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Men’s Basketball Releases Home Schedule For 2023-2024

Athletics at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has released the 2023-2024 schedule for Men’s Basketball. It consists of 24 regular season games spanning November through February.

Penn Highlands will open its season on Wednesday, November 1, at Penn State Greater Allegheny. This will be the first of six consecutive road contests to start the year for the Black Bears before the team returns to Johnstown for its home opener on Tuesday, November 28.

The Black Bears will play at home 12 times in a 14-game stretch from November 28 to January 29. All home games will be played inside the main gymnasium at Penn Highlands’ Richland Campus.

The full home game list is as follows:

After the regular season, the Black Bears will compete in the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference (WPCC) Tournament on February 16 and 17. Home games during tournament play will be awarded to the higher seed in each matchup.

The Region 20 Tournament will then take place on February 24 and 25 in Largo, Maryland. The Region 20 champion will advance to Districts with a chance to move on to the NJCAA Division III National Tournament in Herkimer, New York.

Penn Highlands is coming off another successful season in 2022-2023, where the Black Bears finished runner-up in the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference. Penn Highlands then advanced to the semifinal round of the Region 20 Tournament before dropping a 106-105 double-overtime contest to Butler County Community College, ending the campaign.

All games and dates are subject to change.

Foundation’s Chef Auction Raises Over $53,000 For Supporting Scholars Fund

The Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Foundation, in partnership with the 1889 Foundation, held a successful Chef Auction at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center, raising over $53,000 for local students seeking a college education. 

All of the money that was either brought in or donated will go towards the Supporting Scholars Fund at the College, as well as future scholarships in culinary arts at Penn Highlands. The Supporting Scholars Fund includes three distinct scholarships with multiple awardees each year: the Destination Graduation, Emerging Leader, and Presidential Scholarships. 

The fundraising amount also marked the highest number ever recorded at a Penn Highlands Community College Foundation event. 

“The night was a huge success,” stated Carole VanMeter, Director of the Foundation. “It was a great event from start to finish. Raising more money at this Chef Auction than we had in all of our previous events shows true dedication in finding ways to support our students.” 

The event consisted of 17 silent auction items and 11 live auction items to bid on. Eight restaurants participated in providing dinner for more than 160 attendees, with some also supplying packages for the live auction. The 50/50 drawing winner donated their prize back to the Foundation. 

Overall, more than $28,000 was raised, which was matched by a $25,000 donation by the 1889 Foundation to achieve the grand total. 

“The 1889 Foundation couldn’t have identified a better organization to carry on the Chef Auction event,” stated Susan Mann, President of the 1889 Foundation. “Penn Highlands Community College’s mission and core values fit so well with why the Chef Auction was started, which was to support our community and our children. Our decision to match the proceeds from this year’s event up to $25,000, therefore, was an easy one. We congratulate them on a successful event and look forward to our continued work with them and their students in the future.” 

Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center and Worklink Staffing served as Master Chef sponsors for the event, alongside seven Executive Chef sponsors and 16 Sous Chef sponsors. 

“People loved the event because of the food and the goal we tried to achieve,” VanMeter stated. “If our community didn’t care about the work we do, they wouldn’t have helped us to the lengths they did. The support was overwhelming, and it’s clear they want our students to succeed just as much as we do.” 

Plans are already in the works for next year’s Chef Auction. 

Community Trick Or Treat Set For October 30

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College will be celebrating the Halloween season by hosting its annual Community Trick or Treat event on Monday, October 30, from 5:30 to 7 PM at the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Richland Campus. 

The event will feature a haunted house in the auditorium, a craft station in the Black Bear Café, and trick-or-treating on the C-Level of the Richland Campus. 

Intended for families with children who are 12 years old and under, this event is an experience that is not easily forgotten. Faculty, staff, and students will be on-hand to give out free treats (while supplies last) and provide a unique Halloween experience to visitors.  

Averaging around 1,000 visitors each year, we are prepared for that number and more, as we continue with this community and family tradition. 

We kindly ask that visitors park and enter through the East Hills Recreation entrance. Lastly, we are asking for you to leave your pets at home, as pets are not permitted on our campus (service animals are allowed). 

Further details can be obtained by contacting the College’s Student Activities Office at 814.262.6463 or email studentactivities@pennhighlands.edu.  

Natalie Toma Hired To Lead The Blair Center

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is proud to announce that Natalie Toma has been hired as the College’s Director of the Blair Center.

Toma, a native of Altoona, has over 20 years of experience in higher education, including working in four different positions over a span of 15 years at Harrisburg Area Community College.

“So far, my time at Pennsylvania Highlands has been nothing short of amazing,” Toma stated. “I have never worked in a place where the people have been so welcoming and offering to help me get settled in. The Blair Center team is full of hard workers that are committed to helping students achieve their academic and career goals, and I am excited to be a part of it.”

Toma holds an associate degree in hospitality management from Harrisburg Area Community College, a bachelor’s degree in occupational studies from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, and a master’s in health & wellness coaching from Maryland University of Integrated Health. She is a proud first-generation college graduate.

Prior to Penn Highlands, Toma served as an Admissions Counselor, Healthcare Specialist, Enrollment Manager, and Director of Admissions at Harrisburg from 2005 to 2020. She was then a Workforce Coordinator at Shippensburg University from March 2020 to January 2022 before relocating back to the area and becoming a Health & Wellness Adjunct Instructor at Penn State Altoona.

Toma said one of her main goals is to bring more awareness to the local community that Penn Highlands is a place where students can earn a quality education.

“I really want to show people that we’re here,” Toma stated. “We want to have Penn Highlands be Altoona’s college. To do this, we must get involved with initiatives in the area and show people how much we care about everyone and what is happening in our area. I believe we have the dedicated resources and staff to do this.”

Natalie Toma standing outside the College’s Blair Center (September 2023).

New Animatronic Robot To Assist Students In Computer Science & Programming

The animatronic, known as a “RADEON”, is only one of its kind on the East Coast.

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has introduced a new technologically advanced learning tool for its students: an animatronic robot.

The animatronic, known as a “RADEON”, was purchased from Garner Holt Education through Imagination, LLC, using grant funds. Pennsylvania Highlands is now the only school on the East Coast to house this type of animatronic.

“We are very excited to be able to use this advanced technology in our programs,” stated Greg Paonessa, Instructor of Computer Technology at Pennsylvania Highlands. “I have introduced it in all of the classes I teach, and we are incorporating programming the animatronic into our current computer science and information technology programming at the college. We are able to have students learn how to program it and immediately see results, which is very useful.”

The animatronic was built based on a mixture of the frameworks for professional entertainment venues and a military design.

It is operated using a mixer board and a proprietary software package, as well as an air compressor that is attached via a series of hoses. The animatronic has 24 separate controls – 12 electrical and 12 hydraulic – that allow it to make movements such as tilting its body forward and upright, moving its wrists, arms, head, neck, and eyebrows, and having the ability to open and close its eyes and mouth.

The mouth can be programmed to run alongside a speaker located in the chest area of the animatronic, making it seem as if it is talking.

“When we received the animatronic, it came with no information on how to operate it,” Paonessa stated. “There was no documentation and no software. We had to enter a three-day training course to learn the basic operations of it. Now that we know how it runs, we plan to make modifications so it can do more than it is currently capable of.”

Paonessa said there are plans to enhance the existing programmable interface of the animatronic, as well as add sensor technology to expand its capabilities.

The animatronic is also planned to be involved with the College’s annual OneBook event, faculty kickoff, and used as a subject matter for a business writing class. Paonessa also wants to hold a college-wide contest to pick a name for the animatronic, which will be housed at the college’s Richland Campus.

The animatronic is housed within the Richland Campus and is used primarily for Computer Information Sciences classes, which offers four degrees and three certifications.

Greg Paonessa, Instructor of Computer Technology (left) explaining the benefits and capabilities of the new animatronic robot (Richland Campus, September 2023).