PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • JANUARY 2015
Pennsbury Honors
SCHOOL DIRECTORS
School Director Recognition Month is celebrated
each January in Pennsylvania. It is a time when
school districts throughout the state honor and
thank the individuals who volunteer their time and
skills to ensure that all students in their respective
districts receive the best education possible.
The Pennsbury Board of School Directors serves
the taxpayers, students, and parents of Pennsbury.
Each of our Directors contributes untold hours
serving constituents by attending meetings, making
site visits, establishing and reviewing policies, and
working with teachers, administrators, and support
personnel in order to offer Pennsbury students one
of the finest educational programs in Pennsylvania.
It is fitting that these locally-elected officials are
recognized for the important work they do and the
service they provide, without pay, to the residents
of the communities they represent. That recognition
is embodied in a Pennsylvania School Boards
Association (PSBA) resolution, certificates, and a
special gift courtesy of the Family & Consumer
Sciences Department.
PENNSBURY BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS
Region Years of Service
Gary S. Sanderson, President
2
7
Jacqueline Redner, Vice President
2
3
John Palmer, Assistant Secretary
2
3
Christopher Cridge
3
3
Debra DeBlasio
3
1
Dr. Stephan Kosmorsky
1
3
Alison Smith
3
1
Debra Wachspress
1
1
Joshua Waldorf
1
1
Across the DISTRICT
PENNSBURY PARTNERS
MINI-GRANTS AWARDED
The Pennsbury Board of School Directors
Standing, l-r: Joshua Waldorf, Gary S. Sanderson (President),
John Palmer (Assistant Secretary), Christopher Cridge, and
Dr. Stephan Kosmorsky.
Seated, l-r: Alison Smith, Debra Wachspress,
Jacqueline Redner (Vice President), and Debra DeBlasio.
www.pennsburysd.org
The Pennsbury Partners Advisory Board
Mini-Grant Committee recently awarded eleven
schools with special corporate-sponsored grants. The
purpose of these mini-grants is to foster partnership
development in each school that would:
•make a positive impact on student academic
achievement by linking with curriculum;
PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • JANUAR Y 2015
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
•combine real-life work experiences to prepare
students for satisfying careers; or
•provide students with opportunities for
community service activities.
Congratulations to the following
2014-2015 winners, recently
announced by Dr. Christine
Zervos, Pennsbury’s Community
Partnerships and Grants Coordinator:
Edgewood Elementary ($500):
•Beth Golder – The Bright Space Project
Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary ($500):
•Nancy VanDerBas – Children’s Musical Theatre
After-School Program
Fallsington Elementary ($285):
•Monica James – Fallsington Gardens
•Sheila Miley – Fallsington Library Visit and
Art Projects
Makefield Elementary ($500):
•Fifth Level Teachers – Fifth Grade School-to-Work
Oxford Valley Elementary ($500):
•Cherie Lynne Kooker – Have you Filled your
Bucket Today?
Penn Valley Elementary ($500):
•Sue Kline – Healthy Eating Program/Chick-Hatching
Program
Walt Disney Elementary ($1000):
•Lorie Becker – Little Zoo on Wheels
•Katie Duncan – Exelon Renewable Energy
Education Center
Charles Boehm Middle School ($800):
•Donna Bradshaw and Linda Brescia – Kids Helping
Kids
•Maria Gregory – “Wonder” Book Club and
Painting Project
Pennwood Middle School ($500):
•Linda Alampi – Careers Connecting
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William Penn Middle School ($500):
•Dianne Haley, Sue Mahoney, Mary Miller and
Kristen Slota – William Penn Middle School
Energy Audit
Pennsbury High School - West ($1000):
•Frank Mayo – Career Fair
•Jaclyn Pitt – The Aquatic Science Experience
PARTNERS SHOWCASE
STUDENT ARTWORK
Two local Pennsbury Partners recently showcased
student artwork in their places of business – one
for charity purposes, and another to inaugurate an
ongoing rotation of student work.
Raymour & Flanigan in Langhorne displayed
student-made works in stained glass as items
for sale to community members in order to raise
funds for the Bucks County Courier Times’ “Give
a Christmas” fund. This is the second year that
Pennsbury contributed pieces for this commendable
partner initiative. Students of PHS Art teacher and
Department Chairperson, Tony Napoli, volunteered
their time to make the stained glass pieces.
Yardley Eye Care, located in the Oxford Oaks
shopping center, recently launched an arrangement
to display Pennsbury student art on its store walls
with the assistance of Art Curriculum Coordinator,
Ruth Anne Schultz. As a new member of the
Pennsbury Partners Program, Yardley Eye Care has
graciously agreed to display works of art created by
our students on a regular basis. The first exhibit was
on display from December 3, 2014 – January 7, 2015.
New works will be mounted in the near future for
the second show.
ANNUAL CAREER FAIR SCHEDULED
FOR FEBRUARY 23 RD
Frank Mayo, Curriculum Coordinator for the
Business, Computer Information & Technology
department, is pleased to announce that the 19th
JANUAR Y 2015 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
annual Pennsbury Career Fair will take place on
Monday, February 23rd from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (snow
date – Wednesday, February 25th) at PHS East.
“The Career Fair is a District-wide, school-to-career
event with emphasis on career exploration for all
students, grades K-12. Last year, approximately
1,500 students, parents, teachers, and community
members visited exhibits placed throughout the
gymnasium, cafeteria, and hallways,” said Mr.
Mayo. “The fair attracted nearly 300 exhibitors
representing business, industry, government,
healthcare, and non-profit careers. Each year,
exhibitors share the details of their career paths,
including educational requirements and professional
insight. By speaking one-to-one with professionals,
students gain a depth of knowledge not acquired
within the classroom environment.” Mr. Mayo
encourages all to attend this year’s Career Fair,
which promises to be just as comprehensive as
previous years. For information, email fmayo@
pennsburysd.org. This event is open to the public.
In the SCHOOLS
AFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
“Afton’s Gifted Support program is in high gear
incorporating various Science units that support the
goal of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics,” said Eileen Koch, the school’s
Gifted Support teacher. Ms. Koch invited Matthew
Marcus, an environmental engineer, to visit her
classes. “After sharing the daily activities of an
environmental engineer, Mr. Marcus conducted
a hands-on experiment with the students on the
dangers of contaminants found in run-off water
from our roads and our land,” said Ms. Koch. “The
students worked in groups to form roads and
natural landscapes with sand before simulating a
polluted run-off with red dye. A lively discussion
followed the activity, along with a new awareness
for protecting our soil and water.” Mr. Marcus
completed his visit by answering student questions
and sharing advice on what students can do now
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Gifted Support students in Eileen Koch’s class at Afton
Elementary had the opportunity to work with Matthew Marcus,
an environmental engineer.
to work toward a future career in environmental
science. “We appreciated the real-life experiences
Matt brought to our class,” added Ms. Koch.
Ms. Koch also writes: “With the new emphasis
on STEM and helping our students prepare for the
future with 21st century skills, the students in the
Gifted Support classes at Afton joined over 90 million
other students in the annual Hour of Code activity
during Computer Science Education Week in early
December. The Hour of Code is a global movement
that provides computer coding opportunities for
students. This year, students from over 180 countries
participated in a variety of self-guided tutorials
featuring such popular characters as Angry Birds and
Elsa and Anna from Frozen. The annual event aims
to teach students how coding is the act of creating
technology rather than just using it.” According
to Ms. Koch, “The students were very engaged in
learning the new language of coding and earned
special certificates when they successfully completed
all the steps in the program. Now they will continue
to use other programs like Scratch to create cards and
games on their own. Technology is at the heart of
every major change that’s happening in our world
and we are proud of the students who joined this
exciting event this year.”
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
Teacher Coleen Jones writes that Gerard Mullin,
Pennsbury Partner and editor of The Lower Bucks
Leader, visited fourth grade students at Afton to
discuss the writing process and its real-world
applications. “Mr. Mullin took the young authors
on a ‘writing journey’ that began with an idea and
ended as a published piece in his paper,” said Ms.
Jones. “This presentation served as a ‘newsworthy’
introduction to our Informative Writing unit of
study. Our young Afton journalists are now looking
forward to submitting future writing pieces to Mr.
Mullin for his professional feedback!”
Worse Than Witches. “This book is special to me
and to the class because it is written by a former
student of mine named Lauren Magaziner,” said
Mr. Bloom. “I taught Lauren in fourth grade at Afton
Elementary. She specifically wrote to me and said
that children’s literary critics have called it a mix
of the Wayside School stories and Roald Dahl books.
These are books I’ve been studying with my classes
since I first started teaching many years ago. I am
so proud that I played a small part in forming this
young woman’s career path!”
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Reading Specialist Alisa Myles writes, “Students
at Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary looked like they
had all rolled out of bed to attend school one
Wednesday morning. Their hair was messed up
and sticking out everywhere. The students were
competing in the school’s ‘bedhead’ contest to go
along with a special visit from the author of Bedhead,
Margie Palatini, who also wrote such rib-tickling
favorites as Piggie Pie, Geek Chic, Shelley, Sweet Tooth,
and Lousy Rottin Stinkin’ Grapes.”
Visiting newspaper editor, Gerard Mullin, shared copies of his
publication with Afton fourth grade students as a tie-in with
their Informative Writing unit.
Concerning Mr. Mullin’s visit with Afton students,
Partnerships Coordinator Dr. Christine Zervos
had this to say: “Mr. Mullin engaged each and
every student with instructional and informative
information to assist the fourth grade teachers with
their introduction to this unit of study. Additionally,
the students were thrilled for the opportunity to have
their work professionally reviewed and possibly
appear in Mr. Mullin’s community publication.”
EDGEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Third grade teacher, Adam Bloom, writes that
his class recently enjoyed the book, The Only Thing
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Guest author Margie Palatini, author of Bedhead and other
humorous books, shared aspects of the publishing process with
students at Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary.
“Each of Ms. Palatini’s books is laugh-out-loud
funny.” says Eleanor Roosevelt librarian, Rosemarie
Shire. In her morning presentations, the visiting
JANUAR Y 2015 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
author enlightened students on the publishing process
and revealed the inspiration for many of her books;
that is, her son, Jamie, who had chronic bedhead.
“Students were rolling with laughter as Palatini
read about a nasty sweet tooth that couldn’t seem to
get enough candy,” said Ms. Myles.
Fifth grader, Anayah Maldonado, has read several
of Palatini’s books to kindergarten classes at Eleanor
Roosevelt prior to the author’s visit. She shared that
meeting Margie Palatini was like meeting a celebrity.
“I knew her books were funny, but hearing her
reading them is even funnier,” said Anayah (with her
untamed hair).
At an afternoon dessert party, the author
entertained questions from classroom representatives.
These students learned about a new book by the
author to be published next year. Palatini explained
that the editor changed the letter “f” to “p,” which
altered her book about figs to Under the Pig Tree, and
resulted in absurd illustrations and hysterical literary
consequences.
Yates’ and Ms. Tomko’s classes were treated to
a special classroom celebration in December. “In
addition to enjoying milk and cookies, the students
dressed in pajamas and read books to mark the
occasion!” said Ms. Tomko.
Before the holiday break, the students in Sherri
Cohoon’s fourth grade class made colorful holiday
cards for the residents of the Langhorne Gardens
Nursing Home. Two students, MaryErin Gould
and Vika St. Pierre (accompanied by their parents),
delivered the cards along with homemade cookies.
“Prior to making the cards, we talked about
how many people are not able to be home for
the holidays,” explained Ms. Cohoon. “We then
discussed the importance of spreading holiday
cheer, in any way we can, and how simple it is to do.
Students decided to make cards wishing residents,
‘Happy Holidays!’ and wrote personal, heartfelt
messages inside each card. It was such a magical
experience to see how excited the students were just
knowing that their handmade cards would help to
put smiles on residents’ faces.”
“Margie Palatini’s visit was both entertaining and
educational,” said Ms. Myles, “We couldn’t offer this
program without the generous support of our PTO.
Meeting this author was an enjoyable experience that
students will remember for years to come.”
FALLSINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Teacher Amy Tomko reports that in November,
Fallsington partnered with Barnes and Noble
Oxford Valley for the school’s annual Book Fair
Night. Teachers read stories while students and
parents listened. Students also worked on crafts.
“Fallsington’s supportive PTO, along with Barnes
and Noble, offered an incentive to encourage student
attendance at this wonderful event,” said Ms.
Tomko. As it turned out, both first grade classes
at Fallsington had the highest attendance for the
Book Fair. Thanks to the PTO and the bookstore’s
representative, Debbie Carr, the students in Ms.
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Students in Sherri Cohoon’s fourth grade class at Fallsington
Elementary prepared special greeting cards for residents of
a local nursing home.
MANOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Teacher MaryBeth Davis shares that the faculty
and staff at Manor partnered with the Fraternal
Order of Eagles to assemble eight turkey dinner
baskets, complete with dessert, for several Manor
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
families in need. “Many thanks go out to the
Fraternal Order of Eagles as well as to our Pennsbury
employees for contributing to this cause,” said
Ms. Davis. “It was greatly appreciated by all of the
families receiving these generous gifts.”
Vocal Music teacher Marta Grothman writes that
the third grade students at Manor gave the gift of
music to local neighbors during the holiday season.
“The students traveled door-to-door, flashlights
and song sheets in hand,” said Ms. Grothman.
“They surprised and delighted neighbors with
their holiday cheer. The evening was topped off
with a warm snack in the school cafeteria.” Over
50 students participated, so Ms. Grothman took
them out in two shifts. She was aided by Principal
Christopher Becker and staff members, Ms. Hellings
and Ms. Waldron. “Countless third grade parents
participated, as well,” said Ms. Grothman. Third
graders gave up recess time once a week during
the months of November and December to practice
holiday favorites. Ms. Grothman has been caroling
with her music students since 1995.
members were equally mesmerized. In the 1940s, a
tradition was started at U.S. Steel. Many of the plants
instituted choruses to entertain fellow employees,
their families, as well as the communities of which
they were a part. Fifty-seven years ago this past
holiday season, a group of U.S. Steel Fairless Works
employees jumped on the back of a pick-up truck and
drove around the construction site singing Christmas
carols for the construction workers. What they did, in
effect, was spontaneously create the sixth U.S. Steel
Chorus. While the steel mill has closed, local men
continue their tradition by dressing in Dickens-era
costumes and caroling at local schools. We feel very
fortunate for their gift of time and music.”
OXFORD VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Teacher Dave Robbins writes: “Learning Support
teacher Lisa Vance and I are doing a study of author
Patricia Polacco with our third grade students as
part of the District-wide writing program. The
students really enjoy Ms. Pollaco’s writing style and
it didn’t take long before they were all checking
her books out of the library. This study was also
in conjunction with helping students learn about
narrative writing.” Mr. Robbins added, “Ms. Vance
really is the force behind our students falling in love
with Patricia Polacco’s books.”
Vocal music teacher, Marta Grothman (right), accompanied her
students on the streets of their school community as they shared
holiday cheer with local neighbors.
Ms. Grothman shared details on another school
activity that marked the season in a special way:
“Men of Harmony (formerly known as The U.S. Steel
Chorus) performed holiday favorites at a recent Manor
school assembly,” said Ms. Grothman. “Students were
in awe as they listened to the wondrous sounds. Staff
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These students at Oxford Valley Elementary are big fans
of children’s author, Patricia Polacco.
JANUAR Y 2015 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
PENN VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
School Counselor Arlene Johnson reports that
“Penn Valley kicked off our character education
initiative, The Six Pillars of Character, on November
25th with an all-school meeting hosted by the fifth
grade Student Council representatives and Principal
Barbara Hidalgo. The students were introduced to
each of the six pillars and performed the Six Pillar
Shuffle, which they had learned in music class with
vocal music teacher, Kate Haas.
One character trait will be introduced each month
at the school. “Staff members and parents are invited
to recognize students who demonstrate the special
trait of the month,” said Ms. Johnson. Information
about the six pillars and forms to recognize students
are available on the Penn Valley homepage and in
the office. “An actual pillar and a bucket are in the
lobby to collect the forms,” added Ms. Johnson.
All school meetings will be held each month to
recognize those students who have been “bucket
fillers” by demonstrating the month’s featured
trait. The schedule for the year is as follows:
December – Caring; January – Fairness; February
– Trustworthiness; March – Responsibility; April –
Respect; May – Citizenship.
Ms. Johnson extended appreciation and thanks
to her colleagues on the Character Education Team
for planning the events this year: these include Ms.
Hidalgo, Ms. Portland, Ms. DeMeglio, and
Ms. Kline.
The Nutrition Group (TNG), Pennsbury’s food
service provider, sponsored a special visit by the
Philadelphia Zoo on Wheels at Penn Valley last
month. TNG Food Service Director, Chelsea Dolge,
explained the tie-in with good nutrition: “The
zoo representative demonstrated how animals
need a healthy diet and habitat to survive just like
humans need a proper diet and active lifestyle to
live long and strong.” While they were dressed
in animal-print clothing, students were also
treated to school lunches that were “zoo-themed
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with animal-shaped chicken, rainforest rotini
bake, broccoli trees, go-monkey bananas, green
salad, milk, and jungle crackers,” said Ms. Dolge.
TNG Marketing Coordinator, Michelle Marker,
coordinated the visit by the Zoo on Wheels to help
underscore for students how healthy eating and
good nourishment are important for animals to
thrive, just as for humans. Another school visit is
being planned for the Spring.
The Philadalphia Zoo on Wheels paid a visit to Penn Valley
Elementary School thanks to the District’s food service provider,
The Nutrition Group.
WALT DISNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Principal Laurie Ruffing shares that Disney
students had the opportunity to wear pajamas to
school one day to help raise funds for families in
need. On December 19th, students donated $1 to
wear their PJs in school. The total amount raised
was $379, and this amount was donated to the local
“Give A Christmas” fund sponsored by the Bucks
County Courier Times. Each student who donated $1
received a Pajama Day spirit stick.
The fourth grade students in Cynthia Scott’s Art
classes are working on a study in architecture based
on the Frank Lloyd Wright home in Pennsylvania
known as Fallingwater. After viewing an online,
virtual tour of the home and discussing how it was
built, the students are developing their own 3-D
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
models of the structure. These include cantilever
construction and Wright’s elements of incorporating
the natural landscape into the design. “This
inter-disciplinary lesson helped students learn about
architecture as an art form and enhanced their ability
to see things in 3-D, as well as how to use scale and
measurements,” said Ms. Scott. The lesson included
a copy of the actual Fallingwater blueprints drawn
by Wright in 1935.
for his time. “The students have a new appreciation
for how a building is designed, who designs it, and
the steps to create it. Mr. Blasidell left them full of
enthusiasm about engineering and architecture and
a sense of excitement about completing their own
models of Fallingwater.”
CHARLES BOEHM MIDDLE SCHOOL
Teacher Alyssa Sunday shares that Boehm
paraprofessional Vida Fox helped to coordinate and
oversee a classroom learning activity that helped
students experience making latkes. “This activity
was derived from our mini unit that focuses on
December holidays celebrated around the world,”
explained Ms. Sunday. “Ms. Fox graciously
volunteered to share a Hanukkah tradition of
making latkes with the group. The students enjoyed
making the dish as well as eating a new tasty treat!”
Pennsbury’s Supervisor of Maintenance, Jon Blaisdell, shared
the school’s building plans with Walt Disney Elementary students
studying architecture in Art class.
In response to her students’ many questions about
the blueprints, Ms. Scott called in Pennsbury’s
Supervisor of Maintenance, Jon Blaisdell, from the
Facilities Department. During his classroom visit, Mr.
Blaisdell shared his knowledge with the students by
answering such inquiries as, How did Wright build
over a waterfall? How does the house stay up? Is
Fallingwater considered “green?” Mr. Blaisdell also
explained what engineers and architects do, as well
as some of his own responsibilities within Pennsbury.
“As the students were intently listening to all the
information Mr. Blaisdell was sharing, he surprised
them with the actual blueprints of their school!” said
Ms. Scott. “They were excited as they located their
classrooms and the art room on the vintage drawings.
They also noticed that there have been many changes
to the building that have taken place over the years.”
Ms. Scott expressed her gratitude to Mr. Blaisdell
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Paraprofessional Vida Fox demonstrated how to make latkes for
students in Alyssa Sunday’s class in conjunction with an overview
of holiday celebrations around the world.
Social Studies teacher Colleen Veitz writes that a
grade-level gingerbread castle-building event took
place at Boehm on Dec 23rd under the direction of
Ms. Veitz and Christian Korn. The activity tied in
with a study of the Middle Ages. Following their
completion of the castle construction, “the seventh
graders went on a museum tour through several
JANUAR Y 2015 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
classrooms to view the 60 castles and vote for their
favorites,” explained Ms. Veitz. Students also had
to complete responses to a writing prompt that
asked for what steps they would take to defend
their castles from an attack. The first prize winners
of the first annual Middle Ages castle-building
contest were: Jami Tomczyk, Abby Foster, Kelly
Armstrong, and Keira Korzeb.
Pennwood Middle School was one of several schools in Pennsbury
participating in the international Hour of Code activity in December.
These students won first prize in the first annual Middle Ages
castle-building contest at Charles Boehm Middle School.
PENNWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Applied Engineering and Technology Education
(AE/TE) teacher, Peter Swanson, writes that
Pennwood’s AE/TE students recently participated
in the Hour of Code program. Mr. Swanson, and
fellow teacher Rob Wehrs, combined their classes
so that their students could participate in the online
program, which took place during the week of
December 8-14, 2014. “Students were challenged to
write code to develop a game that could be played
on a PC or smartphone,” explained Mr. Swanson.
“Throughout the class period, they altered and
customized the programs by changing lines of
code as they were exposed to the vital skill of code
development.” Launched in 2013, Code.org is a
non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in
computer science by making it available in more
schools and increasing participation by women and
under-represented students of color. “The hope
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is that every student in every school should have
the opportunity to learn computer science,” said
Mr. Swanson. “We believe computer science and
computer programming should be part of the core
curriculum in education, alongside other Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
courses,” said Mr. Swanson.
A new component of the eighth grade Family &
Consumer Sciences (FCS) curriculum at Pennwood
includes working at the school store. “Each eighth
grade student is required to work at the store, which
we call ‘Falcon Fare,” for one day during his or her
FCS rotation,” explained teacher Jessica Hughes.
“They are responsible for politely interacting with
customers, completing transactions, making change,
and counting total sales each day.” Profits go
toward improving the school store, which is open
every morning. Shirley Thomas also teaches FCS at
Pennwood and helps to coordinate the student store.
WILLIAM PENN MIDDLE SCHOOL
The William Penn seventh grade gifted seminar
classes, working with teachers Isabel Latch and Jane
Jones, completed the first 20 online basic algorithm
lessons in the code studio of the Hour of Code Web
site. “The on-line tutorials merge content delivery
with student-driven activities that are self-guided,
thereby allowing the students to work at their own
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
pace,” explained Ms. Jones. “The site, created by such
well-known programmers as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill
Gates, Sal Khan, and Hadi Partovi, is dedicated to
furthering the education of students worldwide in the
art of programming.” Curriculum at Code.org blends
traditional and modern formats, merging lesson
plans, activities, and assessments with computational
tools, environments, and learning platforms.
“The students have discovered that coding is fun,
accessible, and surprisingly easy to learn,” added Ms.
Jones. “They are eagerly looking forward to creating
their own Web sites and suggest that everyone try it!”
The Mad Hatters Club is an after-school activity
developed by Art Curriculum Coordinator and
William Penn Art teacher, Ruth Anne Schultz.
Students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are
invited to meet once a week for two hours to learn
how to knit woolen hats using circular looms.
Completed hats are being donated to charitable
organizations. The club, facilitated by Ms. Schultz
and faculty volunteers Ann Schaub and Jamie
Kuhner, welcomes donations of extra yarn, circular
looms, and hooks from the Pennsbury community.
to discuss the upcoming renovations planned for
Pennwood and Charles Boehm middle schools.
Students wrote to Board President Gary Sanderson
during December to express their views on the
middle school building renovations, and then
invited Mr. Sanderson and several members of the
Board committee to visit in person.
PHS Chemistry students in grades 10-12 benefited
from a recent classroom extension visit to a local
research laboratory with their Science teacher, Mike
Roberts. Titled Students 2 Science, the program
was sponsored by Barr Laboratories, Inc. (Teva)
in East Hanover, NJ. Funding to support the trip
was provided by Teva. According to Mr. Roberts,
this classroom extension offers valuable hands-on
experience and will be offered again for second
semester students.
Pennsbury High School Chemistry students had the
opportunity to visit a local research laboratory with
Science teacher, Mike Roberts.
The Mad Hatters Club meets after school at William Penn
Middle School to create warm, woolen hats for distribution
by local charities.
PENNSBURY HIGH SCHOOL
Members of the Board Facilities Committee
visited a high school classroom earlier this month
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Varsity Baseball coach, Joe Pesci, writes that “the
Pennsbury Baseball team has done a few good
deeds lately.” Mr. Pesci explained: “During the
month of November, the team conducted a clothing
drive at the high school to benefit the Rescue
Mission of Trenton. We collected and donated over
1,000 pounds of clothes to be sold at the Mission
store. Also, members of the team donated their
time to volunteer at the Toys for Tots warehouse in
Newtown. Toys were collected at various locations
around Lower Bucks County and the boys sorted,
boxed, and organized orders to be distributed to
JANUAR Y 2015 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA
www.pennsburysd.org
S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
less fortunate children in the community.”
Baseball players at PHS took the time to volunteer in the
community during the holiday season.
The first annual PHS Diversity Fair and Food
Festival took place after school one afternoon in
December, organized by the No Place for Hate club,
the Pennsbury Sea Falcons Submersible Robotics
Team, and the Multi-Cultural Youth Leaders
(MCYL) club. “At its peak of attendance, we had
hundreds at the fair, just having a good time,”
reports teacher John Sanders, advisor to the Robotics
team and MCYL. Also assisting with this popular
event was the PHS Mentoring group, according to
School Counselor Dana Arbakov. PHS Assistant
Principal Lisa Follman commented afterwards:
“What a wonderful event – it was probably one of
the best student-attended and positively received
after-school events that I have seen at PHS. The kids
were absolutely wonderful!”
PHS Assistant Principal Richard Fry summed up
the 2014 Senior Citizen Holiday Dinner this way: “The
Interact Club, under the direction of Breanne Cooke
and Alyssa Romero, pulled off another fine event.
We served about 175 guests from the community
with the help of students from Interact, the Girls’
Basketball team and the Winter Track team. The
guests were entertained by the Pennsbury Strings
(directed by Felicia Riley), the Pennsbury Dance
team (advised by Patti Merrick), the PHS Chamber
Choir (led by James Moyer) and the Falconairs
singing group (led by Lindsey Bruno). An elaborate
menu was provided by The Nutrition Group for the
first time, and the food was served by about a dozen
members of the Pennsbury staff.” Well done!
PHS Assistant Principal Rich Fry (standing, right) helped
direct student volunteers serving a special holiday dinner
for local senior citizens.
On behalf of the Pennsbury Instrumental Music
program, Curriculum Coordinator Frank Mazzeo is
pleased to announce the following:
NAfME All-National
The first annual Diversity Fair and Food Festival
was a huge success at PHS.
www.pennsburysd.org
The National Association for Music Education
(NAfME) All-National festival occurred on October
29, 2014 in Nashville Tennessee. This annual festival
represents the top-performing high school musicians
in the United States. Three students from Pennsbury
PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • JANUAR Y 2015
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
participated in the NAfME All-National Honors
Ensembles. They were:
John Wagner (Trumpet)
Ryan McHenry (Percussion)
Evan Schnurr (Clarinet)
NAfME All-Eastern
The (NAfME All-Eastern festival will occur in
April, 2015 in Providence, Rhode Island. This festival
represents the top-performing high school musicians
from Maine to Florida. Four students from Pennsbury
will be participating, and they are:
Kevin Caruso (Oboe)
Tasha Schapiro (French Horn)
John Wagner (Trumpet)
Evan Schnurr (Clarinet)
PMEA All-District
The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association
(PMEA) All-District Band and Orchestra are made up
of the best high school students from schools in Bucks
and Montgomery counties. Pennsbury has 27 students
participating in 29 positions for this year’s festivals.
They are:
Michael Wills (Oboe)
Kevin Caruso (Oboe)
Kelsey Busch (Flute)
Evan Schnurr (Clarinet)
Laura Glatzer (Clarinet)
Eliana Levy (Clarinet)
Erica Venkatesula (Clarinet)
Maya Benegal (Clarinet)
Evan Schnurr (Saxophone)
Emeline Evans (Saxophone)
John Wagner (Trumpet)
Alex Gold (Trumpet)
Matthew Hetrick (Trumpet)
Tasha Schapiro (French Horn)
Samuel Davis (Trombone)
Erica Lipton (Tuba)
Maia Gaenzle (Violin)
Kelsey Busch (Violin)
Andrew Fedun (Violin)
Zachary Cohen (Viola)
Dasheill Papula (Cello)
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Noah Smith (Bass)
Schenley Schneider (Bass)
Aaron Newitt (Percussion)
Emma Rogers (Percussion)
Ryan McHenry (Percussion)
Reed Grumann (Percussion)
Christian Ortolf (Percussion)
Jesse Rosenfeld (Percussion)
PHS teacher Joscelyne Jones writes to announce
that the upcoming Prom Fashion Show & Expo will
take place in the PHS East auditorium on January
22nd. “This is a popular, annual event that helps
to raise funds to assist with Senior Prom costs for
students with financial need,” said Ms. Jones. The
“expo” portion of the evening, which begins at
6:00 p.m. in the East auditorium lobby, will feature
a variety of vendors associated with prom attire,
flowers, salons, and other services. The fashion show
begins at 7:00 p.m. Dress contributions this year are by
David’s Bridal and the PHS Cinderella’s Closet, and
the tuxedos to be modeled are contributed by Men’s
Warehouse and Bell Tuxedo. Admission is $5.00. The
public is invited to attend.
World Languages teachers, Jenna Garcia and
Samantha Abdo, are advisors for the PHS Spanish
Club. The club recently participated in a two-week
program called The Pulsera Project to raise money
These PHS Spanish Club students sold hand-woven “pulseras,”
or bracelets, to raise money for those in need in Nicaragua.
JANUAR Y 2015 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA
www.pennsburysd.org
S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
for schools, shelters, and scholarships in Nicaragua.
Students in the Spanish Club sold hand woven
colorful pulseras (bracelets) before school, during
lunches, and during EOP. “Overall, about $2,000 was
raised that went toward helping those in need in
Nicaragua,” said Ms. Garcia.
Commendable
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
EMMA ROGERS EARNS
LEADERSHIP AWARD
School Counselor Kim Krajci is pleased to
announce that PHS student, Emma Rogers, was
selected to receive a Widener University High
School Leadership Award, co-sponsored by NBC10.
“This awards program is designed to recognize
high school students like Emma in the region who
embody the university’s commitment to develop and
inspire leaders to affect positive change,” according
to the university’s letter of notification, which
continued: “With this award, the Widener University
High School Leadership Awards Committee
recognizes Emma’s ability to demonstrate courage
by standing up for what is right, finding a way
to address a wrong, or making a difference in a
significant way.” Congratulations, Emma!
CHARLES SNORWEAH RECOGNIZED
BY THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
According to a recent article in the Philadelphia
Inquirer: “This season, Charles Snorweah, with his
quickness and strength, set a new standard while
sparking the Falcons to a 13-2 record and their first
PIAA District 1 Class AAAA title since 2006. The
5-foot-10, 175-pound senior dynamo, a threat to go
the distance on every touch, carried 309 times for
a single-season school record of 2,774 yards and 38
touchdowns. For his efforts in helping Pennsbury
advance to within two wins of its first state crown,
www.pennsburysd.org
Snorweah, who also struck fear in opponents as a kick
returner, is The Inquirer’s Southeastern Pennsylvania
football player of the year.” Well done, Chuck!
STUDENTS INDUCTED INTO FOREIGN
LANGUAGE HONOR SOCIETIES
World Languages Curriculum Coordinator,
Andrea Garberina, writes that early last month, the
following students were inducted into the World
Languages Department’s National Honor Societies
of French, German, and Spanish:
French IV Honors
Andie Dechirico
Brad Edwards
Adam Fisher
Hanna Hecht
Devin Kawailani Barriculow
Rebecca Kim
Shadi Memar
Taylor Orsini
Diana Priestly
Allison Scott
Connor Thomas
Hannah Wolfram
German III Honors
Barrie Clark
Riley Dugan
Shane Duncan
Riley Dugan
Caroline Ehrenfeld
Maia Gaenzle
Esha Gajjar
Kate Gallen
Dagny Gould
Kelly Vivian Holstrom
Larisa Mednis
Michael Mitrane
Stephanie Owens
Yasmeen Padierb
Erick Ruoff
Tasha Schapiro
Michaela Tarallo
Alyssa Wiltbank
German IV Honors
Lindsay Fitchett
Matthew Hart
Spanish III Honors
Matthew Lynch
Aditya Patel
Vinay Ramesh
Nicholas Romano
Marguertie Salamone
Andrew Simpson
Margaret Westphal
Abigail Wick
Deepika Yeramosy
Spanish IV Honors
Ari Bortman
Henry Bluestein
Zachary Bush
Jordan Dechirico
Jenna Liebreich
Blane Wallace
Justine Wallace
Spanish AP
Jacob Abrahams
Anita Ayyaswami
Audrey Goldberg
Isabel Linares
Ashley Morrell
Ryan Stumbaugh
Jacob Wachpress
Lily Waldorf
PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA • JANUAR Y 2015
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S uperintendent ’ s R eport • KEVIN J. McHUGH, Ed.D.
PHS TEACHER’S WORK PUBLISHED
IN PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL
PHS Assistant Principal Reggie
Meadows writes, “Bob Cooper is
one of the teachers in our Science
Department who has taught nearly
every Biology class from AP Biology to
parallel courses. Mr. Cooper belongs
to various associations of Biology teachers on both
state and national levels, and his article, Teaching the
Big Ideas of Biology With Operon Models, was published
in the January 2015 issue of American Biology
Teacher.” This publication is an award-winning,
peer-referenced, professional journal designed to
support the teaching of K-16 Biology and Life Science.
Congratulations to Mr. Cooper!
Upcoming MEETINGS
Board Education Committee
5:30 p.m., January 30, 2015
Superintendent’s Conference Room
Board Facilities Committee
5:30 p.m., February 5, 2015
Superintendent’s Conference Room
Board Agenda Meeting
8:00 p.m., February 5, 2015
Fallsington Elementary School
Regular Board Meeting
8:00 p.m., February 12, 2015
Fallsington Elementary School
Board Education Committee
8:30 a.m., February 27, 2015
Superintendent’s Conference Room
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JANUAR Y 2015 • PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT • FALLSINGTON, PA
www.pennsburysd.org