Hill Stages Virtual Performance of Virtual Trial Play

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by The Hill School.

The Hill School's Ellis Theatre Guild will be presenting its first-ever virtual performance this week. Jury Trial is an original play written by Director of the Center For The Arts Chris McGriff.

More than 30 Hill School students make up the three casts. They all have been working hard from home to present this one-of-a-kind production. 

Each performance of Jury Trial is split into two episodes, which will take place live online Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17. Free tickets are available at www.thehill.org/JuryTrial.

According to McGriff, the play deals with the" issue of technology and how far we're willing to go with it and how much we're willing to depend on it."

"I went to Disney World earlier on in the year and was so surprised to see that even in The Happiest Place on Earth, everyone was glued to their phones," said McGriff. 

"If you go anywhere in public, stop, and take notice, people are living in another world -- a digital one. If that's the path we're on, then what will it look like 20 or 40 years from now? More importantly, what will it take for us to change? COVID-19 is absolutely terrifying, and I think it's been an interesting wake-up call to all of us to look up and appreciate the beauty of the world and loved ones around us," he said.

Set in the year 2040, "Jury Trial" is a fast-paced, edge-of your seat thriller/mystery. 

In the future, all criminal cases take place online via a Zoom-like chatroom platform called the "Criminal Sentencing Portal." A terrible crime has been committed, and now a jury must deliberate the case and decide on a verdict while being streamed live to the world. 

The clock is ticking as they race against time to combat a powerful Artificial Intelligence known as the ONYX. No one is safe, and everyone is a suspect. Jury Trial promises to be a new kind of theatrical production that you will not soon forget.

"It has been a lot of fun to be able to incorporate film-level acting and subtle emotional choices that usually would not work in a large auditorium into Jury Trial," said McGriff. "Our biggest challenge is the fact that we're presenting each performance live, so anything could happen. Prepping for that has been a great learning experience for all of us."

Cast: Meena Ali, Payton Jobson, Eleanor Rice, Geordie Ravara, Colette Liggon, Sela Muto, Holly Perna, Kenechi Tabansi, Greta Haverstick, Grant Lupien, Gaby Henao, Tofe Akinyanmi, Naomi Ude, Andrew Spatarella, Dami Odubona, Bennett Cerullo, Martin Tran, Kendal Thomas, Brianna Hartman, Andreas Haperis, Mary Delan, Parker McQuaid, Benjamin Holladay, Jayden Nyce, Matt McCray, Tabi Mastrangelo, Max Robertson, Samir Khan, Tommy Simpson

This production is rated PG-13 for suspense and mild language.

Hobart's Run Offers Second Round of Grants for Pottstown Businesses and Non-Profits

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by Hobart's Run.

Hobart's Run has announced a second round of Covid-19 Emergency Response grants.

The grants are made possible in part by contributions offered by a second member of the Hobart's Run Board of Directors (also a Hill School graduate and Hill Trustee, who wishes to give anonymously), in addition to gifts made by Hill faculty, staff, parents, and friends.

Online applications will be received from April 15 – 24. Awards will be announced on April 27 and funds disbursed on May 1.

The program will award five $1,000 small business grants and two additional $500 non-profit grants for a total of $6,000 in new grants. 

This round of business grants will be directed to established businesses in the Borough of Pottstown, with an emphasis on those businesses with a record of giving back to our community.

Here are the application links to the second round of Hobart's Run grants:

Small Business - https://forms.gle/oohyToDYbYszY4e27

Eligibility: Applicant must be an established (before 2018), community-minded, small business (12 employees or less) operating in the Borough of Pottstown and experiencing significant financial distress due to temporary closure as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown. 

The application must be submitted by an executive or designated employee with authorization to apply on behalf of the small business. The applicant must demonstrate how the business gives back to the Pottstown community and adequately describe the company's current financial need. Grantor reserves the right to request additional information that may aid in selecting recipients.

Award amount: $1,000 one-time.

Purpose: To defray revenue losses incurred by the COVID-19 temporary shutdown.

Nonprofit - https://forms.gle/jAV9f975KbRn1G5K9

Eligibility: Designated 501(c)3 nonprofits operating in the Borough of Pottstown that are experiencing significant financial distress due to events cancellation, membership loss, or program suspension. 

Applicants must be the executive director or senior administrator of the organization and must adequately demonstrate how their nonprofit impacts the Pottstown community as well as their current financial need. Grantor reserves the right to request additional information that may aid in selecting recipients.

Award amount: $500 one-time.

Purpose: To defray revenue losses incurred by the COVID-19 temporary shutdown.

Hobart's Run will award five $1,000 small biz grants and two $500 non-profit grants.

In late March, the first round of grants provided 10 non-profits grants with $500 Community Impact Grants, and five recently opened small businesses with $1,000 grants.

Hill School Partners to Help Hospital, 1st Responders

Submitted Photos

Little Italy owner Rocky Citrino and Hill School Human Relations

Director Heather Gelting deliver Good Friday Hoagies to

Pottstown Hospital Friday.

People in the greater Pottstown community continue to demonstrate that we are in fact, a great community.

Here is the latest example provided by The Hill's ever-energetic Cathy Skitko:

Hill School faculty and staff recently took up a collection and raised more than $1,800 to purchase about 300 lunches for medical staff at the hospital and Goodwill Fire Company personnel. 

Through the efforts of Hill's Human Resources director Heather Gelting, the school has been working with the ever-generous Rocky Citrino at Little Italy's with plans to deliver 350 hoagies to Pottstown Hospital and 25 Goodwill, "as our way of saying thank you to the dedicated and heroic EMT, fire, and hospital staff," Skitko wrote.

Goodwill Fire Station also received hoagies from the effort.

Pottstown Hospital as well as other hospitals/emergency personnel are receiving significant deliveries of essential PPE equipment donated by Hill School parents and alumni from China and South Korea.

They organized efforts to gather these much-needed supplies and shipped them to Hill's Elliot Menkowitz, M.D. Wellness Center for distribution as needed throughout our area. 

China is a major producer of these essential products. Some of The Hill donors live in our region but have contacts who helped to make this possible.

Yijuan Qiu, Hill's administrative coordinator and international
family liaison, with a large shipment of masks received April 7.

As the COVID-19 situation was worsening in the U.S., a few Hill parents reached out to Headmaster Zack Lehman and asked what they could do to help our general area in the growing crisis, and he said that PPE support was greatly needed. 

Hill's parents and alumni took it from there.

More than 70 Hill families are participating in this effort, including parents who have enrolled their students for next year for the first time. 

Pottstown Police officer Steve Dise, left,

and Corporal Todd Istenes with masks

donated by The Hill School.

"Hill expects as many as 50,000 masks or more will make their way to healthcare-related facilities in our area via a first stop at Hill's Wellness Center. 

So far, about 20,000 masks of various models have been delivered and distributed (or are in the process of being delivered to their final destinations) since this effort began in late March, according to Dr. Kristin Spencer, Medical Director of Hill's Wellness Center. 

The equipment has found grateful homes, so far, at the Pottstown Hospital; the Pottstown Police Department; Goodwill Fire Company; the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's emergency department; Keystone Villa Continuing Care Community in Douglassville; and various emergency services/ambulance companies and other healthcare professionals.

Helping to coordinate the effort, in addition to Dr. Spencer, has been Yijuan Qiu, Hill's Administrative Coordinator and International Family Liaison.

Also, before these parents and alumni became involved, masks that were on hand for use in Hill's Science Department were donated by Hill to the local cause.

From left, Carrie Hehn, interim executive director for personal care, Sue Seanor, executive director of independent living and Jonathan Garber, vice president of operations, heritage senior living with masks donated by The Hill School's efforts.

Hill School Skaters benefit PAL Dek Hockey League

Submitted Photos

Pottstown Police officer Zachary Robinson and Samantha Kurtas drop the ceremonial puck at the Hill School boy's ice hockey game versus Albany Academy on Friday, Jan. 25. Kurtas is a two-season veteran of the intramural sport, which holds its games outside West Pottsgrove Elementary School for ages 4 through 18.

The Hill School's Boys Hockey Team once again held a benefit for the Pottstown Police Athletic League Dek Hockey program.

This was the third annual PAL Night hosted by Hill Hockey Helps, a student-athlete-led campaign to financially benefit the dek hockey program in the area, which introduces players to the sport on dry land.

Hill School skater Owen McLaughlin.

"The connection began when Vincent Petrone, a sixth Former (senior) at Hill School and right wing on the ice hockey team, founded his Hill Hockey Helps group in 2016. Since that time, Petrone and his group have offered dek hockey (a form of their sport played on a tennis court-type surface) clinics to local children involved in the PAL program," according to a 2018 article in The Mercury.

This charitable campaign was coordinated entirely by the Hill ice hockey teams, spearheaded in large part by boy's senior Henry Gartner, and with great assistance from head coach Chris Bala.

Signups for the Pottstown Area PAL Spring dek hockey season are currently open online at pottstownpal.org and on teamSnap. 

The Hill went on to win the Jan. 25 game by a score of 6 to 3.

$5 Concert on Jan. 17 Will Aid Homeless Shelter

Andy's Two Dollar Bills

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by The Hill School.

Student leaders from The Hill School, Pottstown School District, and Montgomery County Community College have collaborated on behalf of Pottstown CARES to organize their fourth annual “Welcome Home” concert on Friday, Jan. 17 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. in The Hill School’s Center For The Arts (CFTA) venue at 760 Beech St.

This family-friendly, affordable pop music concert will directly benefit the Ministries at Main Street, a Pottstown homeless shelter organization that offers meals and a warm place to sleep to all who need it.

Tickets are $5 at the door or may be purchased via Eventbrite. For those unable to attend the event, but interested in supporting this great cause, donations also can be made at the Eventbrite site. 

Raffle prizes and food will be available for sale from local vendors including Little Italy’s, with all proceeds benefitting the cause. Free parking is available on the lot at the center for the arts

The fourth annual occurrence of this inspirational student-driven event will feature Andy’s Two

Dollar Bills, local musicians who have performed at popular Pottstown venues including the Pourhouse, the Pottstown United Brewery, and Pottstown FARM.

Andy's Two Dollar Bills is part of the Pottstown Music Collaborative, “a developing, dynamic band of musicians from the Pottstown community, all focused on bringing people together through the power of sound,” according to Bill Robertson, a Collaborative founder and drummer in the band.

Talented student-musicians from the Pottstown High School and Hill School Jazz Bands also will rock the stage. CARES also is working to announce a surprise artist. All musical groups are generously donating their time and effort for this good cause. 

Student members of Pottstown CARES.

Trojan Jazz Band members who will perform include Xzavier Francis Williams,Akira Love,Chloe Hebert, David Hicks, Anthony Russo, Savone Nash and Rafi Sanchez

“Everyone in Pottstown CARES is committed to giving back to the community we cherish,” said Sheridan Ameo, Hill class of ’22. “There’s so much to love about Pottstown. I’ve never met a community so willing to band together and make a real difference. The Welcome Home Concert is our attempt to show gratitude toward the town we care about so much.”

Student leader Nethmin Liyange, Hill ’20, says, “The Welcome Home concert is an amazing opportunity for students from different schools to come together and support an important cause. The concert is a way to raise awareness for the problems of homelessness faced within the Pottstown community.

“I hope in the future this event continues to get bigger and bigger, and hopefully we can help even more,” she added.

Trojan organizers include,Chloe Hebert, David Hicks, Mariana Pearson and David Wallace.

The Rev. Kork Moyer, director of Ministries at Main Street, said any contribution from the event will be used toward housing and housing subsidies for “our guests as they transition into their own homes.”

“Homelessness is not the absence of housing, but the absence of all that creates a home,” Moyer said. “What makes a home is the nurture of family and friends. We thank the CARES students and the supporters of this event for becoming part of a really big and diverse family with us.”

The CARES student leadership team is comprised of students from The Hill School, Pottstown School District, Montgomery County Community College, and, recently, Perkiomen Valley. Students serving on the CARES leadership team were appointed based on their organizational skills and desire to serve the community in a meaningful way.

Individuals or organizations interested in becoming involved with the Pottstown CARES collaborative can contact Katie Scanlan at kscanlan@thehill.org or 610-454-8050.

Volunteers Sought to Clean, Mark Veterans' Graves

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by The Hill School.

The sister of a fallen Navy SEAL from Pottstown is organizing a clean up and flag placement at veterans' graves in Edgewood Cemetery on Saturday, Nov,. 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Job Price was a U.S. Navy SEAL Commander until his death during his service to our country in December 2012.

Price was a graduate of Pottstown High School.

Bronwyn DeMaso, Job's sister, is orchestrating this effort.

Volunteers can help out for as long as they would like between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Edgewood Cemetery, where volunteers will clean up and place flags at Veterans' graves as part of this project sponsored by the Travis Manion Foundation which, in part, supports community service endeavors across the country.

TMF was created by Col. Thomas Manion USMC (Ret.), a 1973 graduate of The Hill School whose son, Travis, died while serving our country.

As noted on the Foundation website, Travis’ values and valor, certainly like Job’s, could be defined by the phrase, “If not me, than who?”

During Thomas' time at The Hill, he played cross under Coach Harry Price, Job Price's father, who spent many years serving the Borough of Pottstown and Pottstown School District in a variety of volunteer roles.

REGISTER HERE: http://bit.ly/34ecA4c. There is no fee to participate but donations to TMF are welcomed at the site.

Edgewood Cemetery is located at 989 E. High St., Pottstown. Volunteers are asked to bring gloves and gardening tools if possible.

Questions? Contact Bronwyn DeMaso at 484-235-7875 or bronwyndemaso@gmail.com.

Hobart’s Run Launches Homeownership Incentive

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Hobart's Run.

Hobart’s Run, The Hill School-backed neighborhood development group, is launching a pilot program designed to help residents buy homes in the around surrounding the school.

Called the The Hobart’s Run Homeownership Incentive Program, it is aimed at helping homebuyers cover closing costs on homes purchased as primary residences in the Hobart’s Run neighborhood in Pottstown. 

The program will award approved applicants a forgivable loan of $5,000 toward closing costs, starting this fall. 

Eligible applicants for this program must purchase a home within Pottstown’s Hobart’s Run district, which consists of approximately 600 parcels in the borough within Queen Street in the south; North Adams on the west; Beech, Grant, and Jackson streets on the north; and Keim Street on the east. 

The successful applicant must maintain primary residence in the home until the loan is forgiven.

Twila Fisher

The applicant does not need to be a first-time homebuyer in order to be eligible for these funds, but may not have owned another home within the past two years and must be moving from a rental situation in the borough and into Hobart’s Run homeownership.  

Funds from the rental of a home recently renovated by Hobart’s Run and now occupied will be utilized to provide more HIP forgivable loans.

“While not a panacea, there is substantial research showing a tie between increasing homeownership and improved community stability,” Twila Fisher, director of community and economic development for Hobart’s Run and The Hill School, said in a release announcing the program. 

 “Homeownership often offers not only tangible economic benefits to families but also strengthens entire communities, through means ranging from increased civic participation of the owners, to enhanced property maintenance and improvements," Fisher said in the release.

“The HIP program serves the Hobart’s Run mission to help make Hobart’s Run – and all of Pottstown – ‘clean and green,’ safe, and inclusive -- and, of course, to encourage homeownership,” Fisher said. “By strengthening this neighborhood, we hope to inspire additional revitalization efforts throughout the town.”

PROCESS AND LOAN TERMS

Applicants will need to fill out the Hobart’s Run HIP application and other related documentation. Interested parties should email hobartsrun.pottstown@gmail.com or call Fisher at 610-705-1016 to receive details and a copy of the application.

All completed application packages will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis at Hobart’s Run, c/o 860 Beech St., Pottstown, PA 19464 or the above email address.

The applicant’s mortgage loan may not exceed $250,000 and must be issued by a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac approved lender. The buyer must contribute at least $500 toward the home purchase and, as stated, must use the property as a principal residence at least until the loan is fully forgiven. The $5,000 is forgivable at the rate of $1,000 per year over five years.

Prior to settlement, the buyer must agree to attend a driving tour and short presentation about Hobart’s Run as well as a two-hour homeownership and financial literacy class.

“Learning about and embracing our neighborhood is an important aspect of our focus as a community-building organization,” says Cathy Skitko, Senior Director of Hobart’s Run Communications. “We would love to see more new homeowners and other new residents participating in Hobart’s Run block clean-ups and other neighborhood and Pottstown events.”

Closing on the property must occur within 90 days of acceptance into the HIP program.

The loan will be recorded with the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds as a lien on the property until it is fully forgiven. At that time, a loan forgiveness certificate will be issued to the homeowner and the Recorder of Deeds office will be notified of loan completion. If the buyer defaults on these restrictions, the loan will be due immediately and must be paid in full.

This program was developed using Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) procedural guidelines.

The HIP initiative is one of numerous ‘clean and green’ and safety enhancement programs implemented by Hobart’s Run. A few examples include block clean-ups and an “Adopt-a-Trashcan” effort; support of Edgewood Cemetery’s restoration and maintenance; installation of  security cameras in the Borough; acquisition of a DCED grant to install streetlights and repair sidewalks in the 600 and 700 blocks of Beech Street (with work scheduled to begin soon); the launch of a Façade Improvement Grant (FIG) program (pending as Hobart’s Run finalizes documentation); renovation of two distressed properties; and collaboration with investors to promote private real estate activity.

Hobart’s Run also partners with other organizations and leads numerous other initiatives to encourage business development and support healthy, Pottstown community-wide events.

A 501(c)(3), the Hobart's Run neighborhood initiative was officially launched by The Hill School in 2016 to work with residents and property owners to revitalize the neighborhood through projects that create a clean, safe, and inclusive community; provide incentives for home ownership and home improvements; and generate positive, sustainable commercial and retail development. 

Testing Student Ideas for Pottstown Improvements

This year's Pottstown Area Social Innovations Lag participants outside the Hobart's Run office.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by The Hill School/Hobart's Run.

Fourteen students from the Hobart’s Run-sponsored Pottstown Area Social Innovations Lab (PASIL) pitched six different ideas addressing Pottstown issues with hopes of benefitting our community. The group was comprised of students from The Hill School and Pottstown High School ranging in age from 15 to 18.

Their proposals were presented during a “shark tank” style event May 16 hosted at the Hobart’s Run office as the culmination of the seven-week PASIL program led by Twila Fisher, director of community and economic development for The Hill School and Hobart’s Run.

A proposal to improve transportation in Pottstown.

Fisher kicked off the event with a short introduction to PASIL, which has been funded in part through a two-year grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation. Fisher noted that the students worked on the projects in their after-school hours. The Hill students were participants in the School’s afternoon community service program, and the Pottstown students were invited through an online application shared with the community.

Among the audience of 25 invited community leaders, seven judges took their seats at the front to score each presentation in five categories. Each project required a preliminary budget and a specific “ask,” and no pitch could last longer than five minutes.

The judging was based on categories including mission statement, social innovation (or how well the project would creatively address a social need), the governance structure of the proposed entity, budget, and the effectiveness or “salability” of the speeches and PowerPoint presentations. 

The judges also put the students on the spot by peppering them with questions.

A small business website for Pottstown 

was the contest winner.

While all the teams earned the respect of the spectators, the top-ranked project proposed an online small business directory for borough restaurants, retail shops, entertainment spaces, and job listings. 

Shuyi Jin, the team leader and presenter and a sixth form/senior Hill student from China, shared how difficult it was for both him and his parents to find stores and restaurants when they first came to Pottstown four years ago. 

As Pottstown continues its path to revitalization, having a “one-stop shop” online presence for local businesses would be mutually helpful.

The second-highest scoring project was “Dilanto,” an e-commerce site created to bring money into

The Dilanto project is presented.

the Hobart’s Run programming budget -- with all funds then flowing back into the community through Hobart’s Run’s façade improvement program, block cleanups, and streetscape improvements.

Taking third place was the “Pottstown Food Co-op,” a small business idea that would offer affordable access to locally grown fruits and vegetables for residents in the area of the 400 block of E. High Street.

Other team projects included a survey that will serve as a resource for local groups dedicated to meeting demand for better transportation; a children’s art project at the Olivet BGC/Ricketts Center; and “Mindset,” a student-led, college counseling and essay-writing program for high school juniors applying to college.

The Ricketts art project proposal.

The seven judges came from various professional backgrounds, all with a shared interest in Pottstown. 

Hobart’s Run thanks Dan Price, director of Mosaic Community Land Trust Gardens; Dr. Elliot Menkowitz, retired orthopedic surgeon, real estate investor and entrepreneur; Heather Gelting, human resource director for The Hill School; Howard Brown, program officer for the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation; Keith Costello, senior IT Manager for IBM and a Pottstown residential and commercial real estate developer; Ken Trusty, camp manager for the YWCA; and Mike Vaughan, finance and business consultant and the former COO of Venmo (and a Hill graduate, class of 1993).

“Cities across the globe have integrated social innovations labs into their urban fabric, often with measurable results,” Fisher said. “As Pottstown continues to find resourceful methods to help it rebuild, making room for a think tank-style lab made sense here, too.”

The next group of new Hill and Pottstown PASIL participants will begin their think tank work after the summer, perhaps building on these ideas, or coming up with their own pursuits.

“It was great to see the variety of ideas that came out of this cohort,” Fisher said. “The focus was more on social impact than small business -- and all of them were passionately directed toward contributing something lasting to a town they love: Pottstown,” said Fisher.

She welcomes feedback from Pottstown’s entrepreneurs and investors – not to mention financial backing and other insights and support — for any of the ideas presented.

Fisher has worked with The Hill School to design curriculum for an Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise elective course that will be offered at the School in the upcoming academic year (2019-2020). Fisher will teach the course with strong support from Michael Vaughan and several notable Hill alumni from the business and social impact worlds. With this elective in place as a prototype, Fisher will work with Montgomery County Community College and Pottstown High School to create similar courses that future PASIL participants can take for credit.

Efforts Making Progress at Edgewood Cemetery

Edgewood Cemetery is currently being maintained by volunteers and a non-profit fundraising effort.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Cathy L. Skitko, senior Director of Institutional Public Relations and Hobart’s Run Communications

With the arrival of spring, it won’t be long until the grass at Edgewood Cemetery in the 900 block of East High Street in Pottstown again is growing and the historic cemetery’s 12 acres are in need of maintenance. 

Cemetery volunteers are looking for citizens to lend a hand at a community clean-up and beautification day on Saturday, April 13, beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until about 1 p.m. Some tools and gloves will be available, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. 

As many know, the cemetery was abandoned around 2012 – and since then a nonprofit board has been working to raise funds and find volunteers to keep this resting place maintained. 

In October 2018, the first “Stop Complaining and Start Caring About Edgewood” community clean-up day was held, resulting in more than 100 volunteers coming out to mow, rake, plant flowers, and bag debris. As part of that heartwarming effort, an anonymous donor pledged $2,500 if his pledge could be matched.

Roadside fundraising for Edgewood Cemetery.

In fact, $3,800 was raised by early November, largely through small checks, raffle prize sales during the clean-up on Oct. 20, and change collected by philanthropic passers-by.

The Edgewood Cemetery board and Hobart’s Run are thrilled to formally announce that the pledge was happily paid by the previously anonymous donor, Harlan “Bud” Wendell, a resident of Menlo Park, Calif.

He is a Hill School graduate of the class of 1942 and father of two other Hill graduates, Harlan Wendell ’69 and David Wendell ’71; brother of two Hill graduates, James ’35 and John ’36; and uncle of three graduates, James ’73, Jonathan ’75, and John ’64, several of whom have contributed to the cemetery projects. 

Bud and his two brothers are the sons of former Hill Headmaster James I. Wendell, who led the School from 1928-1952, and whose wife, Marjorie (Potts) Wendell, was a member of the seventh generation descendant of the founder of Pottstown, John Potts. Mr. Bud Wendell’s father, mother, and brother James are buried at Edgewood.

Despite the distance from Pottstown to his California home, Bud wished to make an impact and spark additional commitment to the cemetery from our local community members – as clearly was accomplished through his pledge.

“The Edgewood Cemetery Board, Hobart’s Run, and The Hill School are providing strong leadership for community interests,” Wendell said. “There might be many people living in the Pottstown area who have family members resting at Edgewood Cemetery and would provide modest challenge contributions to the ongoing annual maintenance and refurbishing program now and in the future, making Edgewood a treasured and honored place in the community.”

Needless to say, the all-volunteer cemetery board and its supporters want to help inform the community of this shared vision.

Volunteers clean up around the Edgewood Cemetery flagpole.

“On behalf of the Edgewood Cemetery Board, I express our heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Wendell for his generosity, as well as our gratitude to him, Hobart’s Run, and Hill for helping re-energize the Pottstown community’s interest in both maintaining and beautifying this important and historic part of our town,” said Andrew Monastra, president of the Board. 

“We still have a lot of work to do, but, thanks to Mr. Wendell’s gift and the contributions of others, we have a great start toward building a fund to maintain the grounds this coming season, and we are making plans for additional events and fundraisers.

“Our goal is to ensure that Edgewood Cemetery is a self-sustaining entity, and a beautiful place where all citizens can spend time in reflection,” Monastra added. “We would like to not only ensure that the grass is always mowed, but also that we can enhance the grounds with plantings, benches, and so forth.”

To that end, gifts (as well as volunteers) are essential and encouraged at any time. 

Another volunteer cemetery effort is planned for April 13.

Friends can send a check made out to Edgewood Historic Cemetery, Inc. to 740 E. High St., Pottstown, PA 19464. Individuals seeking more information about the clean-up and future community-wide events supporting Edgewood can contact Andrew Monastra at amonastra@wolfbaldwin.com or 610-323-7436. 

Please note that the spring clean-up on April 13 will not feature food or raffles, although events similar to the big fall 2018 event likely will be planned again in the future. The Board always welcomes additional ideas for fundraisers and support!

The Edgewood clean-up will run in tandem with the Spring Pottstown CARES Day in which Hill School, Pottstown High School, and Montgomery County Community College students volunteer not only at the cemetery but with Habitat for Humanity at their local restoration sites; at a community garden at Barth Elementary School; and at ongoing home renovation projects in Hobart’s Run that will provide rental housing to local residents and use the proceeds to fund additional community improvements.

Hill Students Lend Hand in Hobart's Run Rehab

Photos Courtesy of Hobart's Run

Hill arts instructor Ellen Nelson, far left, and Hobart’s Run’s Director of Community and Economic Development Twila Fisher, embraced the volunteer efforts of numerous students who pitched in to help paint a house Hobart’s Run is rehabilitating.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Hobart's Run.

A group of Hill School students, faculty members, and a Hill parent volunteer picked up paint brushes and rollers on a recent Saturday as part of an ongoing project to rehab a house at 59 Edgewood St. in Pottstown.

The house – which was facing foreclosure – was purchased by The Hill School for the Hobart’s Run initiative. Hobart’s Run is working to improve the abandoned property, using volunteers as much as possible in order to keep its costs low.

Hill students Aleksandr Glamazdin, of Moscow, Russia, 

and Yoseph Kim, of Seoul, South Korea, wanted to give back
to Pottstown, their home-away-from-home, by helping
with the  Hobart’s Run house rehab project.

After enhancing this structure, Hobart’s Run will rent the home to someone who wants to live in the neighborhood and, ideally, walk to work.

Another “win” is that the rental income will be directed back into the Hobart’s Run community in some form, which could range from façade improvements to other programming benefitting families in the neighborhood.

Another big gain: The taxes on this property had been delinquent, but the house will remain on the Borough and Pottstown School District tax rolls and all taxes will be paid through The Hill School.

Hobart’s Run also is planning a similar rehab-to-rental project on a home at 702 Walnut St. 

Here is a video about the project:

Hobart's Run welcomes contributions to these efforts to improve the neighborhood while generating funds to help Hobart’s Run sustain its operations and give back to the community – and volunteers who can wield a paint brush or a broom or help with other home repairs are greatly appreciated. 

For more information contact Twila Fisher at tfisher@thehill.org or Cathy Skitko atcskitko@thehill.org.

The next work day will be from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26 – although the location may change to the Walnut Street home.

A 501(c)(3) formed in May 2017, Hobart's Run works with its residents and property owners to revitalize the neighborhood through projects that create a clean, safe, and inclusive community; provide incentives for home ownership and home improvements; and generate positive, sustainable commercial and retail development. While initially addressing an area of approximately 600 parcels in Pottstown (Queen Street in the south, North Adams on the west, Beech, Grant, and Jackson on the north, and Keim Street on the east), Hobart’s Run strives to use successes in this focus area to spark and support revitalization throughout the Borough. Please find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @hobartsrun!

New Hill Scholarship is for Pottstown Postgraduates

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by The Hill School.

Hobart’s Run and The Hill School are pleased to announce creation of The Hobart’s Run Scholarship Fund. This gift will provide substantial student aid to a student from the immediate Pottstown area who wishes to attend The Hill for a post-graduate year.

The Fund’s generous donors, who wish to remain anonymous, have stated that the ideal Hobart’s Run Scholar will demonstrate interest and participation in civic and social responsibility and/or community service and, in particular, in the mission and work of the Hobart’s Run neighborhood and Pottstown improvement initiative.

Hill’s post-graduate program is designed for candidates seeking to strengthen their academic preparation before entering college. Post-graduate participants are required to live on campus and therefore benefit from living away from home, with more freedoms and responsibilities, before joining a college community. 

This opportunity allows young men and young women to pursue higher level courses and improve

The Hill School.

upon athletic, artistic, and other endeavors while enjoying our diverse community and growing in terms of maturity. Each year Hill enrolls 14 to 16 post-graduates from across the country and around the world.

The Hobart’s Run Scholar will be selected by Hill’s Admission Office in consultation with the Headmaster.

Interested candidates must submit a completed application by Jan. 31 and schedule an interview with a Hill admission officer. 

Additional information is available on The Hill’s website, which also includes direction regarding the required admission test options.

“We are so grateful to the donors and excited to be able to offer this scholarship to a highly motivated, talented student from the Pottstown area,” said Thomas Eccleston IV, Hill ’87, assistant headmaster for enrollment management, who noted that substantial financial aid is given each year to local students enrolled in the third form (freshman) through sixth form (senior) years. 

Interested families may contact Eccleston at teccleston@thehill.org.

A 501(c)(3), Hobart's Run works with its residents and property owners to revitalize the neighborhood through projects that create a clean, safe, and inclusive community; provide incentives for home ownership and home improvements; and generate positive, sustainable commercial and retail development. While initially addressing an area of approximately 600 parcels in Pottstown (Queen Street in the south, North Adams on the west, Beech, Grant, and Jackson on the north,
and Keim Street on the east), Hobart’s Run strives to use successes in this focus area to spark and support revitalization throughout the Borough. 

For more information about Hobart’s Run, please find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @hobartsrun.

Hill Students Help Gauge Health of the Schuylkill

Photos courtesy of the Schuylkill River Greenway.s

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Schuylkill River Greenways.

Schuylkill River Greenways has teamed up with The Hill School for water quality testing and education.

SRG Education Coordinator Sarah Crothers went out with students on Oct. 31 and tested the Schuylkill River at Towpath Park in East Coventry.

They tested for turbidity, conductivity, oxygen levels, temperature, and more.

Environmental Science students put on waders and got in the water to get samples.

Dave Ressler of the Stroud Water Research Center came out and spoke to the students about elements that can be found in the river and the impact.

The center installed a Mayfly water quality monitoring device by the river at Towpath. 

This cool looking device examines the same elements the students were doing by hand. 

It's powered by the sun and every 5 minutes the data is transferred to a website for real-time results.

Hill Hosting Free Concert by Broadway Composer

Jason Robert Brown

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by The Hill School.

The public is invited to a concert by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 in The Hill School’s Center For The Arts, 760 Beech St., Pottstown.

“Broadway at The Hill, Jason Robert Brown Live in Concert!” is offered free of charge through special arrangement by Chris McGriff, The Hill’s Director of the Center For The Arts and Instructor of Theater. Theater and music-lovers are warmly invited to this exciting and intimate event.

Guests will join Brown for an up-close and personal look into his career on Broadway, from his humble beginnings to his creation of Tony Award-winning hits such as “Songs for a New World” (recently staged by Hill’s student Ellis Theatre Guild), “The Last Five Years,” and Tony Award-winning “Parade” – not to mention his Tony-Award winning score for “The Bridges of Madison County,” among other triumphs.

The internationally renowned Brown will sing some of his iconic songs, as well as works from his new album, “How We React and How We Recover,” and possibly some new works in development.

McGriff, whose career as a director and producer has included work in theater in several Broadway and off-Broadway houses, has directed many singers chosen by Brown for various cabaret concerts and staged readings.

“Jason and I have a lot of mutual friends,” McGriff said regarding this unique performance event here in Pottstown. “The Broadway community is very small and tight, so we all know each other if only through others in the Broadway family; it’s always two degrees of separation.

“We’re thrilled that Jason will so generously share this musical and educational opportunity not only with Hill students and families, but with anyone from the region who wants to meet him and enjoy his amazing musical genius,” McGriff said. “This will be the opportunity of a lifetime, and well worth the trip to Pottstown!”

Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Stop Complaining and Start Caring About Edgewood

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Hobart's Run

On Saturday, Oct. 20, Edgewood Historic Cemetery will hold a community-wide “Stop Complaining, Start Caring for Edgewood Cemetery Day” beginning at 9 a.m. and running until about 3 p.m.

This event is being planned with Hobart’s Run and Pottstown CARES organizers. The rain date will be Saturday, Oct. 27.

Pottstown citizens are encouraged to volunteer at the 12-acre cemetery for a few hours or the whole day, by raking, weed-whacking, mowing, planting flowers, and participating in other improvement projects while learning about the cemetery and its fascinating background from local historians.

Unfortunately, the cemetery, created in 1862, has not had an official individual owner since the 1930s. The individual who had been serving as caretaker essentially abandoned the cemetery around 2012. Since then, a volunteer nonprofit board has attempted to raise funds, keep the grass mowed, and conduct other maintenance, but there is no doubt that increased and sustained efforts must continue to achieve restoration ranging from resetting tombstones to clearing debris and maintaining pathways.

Hobart’s Run and CARES are assisting Edgewood Historic Cemetery, Inc. volunteers with ongoing planning for this “bring your own tools” grounds improvement effort on Oct.20. Hobart’s Run recently made a $5,000 donation toward Edgewood grounds maintenance – one of several contributions Hill has made since the cemetery’s abandonment -- but, to sustain this community resting place, there is a tremendous, ongoing need for volunteers and financial contributions from throughout Pottstown.

Although plans still are being finalized, organizers expect to have a “bucket brigade” of volunteers collecting essential donations from passing vehicles and pedestrians. There also will be an opportunity to share ideas for physical improvements, financial sustainability and fundraisers, and volunteer coordination.

Refreshments will be available; the committee also invites participants to bring food donations to share in fellowship with other concerned citizens. Also, volunteers should bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket if desired.

All are welcome to participate on Oct. 20, from creative master gardeners to weekend warrior weed-whackers and friends who can rake, sweep, or dig.

Andrew Monastra and his wife, Sue, have been doing the lion’s share of physical work at the

cemetery, with help from a landscaping company hired through the Hobart’s Run donation and other contributions.

“As a community, we need to come together on this issue,” Monastra said at a recent presentation at the Pottstown Historical Society, where local historian Michael Snyder shared a fascinating illustrated lecture about the cemetery and the people buried there. 

“This is a shared, Pottstown community-wide concern. The cemetery belongs to all of us who care about how we are treating the people who are interred there as well as those who care about what the condition of Edgewood says about Pottstown as a whole. Eventually, we need a long-term plan for Edgewood to be self-sustaining, but in the meantime, we need volunteers who consistently help with maintenance; we also need lawn mowing equipment, and money that can be used to provide the means to care for the grounds,” Monastra added. 

“We’d like to not only keep the grass mowed; we’d like to create beautiful garden spaces for meditation. But a few volunteers cannot do it all. We greatly appreciate the help we are receiving from The Hill School and Hobart’s Run, and we also know this cemetery belongs to all of Pottstown, and all of Pottstown should be stepping up,” he said.

Cathy Skitko, senior director of institutional public relations and Hobart’s Run communications, notes that Hobart’s Run is enthusiastically helping with the event on Oct. 20 as well as ongoing Edgewood improvement efforts. She agrees that care for Edgewood must be shared by the Pottstown community. Skitko recently joined the Board of Edgewood Historic Cemetery.

“The cemetery falls within the boundaries of our Hobart’s Run neighborhood improvement area,” she said, “and Hobart’s Run and The Hill School want to see it restored and maintained, as demonstrated through our financial gifts and other support to date.

“However, The Hill’s resources must be committed, first and foremost, to its educational mission,” she continued. “The School is willing to be involved with the cemetery as a member of the Pottstown community, but serving as the sole caretaker of a cemetery in perpetuity, as some residents have suggested, is outside our mission and not the reason the School receives funds from students’ parents and alumni,” she explained.

“Nonetheless, we are committed to helping Edgewood Historic Cemetery as a community partner, and we look forward to seeing Edgewood gain support for their excellent efforts,” she added. “Hobart’s Run is addressing a range of priorities that include fostering a clean, safe, and inclusive neighborhood and encouraging positive residential and commercial improvements. We are investing significant efforts toward assisting Edgewood, raising awareness of this community issue, and embracing this collaboration with Andrew and other caring Pottstown citizens, much as we do through a variety of other Hobart’s Run partnerships.”

Friends who would like to search a list to see if loved ones might be buried in Edgewood can do so through the inventory provided at this link. 

Tax-deductible contributions to the maintenance fund are greatly needed and appreciated (information below). Individuals who would like to volunteer for this community engagement endeavor, engage in regular caretaking, and/or make a tax-deductible gift should contact Andrew Monastra at amonastra@wolfbaldwin.com or 610-323-7436. 

Financial contributions can be made to Edgewood Historic Cemetery, Inc. and mailed to 740 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA 19464.

The organization also would welcome donations of working equipment such as lawn tractors, mowers, and weed-whackers, as well as hand tools. They would especially welcome donation of a 360-degree turning mower as well as funds toward purchasing such equipment. Please contact Andrew at the above address to inquire about making such donations.

Sixth Annual Pottstown CARES Clean-Up is Set for Sept. 22, More Caring to Come in Coming Weeks

Volunteers from a previous Pottstown CARES gather before the townwide clean-up.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by PottstownCARES

This year’s Pottstown CARES fall clean-up will be held Saturday, Sept. 22, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.  

Also, several other CARES and Hobart’s Run-related projects are in the works, including an Historic Edgewood Cemetery community-wide clean-up and volunteer engagement event on Saturday, Oct. 20 (see more below).

The fall CARES clean-up event has again been registered as a Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and Intercoastal Cleanup event. Debris bags, gloves, and safety vests are provided for volunteers by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and PennDOT.

Here is a glimpse at upcoming activities connected to CARES and Hobart’s Run co-endeavors:

 On Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Trinity Reformed Church of Christ, 60 N. Hanover St., there will be a “Common Threads” youth clothing boutique that will donate free, gently used clothing to middle and high school students in Pottstown. Trinity is partnering with CARES students for this event. Pizza and soda will be provided to “shoppers,” as well as music; this event will be a student “mixer” as well.

 Fall clean-up Saturday, Sept. 22, 8:30-10:30 a.m. A group including about 600 Hill students and faculty will pick up litter in the Hobart’s Run area, roughly bordered by Keim, Queen, Adams, and Jackson Streets; tend to a section of Historic Edgewood Cemetery; work in the downtown; assist with projects at Pottstown’s community gardens on Walnut Street and at the Olivet Boys’ and Girls’

Club/Rickett’s Center; pick up litter along Armand Hammer Blvd., Hill’s “Adopt a Highway” road; and work on rehabilitating a home at 702 Walnut St..

Pottstown High School athletics teams will focus on the area from Pottstown Middle School to the Redner’s market and the YMCA to Charlotte Street.

 The year the Pottstown CARES fall clean-up day will culminate with a CARES Activity Night that is being organized by Hill and Pottstown High School students for area youths and families.

The Activity Night will be held Saturday, Sept. 22 from approximately 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Hill School’s Lehrman Pavilion at the Far Fields and will feature snacks, music, games, and other kids’ activities such as face-painting.

 At the Activity Night on Sept. 22, The Hill School and Pottstown School District’s student-led

Hobart’s Run Student Leadership Committee will kick off local participation in World of Change, an international nonprofit that facilitates the collection of pocket change that in turn donates 100 percent of the proceeds to Pottstown charities designated by the students involved in this endeavor. 

The charities fall under “bucket” areas of housing, food security, education, financial literacy, health and wellness, and children’s play/discovery. World of Change was founded by Matt Hoidal, a Maine-based Hill School alumnus from the Class of ’90 who is committed to engaging youths in understanding citizenship and the potential they have to make an impact in their towns and throughout the world. 

The literacy “bucket” change collected through the World of Change drive will be applied toward buying children’s Winnie the Pooh books that student Pottstown CARES and Hobart’s Run leaders will hand out to kids during the Pottstown Halloween Parade on Oct. 23. 

The students are planning to march with a literacy-promotion themed “float.”

 On Saturday, Oct. 20, Historic Edgewood Cemetery will hold a community-wide “Stop Complaining, Start Caring for Edgewood Cemetery Day” beginning at 9 a.m. Details are being finalized, but Pottstown citizens are encouraged to volunteer at the cemetery for a few hours or the whole day, by raking, weed-whacking, mowing, and participating in other planning and improvement projects while learning about the cemetery and its rich local history.

Refreshments will be available; the committee also encourages participants to bring food donations to share in fellowship with other concerned citizen volunteers. Hobart’s Run and CARES volunteers are assisting with ongoing planning for this “bring your own tools” effort to noticeably improve the grounds. 

Through The Hill School, Hobart’s Run recently made a $5,000 donation toward Edgewood grounds maintenance – but, to sustain this community resting place, there is a tremendous and ongoing need for volunteers and financial contributions from throughout Pottstown. Individuals who would like to volunteer for this community engagement endeavor and/or make a financial contribution should contact Andrew Monastra at amonastra@wolfbaldwin.com or 610-323-7436. All are welcome, from creative master gardeners to weekend warrior weed-whackers!

 The Hill School’s Hobart’s Run and Pottstown CARES students will participate in the Pottstown Area Rapid Transit (PART) food and goods drive between Thanksgiving and Christmas to benefit the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities. Hill, along with other organizations in town, will place food and other household item collection boxes on their premises. 

PART passengers will receive a $1 fare discount if they make a food or household goods donation when they board the bus during the Take PART, Give Back campaign. In addition, for every 100 pounds of goods donated via the campaign, PART will provide 10 bus passes to the Cluster for people in need of transportation.

CARES stands for Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Empowerment, and Sustainability.

The CARES organization is a collaboration between The Hill School, the Borough of Pottstown, the Pottstown School District, Montgomery County Community College, the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce, Lowes, and, most recently, Habitat for Humanity. 

A 501(c)(3), Hobart's Run works with its residents and property owners to revitalize the neighborhood through projects that create a clean, safe, and inclusive community; provide incentives for home ownership and home improvements; and generate positive, sustainable commercial and retail development. While initially addressing an area of approximately 600 parcels in Pottstown (Queen Street in the south, North Adams on the west, Beech, Grant, and Jackson on the north, and Keim Street on the east), Hobart’s Run strives to use successes in this focus area to spark and support revitalization throughout the Borough.