Living the Message
Honoring those who show
Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love
Respect
McKeesport Area High School junior Maniya Mitchell
is a well-rounded student who is trying her best to find the
perfect balance of teenage life.
“Teenagers should be responsible – not necessarily be
grown up, but have their priorities set in life,” Maniya said.
“You can go out with your friends and have fun, but still
know what you want to be in life and what you have to do to
get there.”
Maniya truly is a typical teen, who is making good choices.
She is an honor student, who excels in algebra. When she’s
not working at the local Giant Eagle or babysitting her young
niece or cousin, she likes going to the mall or out to dinner
with friends. She describes herself as a “perfectionist,” who
enjoys challenging herself, especially when helping others.
Maniya has volunteered with the McKeesport Area High
School Interact Club and recently began helping a friend’s
mother in the football boosters program. Fellow volunteers
praised her for her determination and enthusiasm. Often
times, at Tigers football games, her role was to sell raffle
tickets, and she would storm through the stands, stir the
crowd, and encourage attendees to spend their money with
the boosters.
“I would just run around the stadium and scream,” she
laughed. “That’s not me at all. I’m not a loud person, so it
was kind of weird but definitely exciting. It felt so good to
be helping people, especially my friend’s mom, who does so
much for me.”
Maniya said helping others is a great part of life, and you’re
never too young to start helping, whether it’s at home, in
school, or in the community. She’s set on living life to the
fullest and helping as many people as she can along the way.
After high school, she wants to go to school to become an
ultrasound technician.
Living the Message
The McKeesport Message Committee, a subgroup of McKeesport Mayor Michael
Cherepko’s Select Committee on Crime and Violence, invites the public to nominate
community members who exemplify the words, “Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love.”
26
MCKEESPORT AREA
Dignity
Cindi Higdon has been through what no parent wants to
experience – the loss of a child.
On March 6, 2014, 14-year-old Alyson Higdon died after being struck
by a truck minutes after leaving Founders Hall Middle School. While
dealing with this tragic loss, Higdon was overwhelmed with support
from her friends, neighbors, and the entire McKeesport community. And
in the years since Alyson’s passing, Higdon has shown her gratitude by
sharing her wisdom with McKeesport Area students and parents.
Higdon, her 13-year-old triplets Caleb, Haylie, and Jonah, and their
extended family developed a system called Aly’s Rules – “Always
look, Listen, and Yield” – to share Alyson’s memory and keep future
generations safe. A short six months after Alyson’s death, Higdon
partnered with local police departments to make sure every
McKeesport Area student could follow Aly’s Rules. At each grade level,
teachers created age-appropriate lesson plans about pedestrian safety,
and Higdon would speak briefly with students and distributes Aly’s
Rules coloring books.
Higdon still conducts annual assemblies in McKeesport Area schools,
and this year she is partnering with Alyson’s classmates in the Class of
2018 to bring larger events to the community. In March, high school
students reached out to elementary kids. On May 8, they will take part in
a health and safety exposition at Founders Hall Middle School.
Not only is it important for Higdon to keep her daughter’s memory
alive, but she wants her tragedy to inspire awareness among others.
“Sometimes you take for granted that your kids know what to do, but
they may not,” she said. “If they continue to be reminded, hopefully they
will stop and think.”
Higdon has distributed bracelets, reflectors, and other reminder
tools for pedestrian safety. Her family is working with the McKeesport
police and public works departments to place Aly’s Rules signs at local
school bus stops. Anyone interested in sponsoring a sign can email
[email protected].
McKeesporters of all ages – from youth volunteers to senior citizens – display
characteristics of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love on a daily basis in our community.
Whether through organizing community activities or offering a helping hand to
those in need, everyday people are doing their part to make our city a better place. If
we look within our schools, our neighborhoods, our churches and our service