Duquesne University has given its Mind, Heart and Spirit Award to 10 alumni, including four residents of the northern suburbs.

The awards are a partnership between the university and the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network. The Steelers' founder, the late Arthur J. Rooney Sr., is a Duquesne alumnus. His son, Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, and grandson and President Art Rooney II also are alumni.

The Mind, Heart and Spirit Award emphasizes the five pillars of Duquesne's mission: academic excellence, moral and spiritual values, ecumenism, service and world concerns. One recipient is recognized at each Steelers exhibition and regular season home game. Honorees receive game tickets, their names are displayed on Heinz Field's scoreboard and they are mentioned on Duquesne's Steelers radio broadcast.

The 2007 Mind, Heart and Spirit Award winners from the northern suburbs are:

• Dr. Vincent J. Morreale, of Mars, Class of 1989, earned a degree in social communications and then studied chiropractic medicine. He owns and operates Morreale Chiropractic in Shaler. Dr. Morreale supports Christian Sports International, Christian radio station WORD-FM and Catholic education, including North Catholic High School and Duquesne University.

• Gary R. Ritter, of Etna, Class of '85, owns and operates a Pittsburgh-area funeral home and led recovery efforts in Sharpsburg and Carnegie after the floods in 2004. Last year, he spearheaded a plan to rebuild a devastated park in Carnegie, assembling workers to install thousands of dollars worth of donated playground equipment in just six hours.

• John A. Gannon Jr., of the North Hills, Class of '64, is a retired vice president with Mellon Financial Corp. With his friend and fellow honoree George D'Angelo, Mr. Gannon has traveled around the world during the past five years to meet with religious leaders to promote the United Nations International Day of Peace.

• Samuel Spanos, of Sewickley, Class of '80, is a vice president with Merrill Lynch in its Beaver office. Mr. Spanos is active in the Greek Orthodox Church and is helping Duquesne establish a Center for Eastern Christian Studies for interfaith teaching and research.

• Seven more teachers in the Quaker Valley School District have earned National Board Certification, a voluntary assessment program that indicates teachers have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices.

The teachers who received their certification this fall are: Jill Ferguson, Heather DeMedio, Jamie Chappell, Matt Welch, Jeff Sebastian, Kris Stedeford and Sue McCauley.

Certification through the program can take from one to three years to complete.

The school board will recognize the teachers during its legislative meeting at 8 p.m. Feb. 26 in the community room of Quaker Valley Middle School.