parkland newsletter singh, bryan sobczak, flutura berisha, nicole cury, emily monko and vianny...

Parkland high school named one of the best high schools in america

PARKLANDJUNE 2015

VOLUME 47 NUMBER 4NEWSLETTER

WHAT’S INSIDEpg. 2 MOS CertifiCatiOnS

SUPerintenDent’S MeSSaGe

2015-16 BUDGet OVerVieW

HOW DO i CaLCULate MY taXeS?SUMMer CaMPS

BUDGet faSt faCtSfOUnDatiOn GaLa

ParKLanD PriDe: aCaDeMiC SCHOLarSHiPS

State anD natiOnaL WinnerS

CaPitaL PrOjeCtS UPDate

UPCOMinG eVentSand much more!

pg. 5pg. 6-7pg. 8pg. 9pg. 11

pg. 3

pg. 12

the class of 2015 enjoyed a wonderful Promcongratulations loren skinker and caitlin carlson, this year’s Prom king and queen.

5,500 Deaths are Caused by Distracted

Driving Each Year(National Highway Tra�c Administration)

Get home safe.Don’t text and

drive.

get home

safe!

have to

drive now.

ttyl.

others on the prom court included alfred hayward, jonah sanchez,taj singh, bryan sobczak, flutura berisha, nicole cury, emily monko and Vianny reyes.

to produce the 2015 best high schools rankings, u.s. news & world re-port ranked schools on these key principles: that a great high school must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college bound, and that it must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show it is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators.

Parkland high school’s world language department won a golden globe award, the highest award given in the state’s com-petition which recognizes exemplary Pa high school foreign language programs. to obtain an award, schools must provide evidence of excellence in 11 program indicators established by Pennsylvania state modern language association which can be viewed by clicking on the qr code here:

Parkland wins state’s highest recognition for exemPlary world language Program

orefield middle school receiVes award for reducing energy consumPtion by 26% OMS won the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA) Head of the Class award which recognizes Pennsylvania schools that are leading the way in saving energy and money in Pennsylvania. to be considered, a school must have benchmarked their energy consumption, developed innovative programs to reduce their energy usage through capital improvements, operational controls, behavioral modification, and involved the school community in the effort. the award and citations were showered in har-risburg. On hand to help celebrate are (back row, L-R): Rep. Gary Day; Rep. Ryan Mackenzie; KEEA Executive Director Brian Kauffman; PA PUC Com-missioner Pam Witmer; KEEA Board President Rich Silverian. Front row: Rep. Julie Harhart; School Board Vice President David Kennedy; Energy Champion Dale Reitz; Assistant Superintendent Rod Troutman; Principal Todd Gombos; Assistant to the Superintendent for Operations Tracy Smith; Technology Education Teacher Nicholas Kessler; Rep. Mike Schlossberg

PARKLAND NEWSLETTERPARKLAND NEWSLETTERJUNE 2015

22 students receiVe microsoft office certifications in new it academya unique new opportunity was offered this year to Phs students to take courses in the microsoft it academy. sami jo crivellaro, a Parkland high school business teacher, volunteered to initiate and lead the district’s it academy, a blended learning course providing a pathway for Parkland High School students to achieve Microsoft Office Specialist certification. Crivellaro built a course curriculum around Microsoft IT Academy video tutorials and gmetrix software practice exams and delivered the course in a blended style combining the online video tutorials and online practice component along with teacher support for her students. in preparation for the implementation of the it academy, Parkland became a certiport authorized testing center and ms. crivellaro led the preparation for the administration of the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams. As a result of her leadership and her work with students, Parkland’s first IT Academy class has 21 of 21 students MOS certified in Microsoft Word. Her students test on Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint before the school

year ends. The ultimate goal is to have students obtain at least two MOS certifications by the end of the class. Parkland high school is one of just 51 schools in the entire state of Pennsylvania that offer testing on site.

we are pleased to also note ms. crivillero was nominated for and received the sungard k-12 lead without limits award, which celebrates the excellence of its customers’ ed-tech initiatives. the lead without limits awards Program recognizes school districts, schools, departments, administrators, and educators that leverage technology to improve student achievement and/or school or district efficiency.

The Microsoft Office Specialist program provides computer literacy, measures proficiency, and identifies opportuni-ties for skill enhancement. The certificate is a valuable credential recognized worldwide as proof that an individual has the desktop computing skills needed to work productively and efficiently.

PARKLAND NEWSLETTERJUNE 2015

Parkland school district hired stantec architecture and engineering llc, a company ranked #1 in k-12 school design by architectural record magazine for 2014, to perform a feasibility study that will help guide the school district into the next decade. the study will explore options to implement a full-day kindergarten program, which will help achieve a major district goal - ensuring that all children in the district read on grade leVel by the end of third grade. the study will take a spe-cific look at the aging Troxell building and provide recommendations and a cost analysis on restoring, razing, or selling the building depending on what would be most advantageous for the community, while taking other resources into account.

as part of the study, stantec will produce a decade’s worth of demographic projections for the municipalities Parkland serves: north whitehall, south Whitehall and Upper Macungie Townships. Those figures will yield enrollment projections for the district and help guide the decision-making process.

as demographics in Parkland continue to shift, focusing on early childhood education is an increasingly important strategic goal in Parkland. research shows that children who can’t read well by third grade struggle with every other subject as they matriculate through school. the district looks forward to sharing the results of the six-month study in future newsletters.

district PrePares for next decade Explores Full-day Kindergarten and

Options for Troxell

the district is submitting plans to south whitehall township for approval and is in the process of selecting a manufacturer for the turf field. As of the writing of this newsletter, the district predicts construction to begin in late august or early september with an estimated completion date in november.

there will be a donor wall within the facility that will recognize any donor who wishes to make a gift to the Parkand school district education foundation in support of the turf project and district’s athletic program. if you have not donated to the Parkland foundation in the past, this might be a nice way to support the athletic program - especially if you are an alumni who benefited from the ability to play on a Parkland sports team. donations of $500 or more will be recognized on a donor wall plaque. three giving levels will be recognized: all-star circle $500 - $1,000, trojan circle $1,001 - $5,000, and champion circle $5,001 and above, with each level receiving larger lettering as shown above.

if you would like to make a gift and have your family’s name on the stadium wall in perpetuity, please fill out the form below and mail your payment to the foundation. all gifts are tax deductible.

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turf field uPdate

TURF FOR SOCCER, FIELD HOCKEY

AND LACROSSE

as demographics change, Parkland continues to meet the needs of all students

Poverty rate increased from 12 to 20% of total students since 2009

by 2020, it is projected that 1 out of 4 Psd students will qualify for free or reduced lunch

37 students labeled “homeless” in dec 2014

english language learners rose from 136 in 2009 to 220 in 2014

16% receive special education services

94% of students have a device at home, 97% have internet access

current demographics: 72% white, 11% hispanic, 4% african american, 10% asian, 3% other

Parkland school district is installing synthetic turf in the soccer/track sta-dium field behind Parkland High School.

I Wish to Make a Gift to the Parkland SD Education Foundation!

Gifts of $500 or more will be recognized on a donor recognition wall plaque.

Donor _____________________________ Phone _____________________________ Email ______________________________

Address ____________________________________

City ______________State ______ Zip _______ PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Parkland SD Education Foundation and submit this form to: Parkland SD Education Foundation, 1210 Springhouse Rd., Allentown, PA 18104. Phone: (610) 351-5572


Parkland’s ‘into the woods’ dazzles audiences show caPtures 15 freddy nominationsParkland high school’s spring production of “into the woods” captured 15 freddy award nominations including: outstanding overall Production of a musical, outstanding Performance by an Orchestra (won), Outstanding Use of Scenery, Outstanding Use of Costumes (won), Outstanding Use of Lighting, Outstanding Chorus, outstanding stage crew, outstanding Production number - “Prologue: into the woods”outstanding Performance by a male ensemble member - jacob stahl as cinderella’s Prince & wolfoutstanding small ensemble Performance - jacob stahl, josiah smith “agony”outstanding Performance by an actress in a supporting role - hannah hakim as little red ridinghoodoutstanding Performance by an actor in a supporting role - reese diaz as jackoutstanding featured Performance by an actress - abby kern as the witchoutstanding featured Performance by an actress - megan schmidt as cinderellaOutstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Victoria Bartkavage as Baker’s Wife (won)

Kahoot, PlicKers, sPicyNode, MoveNote, edPuzzle, Photo Peach, zaPtioN

there’s so much amazing technology available to promote learning. these are some of the workshops that Parkland is providing to staff so that our teachers can take advantage of some of the coolest new and free apps available. check them out this summer with your kids! also, don’t forget that many online curriculum resources can be used to help prevent summer brain drain. Visit our page of resources by clicking on the qr code at right.

CONgRATS PHS SPRINg SPORTS TEAMS!softball ePc champsbaseball ePc champs boys Volleyball ePc champsgirls lacrosse ePc champsboys tennis ePc champs

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kratzer elementary is completing an 18-month extensive renovation project this summer. above is a glimpse of a newly renovated bathroom and the new computer lab. a rededication and tour of the building will be held in the fall. we are excited to give the public a peek inside this beautifully redesigned school. Site work is in full swing and the temporary traffic patterns are in place as extensive outdoor work will continue this summer. the old bus loop has been demolished and a temporary bus entrance is being used. the parent and visitor entrance/exit and the parking area are still the same and should be used by anyone visiting kratzer.

KRATZER CAPITAL PROJECT UPDATE


dear Parkland residents,

2014-15 has proven to be another successful year filled with many accomplishments and much to be proud of across the Parkland community. our students are earning top honors as we enter the last month of the school year and a whopping $2.8M in scholarship money is flowing to many students who are college-bound. We are in the midst of a very exciting feasibility study that will help us explore the possibility of establishing a full-day kindergarten program that will help us reach our goal of ensuring that every child reads on grade level by the end of third grade. with rapidly changing demographics, our school board and administration feel that this goal is paramount to the services that we are providing to this community. you can read more about the feasibility study within the pages of this newsletter.

june’s superintendent message and a large portion of the summer newsletter focus on the budget as the school board is required to approve an annual budget no later than june 30th each year. as a result of the collaborative effort between the school board and administration, a conscious decision was made in january 2015 to opt out of the accelerated budget adoption time line required under Pennsylvania’s act 1 law. by doing so, the district is locked into creating a budget that is limited to increasing the tax rate for Parkland residents to no more than the act 1 index of 1.9% assigned by the Pennsylvania department of education. this is the second consecutive year that Parkland has not sought preliminary approval to go beyond the act 1 index assigned to Parkland by applying for “exceptions” to increase taxes above the index to balance the budget. in doing so, we are putting forth a budget that will raise taxes by 1.85%.

while the short-term trends on the revenue side are cause for optimism, we still have challenges to overcome and concerns we need to continue to address. among our challenges and concerns are the following areas:• Increasing Special Education costs• School Choice comes at a Cost -----Next year we are budgeting approximately $2.4 Million in payments to Cyber/ charter schools which illustrates the cost of a school choice program to our local taxpayers. • Rising healthcare costs• Increased state mandated contributions toward the Public School Employee Retirement System (PSERS)• Uncertainty about the amount of state funding that will be approved by the legislature our administrative team remains resolved in our effort to achieve the greatest return on our investment educationally and operationally even as these challenges persist. the 2015-16 budget was therefore prepared below the allowable act 1 index approved by the state for Parkland’s 2015-16 budget, which totals 14.35 mills representing a 1.85% millage increase or 0.26 mills. For comparison purposes, last year’s final millage increase was 0.26 or 1.88%.

while the new governor has proposed changes that could offer additional state funding for education and reimbursements for Parkland, as of today’s date, there are many uncertain factors that need to be approved by legislators in order to make the funds come to fruition. unfortunately, we are required to pass and approve a budget by June 30th and, therefore, we simply can’t count on the proposed finances. Rather, we have to move forward with what we know for sure today. this is why there is currently a huge movement for a fair, predictable and sustainable funding formula for Pennsylvania’s public schools. If you would like to get involved with that effort, I invite you to call my office and we will connect you with a state team who is working tirelessly to lobby our legislators for a fair and predictable state funding mechanism that won’t keep us guessing what the state’s support will be for public education each year.

we have been working on this budget since last fall and i appreciate the efforts of the school board who dedicate countless volunteer hours to scour through the budget over the course of the year and offer valuable input as well as our administrators who have continually been challenged to think outside the box to do more with less. the core team of rod troutman, tracy smith, john Vignone and i have a great partnership and the four of us, along with my cabinet and administrative team, strive to deliver the best possible program in the most affordable manner.

as stated in the past, i believe our collective professional responsibility is to bring forward a responsible budget that represents the most essential educational needs of our students by incorporating academics, the arts, and athletics, while considering the ability and willingness of our community to support our quality comprehensive educational program.

with much appreciation for your continued support,

richard t. sniscaksuperintendent of schools

the board will Vote on the final budget during our regularly scheduled board meeting on tuesday, june 23, 2015 at 7 Pm. Please feel free to call the suPerintendent’s office at 610-351-5500 should you haVe questions about the budget Prior to the meeting or join us in the board room at 1210 sPringhouse rd. for the meeting.

2015-16 budget

did you know?

•Among the challenges impacting Parkland are increasing special education

costs, $2.4m in projected payments to cyber/charter schools, rising healthcare

costs, and increasing state-mandated contributions to the Public school

employees’ retirement system

•The 2014-15 Budget required a tax increase of .26 mills or 1.88% totaling

14.09 mills with a total budget of $152,182,566

•The Act 1 Index for Parkland for 2015-16 is 1.9% which equals $1,946,192 or

0.26 mills

•This is the second consecutive year that Parkland has not sought approval to go beyond the act i index by applying for “exceptions” to increase taxes above the

index

•We are appropriating $5.5 Million in fund balance to offset a larger tax increase which equates to 0.73 mills

•Our Proposed 2015-16 General Fund budget of $157,677,695 depicts a tax increase of 0.26 mills or 1.85% totaling

14.35 mills

•As of May 19, 2015, one mill of property tax produces approximately $7,485,355

at a 97% collection rate

•The Governor’s proposed budget includes approximately $1.2m in

additional state funding/reimbursements for Parkland, but due to the uncertainty

of the state budget, these appropriations are not guaranteed as of the printing of

this newsletter.

how do i calculate my taxes?the 2015-16 Proposed budget plan calls for a property tax rate of 14.35 mills. to calculate your school district property tax, find the current assessed value of your property and multiply that value times the millage rate of 14.35. for example, a house assessed at $100,000 would be calculated as follows: $100,000 x .01435 = $1,435 property tax for the school district. this represents a $26 increase over last year.

the median assessed value of a home in Parkland is $222,050. at a mill rate of 14.35, the tax increase would be $57.74 for a home assessed at this value.

the money generated by casinos across the state of Pennsylvania will supply every approved homestead/farmstead with a property tax reduction of approximately $107. this will be clearly marked on your tax bill. Please note that if your property tax bill is below $107, your tax bill will only be reduced by the smaller of the two amounts. gaming monies do not offset the real estate tax levied to fund the Parkland community library.

lehigh county school district millage rank comparison

School District 2014/15 Millage (Highest to Lowest) northern lehigh 20.76 allentown city 18.33 salisbury township 17.50 east Penn 16.66 catasauqua area 16.31northwestern lehigh 15.96 bethlehem 15.77 whitehall-coplay 15.42 southern lehigh 15.37 ***Parkland*** 14.09 average 16.62


reVenue sources

local sources $122,964,203

state sources $27,673,314

fund balance aPProPriation $5,500,000

federal sources $1,540,178

localreal estate taxesearned income taxreal estate transfer taxearnings on investmentslocal services taxPublic utility realty taxPer capita taxesdistrict activitiestuition, rentals, and all otherFrom Educational Agencies (pass through)total local

statebasic education fundingPa accountability grant+ready to learn grantspecial education subsidytransportation reimbursementConstruction Reimbursement (PLANCON)state Property tax allocationstate share of social securitystate share of retirementall other state subsidiariestotal statetotal federalothertotal reVenueuse of fund balancetotal

$108,367,378$10,163,917$1,500,000

$63,041$570,000$130,000

$0$109,000$536,600

$1,524,267$122,964,203

$7,418,135$0

$3,276,903$1,408,759$1,285,000$1,757,205$2,826,875$9,356,998

$343,439$27,673,314

$1,540,178$0

$152,177,695$5,500,000

$157,677,695

instructional Programs 60.91 centsinstruction includes all activities dealing directly with the interaction between teachers and students and related costs which can be directly attributed to a program of instruction. costs encompass all programs including regular classroom instruction, special education, early intervention services, vocational education, remediation services, driver education, required payments to charter/cyber schools, and support of the community college. related costs include instructional expenditures for salaries and benefits (teachers, substitutes, and teacher aides), contracted services, new and replacement equipment, supplies, books, maintenance costs directly attributable to instructional equipment and other expenses such as sabbatical leaves.

instructional suPPort serVices 28.1 centsthis category includes the cost of all services which provide administrative, technical, and logistical support to facilitate and enhance instruction.

instructional – this area includes pupil personnel, guidance counseling, and student accounting services. it also includes the district’s library, audio-visual and computer-assisted instruction programs, curriculum development and the professional development and training for the instructional staff.

administration – the administration of the educational program includes all board expenses, salaries and supplies of the central administration, principals and their supportive clerical employees, as well as the costs for tax collection services. this area also includes legal and programming services and the generation of computerized report cards and class scheduling.

PuPil health – this area includes all expenditures related to health services provided by the district, including salaries of physicians, school nurses and health room aides and medical and dental equipment and supplies.

business/fiscal – Those activities that involve the fiscal operations of the district are included in this category. this includes salaries, supplies and contracted services associated with budgeting, purchasing and disbursing, financial accounting, payroll, asset inventory, and auditing as well as district postage, advertising and data processing costs.

oPerations/maintenance – this includes the salaries of all employees involved in plant maintenance and operation, maintenance and custodial supplies, heating fuel, utilities (water, sewer, gas, electric, telephone), property insurance, equipment for buildings, roof repairs, vehicle maintenance and buildings and grounds upkeep.

attention Parkland school district Property ownersthe 2015-2016 Parkland school district real estate tax bills will be mailed on or after july 1, 2015. any property owner not receiving a bill by july 10, 2015 should contact their respective township tax collector. Property owners who have taxes paid by a mortgage company or other lender should forward their bill to the lending institution as soon as possible to avoid penalties.

real estate tax collectorsnorth whitehall township:

susan gelinas – 610-799-2032, 3861 hickory road, schnecksville, Pa 18078south whitehall township and a portion of allentown:

alvin thompson – 610-398-4050, 2814 walbert ave., unit 3, allentown, Pa 18104upper macungie township:

barry moyer – 610-481-9191, 8330 schantz rd., breinigsville, Pa 18031

Parkland homestead/farmstead gaming creditgaming monies in the form of property tax relief will offset property taxes by

approximately $107 per approved homestead and/or farmstead in the Parkland school district. this assessed value reduction will be shown on your 2015-16 property tax bill

which will be mailed to all property owners on or after july 1, 2015.

77.98%

17.55%

.98%3.49%

how each dollar suPPorts Programs in the

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transPortation – Pupil transportation expenses include all costs associated with transporting students to public and non-public schools on district operated buses.

central – this area includes activities other than general administration which support each of the other instructional and supporting services. these include public information services such as the district newsletter, human resources, planning and research and system-wide technology services.

other – the district’s support of the intermediate unit’s administrative budget as well as instructional material services.

non-instructional serVices .97 cents

student actiVities – this budget area includes the salaries of advisors of student activities, coaches’ salaries for athletic programs, athletic equipment and supplies, contracted services and insurance.

community serVices – contributions to the allentown art museum and historical society and support of the lehigh Valley business education Partnership as well as costs to provide crossing guards are expended from this budget area.

other financing uses 10.02 cents

debt serVice/fund transfers – this category covers principal and interest payments on bond issues for school building construction and educational technology.

refund of Prior year’s receiPts – Payments made from the current budget for refunds of prior year expenditures.

budgetary reserVe – these funds are used for unanticipated or emergency expenditures not provided elsewhere in the budget. included are expenditures for unanticipated state and federal grants for which expenditures are not yet allocated by program.

exPenditures

instructional Programs: $96,048,817

instructional suPPort serVices: $44,301,486

non-instructional serVices: $1,524,986

other financing uses: $15,802,406

instructional Programsregular instructional Programsspecial educationVocational educationother instructional Programscommunity college supporttotal instructional Programs

instructional suPPort ProgramsPupil & instructional staff supportadministrationPupil healthbusiness/ fiscaloperation & maintenance of facilitiestransportationcentral support & othertotal instructional suPPort serVices

non-instructional serVicesstudent activitiescommunity servicecapital Projectstotal non-instructional serVices

other financing usesdebt service & fund transfersrefund of Prior year’s receiptsbudgetary reservetotaltotal exPenditures

$70,565,307$20,210,973$3,390,986

$677,758$1,203,793

$96,048,817

$9,982,644$7,033,688$1,966,066$1,585,418

$12,814,283$7,973,147$2,946,240

$44,301,486

$1,491,034$33,952

$0$1,524,986

$15,252,406$50,000

$500,000$15,802,406

$157,677,695

10.02%

.97%

60.91%

28.1%

2015-16 Parkland school district budget

2015-16 snaPshot:at the proposed school district property tax rate of 14.35 mills, a residential property assessed by lehigh county at $100,000 and $200,000 would be taxed at the following amounts:

example #1 - $100,000 assessed Valuation:$100,000 x .01435 = $1,435.00estimated amount of tax relief per homestead/farmstead is $107.

example #2 - $200,000 assessed Valuation:$200,000 x .01435 = $2870.00estimated amount of tax relief per homestead/farmstead is $107.

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summer youth camPs & actiVitiessummer youth camps and activities are

constantly being updated on our web site.

Visit us online at www.parklandsd.org/community/summercamps

for a list of oPPortunities in our community.

budget facts that may surPrise you

special education expenditures were $14.4m in 2008 and are projected to be $20.2m during the 2015-16 school year. the state has not increased funding in this area since 2008 and federal money has decreased, strapping local dis-tricts with the financial burden of figuring out a way to pay for these mandated costs. you, the Parkland taxpayer, have literally picked up the tab for the more than $6m dollar increase in costs associated with providing special education services to our neediest students.

PSERS (Public School Employees’ Retirement System) requires school districts to pay a percentage of staff salary into the aforementioned retirement system. the employer contribution rate in 2010-11 was 5.64%, but will be 25.84% in 2015-16, up 4.44% from last year. as of the publication of this newsletter, the state has not yet developed a plan for pension reform. school choice comes at a cost - next year, Parkland is projecting to expend $2.4m to charter and cyber schools for tuition. many of the cyber schools that receive these funds are for-profit agencies. The Parkland School Board has no control over how funds are expended or what programs are offered. students in public schools are consistently performing better in math and reading than most attending charter and cyber schools across the lehigh Valley. if we had this additional $2.4m, it would help mitigate our tax increase. in Parkland, this year alone, we saved the district approximately $480,000 by utilizing our own cyber program. our cost to educate a cyber student is about $4,800/year, far lower than what the state requires us to pay tuition to a cyber charter school (approximately $9,700/year for a regular education student and $19,000/year for a student with special needs) costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. if any of these facts are surprising to you, please consider calling your legislator and ask them to help remove unfunded mandates from public schools.

Who won a Senior academic award? Was the final Budget approved? are we getting turf? Stay informated by following @ParklandSchools on twitter or like Parkland School District on facebook.

PARKLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVES 1,052 BOOKS FOR STUDENTS IN NEED With approximately 350 students who have been identified as needing reading remediation across the school district, district elementary curriculum supervisor diane neikam wrote to first book for a book distribution grant and received 1,052 books in an effort to promote literacy. books will be given to children to inspire a love of learning at various reading workshops this summer at camp discover where struggling readers will receive extra help in achieving literacy goals from Parkland staff.

the books were funded by domtar, one of first book’s corporate sponsors.

in the picture from l to r are elementary curriculum supervisor diane neikam, master school board director and school board President roberta marcus, and superintendent richard sniscak.

CHECK OUT THE yEAR’S BEST

MOMENTS: WWW.PARKLANDSD.ORg/

BLOg/CATEgORy/DISTRICT-NEWS/


400 attend 4th annual Parkland school district education foundation galafiVe inducted into distinguished alumni wall of honor -- by caitlin carlson Phs ’15 and samantha holender Phs ‘15

this year marked the fourth annual Parkland education foundation gala. the 1950’s-themed festivity was held on may 4th at the holiday inn conference center. foundation members, Parkland staff, sponsors and community volunteers gathered together to honor five Parkland graduates. the event would not have been possible without the generosity of local businesses and individuals. major sponsors were given ViP tickets and were invited to bring guests to the gala. this year’s lead sponsors were computer aid, coordinated health and service electric cable communications.

the emcees for the evening were mrs. stacy stauffer, a Parkland alumnus who now works for qVc, and mr. erich Joella, music teacher at Orefield Middle School and Assistant Director of the Arts at Parkland. The guests were also treated to performances from the Schnecksville elementary school ringers, the middle school chorale, the Parkland high school jazz band and joe sibilia, Parkland graduate of 2014, who sang frank sinatra tunes.

The evening’s main event was the induction of five distinguished alumni to Parkland’s Wall of Fame. Donna Katcher and Dawn Spence, Ken Zellner, Curtis Schneck, and jason toff were all recognized for their impressive achievements following their high school graduations.

Sisters Donna Katcher (‘67) and Dawn Spence (‘84) began Donna’s DugOut after Donna was diagnosed with ALS. Katcher was a member of Parkland’s first state championship softball team, and has carried her love of the game with her in her fight against her disease. The sisters, who host softball tournaments to fundraise for a cure,

have raised over $100,000 in the last seven years.

Ken Zellner, Class of 1963, selflessly spent 37 years educating in the Parkland school district. during those years, he received the Pennsylvania education association’s outstanding educator award, was promoted to director of elementary education, and founded the kernsville environmental laboratory. zellner said that his favorite part about teaching was “seeing one of [his] students have an ‘aha’ moment during a lesson.”

curtis schneck graduated in 1951 and became a successful home developer within the Parkland community. some of his most prized creations can be found in the fairland farms development in schnecksville. his love for architecture began in his high school wood shop classes, where he built desks and tables that he still uses today. he encouraged all current students to work hard and be nice in order to maximize their chance at luck later in life.

Parkland School District

Preserving Excellence, Building a Dream

www.Parklandsd.org/foundation

the education foundation would like to sincerely thank all of the volunteers, companies and individuals whose donations and time made the event possible. the education foundation’s commitment to preserving the excellence of Parkland would not be feasible without the generosity and commitment of the community. we especially thank the following businesses for their extremely generous support:

above left: schnecksville ringers entertained guests in the lobby during check-in. the middle school chorus students dressed the part and put on a great 50’s show for guests during dinner.

above right: members of the Parkland middle school chorale perform a 50-s inspired routine.

Inductees are pictured from left to right: Jason Toff (‘04), Dawn Spence (‘84) and Donna Spence Katcher (‘76), Curtis Schneck (‘51) and Ken Zellner (‘63)

Special thanks to Frank Mitman Digital Photographic Imaging for donating time to be the official photographer of the Gala.

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during his impressive career, schneck earned the position of President of the lehigh Valley homeowners’ association and received the lifetime achievement award from the lehigh Valley homebuilders’ association. schneck was also recognized for founding the lehigh Valley historical society.

jason toff, who graduated in 2004, was honored at the gala for his success in entrepreneurship. after graduating as a national merit scholar from Parkland, and then magna cum laude as a business major from the university of Pennsylvania, toff is the general manager at the incredibly popular social medium, Vine. Vine, which allows users to post six second videos and share them with the world, has been one of the most downloaded apps over the last few years. however, his success is no surprise to the teachers who had him as a student at Parkland. inspired by his aunt who suffers from downs syndrome, toff nearly single-handedly established a chapter of PALS Club (Peers Assisted Learning Support) at Parkland as a junior in high school. The club’s goal was to include students with special needs in regular day-to-day high school activities. today, the club thrives and stands as one of the largest clubs in the school.

the Parkland school district has been awarded the national association of music merchants best communities for music education title for the second time. the namm designation acknowledges districts across the united states for their commitment to and support for music education. Parkland is one of only 388 school districts to receive this designation. to be selected, districts are evalu-ated on funding, staffing of highly qualified teachers, commitment to standards, and access to music instruction. additionally, evidence is given to show how the community supports music in our schools. the Parkland community shows their support by attending concerts and encouraging children to be in-volved in music, the festival of the arts, and various performance opportunities offered by the district.

NAMM asked, “What uniquely qualifies the Parkland School District to be designated a “Best Commu-nity for music education?” Parkland teachers responded with this statement: Our music department is unique in its breadth and depth. The sheer number of ensembles, chamber groups, and performing arts electives are staggering. While our offerings are deep, our students truly excel and thrive. We are well represented in auditioned Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District, Region, and State Festivals. While we pride ourselves on our music accomplishments and offerings, the most important part is the relationships that are forged with students, teachers, and the community. Music brings everyone together. The trust, respect, and camaraderie that our students and teachers have for each other are like none other. A frequent mantra is, “I do not teach music, I teach kids.” Music is our medium. We have a passion for instilling a love for the arts in our students.

July 13–17, 2015. For students entering grades 1–12.Each camp is ½ day from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. or 1–4 p.m. Cost: $100.Visit sycroar.org, email [email protected], or call 610-285-5058.

2015 Summer Youth Camps

Christina SchoemakerSchool of Humanities and Social Sciences,

Class of 1998Director of Development

Valley Youth House

A heroic career starts with a valuable education.Gain the wisdom, independence, and determination of a ‘superhero’ when you attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. A bold future starts with a valuable education. Contact Admissions today at 610-799-1575.

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Parkland wins best community for music education award

11

8 STUDENTS EARN FULL TUITION 53 EARN AcADEMIc oR AThlETIc ScholARShIPS

total equates to more than $2.8M over 4 years

studeNt WiNNers taKe 1st or 2nd Place at state & NatioNal coMPetitioNs Parkland Pride is at its best when students earn state or national recognition in academics, the arts, or athletics. here are some of this year’s highlights: lehigh career & technical institute state winners: mckenzie alvarez, elayne bodisch, antonella distefano, christopher droney, cheyenne fenstermaker, londynn jones, marissa kula, nathalie lalande, brian romig, mason rumble, maya sheed, anthony sorrentino, keri weigman and tyler youngnational high school history day: hannah hakimPennsylVania junior academy of science Perfect scores: christian antry, jackson fahey, jason feichtel, louise gottwald, atharv gupte, Priyanka hanumaihgari, grace knauss, arvind Parthasarathy, seungkwon son, sriyaa suresh, daniel wilcox PennsylVania state middle school comPuter fair chamPions: willie hawley, faizan datoo and alex cevicelow middle school k’nex stem state comPetition: Pierce bell, luke gutman, Prathysha kothare, and blake ziegler fbla state winner: arvind Parthasarathyall-state band: max stempel, grace lerewall-east band: matt latshawall-state chorus: jillian krempasky, jennifer ondrey, natalie ondrey, josiah smith, jacob stahl, lisa stein, bryan sobczakall-state orchestra: saagar asnani, guinevere connor, michael wunational scholastic art awards: alyssa tauberintel science world winners: roy ghosh and Vikram Pandian

Power-lifting team state - 1st Place: anthony mallia, collin watson, tyler dupre, christian blangger, will kroboth, nick Palopoli,liam maxwell, jake Puia, mason malozzi, james gallagher, alex reede, liam gallagher, matt atiyeh, zack davies, theo evangelou,alex Van woert, ben geinosky, nate wieder, jake williams, marios delis, zack bauer, amir wallace, jahan worth, andrew Parry, andrew bennett, brody boyer, noel brousse, and Patrick ferry - coaches are erik steiner, Paul hagadus, chris kinane, tim moncman, matt hagelgans - student assistants are steve fehr and dan geinosky

swimming state chamPion: siena salvaggio, two-time gold medalist - coach rob robitailleVolleyball state chamPions: girls Volleyball team: sam graver, morgan sherwin, brooke robertson, avery Perosa, erika foote, megan shaw, siena salvaggio, kristin krause, kirah dreisbach, sam webber, and kristin keck - coach is mike krause and assistant coaches are heather wealand, jesse krasley and heather tice science olymPiad middle school team state chamPions: thwisha anantasagar, Vidhyasai annem, karthik chavan, nishant chitluru, roy ghosh, nehali gupta, Priyanka hanumaihgari, sahil inaganti, aryaman khandelwal, james kim, aditi Pallod, neha Pamidi, Vikram Pandian, rashmi raghuraman, Praneel rajkumar, habeeb salau. head coach - dr. sam ghosh, assistant - mrs. zubeda ghosh, student coaches: sabrina ghoshm shaumik Phadke

25% or more Academic Scholarship: alexandra bodnar - university of notre damestephen chenworth - univ of mary washingtonsydney cope - ursinus college brittney daniel - eastern universitykelsea davis - elizabethtown collegerebecca davis - west Virginia wesleyan harrison eckert - wilkes universitykatrina el-kik - saint joseph’s universitysonali govande - drexel universityethan happel - clarkson universitymadeline lefrock - university of delawarebenjamin martin - drexel university katherine mazur - university of delawarejennifer miller - delaware Valley universitycolin orlowski - university of denver ali Pany - saint joseph’s universityrehana Persaud - elizabethtown college ishan Phadke - Penn state schreyer honors colangela quaglio - desales universitykristina redmond - Philadelphia university jessica rocchino - ithaca college joshua shaffer - muhlenberg collegebrooke sherwin - fairleigh dickinson universitydaniel shussett - gettysburg collegesaran singh - muhlenberg collegemorgan snyder - wilkes universitybryan sobczak - alvernia universitydaniel szewczak - monmouth universityzachary trexler - widener universityemma Varrato - elizabethtown collegejacob wilkinson - manhattan school of musicsarah zakin - temple university

FULL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNERS:nicholas lacesa, lehigh carbon community collegerachael lowe - Penn state university erin jordan - united states naval academykyle nichols - university of new orleans kaleena ortiz - bloomsburg universitymeehan rahman - temple university sujay rajkumar - temple universitybrooke robertson - university of delaware

Partial Athletic Scholarship:Justin Afflerbach - Kutztown University jacob bissell - lafayette collegesophie castillo - university of coloradojessica cattone - gannon university rebecca davis - west Virginia wesleyan college jarey elder - west chester universityblaise fugazzotto - chestnut hill universitymackenzie galli - Virginia commonwealth universityconnor higgins - arizona state universityrhett jacoby - millerville universityhannah Pany - ohio state universityPreston saylor - lock haven universityavery semler - university of iowa jonathan warg - hofstra university

CONgRATULATIONS TO ALL SENIOR

ACADEMIC AWARD RECIPIENTS! CLICK ON THE qR CODE BELOW TO VIEW THE ENTIRE

LIST


Phs botany students create hydroPonics systems

schnecksville 5th graders were invited to explore the Phs greenhouse when teachers collaborated to provide a fun stem challenge for both elementary and secondary students to em-bark on. fifth grade designed and then participated in a water dispersed seed "vessel" race. they built mini recycled greenhouses, toured the Phs greenhouse and viewed the hydroponics and aquaponics systems that Phs students designed. seedlings went back to schnecksville to plant during their annual earth day celebration.

PARKLAND NEWSLETTERJUNE 2015Parkland

PARKLANDNEWSLETTER

the Parkland high school library will be open all summer monday – friday from 9 am - 12 noon and 1 - 3 Pm. due to summer maintenance projects, students from kratzer will attend summer library at Cetronia and Springhouse students will attend Orefield’s library

program june 23 through august 6, 2015 as follows: note: all libraries will be closed july 2 & 3

**The FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for the 2015-2016 school year will be SEPTEMBER 8th, 2015. If your child will be starting school for the first time at Parkland School District, please call the school they will be entering and make a registration appointment at your earliest convenience.**

tuesdays - 9:30-11:30 am - kr at ce and kVtuesdays - 1:15-3:15 Pm - irwednesdays - 9:30-11:30 am - ce and fowednesdays -1:15 – 3:15 Pm - Pm and jathursdays - 9:30 – 11:30 am - sV thursdays - 1:15 - 3:15 Pm - sms and oms at oms

bulletin board

;̂ #855-DrGhosh

GhoshOrtho.com4979 Hamilton Boulevard

Allentown, PA 18106

1210 sPringhouse road, allentown, Pa 18104

board of directors:roberta m. marcus, President, master school board directordavid m. kennedy, Vice Presidentlisa a. adamsrobert e. bold, master school board directorrobert m. cohenmark a. hanichakdavid j. heinbarry d. longjef reyburnrichard t. sniscak, superintendentdr. rodney r. troutman, assistant superintendenttracy e. smith, assistant to the superintendent for operationsjohn a. Vignone, board secretary/dir. of business administrationnicole mehta mcgalla, editor/dir. of community rel. & developmentwww.parklandsd.orgnondiscrimination in Programs and emPloyment Policyin accordance with title Vi, title ix, section 504 and the americans with disabilities act, the Parkland school district does not discriminate either in the educational or vocational programs and activities which it operates or in the employment of personnel, on the basis of sex, handicap, disability, race, color, national origin, age, or religion. if your are physically or mentally disabled, visually or hearing impaired, you may qualify for special services/ instruction/equipment modifications so you can successfully complete the education program or participate in activities. All inquiries concerning this policy/ questions regarding specific programs, services, and facilities for the handicapped should be directed to the district equal rights officer, Assistant Superintendent, Parkland School District, 1210 Springhouse Road, Allentown, PA at (610) 351-5505.

Parkland newsletter Volume 47 number 4Published 4x annually in september, january, april and june.

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE PAIDLEHIGH VALLEY PA

PERMIT# 719

to adVertise in this Publication, Please call nicole at 610-351-5630.

parkland newsletter singh, bryan sobczak, flutura berisha, nicole cury, emily monko and vianny...

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