NOTE: Check PASD website for the full, Cougar Courier Newsletter. Contact the District Office receptionist if you would like a paper copy.
Supt. Spring Update ~
June 2012
PA schools continue to
face unprecedented challenges. Your administrative team and Board of Education
members continue to keep our primary focus on the education of our students. We
believe that Palmyra still offers a bargain in that students have rich
opportunities for learning while our cost per pupil remains relatively low. We
are pleased to have a signed, 3-year contract with our teachers, the current
school year being the first of those three years. We believe we are making very
good progress toward a contract with our support staff and are optimistic that
a contract will be in place by the end of June with both the support staff and
our Act 93 group (principals and supervisors).
Palmyra has celebrated
many student successes this year in the arts areas, sporting events, and
service groups. The HS Minithon raised the most money ever, over $40,000. The
MS held a minithon-type of event for the first time. The district earned the
Lebanon Daily Cup, for the second year in a row, because our teams had the
greatest percent of wins in the county. Our athletic groups had their most
successful year ever, represented by the number who earned district and state
playoff spots, competing very successfully with other young people across the
commonwealth. Our visual arts students earned honors, our performing arts
concerts and ensembles sounded beautiful, and our drama and musical events were
again outstanding, earning Apollo Award nominations. We have at least one
published author. Student clubs and activities such as QuizBowl, Spelling Bee,
Geography Bee, FBLA, Youth & Govt., and Robotics also represented Palmyra
in amazing ways.
Palmyra staff members
were awarded notable honors as well. Ms. Laura Stephens earned her National
Board Certification, becoming the first Palmyra teacher to earn this elite
certification. Ms. Anne Hoover was awarded one of only a handful of Educational
Administration Scholarships from AASA to support ongoing research studies,
Mr. Travis Pierce was named New String Teacher Award of the Year, Ms. Melanie
Wiscount was honored for her technology projects including at the US Global Forum in
Washington, D.C. representing the US team in what is considered to be the World
Cup of Education, and Ms. Lisa Hollenbach will serve on the Dream Team for the
Gate’s Foundation sponsored Literacy Design Collaborative developing model
lessons to be available on-line for professional development.
Staff and students in
Palmyra are working hard and accomplishing much in the classrooms and beyond.
Be sure to read more details about our reasons for Palmyra Pride throughout the
Cougar Courier.
