Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: The summer edition of the Olympic Games gets underway today in Paris, and five different athletes from this region are among the 10,000 athletes who will be competing over the next 16 days. One of those athletes is Josh Matheny, a 2021 graduate of Upper St. Clair High School and currently a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. A story that appeared in the Observer-Reporter and detailed just how much dedication it took for Matheny to earn a spot on the swimming team the United States is sending to Paris. Even before he entered high school, Matheny’s parents and coaches thought he had Olympic potential, and his mother, Kristin Matheny, remembered that no one had to rouse him out of bed for workouts early in the morning, or arm-twist him to lift weights. Kristin Matheny said, “He was always ready to go, and no matter how tired he was or how challenging he knew a practice would be, he always went. Josh is a very, very focused kid.” Everyone should be cheering for Matheny’s success.
Jeers: The Washington chapter of the Kiwanis Club has been around for more than 100 years, and in that time provided numerous scholarships, had a pavilion built in Washington Park and had a hard-to-miss clock installed on the corner of Main and Beau streets in downtown Washington. But the curtain will be coming down on the Washington Kiwanis at the end of September thanks to declining membership. There are only a handful left, compared to more than 100 in 2000. The decline of the Washington Kiwanis is part of a larger trend, unfortunately. Many service organizations, such as the Kiwanis, Optimists and Jaycees, have seen the number of participants fall in recent years. Some have been unable to fully rebound following COVID-19, and others have struggled because members are aging or have found other ways to network. Still, communities will be missing out if these service organizations, and their volunteer work, completely disappear.
Cheers: Filling out forms of any kind can be a bang-your-head-against-a-wall kind of experience, and that has particularly been the case for students and their families seeking federal student aid. In recent months, students have encountered processing delays after they have filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), while others have encountered aggravating data errors. This has resulted in FAFSA reaching completion levels that have been described as “crisis-low.” And FAFSA is the only way to get federal, state and most institutional aid in Pennsylvania. To try to offer some assistance to frustrated students, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced last week that it is teaming up with the national nonprofit uAspire to create a help desk that will assist students across the commonwealth with the form. Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin explained, “Over the summer months, students can’t just stop by a school counselor’s office after school to ask questions about the FAFSA – that’s where this help desk comes in…” The help desk is available by texting 313-PA-FAFSA (313-723-2372). A student can then receive support through a scheduled phone call or virtual advising session.