Pequea Valley townlively.com
SEPTEMBER 20, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LIX • NO 39
Experience that matters Alternative Pathways program helps students get ahead BY ANN MEAD ASH
ared Erb, First Choice career coordinator with the Pequea Valley School District (PVSD), likes to share the story of 2023 Pequea Valley High School (PVHS) graduate Ryan Flaim, who was interested in learning auto body restoration. Erb contacted Lichty Brothers Inc., and the business granted Flaim an apprenticeship. “Then they hired him full time during his senior year,” recounted Erb. “He was able to finish his high school credits while taking on a full-time role. It was a win-win.” Erb noted that Flaim is still considering furthering his education at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. Flaim was one of more than 10 PVHS students in the school’s Class of 2023 to participate in such a program, which PVSD calls Alternative Pathways. “Basically, during junior and senior years, students choose a career direction,
J
Amani Agosto (left) interned at Lighthouse Vocational Services as part of the Pequea Valley High School Alternative Pathways program.
and we match them with a company or business or service provider that would be able to help them engage in learning that role,” explained Erb. “So kids are graduating and moving (directly) into full-time positions, but then (also) continuing their
Zachary Otstot, worked in the Pequea Valley School District IT department during his senior year.
education with the support of the company that they are currently working for.” A few of the other Class of 2023 students who worked outside the classroom as part of a school/organization partnership
included Amani Agosto, who pursued her first choice in special education through an internship at Lighthouse Vocational services; Zachary Otstot, who engaged in an IT internship with the PVSD tech department; and Sarah Arment, who pursued her
interest in physical therapy through an internship at CPRS Physical Therapy. Erb explained that the program offers a multitude of benefits to the students, including financial relief. “These young adults are earning degrees and earning their place in the professional workforce having not gone into huge debt for training,” he noted, adding that Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health offers a program that can allow a student to attend Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences tuition free. “Programs like that level the playing field for those who would not have the ability to pay,” he said. Erb also pointed out that the students who take part in Alternative Pathways have a broader exposure to their field of interest, which “increases their ability to learn and the likelihood of them completing the program.” The emphasis on Alternative Pathways means more PVHS students are graduating ready to move into full-time work in a field. “We had See PVSD pg 10
Following the call
BY ANN MEAD ASH
The ELANCO-area Celebrate Recovery (CR) - a 12-step, Christcentered discipleship recovery program for individuals age 18 and up that has met from 6:30 to 9 p.m. each Thursday at Petra Church, 565 Airport Road, New Holland - has not changed much over the six years it has been active. According to leaders Carol Musser and Karl Stoltzfus, that is the way it should be. “What we do here is consistent,” said Musser. Stoltzfus agreed, saying, “They
strive for that. There’s a familiarity to what we do. Each CR has its own personality, but the materials are consistent.” Offering a safe place for individuals dealing with addictions has been a goal of the program since it started. The group is still supported by Petra Church, Weaverland Anabaptist Faith Community, and Bethany Grace Fellowship. Each week, a hot meal is served beginning at 6:15 p.m., followed by worship, which usually includes a message or testimony, and small group meetings, which are divided by gender. The group
CMBC welcomes new youth pastor BY ANN MEAD ASH
When Josiah Reimold of Peach Bottom was playing football at Solanco High School and being coached by a staff that included Chris Lenhart, pastor of Calvary Monument Bible Church (CMBC) in Paradise, Reimold probably had no idea that he would one day work alongside Lenhart as part of the church’s ministry team. However, it was in high school that Reimold first felt the call to go into youth ministry. “I felt the call halfway through
high school,” recalled Reimold, who grew up in Peach Bottom. “I went to Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren at the time with my family, and the youth pastor there got me into youth ministry.” After graduating from Solanco in 2019, Reimold headed to South Africa with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for six months. The first three months he took part in Discipleship Training School, and the next three he worked with a team that evangelized both in rural villages and in the streets of Johannesburg. “We worked a lot with schools and children, and it
See CR pg 2
See CMBC pg 5
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