EWCTC students craft photo frames for Westmoreland County parks

Picture yourself in a Westmoreland County park this summer during Westmoreland's historic 250th anniversary celebration.

Metal photo frames made by Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center students have been placed in six different parks around the county, and visitors are encouraged to snap a photo with the frame and post it to social media with the #Westmoreland250 hashtag. The locations are:

The anniversary planning committee, made up of county employees along with staff from GO Laurel Highlands and the Westmoreland Historical Society, sought ways to include as many organizations as possible for all projects and celebrations.

"We wanted to create a landmark for residents and visitors to enjoy, not only this year, but in many years to come," said Jessica Petrovich, director of Discover Westmoreland. "We hope that residents and visitors alike will visit all six metal photo frames, especially throughout the summer months, and take the time to enjoy the gorgeous county parks that we are blessed with here in Westmoreland County. Each photo frame creates a beautiful backdrop for a picture, and we encourage folks to pose with the frames and capture some great memories."

Inspiration for the frames came from an installation at Touchstone Center for Crafts in Fayette County. Dean Simpson, marketing manager at Touchstone, provided information to guide the initial design process for the Westmoreland 250 frames.

Petrovich approached Keith Tuk, the welding technology instructor at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in Derry Township, about the project. Tuk and his teaching assistant, Roy Schmucker, took an immediate interest in the project.

"This area is rich in history, and this is a good way to celebrate that," Tuk said. "This makes (the students) proud that they’re doing something that they can go and see."

The project aligns perfectly with Eastern Westmoreland's mission, according to Todd Weimer, the school's administrative director.

"Any opportunity that our kids have to take the skills that they’re learning here and apply them in a real-world setting, that's a huge win," Weimer said. "Community-based work provides that opportunity for all of our kids."

Schmucker procured material from a generous Westmoreland County supplier, who wishes to remain anonymous, and he also oversaw the complex cutting of the material and design work, both of which required specialized equipment. EWCTC purchased some minor supplies and was reimbursed with celebration funds.

The design process began earlier this year, and juniors in the welding technology program completed work on the frames, which involved the welding and manipulation of the materials to create the final product, in about two weeks.

"It's a pretty simple piece, but there are a lot of little details that go into it, like grinding out the corners so it's not sharp and it looks cleaner," said Paige Luttner, one of the students who worked on the frames.

Brandon Simpson, director of the Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation Department, helped determine the most appropriate locations for the six available frames. The parks department then installed the frames.

"Everyone – from the staff, faculty and students at EWCTC, to the staff at Westmoreland Parks and Recreation, to the 250th anniversary planning committee – is beyond proud of the final product," Petrovich said.

Log In

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!

We have transitioned to a new user-friendly interactive website. You will need an account and a subscription to see the site in its entirety.

HOME DELIVERY subscribers get online access for free with their subscription. If you are a home delivery subscriber, create a new account and follow the directions to validate your home delivery subscription.

If you were a previous ONLINE ONLY subscriber, you should have received an email with directions on how to log in. If you are still experiencing issues contact us at [email protected].

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.