The middle school program award was accepted by, from left, Assistant Superintendent Sandra Lemmon; teachers Steve Hildebrand and Mike Konzelman; Principal Len Reppert; and Superintendent Thomas Hensley.

Glen Rock, Pa – Two Southern York County School District programs have been selected by Shippensburg University as Exemplary Programs.

The Shippensburg University Study Council recognized Southern Middle School’s Engineering by Design Program and the Life Skills Support Program at Susquehannock High School.

The district received awards and showcased the programs April 18 at Shippensburg’s annual Exemplary Program presentation. The event is for the benefit of administrators and teachers from across Pennsylvania.

“Congratulations are extended to Steve Hildebrand and Mike Konzelman for the Engineering by Design Program and Tom Laure for the Life Skills Support Program,” Superintendent Thomas Hensley said.

The Engineering by Design program, which was implemented in 2006, focuses on invention and innovation for seventh-graders and technological systems for eighth-graders. Students not only learn the history of technology, innovation and invention, but they also experience hands-on activities and use the engineering design process to solve design challenges. Students also use PowerPoint and AutoCAD to present and design systems.

Students in Susquehannock’s LSS Program range in age from 15 to 21. They are students who have been determined to be developmentally functioning below their expectancy, due to cognitive delays or significant intellectual disabilities. LSS assists these students in the transition from school to work. The program helps prepare them to function as independently as possible when they transition from school age to adulthood.

“These are the sixth and seventh programs in the last 13 years to be recognized by Shippensburg University as Exemplary Programs. We are very proud of this,” Hensley said.

The annual event is sponsored by the Shippensburg University School Study Council, a professional development partnership between public school districts and the University, which also supports school system leaders in improving the instructional experience.

The high school program award was accepted by, from left, Assistant Superintendent Sandra Lemmon; teacher Tom Laure; instructional assistant Toni Shearer; Principal Robert Bryson; and Superintendent Thomas Hensley.

The Southern York County School District’s Band Boosters will present the 12th Annual Jazzfest, Saturday, April 14, at Shrewsbury Elementary School.

This year’s theme, Lights, Camera, Jazz, features the jazz bands from Susquehannock High School and Southern Middle School. Entertainment will also be provided by the York College Jazz Ensemble, Dulaney High School Jazz Band, Franklin High School Jazz Ensemble, Sudbrook Magnet Middle School Band, and Time Out.

The event is held in a coffeehouse atmosphere, with members of the Susquehannock band program serving as the wait staff. A selection of specialty coffees and teas, water, and desserts will be available.

Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and performances start at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for students.

To reserve tickets or a table for the evening, contact Beth Bond at (717) 235-5993 or strivefor5@comcast.net.

By TERRI REUTER
Publications/public information coordinator,
Southern York County School District

Glen Rock, Pa. – Administrators, teachers and staff from the Southern York County School District battled one another recently as they raced like caterpillars, tossed footballs and beach balls, bowled, and played hockey with lemons, all in order to raise money for the Southern York County School District Foundation’s scholarship program.

The fourth annual Battle of the Buildings raised more than $5,900 for student scholarships. Teams from each of the six buildings competed in various races, while fans from each of the schools packed the Susquehannock High School gym and cheered for their teams.

From Admin’s Purple Team, Southern Middle’s Warrior Pride, and Susquehannock’s Warrior Nation, to Friendship Elementary’s Team Fire, Shrewsbury Elementary’s Team Storm and Southern Elementary’s Team Good Times, each school featured its own participants and events for the competition.

The humorous, yet competitive events consisted of the Caterpillar Race, Hockey Relay, Jamm’in Beach Ball Relay, Hut-Hut-Hike Relay, Three Ball Relay, and the Lemon Derby.

The Southern Middle School team, Warrior Pride, finished with the most points, and captured this year’s Battle of the Buildings trophy. Susquehannock High School’s Warrior Nation team placed second, with Friendship Elementary’s team finishing in third place.

District Athletic Director and event coordinator Chuck Abbott thanked all of the volunteers who helped make this year’s Battle of the Buildings a success. This year’s total of $5,911 surpassed the $5,237.90 that was raised last year.

“Congratulations to the Middle School for capturing the fourth annual Battle of the Buildings trophy,” Abbott said. “Also, congratulations to Southern Elementary School for being selected as the recipient of the Spirit Award. It was an awesome event. Many, many thanks to all those people who volunteered their time to help out. We could not have done it without them.”

Southern Middle School’s Warrior Pride team captured this year’s trophy.

Shrewsbury's Team Storm competes in the Caterpillar Race.

Friendship Fire staff members toss a beach ball in another event.

This year’s Battle of the Buildings raised $5,911 toward scholarships.

By TERRI REUTER
Publications/public information coordinator,
Southern York County School District

Glen Rock, Pa – Two teachers from the Southern York County School District are the most recent recipients of the “Outstanding Teacher Award” for 2011-12, sponsored by the Shippensburg University School Study Council.

Susquehannock High School Math Teacher Maureen Honeychuck and Southern Elementary School Librarian Lynn Clements were honored with the award this fall at a luncheon at the University. In addition, both were also selected as Shippensburg “Guest Lecturers,” where they will teach a session this year to college students who aspire to become teachers.

“This is the 13th year in a row that we had at least one of our teachers receive this award,” Superintendent Thomas Hensley said.

As a high school math teacher, Honeychuck teaches honors classes in Algebra I and III along with Pre-Calculus. She has been teaching for 12 years, eight of which have been at Susquehannock.

“Teaching was a career change for me,” Honeychuck said. “I worked in the banking and insurance industries as a systems analyst for several years. After I became a parent, I found that I was fascinated with how my children learned. That was one of the many unexpected joys of parenting and I decided that it was a topic that I wanted to pursue in my work.”

As a result, Honeychuck returned to school, and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching and a certificate to teach secondary math through John’s Hopkins University.

“I am honored by the award because I am surrounded by outstanding teachers,” she said. “Many of my best practices come from ideas, advice, and wisdom shared by my colleagues.”

As a guest lecturer this year, Honeychuck will return to Shippensburg and discuss how she uses the teaching practice of reflection to guide her teaching and improve her curriculum and instruction each year.

“I intend to share a lesson that I developed from an article I read,” she said. “I will show the teacher candidates how I tweaked the lesson many times from the first time I taught it to its current state.”

Likewise, Lynn Clements, who serves as the librarian at Southern Elementary School, was nominated for the award by the elementary principals. She will also lecture to Shippensburg education students during the school year.

“I feel very honored, as I teach with such a fine staff of professionals in this District,” Clements said. “It is especially nice to be honored, as I am a ‘specialist’ and I think it recognizes the fact that we are all teachers, with the same goal of teaching our students in the best way possible.”

Having been a teacher for 23 years, Clements has worked at Southern Schools for the last six years. Prior to coming to Southern, Clements also taught in North Carolina and Virginia. Highlights of her career include several professional opportunities, she said. She was a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellow and an Eisenhower Fellow. In addition, Clements has written and received numerous grants for instructional programs with which she has implemented through the years.

In addition, Clements also focuses on the use of technology and its implications for school libraries. Most recently, she received a Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) grant which allowed for the purchase of netbooks and iPads for student use in the school’s library.

“That being said, I still love the satisfaction of a child who comes back and tells me that a book I recommended was just right.”

The selection process for each of these teachers included recommendation letters from the schools’ administration. The teachers also supplied information on their professional backgrounds as well.

“Congratulations are extended to Maureen and Lynn on this outstanding honor,” Hensley said. “Both are very deserving of this recognition.”

From left are Thomas Hensley, District Superintendent; Sandra Lemmon, Assistant Superintendent; Honeychuck; Cheryl Slattery, Shippensburg Associate Professor; and Robert Bryson, Susquehannock High School Principal.

From left are Hensley, Lemmon, Clements, Slattery and Donna Koval, Southern Elementary Principal.

By TERRI REUTER
Publications/public information coordinator,
Southern York County School District

Three Susquehannock high School students placed in the top three or the Pa. High School Computer Fair, held in May at Dickinson College. Pictured, Senior Kendall Cuthie placed first in Graphic Design and advanced to the state competition, which was held this month at Dickinson College.

Senior Logan Markiewicz finished in third place for Logo Design, while Erika Sentz competed in the Information Based Website Design and placed second.

The Pennsylvania High School Computer Fair is an annual event that highlights the application skills and computer knowledge of Pennsylvania high school students. The students may compete in several categories, including Animation, Computer Fair Logo, Curriculum-Based Web Page Design, Digital Movie, Graphic Design, Information-Based Web Page Design, Multimedia Presentations, Programming, and Text-Based Desktop Publishing.