Apollo-Ridge Learning Festival celebrates 40 years

Gavin Orvash liked seeing Apollo Ridge's head football coach holding a small alligator at Saturday's Learning Festival.

But most all, the 8-year-old from Kiski Township in the dark green T-shirt was intrigued by a potter's wheel and an artist in the gym.

"He had to go back to see this," said his mother, Jen Orvash.

Gavin intently listened to artist Ashley Worst explain how to craft pottery. And he got clay on his hands and onto his list of fun things to do.

Worst of Apollo is a 2013 Apollo-Ridge graduate who recently earned an undergraduate degree in education from Bethany College. Just like she ably did Saturday, Worst wants to teach art to children and she is searching for a job.

Gavin's brother, Breydon, 10, who said he "enjoys running most of all," closely watched the throwing of a pot. Meanwhile, the boys' sister, Ciara, 3, was industriously flattening a ball of clay, then rapidly rolling it into other shapes to suit her.

She wore a smile and look of determination as well as a bright green St. Patrick's Day dress.

In fact, there was enough green in the crowd of hundreds that the school could have been renamed O'pollo Ridge for the day to celebrate the holiday.

It was Apollo-Ridge's 40th Learning Festival sponsored by the district's Education Foundation.

The Foundation melded a craft and vendor's fair, folded in dozens of displays and active things for youth to enjoy and added food and family events to create an enjoyable afternoon for the community and outreach by the school, Apollo Ridge District Superintendent Matt Curci said.

"We appreciate the Education Foundation," he said. "I can remember coming to this as a child. It's an awesome event. It's meant a lot to our community and school and I'm very thankful for it," he said.

The Learning Festival is a "give back to the community that supports us throughout the school year," Education Foundation Vice President Chris Kostiuk said.

"We have a lot of nonprofits that come out here, set up to raise some money for their causes and get some awareness for them. And it's a way for the school to invite the public to come out to see some of the great things we are doing here for the kids," she said.

Many of the displays and hands-on learning were brought from Pittsburgh.

The Carnegie Science Center, for example, brought its Sphero Engineering Challenge.

Participants team up and are challenged to use a computer-assisted design program to create a small car, completely from scratch, using a laser cutter to cut the body and wheels of the car from a plastic foam.

Power for the car comes from a Sphero robot attached to the car, which can be controlled with a hand-held device or programmed to do what the teams want. Teams then attempt to drive their car through an obstacle course.

Chuck Biedka is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4711, cbiedka@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ChuckBiedka.