AboveAboveAbove & && Beyond BeyondBeyond PennPenn Manor ManorPenn SchoolManor School SchoolDistrict District District newsletter – Winter – Spring 2016 – Winter 2017 2016 High school to be renovated, rebuilt on site School board votes to pursue Option 3 on current site Planning is under way for a proposed $87 million renovation and construction project designed to transform Penn Manor High School into a state-of-the art education facility for generations to come. In June, Penn Manor school board approved pursuing the project, previously known as Option 3, aft er more than a year of public hearings and meetings to discuss options being considered to renovate and/ or replace the school, Inside originally built in the Conestoga ES late 1950s. project update Option 3 will retain – Page 4 the cafeteria, main Architect Larry Levato, above, leads a focus gymnasium and other group as students share their views on diff erent areas of the school built interior concepts for the high school. At left is in the last renovation in the 1990s, while the footprint of the proposed project, with new replacing older sections. A major goal is to construction indicated in blue. consolidate academic and athletic facilities and reduce the footprint of the building, over three years while the school remains in which now stretches one-third of a mile operation. Financing also is being lined up from one end to the other. for the project. The project also is designed to increase labs and other academic areas. Meanwhile, Public input will remain crucial leading energy effi ciency and safety and security, district offi cials are reviewing future up to the winter of 2019, when the project is both at the school and on the campus. educational objectives to help guide the expected to go out to bid. Groundbreaking District architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh design. is expected that summer. & Associates has been conducting focus In January, Penn Manor retained Warfel Th e public is invited to a presentation on group meetings with students and staff to Construction Co. to help oversee the preliminary design schematics at 6:30 p.m. get feedback on the design of classrooms, project, which will be completed in phases April 25 in the high school library. New makerspace curriculum is transforming PM libraries Penn Manor elementary students are building zoo displays, space stations and national parks in a new curriculum that combines research skills, creativity, teamwork and hands-on building in an unusual setting – school libraries. Students work in groups to build a model of a new national park aft er Th e Project-Based Makerspace researching the physical properties and native species of the state they Curriculum challenges small selected. groups of students in grades four through six to build But before the construction project designs. the structures out of Legos, begins, they must conduct For the space station, they need Central Manor librarian Kathy magnetic tiles, straws, pipe research and cite the sources to select a specifi c planet and Ashworth guides students cleaners, cardboard, clay and of information (online and in researching animal habitats. other materials. print) they will use to guide their More MAKERSPACE on Page 2 4 Conestoga renovations to be completed in summer School to reopen for ’17-18 Work is progressing on schedule on an $11.7 million project to upgrade and expand Conestoga Elementary School. Construction began last summer on the project, which includes a new geothermal heating system, new plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems and upgraded communications and security systems. The school also will get a new kitchen next to the existing gymnasium, which is being converted into a multi-purpose The new entrace takes shape at Conestoga Elementary School. room; a relocated and expanded library; a new academic commons area; and a The upgrades and additions will Pequea and Martic Elementary Schools revised and upgraded entrance. improve safety and security and extend and Marticville this year. In addition, classrooms will be the lifespan of the school by 40 years. The project includes about 34,000 renovated and upgraded, and playground Conestoga has been shut down during square feet of renovations and 16,000 equipment will be replaced. construction while students attend square feet of new construction.

Special education services provided Penn Manor School District is required to provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to children with disabilities who are determined, through the evaluation process, to need special education and related services under IDEA and 22 Pa. School Code §14. A school-age child with a disability who is determined to be in need of special education and related services Penn Manor technology staff members and student apprentices pose with the new is identified as a child with a disability book, written by technology director Charlie Reisinger, center. eligible for special education in need of specially designed instruction. The ollowingf are disability categories Tech director writes book on 1:1 technology under IDEA: The Penn Manor technology team has The program has saved the school • Autism been a pioneer in implementing open district about $1 million on software • Deafness source software in education licensing fees over the past • Deaf / blindness with the innovative 1:1 Student 10 years and is believed to be • Emotional disturbance Laptop Program, the largest of one of the largest open source • Traumatic brain injury its kind in . education programs in the • Hearing impairment Now, the head of the school United States. • Specific learning disability district’s tech team, Charlie Open source software is • Intellectual disability • Multiple disabilities Reisinger, has written a book developed by a community of • Other health impairment explaining how other schools technology experts who make • Speech and language impairment can do it, too. it available to anyone to use for • Orthopedic impairment “The Open Schooolhouse: free. • Visual impairment, including Building a Technology Program Users pay no licensing fees blindness to Transform Learning and Empower and are free to tweak the software to meet A full description of the services and Students” was recently published online their unique needs. programs available is accessible at: and in print. Students at Penn Manor High School www.pennmanor.net/special-education/ The 160-page book explains how Penn and Manor and Marticville Middle or by contacting Theresa Kreider, director Manor was able to implement the schools are using dozens of open source of student services, at 872-9500, ext. 2227. program with 4,000 laptops that run programs such as Blender, LibreOffice, exclusively on free, open source software. Linux, Moodle and WordPress. 3 Alumni join Wall of Honor Four individuals and one sports team were inducted into the Penn Manor Athletic Wall of Honor during ceremonies in the high school cafeteria in January. This year’s inductees include Coach William Beck (football), Jill Witmer (), Jackie Ochs-Gregory Texter (//soccer), Jarred Texter (/basketball), and the 2005 Penn Manor girls’ state championship soccer team. William A. Beck Bill was hired in 1969 to build Penn Manor’s football program from scratch. Wall of Honor inductees and coaches at the celebration at Penn Manor High School He served as varsity coach from 1969 to 1979 and remained with the Comets U.S. Olympic team and competed in the soccer. She earned 10 varsity letters, football program in various capacities for 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. received the E. Jerry Brooks Award for 44 years. 2005 Girls’ Soccer Team Academic Excellence and was named Outstanding All-Around Female Athlete His commitment to Penn Manor The Penn Manor girls’ soccer team won football continues today with the Bill the 2015 PIAA Class AAA State Soccer in her senior year. Beck Scholarship Fund, which assists Championship, defeating previously Jarred Texter (Class of 2004) Penn Manor football players. unbeaten and No. 1 nationally ranked Jarred Texter played golf and basketball Emmaus, 1-0, on a Kasie Shover goal at at Penn Manor, earning seven varsity Jill Witmer letters and the All-Around Male Athlete (2010 home school graduate) 12:38 into the first half. This was the first team at Penn Manor award his senior year. Jill, a member of the United States Field He was one of the top high school Hockey Team, is the top field hockey High School to win a PIAA state title without having to share it with another golfers in Pennsylvania and qualified for player to come from Penn Manor’s storied three USGA Amateur Championships. program. school. In basketball, Jarred was a three-year Jill played field hockey for the Jackie Ochs-Gregory Texter varsity starter and helped lead Penn University of Maryland, helping lead the (Class of 2005) Manor to its first L-L League and district Terrapins to two consecutive national Jackie was a three-sport athlete who playoff appearances in more than 10 championships. Jill earned a spot on the excelled at volleyball, basketball and years.

High school faculty receive state, national honors Three Penn Manor High School teachers bridging the gap between growers and terms, starting in 1878, after working have received prestigious state and consumers in ag education and other as a newspaper editor and school national honors for their teaching and topics. superintendent. academic accomplishments. Todd Mealy Mealy is awaiting publication of his Meagan Slates Mealy, a history teacher, wrote a book fourth book, “This is the Rat Speaking,” Agricultural education teacher Meagan that has inspired a new award in honor of about an African-American student Slates was one of 36 a local education pioneer. uprising at Franklin & Marshall College. teachers nationwide The Pennsylvania Lindsay Feger to receive the 2016 Public Education Feger, an English teacher, received the Teachers Turn the Key Foundation recently Pennsylvania Leadership Development professional development presented the inaugural Award from the National scholarship from the William Howard Day Council of Teachers of National Association of Award to Pennsylvania English. Agricultural Educators. Auditor General Eugene A first-year teacher Slates, who is in her at Penn Manor, she is Meagan Slates DePasquale, recognizing third year at Penn Manor, his contributions to public one of only five teachers Todd Mealy was selected to represent Pennsylvania. education. nationwide to receive the She was nominated for the award by her The award was inspired by Mealy’s award, which recognizes peers and selected by the Pennsylvania book about Day, “Aliened American,” a an early-career teacher Association of Ag Educators, based on a Lindsay Feger who demonstrates a two-volume biography of the first African- capacity for professional leadership. competitive application process. American school board president in the As an award recipient, Slates attended Feger and the other award winners were the NAAE Annual Convention, attending United States. honored Nov. 20 at the National Council workshops and learning from teachers and An Abolitionist, Day served on the of Teachers of English annual convention professors about safety in ag mechanics, Harrisburg City School Board for six in Atlanta. 2 Message from the superintendent As I write this column, plans for Penn Manor High high school should remain in our students are in the School, which was originally Millersville Borough, with easy midst of producing “Th e dedicated in 1958 and partially access to Millersville University. Little Mermaid,” this year’s remodeled in 1997. During Another critical factor is spring musical. Th is family the 2015-2016 school year, that this option will enable us production showcases a we conducted fi ve general to consolidate programming multitude of student talent, public meetings as well as so that classrooms and labs are including acting, singing, seven smaller group forums to not separated by a building that production and set and discuss four options developed currently spans one-third of a costume design. In fact, one by Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & mile, from end to end. of our students who designed Associates Architects. Over the past nine months, costumes was featured on the school district has been WGAL-TV for his creative e next public actively working with the work. architect and a faculty Dr. Mike Leichliter Th is example illustrates the meeting on the high committee to review the many ways that our students school design is academic program of the meeting scheduled for April 25, 2017, at 6:30 p.m., in are engaged in activities outside scheduled for 6:30 high school to ensure that the of the traditional classroom design of the new building McComsey Library at Penn that help complement their p.m. April 25 in the addresses the needs of our Manor High School. Th e academic endeavors and add high school library. children in the coming years. project won’t go out to bid value for all members of the until the winter of 2019, with In addition, the school board groundbreaking expected later Penn Manor community. Some Please attend! and administration interviewed other examples are highlighted a number of companies for that summer, but this phase in this issue of Above & construction management marks an important milestone Beyond. Aft er reviewing all of the in an eight-year project. input from the community, services and selected Warfel A topic that continues to be Construction of Lancaster to We encourage you to attend the school board on June and help shape the future of our at the forefront of discussions 20, 2016, voted to pursue help manage the planning and is making needed physical construction phases of the high school, our school district Option 3, which will retain the and our students. changes to our schools. Th e 1990s portion of the building project. Penn Manor Board of School and replace the original The public will have its – Dr. Mike Leichliter Directors and administration 1950s structure with new fi rst opportunity to review have spent the last two years construction. Th e school board and provide comment on the (717) 872-9500, ext. 2223 researching and discussing chose this option based upon a schematic fl oor plan and 3D [email protected] construction and renovation strong public sentiment that the modeling of the school at a Twitter: @mleichliter

Frerichs receives Allwein Award Makerspace: Libraries CONTINUED from Page 1 the design. for public education advocacy “Not only are students Penn Manor school annually to a school board or determine how to provide food developing the creative skills board member Dr. Richard individual school director for and oxygen, remove waste and of constructing projects with Frerichs has been named demonstrating outstanding resupply humans stationed in a variety of materials, they are recipient of the Timothy M. leadership in legislative its unique environment. learning the lifelong skills of Allwein Advocacy Award for advocacy For the zoo, they have to research, design, collaboration, advancing the cause of public efforts on design an enclosure for a cooperation and refl ection to education in Pennsylvania. behalf of public specifi c animal, replicating its consider re-design,” said Kathy Frerichs received the award education and natural habitat. Ashworth, Central Manor at the School Leadership Th e parks must be built in librarian. public school a U.S. state that currently has Conference, sponsored by students. no national park, and students “Our blend of project- the Pennsylvania Association Frerichs have to highlight the physical based learning and library of School Administrators earned praise features of the state in their makerspace we believe to and the Pennsylvania School for being “a be unique in this area,” said Rich Frerichs design. Boards Association. leader, mentor, Th e groups can either build Ashworth, who helped write “I am honored and humbled team builder and advocate for a small-scale model of their the new curriculum with Penn to have my efforts recognized a just cause.” design or describe their project Manor’s other elementary by PSBA,” said Frerichs, who Since 2011, Rich has been in another way — by creating librarians, Nancy Nadig and is serving his 19th year on the active in leadership roles at a digital presentation, a board Lori Paules, over the summer. Penn Manor school board. “It PSBA and served as president game, even a based on the “It was designed to blend is the responsibility of every of the statewide organization details of their projects. traditional information literacy school board director to be in 2014. He also has testifi ed Before the hands-on work skills (research, citations, a strong advocate for public before the Pennysylvania begins, however, students must presentations) with the four education.” Legislature on behalf of the complete a detailed “project ‘C’s of education – creativity, The award is presented association. team worksheet” specifying collaboration, communication who will work on each detail of and critical thinking.” 5 Manor MS earns ‘Distinguished School’ honor Th ird straight Title I award for academics For the third straight year, Manor Middle School has been named a Title I Distinguished School, one of only 96 of Pennsylvania’s more than 3,000 schools to achieve the honor. Manor is among the top 5 percent of Title I schools in the state, based on progress made in the past year to narrow the achievement gap for all students and for students who traditionally underperform on standardized tests. Th e number of Manor students scoring well on the PSSA reading Title I academic support teacher Amy Niemkiewicz works with eighth- and math and Keystone algebra graders during a strategic reading class at Manor Middle School. tests improved overall from the previous year. Th e achievement “Teachers are able to meet with disadvantaged students. gap also improved for “historically students individually as needed and At Manor, about 49 percent of underperforming students” – extend themselves beyond the school students qualify for free- or reduced- special-education pupils, English day for remediation and enrichment. price lunches, based on family incomes. language learners and economically Th ey truly love kids.” Title I schools receive federal funding disadvantaged students. Edwards also praised Amy to help raise student achievement “Th e Manor staff connects with Niemkiewicz, the school’s Title I through instructional changes, students and families in amazing and academic support teacher, for her counseling programs and eff orts to impressive ways to support student eff orts to help struggling students. increase parental involvement. achievement and growth,” Principal Schools are eligible for Title I status Kudos, Manor Middle, on your Dana Edwards said. if they serve a large population of “three-peat”!

Property tax rebate program expanded for senior citizens Penn Manor School District recently program for renters earning no more state rebate before applying for a Penn raised the income limit for senior than $15,000. Manor property tax rebate. Applications citizens to qualify for rebates of up to are currently being accepted for tax $650 on their school property taxes. A printable applicati on bills from the 2016-2017 year. Seniors also may qualify for state form is available online at Additional information, including a rebates of up to $975 on property taxes www.pennmanor.net/tax/ printable application form, is available or rent payments from the previous taxrebate online at http://www.pennmanor.net/ year. tax/taxrebate/. The program benefi ts residents age Applicants needing assistance fi lling 65 or older, widows and widowers When calculating total income, out the forms can contact the Penn age 50 or older and people with applicants should include 50 percent Manor Business Offi ce at (717) 872- disabilities who are 18 or older. Under of Social Security income and 100 9500, ext. 2252. State representatives’ the program, the school district has percent of other income types. Spouses, offi ces also are available to help with refunded more than $200,000 to personal representatives or estates also the application process. may fi le rebate claims on behalf of taxpayers over the past fi ve years. claimants who lived at least one day in Brett Miller – 2938 Columbia Ave., To qualify, homeowners must the previous year. Manor West Commons, Suite 501, earn no more than $35,000 to apply The maximum standard rebate is Lancaster 17603. Phone: (717) for the state rebate and $20,000 to $650, but supplemental rebates for 295-5050. apply for the Penn Manor rebate. The homeowners can boost the amount of Bryan Cutler – 33G Friendly Drive, school district’s cutoff previously was the state rebate to $975. Quarryville 17566. Phone: (717) 284- $15,000. There also is a state rebate Applicants must fi rst qualify for a 1965. Board of School Directors Nonprofit Organization J. Kenneth Long, President U.S. Postage Carlton L. Rintz, Vice President Richard L. Frerichs, Ed.D. P.O. Box 1001 PAID Millersville, PA 17551 Johnna M. Friedman Lancaster PA Joseph G. Fullerton Permit #996 David R. Paitsel An Equal Opportunity Employer Jeffrey E. Lyon Christopher C. Straub Donna J. Wert Ex Officio Members: Christopher L. Johnston, Treasurer Cindy Rhoades, Board Secretary Administration Postal Customer Michael G. Leichliter, Ed.D. Superintendent Cheryl A. Shaffer, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent, Secondary Jerry Egan, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent, Elementary Christopher L. Johnston Business Manager

Twitter: @pennmanor Above & Beyond newsletter is published by Penn Manor School District. If you Website: www.pennmanor.net have questions or comments, please contact Brian Wallace, Community Relations Coordinator, at 872-9500, xt. 2241, or by email: [email protected].

New center has strong ties to old Hambright School Hambright Elementary School is long gone from its former site on Temple Avenue, replaced by a new school in 2014. But memories of the old Hambright endure at Signature Senior Living Lancaster, the Signature Senior Living Lancaster personal and memory care facility built on the old school Signature also has a display grounds. in one of its wings featuring The rustic brick Hambright old photos of the exterior and Former longtime Hambright Elementary School principal Jerry School sign has been recycled interior of Hambright, along Sheckart was one of the first residents of the new facility. Behind him for use by Signature, and the with a brick from the original is a display of old school pictures and a brick from Hambright. 1936 structure. center’s in-house movie theater of Hambright School within of Signature, who regularly was named Hambright Cinema “We are honored to be our community,” said Jennifer write to the fifth-graders. in honor of the old school. able to carry on the legacy Hoover, Signature’s community “They’ve shared facts about sales director. attending one-room school In another connection, houses and not having running one of the first residents of water,” said Hambright teacher Signature was Gerald Sheckart, Melissa Borgoyn. “Their letters Hambright principal from the have opened up rich dialogue 1960s to the ’80s. about life 70 to 100 years ago.” And students at the new “My students have gained Hambright Elementary have newfound respect for the things started an “Adopt a Grandpar- they take for granted in their ent” program with 10 residents everyday lives.”