Superintendent’s Report
June
14, 2012
Student Recognition:
- Across the district and the CTC, there have been numerous recognitions and celebrations over the last couple weeks. It is an exciting time in education. People who attended Baccalaureate, Senior Honors Night, and Graduation couldn’t miss how special and talented the class of 2012 has been.
- Envirothon continues with more good news with very strong showings at each level. It seems Palmyra again dominated the winner’s column.
- MS students, Sarah Schultheis, Taylor Carroll, and Lizzy St. Clair, won 3rd place at the American Statistical Association’s national poster competition for their Sizzlin’ Relaxing Summer Getaway poster. Ms. Melanie Myer is their advisor. The students’ names and a picture of their poster will be featured in the August issue of Amstat News and on the ASA website.
- Hannah Wastyk & Jillian Acri will be the two student board representatives next year after being voted as senior class president and vice-president.
Teacher Recognition:
- Cynthia Hitz was awarded a grant from the LebCo Chapter of the PASR, a retired educator group, for “A Novel Idea.” The funds will be used to purchase novels written in Spanish for her classroom in the HS.
Kudos:
- Palmyra Athletics ~ Palmyra was awarded the Lebanon Daily News Cup because this school year Palmyra sports teams had the overall best winning percentage in the county. Specifically mentioned for highly successful seasons were: [fall] golf, field hockey, boys’ soccer, volleyball, boys’ & girls’ cross country, [winter] girls’ basketball, ice hockey, [spring] boys’ tennis, and baseball. Such an award comes only through great efforts and perseverance by all staff, coaches, and athletes, throughout the year. This is Palmyra’s second year in a row for this honor.
Getting Out and About:
- Outdoor Ed: Amazing experience for students, counselors, and staff alike.
- Northside planting: Great beautification project that included research, planning, design, and hands-on planting. Nan did a great job organizing and recruiting donations. Beautiful!
- Regional Track & Field, Baseball: Amazing athletes and great kids.
- Big Band Bash: Relaxed, fun, great talent.
- Senators’ Baseball Game: MS chorus and band performed beautifully in extreme heat.
- Baccalaureate: Moving with three parent/pastors and talented youth.
- Senior Honors Night: Auditorium packed with students and families receiving special recognition.
- Graduation: Culminating activity for 13 years of excellent work.
- Begun to attend community committee meetings as part of the transition into taking over as the Lebanon County Superintendent of Record.
Lebanon Chamber of
Commerce:
The six Lebanon county Superintendents presented
at the Lebanon County Chamber of Commerce Education for Tomorrow Forum. Our topics included: Investing in the Future, How
Schools Are Changing, College &
Workplace Readiness, Soft Skills
& Employment, Mandates &
Accountability, and Latest Education
News in PA. Unbeknownst to us, the forum was taped and shown on PCN.
IU 13 – Parent Scholarship:
A
Palmyra family was selected to receive one of ten Jae Davis Scholarships. The
scholarship is valued up to $1,500 per family to be used for expenses incurred
while attending the National Autism Conference at Penn State in August. The
conference provides access to sessions targeted specifically for families. A strand
is provided for siblings and onsite childcare is provided so it can be a family
event.
Cyber-School Parent
Meeting:
We
held a parent information meeting regarding Palmyra’s cyber offerings which we
consider to be a hybrid program. We believe it is superior to the for-profit
cyber schools in part because of our district’s academic success but also the
fact that it provides students the ability to create a unique blend just right
for their learning needs. Our Cougar Academy includes a blend of
bricks-and-mortar classes with in-home cyber classes as well as in-school
support to best meet the students’ needs and interests.
Year-End Enrollment:
The 2012 school year ended with 47 more students
than 2011 school year.
Division June 8,
2011 June 6, 2012
Elementary 1532 1554
Middle
School 778 796
High
School 910 917
Total 3220 3267
