Celebrating 10 Years of Unique Student Opportunities and Generous Donor Support
Message from our President, Duane Bullock The SCASD Education Foundation was founded in 2015 with a simple mission: to create opportunities for students. Today, its signature fund, the Mardi Lowry McDonough ’87 Student Opportunity Fund & Grant Program, distributes grants in the fall and spring every year, making the visions of our educators, teachers, and […]
Thomas “Tek” Kleban ’85, Coach, Boys & Girls Track and Field 2008-2020, State College Area High School & Senior Research Analyst, Mariner (Presented Posthumously)
After graduating from State High where he competed in both football and track and field, Thomas “Tek” Kleban ’85 spent a post-graduate year at Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ, where he also played football and was captain of the track team, graduating in 1986. At Penn State, Tek was a leader in track and field, […]
Ralph Way ’52, Real Estate Developer and Founder of Foxdale Village Retirement Community
Ralph Way grew up the youngest of seven children of Quakers Darlington & Ina Way, second-generation owners of Way Fruit Farm, which still thrives today in Halfmoon Valley. Ralph attended grades 1st-3rd in Matternville and grades 4th-6th in Stormstown, with his sister Rebecca as his 4th grade teacher. Rebecca was 12 and the only sister […]
Mary Kay Archer Montovino ’73, Executive Secretary (Retired) SCASD, Former Board Member and Former President, SCASD Education Foundation
When she started first grade in part of the “new” Westerly Parkway Junior High School, Mary Kay Archer Montovino ’73 began a lifelong journey with State College Area School District that has included roles as student, alumna, parent, staff member, and volunteer. Now retired from the district, she continues to serve as an emergency substitute […]
Shared passion for teaching fuels a lifelong friendship
In 1965, two women met by chance at a State College grocery store. Gwen Bunnell and Linda Domin realized they had a connection: Gwen’s father had been Linda’s father’s professor at pharmacy school. From this fateful meeting, a friendship bloomed and has lasted for more than 60 years through the founding of a successful local […]
Gwen Bunnell, Kindergarten Teacher (Retired), Corl Street Elementary
Gwen Bunnell grew up in Glenside near Philadelphia, where her father was president of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. The importance of education was instilled in her from childhood. Gwen spent her summers at Camp Red Wing, an all-girls camp in the Adirondack region in New York. After years as a camper, she worked there […]
Linda Domin ’57, Kindergarten Teacher (Retired), Lemont Elementary
Linda Chambers Domin ’57 grew up in State College. For 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades she attended Fraser Street School, now the post office building. “I loved my 1st grade teacher, Frances Collins, and still have a note from her!” she shared. For 4th grade through 6th grade, Linda went to Nittany Avenue School, which […]
Ian Hendrickson-Smith ’92, Professional musician: Six-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist for the Tonight Show, The Roots, Amy Winehouse, Al Green, Mark Ronson and more.
If you’ve ever watched the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, you’ve most likely seen and have definitely heard the talents of Ian Hendrickson-Smith ’92. He currently plays in the show’s popular house band, The Roots. Retired SCASD Music Educator John Kovalchik nominated Ian for this year’s Maroon & Gray Society Class. “Ian was my lead […]
Allayn Salter Beck ’04, Executive Director, State College Food Bank
After graduating from State High, Allayn Salter Beck ’04 took a year off to work as a nanny; but, inspired by some incredible teachers from her past, she quickly realized how much she wanted to be back in the classroom. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and her career journey took her to […]
Alice Gilmore Young ’77, Vice President of Finance and Corporate Compliance Officer, John F. Kennedy Behavioral Health Center (Retired)
Alice Gilmore Young ’77 credits her State High experience with helping her on a path toward success after high school. In addition to enjoying a long career using her passion for mathematics, she continues to share her talents in music, which she honed in school chorus, orchestra, and band. “Thanks to the school district, I […]
