The Brown and White • 1st May 2023

Q&A with Bethlehem schools’ next superintendent

The Bethlehem Area School District’s Board of Directors announced in a press release on March 27 its intentions to appoint Jack Silva as the new superintendent of schools, effective in July. The announcement comes after Superintendent Joseph Roy announced his retirement.

On April 24, board members formally accepted Roy’s retirement and approved the appointment of Silva. The vote was unanimous.

Silva has served as the assistant superintendent and chief academic officer of the Bethlehem Area Sch

The Brown and White • 29th March 2023

Accessibility of third places in Bethlehem

While exploring Southside Bethlehem, one may find themselves strolling along the two-mile Greenway, passing by the red- and blue-colored playground or walking past the outdoor patio of Cafe the Lodge. Up ahead is the Bethlehem Skateplaza, where locals of all ages skateboard. In the distance is the SteelStacks and a large green space that houses concert venue Levitt Pavilion.

These settings all fall under the term “third place,” which refers to social surroundings that exclude the home or workpl

The Brown and White • 1st March 2023

ShareCare: Helping Hands and Lifting Spirits

When Bethlehem resident Sandra Takacs, age 73, began to lose her vision, she needed a way to get to her doctor appointments and run simple errands like grocery shopping.

The public buses did not stop at her house anymore, and the ride-share program she had signed up for wasn’t a good fit.

“It’s difficult when you have a hard time seeing, and I didn’t even know how close the drop-offs and pickups were,” Takacs said. “I used to have to try to get rides with a personal friend and the one that use

The Brown and White • 26th September 2022

Animal shelters and economic hardships

The pit bull mix, living off cereal, was unkempt, signified by its lack of fur. It had skin allergies and desperately needed antibiotics. The owner, a gentle, quiet man known to the staff as Mr. Conrad, was referred to the Animal Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley at its former Bethlehem location by a local human food pantry. Due to financial difficulties and mental health issues, Mr. Conrad simply didn’t have the funds or knowledge to help his pet.

The dog was examined using funds and donations fr

The Brown and White • 30th March 2022

Sharing a ride with Cutters

The entrance is narrowed by protruding bikes. Wheels and even more bikes are suspended from the ceiling. An array of wrenches, sprockets, levers and pliers line the back wall behind the counter. John Ronca, tools in hand, stands over a bike. Lisa Ronca sees a customer, who has a coffee in his hand, coming into the shop and greets him with an enthusiastic welcome.

The Roncas, husband and wife, are co-owners of Cutters Bike Shop on East Third Street on the Southside. The shop offers bike repairs,

The Brown and White • 21st February 2022

Irish students abroad at Lehigh

For one of his first in-person classes of the semester, Ruairi O’Gorman, ‘24, had difficulty navigating Lehigh’s bus system to take him to the Mountaintop campus. He ended up missing the bus and walking to Mountaintop instead. The well-named location requires a long and entirely uphill walk.

For exchange students, almost every experience at Lehigh is new. This semester, there are eight exchange students studying at Lehigh.

O’Gorman, Brian Chege, ‘24, and Orlaith Kennedy, a student intern, are

The Brown and White • 3rd February 2022

Bethlehem Restaurant Week celebrates cuisine

When asked by his youngest son what he would do if he won a billion dollar lottery, Billy Kounoupis, owner of Billy’s Downtown Diner, said he would open a billion restaurants.

“Hopefully as our community grows, we’ll be able to grow with it,” Kounoupis said. “And I can only hope that they continually embrace us.”

Billy’s Downtown Diner was one of 14 restaurants to participate in Historic Downtown Bethlehem Winter Restaurant Week 2022, which ran from Jan. 23 through Jan. 29. The event, now in i

The Brown and White • 7th October 2021

Edit desk: The simple things –

Sitting on the top shelf in the living room of my childhood home has always been a water- damaged, falling-apart copy of “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.

For years, my dad pestered me to read it, citing it as the most influential book he had ever read. Maybe I had always been too proud or turned away from the title, which seemed too good to be true. I would always roll my eyes and say “maybe another time” each occasion he would bring it up.

I had also never been the ty