Bishop Lawrence Persico of Erie was a student at St. Joseph Preparatory School in Unity Township when the late Monsignor Giuseppe De Andrea taught there and was headmaster.
After serving various ministries in the Diocese of Greensburg (1958-1981), including being pastor at St. James Church in Salem Township, Monsignor De Andrea returned to his native Italy. He was installed as a bishop there, then Titular Archbishop of Anzio, and was appointed by Pope Paul II to serve as apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Yemen and Bahrain.
Bishop Persico, as a monsignor and vicar general of the Diocese of Greensburg, was pastor of St. James Parish from 1997 to 2012 when he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Erie.
Only 8.7% of the students who took the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 test earlier this school year scored a perfect 5, and Derry Area High School senior David McElfresh was one of them. He also finished in the 19% of the students who scored a perfect 5 in the Calculus AB test.
âWe are very proud of him,â said Jennifer Welty, a teacher in the Derry Area School Districtâs gifted supports program.
McElfresh, 17, the son of Michael and Kim McElfresh of Derry Borough, has been an honor student all through school.
He took five AP classes last year, and he is currently taking four.