FREE! TAKE ONE CENTRALPENNPARENT.COM FAMILY FOCUSED AUGUST 2017 Our BACK -TO- SCHOOLSCHOOL Issue! HELP FOR THE GIFTED FIRST-DAY JITTERS PLUS: OUR friday night GUIDE TO 33 foes: great school rivalries! AREA FAIRS! ABLE to enjoy the now A savings plan for people with disabilities paable.gov The Pennsylvania ABLE Savings Program (PA ABLE) is administered by the Pennsylvania Treasury Department. Before investing in PA ABLE, please carefully read the disclosure statement (available at www.PAABLE.gov or by calling 855-529-ABLE) to learn more about PA ABLE, including eligibility requirements, effect on federal and state benefits programs, investment objectives, risks, fees and tax implications. Paid for with Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars. CENTRAL PENN 1500 PAXTON ST., HARRisBURG, PA 17104 Editor s Note ceNTRalpeNNpaRENT.com | 717-236-4300 ' There was a time, This is our back to school issue (even if a half-dozen years your school is your kitchen table with lesson ago, that my daughter plans you create yourself or a laptop and PUBLISHER, ShaunJude McCoach caught wind of home- textbooks from one of the state’s cyber char- [email protected] schooling. She latched ters). Is your child gifted, or showing signs he onto that concept with laser-like focus. Oh, might be? Check out Stephanie Giese’s article EDITORIAL she pushed the whole “schooling” thing to on how to make the most of the GIEP. Penn- EDITOR, Leslie Penkunas the side and instead embraced the “home” State Hershey’s monthly “Mind on Health” [email protected] portion. column tackles back-to-school anxiety and ASSISTANT EDITOR/WEB, Josette Plank It wasn’t that she didn’t like her teachers — how to minimize it. And as our cover shows, [email protected] she adored them. It was the sheer drudgery of back-to-school season means getting ready waking at a specific time, and sitting in class, for high school football. Friday night games DESIGN that she disliked immensely. She gave up on can be a fun and affordable outing for young SPECIAL PROJECTS SUPERVISOR, Kady Weddle her dream of successfully petitioning our families. We look at some of our regions school district for half-day second grade and bigger team rivals — which team is leading GRAPHIC DESIGNER, Skye Pournazari decided instead that staying at home would the “series,” what some of the history of the AD DESIGNER, Jordan Mazuranic be even better. She had a whole “homes- competition is, and when they’ll meet up this chool” fantasy going on her head that as her year. AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT mom/teacher, I would let her sleep as late as Finally, we don’t want to rush summer VICE PRESIDENT, Zander Gambill she wanted, let her do her work whenever away. It’s only August, after all. I grew up just MANAGER, Sherry Andersen she wanted, and let her play stuffed animals below the Mason-Dixon Line and this month COORDINATOR, Raquel Campbell whenever she wanted. meant eagerly awaiting the start of the Mary- For months I explained to her that homes- land State Fair, which only stuck around for chooling is serious stuff, involving text books 10 days each year. In Central Pennsylvania, ADVERTISING and work books and grade-specific curricula we’re much more fortunate than that. There’s ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES and, worst of all, ME becoming her teacher. a county or community fair, big or small, CUMBERLAND/DAUPHIN COUNTIES Lori Smeigh • [email protected] And I did not become a teacher for many every week or weekend from now through reasons, not least of which was my lack of mid-October. We provide a helpful guide for LANCASTER/LEBANON COUNTIES Laura Page • [email protected] patience. She should have realized that from you so you can make the most of fair season. YORK COUNTY those times I attempted to help her with her Paul Chin • [email protected] homework. Happy parenting! Thankfully, her fascination with homes- chooling subsided, and she began to appre- ciate the wisdom, guidance, inspiration and 7 7 7 7 yes, immense patience of her teachers. I will Leslie Penkunas | EDITOR forever be thankful to them for helping me over that rough patch. If you have children Central Penn Parent is published 11 times a year by BridgeTower Media™, like mine, and are not inclined to homeschool with a circulation of 25,000. Distribution of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of information, products or services. Central Penn them, please don’t let them see our feature Parent reserves the right to reject any advertisement or listing which is not in keeping with the publication’s standards. Manuscripts and photographs, if article on page 12; it runs counter to my ulti- they are to be returned, must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed mately persuasive argument about it being ‘all envelope. Copyright 2017 by Central Penn Parent. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Pick up your copy of Central Penn text books and worksheets and grade-specific Parent the first day of each month in more than 700 locations in Central PA! curricula.’ Libraries Book Stores Schools Children’s Retail Shops Daycare Centers Museums Pediatricians’ Offices And so many more! Recreation Centers PUBLISHED BY MEMBER OF AUGusT 2017 | CENTRALPENNPARENT.COM 3 AUGUST 2017 Contents 11 EDUCATION MATTERS Gifted in Pennsylvania 18 MIND ON HEALTH Taming the back-to-school butterflies 18 19 VOLUNTEER HERO Building playgrounds in York 22 PARENTING PRO Helping them adjust to school’s early start 23 AUGUST BIRTHDAYS! 25 SUBURBAN RESISTANCE When did our roads become something out of Mad Max? 26 CENTRAL PENN PARENT ONLINE 28 KIDS’ HEALTH The update on school vaccinations 30 NEWS & NOTES 32 FOOD FOR THOUGHT 27 11 Fresh peach salsa 34 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 37 PRIVATE SCHOOL LIST Largest K-12, by enrollment 38 SCHOOL DISTRICT LIST Largest in the area, by enrollment 32 Features On the cover FRIDAY NIGHT FOES 6 High school football’s fun and fierce rivalries HOME SWEET SCHOOL 12 When their classroom is your family room THE COUNTY FAIR 14 Kids, cows and carnival rides as far as the eye can see (from left) Cedar Cliff cheerleading co-captain Riley Demeritt and teammate Samantha Belz are joined by Red Land cheerleading co-captains Adina Lightner (flipping in the photo above) and Kirsten Knapp at West Shore Stadium. All four are 17-year-old seniors ready to cheer on their football teams, sister schools and fierce rivals in the West Shore School District. Photo by Kara Clouser of Conte Photography. 4 AUGUST 2017 | CENTRal PENN PARENT SUPPORT your local schools Earn money for local schools with every purchase when you register your BONUSCARD or 10 digit phone number with A+ School Rewards. Registration begins September 11, 2017 Visit GiantFoodStores.com/aplus for details. High school football is even more fun when there’s a big rivalry at play. by Leslie Penkunas here’s nothing quite like a high school vs. MILTON vs. CEDAR CREST LEBANON HERSHEY football game. The competition on the field HERSHEY is exciting, but the energy in the stands is @ Cedar Crest, Sept. 1 electric — among the exuberant students and @ Hershey High School, Sept. 15 T Photo courtesy of the Milton Hershey School loyal alumni are families enjoying some affordable Photo courtesy of BlueCardinalPhotography.com Friday night fun. Add in the half-time marching band performances and some yummy concession stand treats, what’s not to love? Any home game can be fun, but an established ri- valry can amp up the thrills for players and fans alike. While the football teams, cheerleaders and marching band members are all busy having their two-a-day practices in preparation for the season, we wanted to take a look at some of the bigger area rivalries. Be sure This year will mark the 75th anniversary of the Cocoa to mark your calendars if you want to see them on the Bean Bowl, the annual game between rivals Milton gridiron this fall! Hershey (the Spartans) and Hershey High School (the Trojans). The series is pretty even, with the Trojans Leslie Penkunas is the editor of Central Penn Parent holding a slight edge, 37 wins to the Spartans’ 34; the two and loves attending Friday night football games with The Cedar Bowl, pitting archrivals Cedar Crest Falcons teams have recorded three ties over the years. her family. against the Lebanon Cedars, has been played since 1972. The Falcons lead the series 29 to 16, and won last year’s Note: all games are at 7 p.m. unless noted. vs. game in Lebanon, 26-14. WARWICK EPHRATA @ Ephrata, YORK NORTHEASTERN vs. SUBURBAN Sept. 15 GOVERNOR WILSON vs. MIFFLIN In this non-league @ Northeastern, Sept. 8 game, neighboring @ Governor Mifflin, Sept. 1 It’s a nonconference rivalry between the North- school districts War- eastern Bobcats and the York Suburban Trojans. wick (in Lititz) and This is the 59th year that these two fierce rivals have met Photo courtesy of Ephrata battle for the Last year the Bobcats won decisively at the Lititz Record Express up in now nonleague play. Wilson, a football power- Trojans’ home field, 49-7. coveted George Male house (it hasn’t lost a Lebanon-Lancaster League game Trophy. The Warwick Warriors lead the series since 2007) that won the District 3 6A title last year, against the Mountaineers, 43-38-6, and has a leads this rivalry, 35 games to 24. streak of 11 straight victories. 6 AUGUST 2017 | CENTRal PENN PARENT MANHEIM vs. vs. STEELTON- SUSQUEHANNA vs. BISHOP HEMPFIELD TRINITY TOWNSHIP HIGHSPIRE TOWNSHIP MCDEVITT @ Hempfield, Sept. 22 @ Trinity, Oct.