Carlyton High School's first graduating class celebrates 50th anniversary with current seniors

May 15—Phyllis Timbario remembered what it was like entering her senior year at Carlynton High School some 50 years ago.

She was from Carnegie and part of the first graduating class of the new school formed from the merger of Carnegie and Crafton school districts.

"One on hand we were getting a new school with all these bells and whistles and that was great. But we were leaving our little schools that had become like a home to most of us," Timbario said. "Add to the fact that we were going to be in class with people who had been our arch rivals, people were worried about what was going to happen that day. The clash of the first group together in September. For most of us, it was the first time we actually had to take a bus to school, and the school seemed huge."

She said police departments from both towns were also on high alert due to a lot of protests going on in the 1960s and '70s.

"The administration expected the worst," Timbario said. "They thought there would be fights and vandalism and a lot of other things."

But no shenanigans happened. Animosity and angst dissipated as time went on, new friendships were formed and the school rallied around its football team, as fellow 1971 graduate Daniel Chamberlin of Crafton explained.

"Uncertainty changed into determination," he said. "We all wanted to be our best. We started to push ourselves over the summer. You wanted to be a starter on the football team; you better practice harder. You wanted to maintain your class rank; you would take academic classes over the summer. You practiced your skills harder.

"We had two rival school districts that had to become a single entity and need to bond together as quickly as possible. We needed something in common to create this bond. The glue that created the bond was our football team and all associated activities."

The high school's name was selected via contest won by Crafton student Mary Penelope in 1969.

Carlynton represents the three communities the new district served; Carnegie, Rosslyn Farms and Crafton. Colors selected were green and gold.

Old time capsule opened

The first class formed a time capsule and packed a steel box with various documents and concealed it in limestone.

Alumni gathered at the high school five decades later on Friday afternoon to celebrate its opening with current administrators and soon-to-be graduates who helped organize the event.

However, condensation destroyed the time capsule's contents.

That didn't dampen the spirits of event attendees much as they shared memories and focused on the experiences within the walls instead of what might have been in the box.

"It's the people here today and the thousands of others who have proudly worn the gold and green, and those who've created something special that continues to be cherished and nurtured," Superintendent John Kreider said. "For over 50 years students, teachers and all members of our staff have come together and built something that far exceeds the brick and mortar of a schoolhouse or a building."

Timbario and Chamberlin did bring "artifacts" from their school days including vinyl records, a corded analog telephone, a hand bell and a Kodak camera that used film needed to be brought to a store to be developed.

New time capsule readied

Current senior class vice president Rodrigo Corral showed the items that would be placed in this year's capsule. They included masks, a photo of the school board, car keys, business cards and menus from local establishments, a calculator and a Chromebook laptop computer, among other things.

All were part of effort to show future generations tools used to get through a tumultuous year due to the covid-19 pandemic.

"This was a huge thing to bring the community together again," Rodrigo said. "Our slogan being 'Community, character and excellence,' we thought it would be fitting (to have this event). Especially with everyone being separated ... It was just great to see people coming together. That was a big factor in pushing us to do what we did here."

Senior class president Natali Lustiv said they were inspired by biology teacher William Palonis to have the program and create their own container of history.

"He's been telling us and reminding us (of the) time capsule," she said. "He showed us all these pictures of how the school was getting built, all of these artifacts, yearbooks and everything. I'm like, 'Yeah. We're going to have a time capsule.'"

Senior class officers delivered addresses during the ceremony in which they thanked the previous generations for all their hard work in helping to form the school district, as well as a look to the future.

Class secretary Gina Ulizzi talked about the founding of Carlynton, including nicknames of the previous two schools during the rivalry years, which got a chuckle from the alumni.

Senior Zachary Holderbaum lead the group in a singing of the alma mater as part of the closing ceremonies.

Guests were also given school tours that were led by current students.

Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or via Twitter .