austin Yemma, a senior at Struthers High, serves cookies to Marinell Szalaj of Struthers during the event. Yemma and other members of the school’s boys basketball team were among those who volunteered to help out at the event.
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
STRUTHERS
For a few hours Thursday afternoon, Joseph Nohra, superintendent of Struthers City Schools, assumed grill duty.
It was something he was more than happy and even excited to do, as the event for which he was grilling — a picnic at Mauthe Park sponsored by the Struthers Board of Education — was meant as a way for the school district to show its appreciation to the city’s senior citizens.
“We wouldn’t have a school system if it wasn’t for the folks sitting there,” Nohra said, gesturing to the more than 100 senior citizens who had gathered at the Struthers Rotary Pavilion. “The school system is what it is because of their hard work.”
Thursday’s cookout, which ran from 4 to 6 p.m. and cost $2 per person, was the second event during this school year intended to thank senior citizens for their past and present support of and contributions to the school district.
The other event was a turkey dinner in December, and Nohra said he hopes to make both the dinner and the picnic into annual events — and even to “do more and more of this” type of community outreach in the future.
“It’s about the pride and tradition here in Struthers,” Nohra said. “There’s so much, and you gotta celebrate it.”
He added that most all elements of Struthers City Schools were represented at the picnic, as volunteers included the district’s food service staff, administrators, board of education members and even players from the high school’s boys basketball team.
Seniors Cameron Suchora, Rayquan Phifer and Noah Linnen, along with sophomore Andrew Carbon, were among those basketball players who spent a portion of their Thursday hand-delivering food and drinks to the picnic’s attendees. All agreed that they had felt the urge to “do something good for the community,” Suchora said.
“It’s big to give back to our community,” he explained. “They’ve done so much for us. They support us at all of our games.”
Linnen added that helping fellow Struthers residents is what “it’s all about.”
“Our community is our family,” he said.
Echoing those words were several picnic attendees who, despite being presented with myriad food choices and live accordion music by John Gabriele, were most excited about spending time with others.
Elizabeth Speziale was one such attendee.
“It’s good to see everybody,” Speziale said.
Sitting nearby was Theresa Pesa, who called Struthers “the friendliest community.”
“I love Struthers,” Pesa said. “I love the school system and everything about it.”
Asked what he liked most about Struthers, Al Fox responded that he doesn’t like Struthers. Instead, he loves it. He’s been in the city since 1930, he said, and four generations of his family are proud graduates of Struthers High School.
Of the event, Fox called it wonderful — and wants to see more like it.
Ron Carcelli, a member of the Struthers BOE, said the response so far to the events has been great, and that they will continue in the coming years.
“It keeps the senior citizens united together in the community,” Carcelli said. “We’re trying to give back to them.”