Emmy Award Winner

Chartiers Valley graduate, Ryan Quinn (Class of 2006), can now add Emmy Award winner to his resume.

Ryan started developing his video story-telling while working with his family’s VHS video camera when he was three years old. He loved creating short segments of his favorite stuffed bear chasing Lego characters as they drove miniature monster trucks around the living room.  Little did he know, his passion would grow in to a successful film and video career.  Using top of the line equipment, perfecting his skills, and winning numerous film festivals over the last seven years, he can now add Emmy Award winner to his list of accolades.

The 2015 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards were presented on September 20, 2015, when Ryan was posted as winner of the prestigious award and professional recognition.  He earned it as the primary video editor and ENG during a live broadcast. Ryan was responsible for coordinating the field talent – including 11 reporters in the field and on Chopper 11 – and managing the ever-changing communication towers throughout the WPXI-TV/NBC broadcast.

The Emmy follows two consecutive years of winning the Associated Press Award for helping produce WPXI’s sports program, The Final Word.  The show has been recognized as Pennsylvania’s best sports show with live integration of social media.

Chartiers Valley provided great opportunities for Ryan, including creating numerous videos for Mr. Jeff Ackermann’s TV/Media class.  In 2004, Ryan’s music video won the Award of Excellence at the TVT competition at Robert Morris University, which was the first of its kind for a Chartiers Valley student.  The same year, one of his videos was aired on cable television.  Some of his productions are still used as models for Mr. Ackermann’s current TV/Media students.  In addition to Mr. Ackermann, Ryan would like to thank Mr. Rodrigues, Mrs. Beattie, and Mr. Kallet for their ongoing support.
After graduating from Chartiers Valley High School, Ryan went on to Penn State University, where he continued his video production education.

While at Penn State, Ryan’s senior film, Iowa Is Closed Today, won a best film award and gained recognition around the country in 2011.  As the writer/director of the film, Ryan had the opportunity to speak about creative process of filmmaking at various festivals.  Three Telly Awards for previous projects provided him with the multi-leveled platforms of filmmaking expertise of different genres to present.

Penn State University honored Ryan as the Student Marshall at the 2010 graduation ceremony.  Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, was on hand to help present Ryan with his award.

After his college graduation, Ryan continued his film career. In 2013, his independent documentary film, Invincible Pep, highlighted Pittsburgh’s beautiful skyline, the steel workers era, and his grandfather’s dangerous career as an Iron Worker connecting beams on skyscrapers. Narrated by retired Pittsburgh Steeler Craig Wolfley, the film earned several accolades.

Ryan captured first place and an audience award two years in a row with thematic music videos at the Off-Centered Film Festival in Austin, Texas.  His independent work also garnered two consecutive Best Pennsylvania Filmmaker nominations in 2012 and 2013 at the international West Chester Film Festival.

Ryan’s video productions have also been shown on one of Pittsburgh’s largest screens – the Heinz Field Jumbotron.  They featured pump-up videos and local talent in humorous public service announcements to motivate and inform fans during Steeler games.

Finally, Ryan would like to thank his family and especially his sister Laura (Chartiers Valley Class of 2009) for always being by his side on his film and video projects.  Her set photography captures the essence of creativity by the film crew and talent. 

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Submitted story.

American Ninja Warrior

When Chartiers Valley graduate, Adam Mihm (Class of 2005) started rock climbing with his wife, Tori Mihm, at an indoor gym in Columbus, OH, he never imagined how it would change his life.

As it turns out, Michelle Warnky, an experienced veteran of “American Ninja Warrior” held mini warrior events at the gym.

“I went to my first event about two years ago and my life hasn’t been the same since,” explained Adam.

Adam, also known as A-Train, has competed on American Ninja Warrior for the past two seasons. In 2014, Adam first competed in the St. Louis regional competition where he advanced to the St. Louis city finals. In the end, he finished in 18th place, narrowly missing the opportunity to move on to the national finals by only three spots.

That just made Adam more determined and he returned to the show again this year. He competed in the Pittsburgh regional, once again qualifying for the city finals. However, this year, he finished 8th overall at the Pittsburgh city finals, earning him a spot at the national finals in Las Vegas.

One of the primary reasons Adam has been so successful is because he sets his goals high and works hard to achieve them.

“Many of my co-workers and friends laughed at me when I told them I was going to try competing on ‘American Ninja Warrior’,” said Adam. “But I worked tirelessly and devised a plan for success.”

And his hard work, determination and commitment to achieving his goals are paying off!

“I’m already training for next year,” said Adam. “I want to make it back to Las Vegas for another shot at the course.”

Adam trains by rock climbing at his gym at least two times a week. He also trains at Michelle Warnky’s new parkour/ ninja warrior gym -- Movement Lab Ohio -- in Columbus.  In addition, he has transformed his basement into a training facility with about a dozen replica obstacles.

Not only has Adam achieved success on “American Ninja Warrior,” he has also been very successful professionally. After graduating from Chartiers Valley High School, Adam earned his mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. Today he works in the automotive crash safety group at Honda R&D Americas as a test engineer.

“I specialize in Pedestrian Impact Protection,” explained Adam. “We actually design and test our cars to mitigate the injuries to an unlucky pedestrian.”

According to Adam, his time at Chartiers Valley helped prepare him for success in college and beyond.

“The advanced classes I took at Chartiers Valley really helped set me up for college,” said Adam. “When I started at Kettering, I seemed to be ahead of the curve in mathematics and science.”

Through his personal and professional experiences, Adam has learned one of the keys to success is setting goals for yourself. And his advice to current CV high school students is to do the same.

“The most important thing is to set goals and set them high,” said Adam. “You might surprise yourself when you achieve something you thought was impossible. Even if you fall short, in most cases you can still say you did better than someone who didn’t even try or didn’t push themselves to the limit.”

Adam also believes you should always give credit to those who helped you succeed.

“I wouldn’t be here today without my parents, Bill and Ruth Mihm, my brother, Brandon Mihm and my wife, Tori Mihm.”

Strikes Against Cancer

When Dave and Alicia (Davidson) Villiotti met at Chartiers Valley High School, they didn’t know what life had in store for them. Thirteen years later, they are married with two young daughters, two dogs and a nonprofit organization. 

After losing a close friend to cancer in 2011, Dave and Alicia felt the urge to do something, so they started fundraising for the Livestrong Foundation. They organized their first bowling event fundraiser at the Meadows Lanes at the Meadows Casino in 2012.

“When we lost our friend so quickly and wished that there was more we could do, it left us wanting to help people however we could,” said Alicia. “We didn’t – and still don’t – have the means to personally affect people’s lives, but we knew that if we could organize a group of people, together we could make a change.”

Dave and Alicia started fundraising to help people whose lives were impacted by cancer. Their annual bowling event has grown over the year and became the inspiration for their non-profit organization, Strikes Against Cancer.

“This past year, we decided we wanted to see the money we raised directly support people in our area, so we decided to start our own 501c3 non-profit organization,” said Dave.

The mission of Strikes Against Cancer is to support those affected by cancer.

“Our mission is intentionally broad to give us the ability to help individuals as we hear stories of people who need our help,” said Dave.

“Our goal is to keep growing and keep reaching more people,” added Alicia. “Cancer probably affects all of us in one way or another, so there will never be a shortage of people to help.”

This year, Dave and Alicia are once again organizing their annual bowling fundraiser. The event will be held at the bowling alley at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino on April 25 from 11:30 am to 3 pm. The event includes three hours of bowling, trivia, a silent auction, a chance auction and a buffet. The emcee at this year’s event will be KDKA reporter, Amy Wadas, who is also a Chartiers Valley alum.

The best way to get tickets is on the Strikes Against Cancer website – www.strikesagainstcancer.net. Tickets will also be sold at the door, if there are any left.

“Despite being held at a casino, the event is open to all ages and is truly a family event,” said Dave.
Dave and Alicia both graduated from Chartiers Valley in 2002. Alicia went on to Gordon College in Massachussetts while Dave attended Penn State University. After their graduations, they both held many jobs across the U.S. and Dave even went back to school at the University of Pittsburgh to earn another degree – this time in accounting.  Today, in addition to running Strikes Against Cancer, Dave works in the accounting department at CONSOL Energy and Alicia stays home with their two young daughters – Sidney, 2 and Addison, 6 months.

According to Dave, he learned a lot while at Chartiers Valley, but the class that really helped him figure out what he wanted to do was accounting.

“I took the class because my dad was an accountant and I wanted to learn more about what he did at work,” said Dave. “However, when I took the class, I realized that accounting was what I wanted to do as my career as well.”

Alicia also learned a lot about herself and her interests while at Chartiers Valley, which heled guide her college and career path. And she made lifelong friends – many of whom she considers her family – along the way.

“CV prepared me [for my life] by giving me a foundation to enter adulthood,” said Alicia.
The pair has many fond memories of their alma mater, but they both agree their favorite is the Sadies Hawkins dance of their senior year.

“We went to the dance together, started dating that night, and five years later, we got married,” said Dave.

For more information about Dave and Alicia’s non-profit organization, Strikes Against Cancer, visit www.strikesagainstcancer.net.

Painting with a Twist

Jill Lena Ford (left) and Emily Marko (right)

Chartiers Valley alumni and sisters Emily Marko and Jill Lena Ford wanted to find a way to give back to the Chartiers Valley art program – a program that impacted both of their lives when they were in school.

Today, the sisters have both made careers out of their passion for art. Emily (Chartiers Valley Class of 1995) is a graphic artist and visual problem solver, and Jill (Chartiers Valley Class of 1996) is a professional artist specializing in ‘organic mixed media’ paintings.

Emily and Jill are hosting a fundraiser at Painting with a Twist Pittsburgh West studio on Sunday, March 15 from 2 to 5 pm. The fundraiser will help raise money to hold an art show at the end of the year to showcase Chartiers Valley student work. In addition, Emily and Jill are hoping to raise enough through the fundraiser to offer an art scholarship to a Chartiers Valley senior.

“[My sister and I] were both lucky enough to have teachers at Chartiers Valley who influenced us to follow our creative paths,” said Emily. “We now want to do our part to give back to these upcoming artists by providing not only a top notch art show for the students to experience, but also give them a head start in their future with the scholarship award.”

The Pittsburgh themed fundraiser event offers guests the choice of two painting selections – “Starry Night Over Pittsburgh” or “City Lights.” Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to Chartiers Valley to help support the art show and scholarship awards.

The Chartiers Valley connection runs even deeper than the fundraiser hosts. The painting class will be taught by Chartiers Valley alumna Karla Gearhart, who is now an art teacher at Riverview School District. In addition, Michaela Maderic, a senior at Chartiers Valley, will also be there to assist painters during the event.

For Emily and Jill, hosting this fundraiser seemed like the perfect way to support the arts and their alma mater.

“Art is an integral part of learning and innovating,” explained Emily. “Creative arts play a large part in brain development, expanding our perspectives of the world, helping us to understand and express ourselves, and most importantly, push parameters of our intellect to solve the big problems of the world.”

In addition to their passion for the arts, the sisters look back at their time at Chartiers Valley fondly and recognize the role the faculty played in helping to shape who they have become.

“I had many inspirational teachers throughout my time at Chartiers Valley,” said Emily. “They recognized my passion for the creative arts and provided support in developing my technical and artistic skills. This gave me the experience and confidence I needed to focus on graphic design in college.”

“My years at Chartiers Valley helped me to foster my love of the arts and focus on my creative skills and talents,” added Jill. “With the support of my art teachers at CV, I had the knowledge, skill and confidence to follow my path in the arts.”

Registration for the event is currently open and the cost is $45 for the three hour class, which includes supplies and instruction. For more information or to register, call the studio at 412-787-7928 or register online at: http://www.paintingwithatwist.com/pittsburgh-west/

A special thank you to Emily Marko and Jill Lena Ford for organizing and hosting this fundraiser.

News Industry Insights

KDKA-TV2  reporter Amy Wadas, a 2004 CVHS graduate, visited Mr. Ackermann’s Video Broadcasting classes on October 28th to share an insider’s view of the television news industry.

Foremost in her message, Ms. Wadas told students that the industry is very competitive and those interested in pursuing broadcasting as a career could look forward to receiving low wages in remote markets until they establish themselves.

“It’s not a glamorous profession,” Wadas told students. “You can look forward to carrying your own equipment, and filming and editing your own packages. You can also look forward to working unusual shifts as well as working weekends and holidays.”

Following her graduation from Penn State University in 2008, Ms. Wadas worked as a producer in small market Wheeling before receiving promotions to reporter and eventually anchor. After a stop in mid-market Cincinnati, Ms. Wadas secured a position reporting for KDKA’s morning team.  Though she jumped at the opportunity to return to work in her hometown, she continues to grind at her chosen profession.

“A typical day starts for me with a 2 am wake-up call,” she said. “We’re on the air between 4:30 and 7:30 am and I do about nine live cut-ins to report on my story for that day. The rest of the morning is spent advancing the story, shooting more video and re-cutting the piece for the noon news.”

Ms. Wadas also discussed how markets are rated by population, typical contracts in the nascent years of a broadcasting career and the rising importance of social media in the news industry.

“Web and social media are becoming a big part of gathering and disseminating news,” she said. “We increasingly use the web and social media for everything from posting stories to mining for background information, generating story ideas, and developing contacts.”

Ms. Wadas shared tips on creating a demo reel, which is basically a video resume featuring past pieces and packages that a reporter has produced, and showed her own reel to the classes.

“It’s a very competitive and demanding profession, but the rewards are there for those who work at it,” Wadas told the class.

Asked if she had ever messed up on the air, Wadas laughed and said, “With all the live reports we do, it’s inevitable.  Everyone who does this for a living has [messed up]. Mostly you try to play it down and move on.”

Super Bowl Success

The Super Bowl is one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year. With an average of 111.5 million viewers tuning in to watch the big game, many consider the Super Bowl to be the peak of their career.

Although this opportunity seems to be the pivotal point of most people’s careers, for CV alumna – Hannah Biondi – the Super Bowl was only the beginning. In February 2014, she had the chance to intern with the National Football League’s Super Bowl XLVIII Public Relations Team.

After graduating from Chartiers Valley in 2010, Hannah was originally an education major at Penn State. However, she later discovered her passion for communications while working in the Communications Departments for Penn State Football and with Penn State’s Dance Marathon, THON.

“I loved all of my communications jobs and decided to switch [majors] because it seemed to be a better fit for me.”

As for Hannah’s opportunity to work with the NFL, she says it began with networking followed by an extremely competitive application process prior to being selected as an intern.

After earning her spot on the NFL’s team of interns – among two other PSU students – Hannah’s responsibilities included working at the Communications Help Desk and Radio Row, assisting with the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show Bruno Mars press conference and working auxiliary press during the game.

“[The most exciting part of working with the NFL was] being able to learn so much about the inner workings of the Super Bowl.” Hannah recalled. “[I was surprised] how involved we were able to be in the execution of NFL Communications.”

Hannah says the overall experience helped her to see a lot of how the NFL works, as well as how to become a part of it.

Looking back on the opportunity, Hannah credits a majority of her success to her education.

“I think that Penn State has taught me extreme amounts about how to act as a professional and network at experiences like this. I was able to use all my communications skills to their full potential in this kind of professional setting,” Hannah explains.

Although her Super Bowl experience is over, Hannah has been working harder than ever. After graduating from Penn State with degrees in Public Relations and Integrative Arts in May, she went straight to work at Octagon as an Event Trainee.

“I travel the southern market of the United States to market BMW’s new 4 Series and put on the Un4gettable Test Drive Events. I assist with event logistics and consumer experience throughout the day’s events.”

Hannah says she would eventually like to make her way back to the sports industry, referring to her love of football.

“I hope to work in marketing events for some facet of the sports industry, whether it’s for a team specifically or something that goes along with it.”

Hannah looks back positively on her time at Chartiers Valley. She found her teachers helped prepare her for a future beyond high school, stating, “There were a few teachers at Chartiers Valley who taught me the importance of interpersonal skills and communication, and what that can do to help you achieve your goals.”

She also has some fond memories from CV, recalling being a Leadership Assistant for Mr. McGalla’s photography and graphic design class.

“I ended up studying art and using everything I learned to succeed in some of my internships during college,” Hannah says. “[That was one of my favorite memories,] well that, or silly-stringing during the principal's final speech at graduation.”

Hannah’s advice to current CV students is to test the waters in high school.

“Try a bunch of different things before you decide what you want to do when you grow up.” She suggests.

“You might find there is a lot more out there than you thought.”

Congratulations Graduates!

Chartiers Valley’s Class of 2014 made their final stride together as the sun set on the football stadium, Thursday, June 5, 2014.  

The graduates-to-be fixed their cords and adjusted their caps in the high school before parading onto the field. Students, parents, family, and friends were welcomed with opening remarks by High School Co-Principals Mr. Samosky and Dr. Wodnicki.  

Following the welcome, top ranked students – Matt Palmer, Himali Ranade, and Christine Champ – spoke on behalf of the Class of 2014. The student speakers reflected on the memories the Class of 2014 made over the past four years. They also celebrated the Class of 2014’s many accomplishments, while encouraging their peers to continue to strive for success, despite the challenges they may face in the future. 

Mr. Samosky and Superintendent Dr. White also addressed the graduates and wished them well before the presentation of diplomas. After the last diploma was received, students threw their caps into the sky, adding yet another group of alumni to the 53 previous classes.

Congratulations and best wishes to the Chartiers Valley Class of 2014!

P.S. View more photos of Commencement 2014 and check out the online map of where our latest alums are headed after high school.