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  Fall 2003
St. Anthony's Kicks Off 50th Anniversary of Catholic Special Education!In 1921, St. Anthony Village, an orphanage, was opened on 20 acres in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. It was established by a group of Italian language parishes in the Diocese. The village provided a home and education for children primarily of Italian descent.By 1950, the trends for caring for dependent children began to change with the government taking a supportive role in their care. Thus, in 1953 St. Anthony Village changed its name and its mission to St. Anthony School for Exceptional Children and began educating children with intellectual disabilities. By the mid-1980's trends in education again changed from segregated schooling for exceptional children to mainstreaming. In 1992, the St. Anthony School for Exceptional Children site in Oakmont was vacated in favor of an inclusive program housed within nine elementary schools in the Diocese - known today as St. Anthony School Programs. The program has since broadened to include students with a wider range of developmental disabilities including autism. In 1995, a post secondary site was opened at Duquesne University. Today, we have a current graduate placement rate of 95% in the workforce. 2004 Events
2003 Opportunity Award Dinner Kicks off the 50th AnniversaryThe 2003 Opportunity Award Dinner was held on Friday, November 14, at the Westin Convention Center and was a phenomenal success! Over 520 people attended the kick-off to the 50th Anniversary hosted by Most Reverend Donald W. Wuerl. Local television personality Leslie Merrill McCombs served as Mistress of Ceremonies. Joe and Carol Massaro as well as Jay and Colleen McKenna were gracious honorary co-chairs.The 2003 Awardees were Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, employer of St. Anthony alumnus Brian Wellinger as a full-time staff member; Kennywood Park, which consistently hires St. Anthony students as members of their summer team; and The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, which provides exemplary leadership in the field of intellectual disabilities and service to persons with special needs. New this year, The Annual Bonds of Friendship Award was given to a general education student who shows kindness, caring and friendship to the students in the St. Anthony Program. The award was inspired by Luke Brocks who as a student at St. Malachy exhibited these qualities. This year's recipient was Mary Weaver, a graduate of Bishop Canevin High School. In subsequent years, a Bonds of Friendship award will be given at each St. Anthony site at the year-end award ceremony. The evening was also highlighted by a magnificent Silent Auction coordinated by board members and dinner committee co-chairs, Marianne Kramer, Pat Maida and Louise Sutton. This was our largest auction yet featuring 160 items including priceless sports memorabilia, precious children's items, Christmas sparkles and luxurious gift items. This year we tried something new and fun, the Gumball Game! Gumball Game committee chairs, Pat Michel and Theresa Puharic, coordinated this playful game where guests bought tokens, put them into the Gumball machine and walked away with a prize including a weekend at Hidden Valley and a color television. Everyone was a winner! Mark your calendars for next year's Opportunity Award Dinner to be held Friday October 29, 2004, at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Join us as we culminate St. Anthony's yearlong 50th Anniversary celebration! 2003 Opportunity Award Dinner Committee Members Co-Chairs Mr. & Mrs. Francis Kramer Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Maida Mr. Matthew Schneider Mrs. Louise Sutton Mrs. Karen Bachor Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Devlin Mr. Gary Eiseman Dr. David Krzan Mrs. Patricia Michael Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Noca Mrs. Ruth LaMagna Mr. Thomas O'Toole Sr. Ignatius Rooney, R.S.M. Mr. Mark Sieg Mrs. Kristen Szymkowiak Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Vayonis One-of-Kind School in the Nation!St. Anthony School Programs has recently been identified as a one-of-a-kind model of inclusive Catholic special education. No other program in the United States provides inclusive Catholic Special Education to students with intellectual disabilities and autism in environments with their same age general education peers from the ages of 5 through 21.St. Anthony School Programs has gained national attention. For example, the Diocese of Norwich Connecticut, the Diocese of Wilmington, DE, and the Diocese of Columbus, OH have all sought consultation to replicate our successful methods. FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Tom O'Toole "We are very fortunate to have host schools that have joined with us." Dear Friends, In preparation for the 50th anniversary celebration, we looked through the St. Anthony archives and had many discussions about past years. One theme that emerged was community. From the first days in 1953 there was a strong feeling of community. You can see the family picnics, read the correspondence from the past directors and analyze the funding streams to see that it has been a loving community supporting St. Anthony's throughout the past 50 years. When St. Anthony's was re-commissioned in 1953 there was a strong legacy of a loving orphanage and religious personnel that worked with lay personnel to produce excellence in the classroom and love throughout the day. The archives hold pictures of the many holiday parties, Sisters climbing on monkey bars, and big smiles and hugs. When we moved to inclusion we began to lose our sense as the St. Anthony Community. Parents and students understandably began to identify with their host school. Students and parents wear clothing of the host school, participate in their events and have successes in the inclusive environments. This movement to inclusion and the resulting achievements of our students is a great source of pride for all of us at St. Anthony's. But an outcome of this in the 90's was a decrease in the activities as a St. Anthony Community. I am happy to see in the past three years a re-birth in the Community of St. Anthony's. Today that community includes our host schools. We have a great family picnic, spectacular Inclusive Games, and an inspiring Annual Mass. The Mass this year will be celebrated by Bishop Wuerl and will mark our 50th Anniversary. The Mass will be followed by an alumni reunion for present and past persons related to St. Anthony's. And finally we have a tremendous Annual Opportunity Award Dinner that spotlights our students and those who create opportunities for them. Parents, staff, Board members, and corporate leaders come to the dinner to meet our students and learn about our mission. Today there is an appreciation and love for St. Anthony's success with students while at the same time there is positive identification with the host schools. The two go hand in hand. We are very fortunate to have host schools that have joined with us. Thank you to the St. Anthony Community; your partnership is what has made St. Anthony's the special one-of-a-kind program it is today. Sincerely,  Educating God's Special Children for the Next 50 YearsTimes are financially difficult for most of us. Perhaps you've decided to cut corners, packing lunch instead of buying it, going out to eat less often.Times are difficult for St. Anthony's, too. However, we don't have the option of cutting corners on our students education. As you decide how to spend your hard earned dollars, please remember the exceptional children at St. Anthony's. Your prayerful gift is appreciated more than you know! There are many ways to give:
Our Exceptional ProgramSt. Anthony School Programs helps both Catholic and non-Catholic students with developmental disabilities live their life to its fullest potential intellectually, socially, academically, vocationally and spiritually.Using resource rooms as a support base, St. Anthony students receive academic instruction and attend social, recreational, and sporting activities, as well as lunch and assemblies with their general education peers. St. Anthony's has grown by 55% over the past five years. Currently, 110 students are being served in 7 elementary schools, three high schools and at Duquesne University. The beginning of the 2003-2004 school year saw the opening of the North Catholic High School site. A strategic plan is being completed that, when implemented, will make St. Anthony School Programs accessible to all students across the six-counties of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Current Site Locations
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