A Look Behind the Curtain

Today I want to lift the curtain back a little bit on the school district “inner workings” and share with you what our instructional leadership team discussed at our last meeting.  First I will give you some background.  The instructional leadership team consists of me, all principals, Dr. Harris, Mr. Karaszia.  The team meets once a month with the sole focus of discussing instructional and curricular issues.  There are times when some managerial items are discussed, but they are minimized because we have a separate meeting to review the important managerial items that help the district run efficiently and effectively. The instructional leadership meetings are a chance for all of us to intently focus on what is (and should be) occurring in the classrooms across the school district.  It is also a time for all of us to learn from each other. 

This Tuesday one of the items the instructional leadership team discussed was the book The Moral Imperative of School Leadership by Michael Fullan.  Teams of two administrators were assigned a chapter one month ago and told to report to the rest of the group what was meaningful to them in the chapter at this meeting.  You can find their PowerPoint presentations here.  I was so excited after this meeting.  The book discusses how important it is for all educators to look into themselves and understand that the work we do has a moral purpose.  As a matter of fact, educators should not shy away from the fact that we are involved in a moral undertaking in public education.  School leaders must be great managers but more importantly outstanding instructional leaders.  By following this model, the school leader’s time and effort are more focused on what is truly important in the school system…student learning.  We have a great staff here at PT.  The passion the principals have for our students is great and is a reflection of the passion they see every day in their buildings when the staff is interacting with students.  I hope you enjoy looking through the PowerPoint presentation and learn a little about the book.

Congratulations to the Marching Band!

This weekend the marching band participated in a competition at Norwin and did very well. I will share the email that I received from the band director David Cornelius explaining the details of the results of the competition. Before I do that, I just want to make a point of how important I think creativity is for the education of all students. No matter what your field of study or career is, the power of creativity enhances your technical skills. Creativity is most obviously conveyed through the arts but can also be applied to any activity you undertake. I want to make sure that all students at every level of ability and age have the opportunity to let their creative side shine through. This can be in the classroom, the athletic field, or through music. Congratulations to the band and here is the email explaining their accomplishments from this weekend.

On Saturday, September 24th, the Penn Trafford High School Marching Band participated in the Bands of America Regional Championship, which was held at Norwin High School.  Our band was one of 15 that performed in the preliminary round, that also included other bands from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina.

In the BOA Regional Championship format, the top 10 bands from the preliminary round advance to the Finals, based on score.  Our marching band had an outstanding performance and earned the right to advance and perform as a Bands of America Regional Finalist by finishing in 6th place overall, 2nd in Class AA, and also earned the Outstanding Music Award in Class AA in prelims.  This is the first ever caption award earned by our marching band at a Bands of America Regional event.   It is noteworthy that our band placed 4th overall in the music performance caption out of the 15 bands.  The only bands that scored higher in music than Penn- Trafford were Norwin, James Madison HS (VA), and Bridgewater- Raritan (NJ).

Our students had an energetic and emotional performance that earned them 7th place at the Finals competition.

I could not be more proud of our students and how they rehearsed, performed, and carried themselves throughout a rather exhausting day that started at 8:00 AM and ended at 11:30 PM.  They represented our school with the class, dignity, and excellence that we expect from our students.

Lastly, our marching band has been asked to play at Heinz Field on Sunday, October 9th, as the Steelers play the Tennessee Titans.  The students will have the opportunity to perform outside the stadium before the game, as well as perform on the field at pre- game as well as at halftime.

Deer Valley

Today I want to talk a little bit about the fifth grade trip to Deer Valley.  For over twenty years fifth grade students from Penn-Trafford School District have had the opportunity to spend two days and two nights at the YMCA Camp at Deer Valley in Somerset County.  The days and evenings are packed with educational experiences centered on environmental learning and team building.  I spent a day at Deer Valley this week and I had a blast watching the kids have fun and witnessing the positive interaction between students and adults. Most of you reading this blog know much more about what happens at Deer Valley then I do.  Today I just want to share with my reflection on why I think it is such a wonderful experience for our students. 

First, the trip is a chance for our kids to experience the outdoors in ways that many do not have the opportunity to in Westmoreland County.  I grew up and lived in Tioga County for 38 years.  In the short time that I have been gone from Tioga County I have forgotten about the silence that envelopes you when you are away from the hustle and bustle of a large metropolitan area. I was struck by the silence of the camp.  I do not know if the students noticed the silence, but I surely did.

Deer Valley also offers a chance for students to participate in experiential learning.  I think all education should center on “experiences” but that is hard to do in the current school system.  Deer Valley allows students the opportunity to “learn by doing”.  In his book Ecological Literacy, David Orr talks about the importance of placing education in the context of the environment in which students live.  If all of our student’s educational experiences are contextualized as Orr suggests, then our students will develop a deep understanding of the “place” in which they live. Paul Theobald and Wendell Berry also talk eloquently about the need for students to have instruction and curriculum that is grounded in the places they live.  As a matter of fact, John Dewey discussed the importance of experiential learning back in the 1930’s.   Deer Valley shows us the value of this type of learning environment.  Hopefully we can take the lessons learned at Deer Valley and apply it to our classroom instruction back in the school district. 

Finally, Deer Valley is a great community education experience.  While I was there I saw how parents, teachers and students were interacting in an educational environment.  I often worry that there are imaginary “walls” placed between the community and the schools.  These walls prevent meaningful interaction between the learning that students receive at school and the learning that happens for our students during the rest of the day.  As an aside, two years ago I had my youngest child stay home for a few hours from school one day so he could help my brother lay pavers for a patio.  Richie actually progressed to the point that he helped set the pattern for the pavers and installed a lot of them.  This experience was invaluable to him.  Now, the question becomes “how can the school system help students, parents, and the community come together and provide meaningful educational experiences”  I think the question really boils down to “what is meaningful learning for our students?”  Once this is answered, the school system will have to work with the community to make sure students receive this type of meaningful learning.  What I saw at Deer Valley was a great start.  Parents, teachers and students learning in the same setting is a powerful pedagogical tool.  Maybe I am looking too much into all of this and I should just leave it at the fact that kids have a great time at Deer Valley.  Let me know what you think.

The amount of work that goes into organizing this trip is tremendous.  After all, the school district has this camp booked for an entire week while our students rotate through in two different two day sessions.  The volunteers and the instructors should all be commended.  At the risk of not mentioning all of those that worked hard to put this together, I do want to point out two people that were instrumental in organizing this trip. I want to thank Mr. Marasti and Mr. Baugh who have worked incredibly hard to assure that this trip is a great experience year after year. 

An Interesting Idea

This is a very innovative idea. As PT reviews options for a building project we must consider deeper educational implications. We must create a world class educational system. I think it is obvious that students should be involved in that process (to think otherwise is kind of silly). Once we figure out what and how education will be for our students in the 22nd Century then we can design buildings to fit that dream. What do you think?

Congratulations to A Staff Member at Penn Middle

I am proud to announce that two staff members from Penn Middle School will be presenting at an upcoming conference.  Mr. Rick Steele a technology teacher and Mr. Jim Simpson the principal will present at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association conference in Hershey at the end of October.  I think it is always wonderful that Penn-Trafford can share some of the great initiatives we are undergoing with the rest of the State.  I particularly like the fact that the program they will be sharing is an innovative curriculum designed by Mr. Steele.  The curriculum helps our students become better thinkers and expands their knowledge base.  Mr. Steele and Mr. Simpson shared the following with me. 

Penn Middle School Technology Instructor Rick Steele has been chosen to present the C.A.R.E.E.R. Technology Curriculum at the PSBA Educational Excellence Fair next month in Hershey.  The curriculum was the product of a $5000 grant awarded by Dominion Energy during the 2010-2011 school year.

The purpose of the grant was to acquire funding that was used to purchase equipment, instructional supplies, and consumables to make eighth grade students aware of conserving energy while exposing them to renewable, non-renewable and inexhaustible forms of energy.  The title for this pilot project is C.A.R.E.E.R.  C.A.R.E.E.R. is an acronym, which stands for: Children Actively Researching Energy & Exploring Reduction.   This title was chosen because it is applicable to life-long learning.  The students need to realize that the habits they form now will be carried with them the rest of their life.  Something as simple as turning off a light switch or lowering the thermostat a degree or two can not only save them money, but reduce their impact on the environment.

               The three units of the activity focus on wind power, solar power, and energy conservation.  The wind unit consists of the students constructing windmills and using them to create a wind farm.  The students are moved into small groups for this challenge.  The groups are supplied with the “bodies” for the three windmills.  It is up to them to research and construct the most efficient blade and blade configuration.  After attaching their blades, they take their completed windmills to a simulated wind field.  In the solar unit, the students assemble a solar module.  The students explore different wiring configurations (series, parallel, etc.) to see which one will produce the most voltage and/ or current.  They also vary the light source to determine the minimum amount of light and impact of the angle of light.  Finally, a load (a fan or light bulb) will be hooked to the module to see the real world application.  The final unit will focus on light bulbs.  The primary focus is to compare an incandescent bulb, a compact fluorescent bulb, and a light emitting diode (led) bulb.   We conduct an experiment in which we measure light output, energy consumption, and the amount of heat given off.  Some of the tools used to conduct our study are a digital thermometer, a light meter, and a Kill A Watt monitor.  We also research life expectancy and cost per unit for each bulb.  The goal is to see which bulb is the most cost effective to purchase.

Energy reduction and conservation can be achieved by making a few simple changes around the home.  Using the sun to generate electricity and heat water. Utilizing the wind to power entire towns.  These greener forms of energy are ever increasing in popularity while becoming more affordable for consumers.  Who knows where it will end?  By the time these students are homeowners, solar panels on roofs and windmills in local fields might be the norm, not the exception.  By participating in these three units we hope the students realize they really can make a difference.  Hopefully it will become a C.A.R.E.E.R. choice.

United Way Day of Caring

I had the pleasure of spending some time at McCullough Elementary School this week while the United Way day of caring was taking place.  Employees from Excela Health were at the school working on the landscape of the playground.  I also learned about all of the hard work that went into building the playground.  What a great story and a wonderful result for our children.  The work that Mr. Mickey did to find grants for the playground and the assistance that the school district gets from the PTO and other outside organizations to maintain the playground is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of Mr. Mickey.  Thank you to the United Way and to everyone who has helped with the project over the years.  I received this email from Mr. Mickey and I want to share it with you:

“On Wednesday, September 14th McCullough Elementary hosted a United Way Day of Caring at McCullough’s Boundless Playground.  Excela Health’s administrative staff volunteered the time to landscape and do general maintenance at the facility.  I personally would like to thank Denise Addis, Carol Fox, Marcia Cook, and Scott Koscho from Excela Health for their work at McCullough’s Boundless Playground.  The playground looks great and their effort made a difference for the students.  

This is truly a team effort between The United Way of Westmorland County, business, McCullough’s PTO and the teachers at McCullough Elementary.  I would like to extend a special thanks to Cyndi Phillips at the United Way of Westmoreland County for her continued support of our students and the Penn Trafford community”

The more I learn about the community and schools of Penn-Trafford, the more I know the decision our family made to move here was the right one.

Female Athlete of the Week and Root Sports

Congratulations to Kara Novotny for being selected the Trib's female athlete of the week. The article can be found here. I was particularly interested that she excelled at ceramics.  Mrs. Vaskov has taught Kara for three years in ceramics and has this to say about her, “Kara is an enthusiastic student who thinks outside the box!”  Coming from an art teacher, that is high praise. 

Also I received the following email from Mr. Hetrick the school district's athletic director:

"Thursday September 15 at 7pm Penn-Trafford High School will be featured on Root Sports Trib Total Media High School Edition program. This was filmed yesterday at Warrior Stadium and will feature interviews with our Coach and a few players. Our Football and Field Hockey teams were practicing in the background. The show will be replayed Friday September 16 at 6pm. What a great opportunity to show off Penn-Trafford School District!!"
 
As Mr. Hetrick states, this is a great opportunity to show off our school district. This affords the school district a chance to start conversations with people about the important things that go on in the school district, namely students and their learning. So someone may start a conversation with "I saw PT on Root Sports", we can finish with "That's great, did you also know that....”

Recent Economic News in the Nation

I am sitting in my office looking at one of my favorite quotes.  The quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln and it is simply eloquent: “My dream is of a place in time where America will once again be seen as the last, best hope on earth.”  I am trying to square that statement with the recent economic news released by the Census Bureau today.  Currently, 15.1% of our population is living in “poverty”,  with poverty being defined as a family of four subsisting on less than $22,113.00 a year.  It gets worse.  The real median household income decreased by 2.3% in 2010 to $49,400.00 which is down from its high of $53,252.00 in 1999.  Adjusted for inflation, a full-time working male makes the same in 2010 as he did in 1973.  Ouch.  Now, what does this have to with education?  Good question.

First, it our moral obligation as educators to help our communities by offering an education to children that will help them lead our society in years to come.  George Carlin said that the best thing that we can teach our children is to question; question why things are the way they are and ask the important “why” questions.  I hope that students who are graduating from our school district or are currently in our system are asking themselves why the United States allows 46.2 million people to live in poverty.  Maybe we live in a community where we do not have outward signs of distress.  I posit that we would not have to scratch too far below the surface to find problems.  (The report found that in the 25-34 year age group there was a marked increase in “doubling up” in households as people tried to cut costs.  Additionally, when parent’s income is taken out of the equation, 45% of these people “doubling up” were living below the poverty line in 2010.)  So our education system must become local and help students understand how national and global events affect local families and communities.

Second, education must become about learning; deep, meaningful learning that is centered on student interests and passions not “Common Core Standards” produced by people outside our community. This important type of learning may not be measured by a standardized test. We must focus on learning that betters society and our communities.  Our community must decide what is important for students to learn, and more importantly how are students going to learn it.  Is it worthwhile for our students to question why there are this many people in poverty?  Better yet, will our district continue the factory model of education where we teach “batches” of kids or are we going to expand our thinking and focus on providing the best education for each individual student?  After all, if we believe that individuals are important we (as a society) would be aghast at 46.2 million of our fellow citizens living in poverty. 

From what I have learned about Penn-Trafford in the short time I have been here, we are up to the challenge of focusing our school system on the learning of individual students so they can leave our schools and better society.

College in the High School

On the first day of school for the teachers I had the pleasure of spending some time with the business department at the high school. During the course of the conversation I learned a little bit about the "dual enrollment" classes that they offer our students. Dual enrollment courses are classes that are taught at Penn-Trafford by our teachers and the students receive college credits for the class. The cost per credit for the classes is minimal as compared to a traditional class. There are many opportunities for our students earn college credits throughout the high school curriculum, but I wanted to share with you the information from the business department. These teachers were very excited by the opportunities that these classes offer our students and are dedicated to providing an outstanding education. I love to experience the passion for learning that these teachers have! A brochure explaining the program can be found here.

Professional Learning Communities

This morning I had the good fortune of observing a professional learning community (PLC) with the high school English Department. PLC's are a time when teachers meet and discuss student achievement, curriculum and classroom instruction. PLC's are a powerful tool to help our teachers provide the best education possible by focusing on what is important....student learning. In this morning's PLC, the teachers were discussing the merits of certain vocabulary curriculum as well as organizing training for writing strategies. All teachers at the Penn-Trafford School District participate in some sort of PLC. What a great way for me to start my day by sitting with teachers and talking about the "good stuff".

Data Transmission Through a Lightbulb...Implications for Education?

Every once in awhile I will share a video with you when I believe the video speaks to changes in education at our local level and a national or global level.  This is one of those videos.  The speaker has developed technology where an ordinary light bulb can transmit data (think wireless). The implications for education are enormous.  The availability of information will only become easier and the methods in which we connect with students will only expand in the future with technology such as this.  School systems must take advantages of these new methods of delivery and the new ease in which information will be shared.  I mention the word "repurposing" a lot when I discuss education.  Using that word is my attempt to shift the narrative of education away from what we "do" currently and what we "know" currently. Education must help students become critical "engagers" in their communities and our society.  The future will demand these skills and our school system has the moral obligation to prepare students for that task.

 Harald Haas: Wireless data from every light bulb | Video on TED.com