Nov 7, 2025 4 min read

Courtesy of Washington High School

Washington High School student Kevin Lartigue, left, with Pittsburgh Steeler Cameron Heyward at Craig’s Closet in Washington High School

Cheers: Thanks to the generosity of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, Washington High School students have a new resource to help them dress for success. Last week, Heyward and his mother, Charlotte Heyard-Wesley, were on hand for a ribbon cutting to open “Craig’s Closet” – named for Cam’s father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward – stocked with new and gently used suits, dress shirts, pants, jackets, ties and shoes. Students in need can tap the resource for an outfit for special occasions, such as interviews, presentations, dances and internships. “We have a great need,” said Wash High paraprofessional job coach Joy Cumer, who worked with the Heyward House foundation team to set up Craig’s Closet. “I think it’s an opportunity that a lot of our students wouldn’t have otherwise,” said Cumer. “When you see them trying on the suits, or they find the outfit that they want and they stand in front of the mirror over there and they look at themselves and they square their shoulders, it’s an amazing thing to see.”

Courtesy of Charleroi Area School District

Charleroi Area Elementary Center is one of 13 schools in Pennsylvania to earn Blue Ribbon School recognition.

Cheers: Congratulations to Charleroi Area Elementary Center for being named one of 13 Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Schools. The new program was launched last month after the U.S. Department of Education ended the prestigious federal Blue Ribbon Schools program. Pennsylvania’s Blue Ribbon program recognizes schools for overall academic performance and/or progress made to close achievement gaps among students. The Charleroi elementary school had gone through a lengthy application process for the national award prior to the end of its program. “We’re thrilled. This recognition is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our entire staff and our community,” Superintendent Dr. Ed Zelich told the newspaper last week. “We are grateful to our teachers, principals, bus drivers, support personnel, cafeteria workers, custodians, and parent-teacher organizations – each of whom plays an essential role in our students’ success. Most importantly, we celebrate our students, whose hard work, curiosity, and resilience continue to inspire us every day.”

Submitted

Pam and John Maslany were married for nearly 40 years before she died from cancer last November. John Maslany is helping to launch a peer-to-peer support group at Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute.

Cheers: A Canonsburg man deserves recognition for his efforts to lend a hand to others facing a cancer diagnosis. John Maslany, who lost his wife, Pam, to cancer a year ago, was searching for a way to become involved in cancer advocacy in his wife’s honor. Maslany has teamed up with Terri Ronald, cancer survivor and program manager of the Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute’s Community Cancer Patient Ambassador Program, to establish a new caregiver support program. The program will pair caregivers with a trained “buddy” – another person who has experience caring for a loved one with cancer. The goal of the peer-to-peer program is to provide a safe space for caregivers to share their experiences, receive emotional support, and get practical advice. “I would like to be able to share what I learned,” Maslany told the newspaper a few weeks ago. “Coming into it, you don’t know what you don’t know. You don’t know what to ask. … I learned so much in our cancer journey, and I would like to pay it forward and share the cancer experience with people going through it.” Anyone interested in the program can email Maslany at CarePartnerAmbassador.JohnM@gmail.com, and caregivers who want to mentor can email CancerAmbassadors@AHN.org.