Two Delco Catholic schools receive national Blue Ribbon designation
PHILADELPHIA » Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School, 607 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, and St. Katharine of Sienna Parish School, 116 S. Aberdeen Ave., Wayne, were selected as part of the 2020 cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools in an announcement made today by Betsy DeVos, the United States secretary of education. St. Patrick School, 115 Channing Ave., Malvern, also received the prestigious designation.
The archdiocesan schools are three of 367 schools and among only 50 non-public schools selected nationally for this distinction. Each school was chosen for this honor based on overall academic excellence. Two of the three received National Blue Ribbon School designation for the first time. St. Patrick previously received the designation in 2013.
The 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony will be held virtually on Nov. 12-13. Each school will receive their plaque and flags via mail.
Dr. Andrew McLaughlin, secretary for elementary education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, reacted to the announcement by saying, “We are extremely proud of the three elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia chosen as part of the 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools cohort. The fact that each of these schools has been recognized for academic excellence, during an extraordinarily challenging time in our world speaks volumes to the dedication of all those working within our Catholic schools each and every day to maintain high educational standards despite societal obstacles. This award truly emphasizes the strong and successful partnership among administrators, faculty, staff, and school families. They work hard and make tremendous sacrifices each day because they believe in the gift of Catholic education. I offer my prayerful congratulations to the schools being recognized. They along with the other 36 elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that have been chosen for Blue Ribbon distinction in the past, serve as reflection on the good being accomplished collaboratively at all of our Catholic elementary schools throughout the five-county archdiocese.”
With the addition of the
2020 cohort, a total of 39 different parish and regional Catholic elementary schools in the five-county Archdiocese have been recognized with Blue Ribbon status since the program’s inception in 1982. St. Genevieve Catholic School in Flourtown has received this honor more times than any other school in the archdiocese (2000,
2006, and 2016).
Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School opened its doors in 2012. It serves families from Nativity B.V.M. Parish in Media and St. John Chrysostom Parish in Wallingford. In the
2019, the school was recognized with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia School of Distinguished Instruction by the Office of Catholic Education.
St. Katharine of Sienna School, established in 1916, is a Catholic community educating students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
For more information about Mother Of Providence School, visit mpregional.org or call 610-876-7110. For more information about St. Katharine of Sienna School, visit sksschool.org or call 610-6885451.
Kiwanis Club of Media Area seeks new members
The newly formed Kiwanis Club of Media Area is seeking new members to join and expand the club. The club needs participants who will be generous with their time, as well as creative with their ideas and passionate about making a difference. The club also provides the opportunity for members to meet new people in the community and have fun along the way.
The club’s primary mission is the same as Kiwanis International—to improve the world by making differences in the lives of children. Kiwanis helps kids around the world. Local clubs, like the Media Area Kiwanis, look out for their communities, while the international organization takes on large-scale challenges, such as diseases and poverty.
The focus of the Media Area Kiwanis is helping local kids and the club has already held a pajama drive, art class in a bag project and donated hundreds of socks to local organizations.
Club members continued to meet during COVID-19 via Zoom twice a month and just held their first outdoor meeting at La Padella. Community volunteers and members are needed to help with the club’s pajama and mitten drive in October and the Bike Rodeo and Safety Event in May 2021.
For more information, visit the “Kiwanis Club of Media Area” Facebook page or email kiwanismediaarea@gmail.com.
Local senior center receives 80 packages of PPE to help protect seniors
With the COVID-19 virus continuing to create health concerns for older Pennsylvanians, state Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-191 of Philadelphia, teamed up with Aetna this week to drop off 80 care packages of personal protective equipment to help seniors stay safe during the pandemic.
McClinton said free bags of masks, soap, hand sanitizer, toilet tissue and information about state resources were given to the Friendship Circle Senior Center in Darby
to be distributed to residents safely during socially distanced events scheduled for later this week.
McClinton previously worked with Aetna to deliver PPE to seniors in Southwest Philadelphia at the Presbyterian Apartments, Paschall Senior Apartments, and the Hardy Williams Veterans Housing Center.
Trinity Health welcomes new cardiac electrophysiologists
Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic recently welcomed fellowship-trained, board-certified cardiac electrophysiologists Steven Kutalek, MD, FACC, FHRS, and Ashwani Gupta, MD, FACC, FHRS, to Regional Electrophysiology Associates.
Kutalek received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. He completed an internship in internal medicine at Medical College of Pennsylvania and then completed a residency in internal medicine at Hahnemann University Hospital. Kutalek completed his fellowships in cardiovascular disease and clinical cardiac electrophysiology at the William Likoff Cardiovascular Institute of Hahnemann University, where he also served as senior fellow and chief fellow. He is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and cardiac electrophysiology.
Gupta received his medical degree from All India Institute of Medical Sciences and completed a residency in internal medicine at Drexel University. He completed two fellowships – one in cardiovascular medicine and another in cardiac electrophysiology – at Drexel University College of Medicine/Hahnemann University Hospital, where he also served as chief fellow. Gupta is board-certified in internal medicine, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, cardiovascular diseases and clinical cardiac electrophysiology. He is fluent in English, Hindi and Punjabi.
Kutalek and Gupta see patients at their Philadelphia locations, as well as their offices at 1503 Lansdowne Ave., Suite 3003, Darby. To make an appointment, call 215-757-7212.