The school year is almost over and the countdown to the last day of class has started. Thank you for your continued support of PTLA and the PHF. Enjoy the summer. This will be the final newsletter until September.
2010 State LMP Competition
Students from seven schools (Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School, Clarion County Career Center, Columbia Montour Area Vocational Technical School, Dauphin County Technical School, Erie County Technical School, Lancaster County Career & Technology Center and Monroe Career & Technical Institute) participated in this year's Competition. Overall, the Monroe Career & Technical Institute team won first place, Erie County Technical School placed second, and Lancaster County Career & Technology Center took third place.Helping to make the event a success were the PA Department of Education and Penn State Hospitality Services as co-sponsors Thanks also to those who served as judges:
Mimi Driscoll, Best Western University Park Inn & Suites
Casey J. Grove, Penn State Hospitality Services
Paul Howard, Penn State School of Hospitality Management
Tom Kowalcyk, Ramada Inn State College
Fran Levin, Penn State Hospitality Services
Dawn Nixon, Penn State Hospitality Services
Eric Olbrich, Penn State Hospitality Services
Debbie Reynolds, Penn State Hospitality Services
Scott Smith, Penn State Hospitality Services
Jackie Weyer, Penn State Hospitality Services
Peter Yersim, Penn State School of Hospitality Management
Knowledge Bowl Moderator: Brian Black, Penn State School of Hospitality Management
We are also thankful for the outstanding service and support provided by the staff of the host property - The Nittany Lion Inn. Congratulations to all students who competed!!!
2010 National LMP Competition
Congratulations to the students (Brandon Gargan, William Hagen, Angela Heffer, and Jasmine Hurt) from Monroe Career & Technical Institute who took home the national title in the seventh annual American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) National LMP Competition held April 15-17, 2010. They won two (the Knowledge Bowl and Hotel Operations) of the three Competition contests. 13 teams competed, representing schools in Arkansas, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming.
2011 State LMP Competition
The State Competition is scheduled for March 9 -11, 2011, at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College. More details will be included in future newsletters. In the meantime, please mark your calendars.
PTLA Staff Reorganization
After 20 years as PTLA President, Barry Wickes will leave the Association next month to pursue new career opportunities. Rick Strunk, Member Services Representative, will assume PTLA and PHF workforce development responsibilities. His new duties will include serving as liaison with LMP high schools and managing the 2011 LMP State Competition. Rick works in PTLA's western Pennsylvania office at the Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport. He can be reached at 412-269-0800 and gpha@patourism.org.
2010 PHF Golf Tournament
This year's tournament will be held at the Hershey Country Club on September 9, 2010. Proceeds from the Tournament benefit the PA Hospitality Foundation and are used to support the LMP activities and events, including the State and National Competitions. LMP Instructors and students are encouraged to attend and provide staff assistance. Please contact Rick Stunk (at 412-269-0800 or gpha@patourism.org) for further details.
Schools and Instructors in the News
Donna Harris was the recipient of the 2010 PTLA Teacher of the Year Award. She was honored at the Association's Spirit of Hospitality Awards dinner on April 26, 2010, at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau recognized the team from the Monroe Career and Technical Institute for winning the LMP National Competition on May 12, 2010, at Mount Airy Casino Resort. Becky Gourley resigned as instructor at the Clarion County Career Center to pursue a master's degree in high education management. We will miss seeing her at next year's State Competition.
If you have any questions about anything in this newsletter, please contact
Barry Wickes at 717-232-8880 x101, or by e-mail at bwickes@patourism.org
or Rick Strunk at 412-269-0800 or gpha@patourism.org
