Health, wellness and fun promoted during Fox Chapel Area School District safety event

Rain did not dampen the spirits of Fox Chapel Area School District families as dozens of them participated in the annual safety, health and wellness day in Aspinwall.

The borough parking lot along Commercial Avenue was packed with first responders from district municipalities and school resource officers for the May 11 event.

Children participated in various games and an obstacle course. Some also took home new bicycles, helmets and other prizes.

District officials brought the mobile Fab Lab with 3D printers, vinyl cutters and other devices. Children engraved new plates for their bicycles as part of the activities.

Kindergartner Maddie Townsend, 5, of Fox Chapel made one of those plates. She said her favorite part was dancing and getting ice cream from Millie’s Homemade Ice cream.

“In spite of the weather, it’s been a great event,” said Lauren Townsend, Maddie’s mom and co-owner of the frozen treat business with her husband, Chad. “Lot of smiling faces, lot of kids, lot of people around the community and also in the Pittsburgh area. I’ve met a lot of great folks today.

“I think it’s great that the school district partnered with local fire departments, police departments and public safety to put on this event. Community safety is a big issue. It’s a big deal, and this is a really fun way to engage with the community about a very important topic.”

Townsend also has a second grader in the district.

The event was scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The rain started around noon and came down harder as time went on.

District police Chief Joe Kozarian thanked the participants and volunteers for braving the elements and making the day a success.

“This was a great turnout this year,” he said. “This is our third year. We had rain last year. The community still came out and supported (us) and had a good time. The rain doesn’t stop people from coming out. We did do a little bit extra. We got some tents and everything for the vendors. This is one of my favorite days of the year.”

The district added a wellness component this year with Foxwall EMS staff doing health screenings, blood pressure tests and CPR demonstrations. Medical staff also spoke with visitors about ways to live healthier lifestyles.

Aspinwall firefighters brought their trucks fire safety trailer for people to explore. Foxwall and Lower Valley Ambulance Service also had their ambulances for the touch-a-truck portion of the event.

“We would much rather meet the residents of the communities in these type of environments versus the time they may need an emergency ambulance,” said Terry Anzaldi, Lower Valley Ambulance director and chief.

“In the community events we get the opportunity to speak with the residents and demonstrate the state-of-the-art equipment and they get the opportunity to meet the dedicated personnel that answer the call of duty.”

There were some healthy food options including fruits and chicken kabobs made by Shannon Santucci, the district’s resource officer who also is mayor of Arnold.

Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac said the event exemplifies two pillars of the district’s strategic vision for success, community and care.

“Care is taking care of yourself and taking care of others, and community is building a sense of a larger community,” Reljac said. “We have some new groups that are here with tables. We brought our mobile Fab Lab down with some activities for children. We’ve really expanded those exciting things along with some bouncy houses and fun and it’s at no cost to our families.”

The event is sponsored by the district and its resource officers in conjunction with the district’s municipalities — Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel and Sharpsburg boroughs and O’Hara and Indiana townships — and their police, fire and EMS departments.

Megan Collett, district executive director of instructional and innovative leadership, obtained a $25,000 grant through The Grable Foundation to help support the event, as well as a trip to Camp Guyasuta for all district fifth graders in order to help build relationships prior to middle school.