The St. Marys High School hosted the annual Elk-Cameron Regional Post Secondary/College Fair on September 25th.  Students from St. Marys, Ridgway, Johnsonburg, ECC and Cameron County schools participated in the event. Several vendors stayed after school for a parent session.  Over 30 vendors such as Colleges, Trade Schools, Military and State Police were on hand to talk to students about post secondary opportunities available to them. Students received information on admissions procedures, costs of attending, financial aid available, housing options, programs offered and much more.  This is an important step for students as they are planning for life after high school.  Students were encouraged to follow up with contacts they made and to attend an upcoming open house at the campuses to learn more. Vendors that attended were pleased with the student turnout and reported that students were “engaged, pleasant and asked great questions”.  This event was coordinated by the Community Education Center's (CEC) DISCOVER Partnership and sponsored in part by The Stackpole-Hall Foundation, Workforce Solutions for North Central PA and The MEE Foundation. Additional upcoming opportunities for students and parents include Financial Aid Night on October 16th at 6:00PM at the St.Marys High School and FAFSA Training on October 22nd at 3:00 and 5:00 at the CEC.  Contact the CEC at 781-3437 for details.

The Community Education Center’s Leadership Elk & Cameron Program welcomed its 12th Class this month. The welcome reception was held at the Fox Township Firemen’s Club & Social Hall in Kersey on September 11th. The event was sponsored, in part, by Northwest Bank. The first monthly session followed on September 12th at the Flying Dove Ranch in Ridgway. The ten month program is aimed at educating its participants in the strengths and weaknesses of Elk and Cameron Counties in order to develop informed, civic oriented volunteers to help direct the future of the region. 
This month’s first session focused on assessing the individual participants’ personality and leadership styles; team building activities; and communication strategies for working with diverse personalities. Terry Hinton, Advising Coordinator for Penn State Dubois led the session. In addition, Jonathan Johnson, Senior Staff Analyst for the Center for Rural PA, provided a presentation on the demographic and economic trends of the region. Six nonprofit agencies also presented their community improvement projects to the participants: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jefferson, Elk and McKean Counties, Boys and Girls Club of St. Marys, Ridgway Animal Haven, St. Marys Heritage Preservation Group, Elk County Council On the Arts, and the Elk County Community Foundation. Lunch was sponsored by Advantage Metal Powders.
The 2018-2019 Leadership Elk & Cameron participants are sponsored by their employers which include: St. Marys Area High School, Northern PA Regional College, Clarion Sintered Metals, Elk County Veterinary Clinic, LEDVANCE, Horizon Technology, Johnsonburg Borough, Cameron County Magisterial District, Johnsonburg Library, Dickinson Center, Assured Testing Services, City of St. Marys, Penn State DuBois, Penn Highlands Elk Community Nurses, Allegheny Coatings, Domtar, Ridgway Main Street Program, and Northwest Bank.
More information about the program can be found at www.communityedcenter.com, or by contacting the CEC at (814) 781-3437.