Two Denver Elementary School students enjoy activites together on a laptop computer during Digital Learning Day.Two Denver Elementary School students enjoy activites together on a laptop computer during Digital Learning Day.

The students at Denver Elementary School recently participated in the very first Digital Learning Day along with over a million other kindergarten to 12th grade students worldwide. This event was hosted by the Alliance for Excellent Education.

Digital learning is any instructional practice that is effectively using technology to strengthen the student learning experience.

The activities at Denver Elementary included digital storytelling, individualized online math practice, interactive books and iPod app instruction. In addition to Digital Learning Day, Denver Elementary School has several blended learning experiences planned for this spring, and everyone is looking forward to learning with history experts and other students who are physically located all over the world.

By: MICHELLE REIFF Review Staff mreiff.eph@lnpnews.com, Staff Writer

BC Natural Chicken will continue to occupy 1975 N. Reading Road, a taxpayer-owned site once earmarked for a community center.

The lease agreement, which was announced during the Feb. 15 East Cocalico Township supervisors meeting, will keep the meat processing facility as a municipal tenant through 2013.

"That is good news," said Noelle Fortna, township secretary. "I’m glad they decided to stay."

East and West Cocalico townships, who own the property along with Denver and Adamstown boroughs, have decided to hold onto the site during the current tough economic times. Consideration for a Cocalico Community Center has been put on hold indefinitely, although Lancaster YMCA officials recently discussed the site as a possible satellite location.

The municipalities bought the property for $3.76 million more than six years ago. Since then, they have been looking for ways to avoid taking a financial loss.

In addition to continuing to rent to BC Natural Chicken, several other actions will be taken to ensure incoming revenue.

The structural engineer has decided to repair a few items to maintain the building, including caulking, the chimney and cracked cinder blocks in the walls which seem to be moving inward due to change in temperature.

Union Barrel Works of Reamstown will host the Italian feast spring dinner to benefit KPETS-Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services on March 4 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Seating is limited seating at this five-course fundraising dinner; each course accompanied by Union Barrel Works beer (wine substitution available upon request). Tickets are $50 each or a table of eight for $375. Sponsorships are also available.

Proceeds from the event benefit KPETS, a local non-profit organization that promotes and provides free pet therapy visits to communities in hospitals, schools, libraries, hospices and long-term care facilities. Registered volunteers and their pets serve the elderly, at-risk teens, special needs children and adults and work with patients in physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapies. Funding is needed for KPETS to continue recruiting, training, screening and registering of volunteers as well as coordinating those volunteer with facilities and needs in communities, without a fee to those served.

Call KPETS at (888) 685-7387 or send an e-mail to konnections@kpets.org for tickets by Feb. 24.

John A. BitlerJohn A. Bitler

John Artz Bitler, a lifelong resident of Denver, passed away Friday, Feb. 10, 2012.

John joins his wife of nearly 60 years, Barbara J. (Mellinger), in the afterlife, who died just 17 days earlier. John was born in Denver on Dec. 21, 1926, to John P. and Minnie (Artz) Bitler and was 85 years old at the time of his death.

John enjoyed an extraordinary professional career that began at The Beryllium Corporation and culminated as vice president of environmental affairs, General Battery Corporation of Reading, a career that included authoring numerous U.S. and international patents focused on the safe and permanent removal of toxic waste from the environment. He proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II and again during the Korean Conflict as sergeant major, Headquarters, 17th Armored Cavalry Group. His three sons, Steven, Bennett and Jonathan, all followed their father’s enduring dedication to service of our nation by pursuing military careers of their own in the U.S. Air Force. John offered mentoring to several of the town’s youth, encouraging them to serve their country as a noble career choice.

By: MICHELLE REIFF Review Staff mreiff.eph@lnpnews.com, Staff Writer

A grant may be the answer to funding for West Cocalico Township’s walking trail at Chapel Gate Park.

As plans continue to move forward for the proposed nature trail in the Reinholds area park, a new revelation may lead to an increase in price, announced township manager Carolyn Friesema at the Feb. 2 board of supervisors meeting.

"Jim Caldwell (of Rettew Associates, the township’s engineering firm) said the area identified as wetlands is actually much bigger," she said. "He is making a revised plan … we need more boardwalk than we thought."

The park is located at 57 Parkview Drive in the Chapel Gate development. It currently includes a soccer field, baseball diamond, tot lot, basketball/all purpose court and pavilion. Planning has been in the works for a nature trail for some time now.

According to Friesema, the park board will decide at its February or March meeting whether or not to apply for a grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

"If we do that we would need to have more than a walking trail because we would be competing with other parks rather than other trails," said Friesema.

Tony Weachter, left, president of the Denver Orioles, presents a check for $5,000 to Steve Leed, Denver Memorial Park trustee, to assist the park in recovery from flood damage. (Photo by Preston Whitcraft)Tony Weachter, left, president of the Denver Orioles, presents a check for $5,000 to Steve Leed, Denver Memorial Park trustee, to assist the park in recovery from flood damage. (Photo by Preston Whitcraft)

This past year the Denver Memorial Park sustained major flood damage from two storms. To help with the recovery, the Denver Orioles made a donation of $5,000.

Members, neighbors and community contributed support to this effort.

Other donations made during the past year by the Orioles were $5,000 to the Denver Fire Company and $3,000 each to the Reamstown and Reinholds ambulance associations.

The 2012 officers of the Orioles are: Tony Weachter, president; Kevin Gensemer, vice president; Kevin Antol, secretary; Jeff Steinmetz, treasurer; Steve Leed, chaplain; and Erik Wolf, Chet Clair and Grant Garner, trustees.

A team from Cocalico High School is participating in district and regional levels of the 2012 Statewide Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

Pennsylvania’s mock trial program, now in its 29th year, is one of the largest in the nation.

Many teachers and lawyers are participating in the program.

During the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of the case in an actual courtroom before a judge. The students, who play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants, are assisted by teacher coaches and lawyer advisors in preparing for competition. Lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors for the mock trials. The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams’ abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments and follow court rules.

The district and regional levels of the competition will continue throughout February and March. At the conclusion of the local competitions, 12 high school mock trial teams will advance to the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships, March 30 and 31, in Harrisburg. The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held May 3 through 6 in Albuquerque, N.M.

If there is going to be a Reamstown Days celebration this year, additional volunteers are needed to help plan the event. A planning meeting has been scheduled for Leap Day, Feb. 29 in the Reamstown Community Center, 23 E. Church St., at 7 p.m.

If enough people "leap" at this opportunity to show support for a community tradition, Reamstown Days, the event will continue as in previous years, this year set for Sept. 7 and 8. provided there is sufficient interest. Call 336-5520 or send an e-mail to ken@3cat.us with questions.

The Woman’s Club of Denver will hold their next meeting on Feb. 15 at the Faith United Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. featuring the program Bead for Life. The executive board meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m.

Bead for Life is a Colorado non-profit organization who works to eradicate extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between improvised Africans and concerned world citizens. They were founded in September of 2004 by three women who had traveled to Uganda and happened to meet a woman making beads. The organization’s goal is for their members (women who want to improve their lives) to be independent of this organization by being able to support themselves within their own economy.

Bead for Life provides training for members to own their own small business. They also sponsor community development projects in health, vocational training for youth, affordable housing and business development.

The club will learn how Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful beads and how women in northern Uganda gather shea nuts and press them into shea butter for cosmetics and soaps to sell to people around the world.