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Williamsport Area School District
eNews -
Vol. 2, Issue 19                                                                                                  Friday, May 27, 2016 
In This Issue
BULLETIN :Schools and district offices will be CLOSED Monday, May 30, and Tuesday, May 31, in observation of Memorial Day.

The last day of school for students is Wednesday, 
June 8, and will be a half-day for all students.
"Poptastik!," the annual, colorful WASD concert finale begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, at the WAHS auditorium.
Commencement for the Class of 2016 is set to begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, 
June 9 at STA Stadium (weather permitting).
The WASD Education Foundation's 11th annual golf outing is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Friday, June 24, at White Deer Golf Course.
Dear ,

Take a peek inside the district with some highlights of what's been happening in the district.  This newsletter's purpose is to give you, a member of our community, an overview of school news and events, student and faculty achievements, along with the latest from our education foundation.

 

Please remember that you can share this newsletter with your friends by simply clicking "Forward Email" at the bottom of this screen.

Foundation Provides $8.5K to Elementary Libraries

The WASD Education Foundation announced its provision of $8,500 to the elementary library system in support of summer literacy in partnership with the James V. Brown Library.
 
The foundation is providing $2,000 to the libraries that will be used to recognize and honor those students who successfully complete this year's James V. Brown Library summer reading program.
 
The grant will fund summer readers with a new book - dedicated to them - which they will read and the donate back to their respective school libraries to help build the inventory.
 
Last fall, 161 new books were purchased for the elementary buildings as a result of the students' reading efforts.
 
"This gift represents an ongoing effort to support this initiative," said Executive Director Greg Hayes.  "When discussing how we wanted to support the program in the past, the foundation knew it wanted to get new books in our schools while also honoring the students who successfully complete it.  It allows them to leave a legacy of sorts to future students as they move forward in the district."
 
The foundation also is providing an additional $6,500 through the support of Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) dollars and Giant Food Stores for an added program in July called "Read, Learn, Write."

Good luck, OMers!
The WASD Education Foundation was pleased to present $2,491 to the district's three Odyssey of the Mind teams now at the World Competition at Iowa State University.
WAMS Begins Implementation of New, 'Transformative' STEM Program
Williamsport Area Middle School has spent the last month implementing a new STEM program that's bringing a welcome shift to its science curriculum at the tail-end of the school year for both teachers and students alike.
 
The program is funded by a Ready-to-Learn grant through the Commonwealth.
 
Called Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a series of programs developed by the nonprofit organization of the same name, is providing a transformative learning experience at WAMS and across the nation.
 
PLTW courses are aligned with Common Core State Standards in math and English Language Arts, Next Generation Science Standards, and other national and state standards. Yet, the programs are flexible and customizable so that schools can meet their local curricular and community needs. 

Courses are designed to complement math and science courses offered by a school and, in some instances, are used as the core curriculum.
 
Using the grant, WAMS purchased two of the 10 modules available in PLTW's Gateway program: Design & Modeling for seventh-grade and Automation & Robotics for eighth-grade students. Both modules focus on discovery, design, creativity, perseverance and problem solving.
 
WAHS Football Players Visit, Read to Students at Cochran Primary School
Seven WAHS football players read in classrooms at Cochran Primary on May 13.  With some of them returning to the very classrooms in which they once sat, they spent a good portion of the afternoon traveling around classrooms to read to their younger peers.
 
Those who visited the school were Eli ClaryIsaiah HankinsMarshall NorkJerah ReevesFrank Rose and Elliot Walker

WAHS Students, Teachers Recognized During 3rd Annual Top Hat Banquet
Sixteen students were recognized on May 16 during the Williamsport Area High School's third annual Top Hat Banquet at the Genetti Hotel.
 
The program is held each spring to celebrate the top 5 percent of the senior class.  Along with the students, 15 teachers also were honored, selected by each student for the impact the teachers had on their educational careers at WAHS.

The event is coordinated by the WAHS counseling department and funded by the WASD Education Foundation and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.
 
Click here to see who which seniors were recognized and the special presentation that played.
WAHS Excels During Daylong Model UN Event Held at Lycoming College
The WAHS's Model UN team excelled during its latest round held on May 13 at Lycoming College.
 
With 33 delegates representing 13 countries, the results were as follows: 
  • Outstanding Delegates: seniors Eric AskRyan HarschDevin MartyMax Moore and Connor Pardoe; junior Ethan Fisher; sophomore Morgan Marty; and freshmen Cam ButlerAyah El-FayoumiMustafa El-FayoumiMatt GetgenDevin Gray, and Dan Sarch
  • Best Representation: Ayah El-Fayoumi and Emily Penrod, respresenting Iran
  • Outstanding Delegation: Devin MartyMax Moore and Connor Pardoe, representing the United Kingdom. 
Helping facilitate the day's program were WAHS alumni: Olivia Angevine ('13), Alanna Harding ('14), Catherine Johnson ('11), Ethan Puller ('13), Mallory Sluhocki ('15), Megan Sluhocki ('13), Aleesha Smith ('13), Aaron Weber ('13) and Hannah Weber ('15).

With More than 500 Years Between Them, WASD Bids Farewell to Retirees
The Williamsport Area School District honored and recognized this year's retirees during a small, catered ceremony prior to the start of the May 17 school board meeting.
 
A total of 25 employees of the district have or will retire this year, with more than 500 years of experience between them.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy retirement!

Alumni News & Events
Reunion News
  • The Class of 1961 is celebrating its reunion this year on August 13 at Park Place in Williamsport.  For details, contact Martha Walters Bergman at 570-326-0907. 
  • The Class of 1964 is celebrating the class's 70th birthdays from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, at Morrone's Cafe in Williamsport
  • The Class of 1966 is holding its 50th class reunion on Oct. 14 and 15, 2016.  For further information, please contact Cynthia (Martin) Leber at 570-322-1001 or Jill (Stroup) and Chuck Keller at 570-326-4989.  You can also email [email protected].  
  • The Class of 1977 will celebrate its 40th class reunion on July 15, 2017.  If anyone have any information on 1977 graduates, please contact Mike Banzhaf. He can be best reach via his personal email [email protected].
  • The Class of 1986 will celebrate its 30th class reunion on Oct. 14 and 15, 2016.  Details TBD.  For questions or more information, contact Chris Anderson at 570-326-6376.
For more on alumni information, or to submit your own alumni 
news or reunion information, visit www.wasd.org/alumni
 or contact [email protected].
Williamsport Area School District | | [email protected] | 2780 West Fourth Street. Williamsport, PA 17701
570-327-5500 | www.wasd.org