SCHOOL SCENE A Special Supplement to the Sullivan County Democrat
A look at activities in the Wayne Highlands School District Honesdale, PA.
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SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
SEPTEMBER, 2014
School year begins with badges of honor, fiscal bumps T
he Democrat asked Wayne Highlands Superintendent of Schools Gregory Frigoletto to discuss the recent successes of his District and the challenges faced this new school year. Q: Last year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education recognized Wayne Highlands for excellence. How does such success happen? In four of the last five years, we have surpassed all of the state averages in all categories of the tested areas, putting us in an elite group in our area. Our District and individual schools’ School Performance Profile scores were among the highest in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Two of our schools, Damascus and Preston, were recognized as Distinguished Title 1 Schools, based on exemplary school effectiveness in the areas of achievement, use of research based strategies, opportuni-
Superintendent of Schools Gregory Frigoletto emphasizes that hard work, orderly classrooms and a caring environment encourage student success
Frank L. Miller
ties provided for all students to achieve, implementation of sustained research-based professional development, and coordination of Title 1 with other programs. (Note: Title 1 schools have large number of students from lowincome families. More than 90 percent of school systems in the U.S. receive some sort of Title 1 funding, which is used to supplement and improve programs). In addition, our Wayne Highlands Middle School and Preston Area School were presented with the Governor’s Award for Excellence by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for their outstanding School Performance Profile Scores, which in both cases were above 90. Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresque presented the awards in a public ceremony right at continued on page 3H
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School Scene A Look at Activities in the Wayne Highlands School District Published by Catskill-Delaware Publications, Inc. Publishers of the
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Honesdale High School. Through those and other examples of success, one common denominator exists: hard work. From top to bottom, all levels of employees/staff members of our District, as well as students, wear our accomplishments like badges of honor. We have very high expectations. We tend to look at the growth model (growing our students) as a more appropriate measure of success. In other words, did every individual student do better than last year? We continue to be progressive, we continue to focus on professional development, we try to implement razor sharp curriculum with fidelity, and we have a Board that always makes decisions based on what is best for our kids. Q: Your District is known for its structured learning environments. Can you explain how that looks and plays out in the classrooms? We’ve always followed the “order first” philosophy. We feel strongly that students thrive in a structured environment. Students are expected to know the rules and follow the rules.
They also know what to expect from us. Consistency is critical. At the same time, that does not mean that when you walk into our classrooms you find stifled environments. In fact, you find caring, nurturing, cooperative environments where exciting and innovative teaching strategies exist. Q: What are the challenges you face this year? The Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) continues to be a major challenge for all Pennsylvania school districts. Increases in PSERS have created huge fiscal burdens. For us, the net District cost of our contribution into PSERS in the 20142015 budget is estimated at approximately $2 million. Special Education costs also continue to rise, while Special Education funding has remained flat for years. To balance our current District budget, 63.8 percent of the revenue is from local sources (taxes), 33.1 percent is from the State, 2.4 percent is from Federal, and .7 percent is from use of our fund balance. Still, Wayne Highlands continues to rank with those charging the lowest in taxes. We are 470th out of 500 school
districts in terms of the amount of taxes. And comparing us to the 22 schools districts in Wayne, Pike, Susquehanna, Lackawanna, and Wyoming Counties, we are No. 21, with 20 districts asking more in taxes than we do. Mandates continue to be a major challenge. A short list includes: No Child Left Behind, Transition to the Core, PSSA’s, Keystone Exams, PVAAS, PIMS, TIMS, Teacher Effectiveness Tool, School Performance Profile, SLO’s. Q: How did you gear up teachers and other staff for this new school year? In education over the last several years, we have operated with a “sense of urgency.” This urgency has been a
All photographs and stories for this special School Scene are by Sullivan County Democrat Photographer/Reporter Kathy Daley. The Democrat would also like to thank Wayne Highlands School District for all its cooperation in this project.
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reaction to the constant change we all face in education. This year, we tried to redefine what “urgency” really means. We referred to professor and author Jon Kotter’s thoughts, “Urgent behavior is not driven by a belief that all is well, or that everything is a mess, but instead, that the world contains great opportunities. Even more so, urgent action is not created by feelings of contentment, anxiety, frustration or anger, but by a gut-level determination to move and win, now.” We reminded faculty and staff that our district, although far from perfect, does many things well. Together we need to be strategic in evaluating what we already do and how we can utilize those positive things while addressing new initiatives. We also challenged teachers to reflect on who their favorite teachers were, those that made an impact on them and inspired them to do what they do today. Those individuals didn’t allow them to get away with things. They asked a lot and they gave a lot — they connected on a human level. Ultimately, we left their classroom every day knowing that they cared.
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Wayne Highlands Technology Director Scott D. Miller points out that the face of education has changed in the past six years as technology integrates into most arenas. His last position was at Richland School District near Johnstown, Pa., where he served for a decade.
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
SEPTEMBER, 2014
New tech director explains the district’s electronic landscape
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t was a modern-day wagon train that made its way 300 miles across the wilds of Pennsylvania, headed for Honesdale on July 1. Three U-Haul trucks and three cars escorted the pioneering Miller family. Friends pitched in to help drive, and the three Miller kids, Dominic, Brenna and Quinn, rode at the front of the convoy with their iPads. “My wife (Rachael) and I wanted them to be able to watch movies if they got bored,” explained Scott Miller, the new Director of Technology and Information Services for Wayne Highlands. Miller has taken over the post from Tammy Ebert, who retired as the district’s Technology Supervisor. His role includes supervising the installation and maintenance of hardware, managing the systems, investigating new products and services and advising the district on the
impact and integration of new purchases. Working with teachers to integrate technology into their work in the classroom is a key task of his office, with teacher Laurie Sheldon serving as technology integrator. “For example, if you’re a teacher giving a unit on Christopher Columbus, technology allows you to instantly bring up his ship and view a map of his exploration,” Miller noted. “It’s more 3-D than reading out of textbooks.” His office – which includes technicians and a network administrator – also supervises the district’s technology teachers. Miller himself, who is 33, grew up at a time when there was no such thing as computers in elementary school. “My parents got me a computer, a Commodore 64, in the 1980s when I was in sixth grade,” he recalled. “I learned to program at a young age. It wasn’t until college that someone said ‘look at this – it’s called the Internet.’ ” At the time, Miller was majoring in English and dramatic arts at St. Aloysius College in Cresson, Pa. near Pittsburgh, and he hoped to teach. But before long, he began fixing computer glitches in the college’s admissions office. Then the school’s director of technology suggested he come up and work in the Information Technology department. “Halfway through my freshman year, I realized I really liked the idea of a degree in technology,” Miller said.
He received his college diploma and immediately, at age 21, accepted his first job directing a school district’s brand new technology program. “At the time of the millennium, schools started diving into technology,” he recounted. “Now, in the last six years, we’ve seen the use of technology integrated fully into education.” For the last six weeks, he’s supervised putting in new servers districtwide at Wayne Highlands and has added improvements to the network and to the wireless network to support a new initiative that is piloting iPads for each high school sophomore. He’ll be making sure the district’s 2,200 computers are up to date with the latest software so students graduate with skills they can use in college. He will be ensuring that even in grades as low as sixth that students are able to learn programs like Word, Excel and Publisher. Another new initiative will ensure that even the youngest kids gain good typing skills. “You tend to see third and fourth graders with bad typing habits,” such as positioning their hands improperly over the keys and “hunting and pecking” with only a couple of fingers. In the meantime, Miller and his family are enjoying their new life in Honesdale. They are fishing, biking and exploring a nearby pond, getting to know local restaurants and turning up for events like the Firemen’s Parade.
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SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
SEPTEMBER, 2014
It’s academic – kindergarten moves beyond just play
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he other day, 5- year-olds in Carrie Meagher’s kindergarten class pronounced a big new word – “magnificent,” as in “That was a magnificent dinner, Mom.” They also learned that monarch butterflies sail thousands of miles to Mexico for the winter after eating lots of a local plant. “What is that plant, boys and girls?” asked Meagher in a questioning voice. “MILKWEED!” the class shouted lustily. Science, spelling, math. It’s just the beginning of the school year, but kindergarteners everywhere are up to their tee shirts in serious studies. “Kindergarten is much more academically rigorous,” notes veteran Stourbridge Primary School Principal Paula Brennan. “There’s a great difference (from years past) in curriculum and aca-
demics,” she said. “The level of rigor has increased. And the style of teaching has shifted. Rather than the teacher being the center, now it’s about teaching youngsters themselves to be resourceful.” For generations, kindergarten has taught children the alphabet and how certain letters and sounds make words. They learn to count. They learn behavioral and social skills like lining up to go to recess, zipping up their coats, and raising their hands to use the restroom. They learn to be friends with others, cooperate, develop manners and follow rules. But Stourbridge kids are now also forging ahead intellectually. They are learning the varied styles of writing: the informational style, as in facts about a gorilla; the narrative, which is fiction; and functional writing, which are the “how to” pieces as
Kindergarten teacher Carrie Meagher reads about monarch butterflies to her class, a lesson that incorporates literacy, science and math.
in how to build a snowman. They come to know what the author of a book does, and that the book’s illustrator draws the pictures. Children learn their lessons in whole group instruction --- usually all
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together on the carpet at the front of the classroom – or in smaller, “guided” groups at a special table where, for example, Meagher might work closely with kids who need help counting by 10. Driving the rigor are the PCS’s, or the Pennsylvania Core Standards, that spell out what children must know and be able to do on each grade level. Kindergarten is recognized as an important first milestone in the success of a child’s education career, said Meagher, who is one of Stourbridge’s seven kindergarten teachers. She’s taught first grade and then kindergarten for 14 years. “If we can get the kids to buy into learning, if we can create a culture for learning, a nurturing environment,” says Meagher, “that will stay with them their whole lives. We are the testing zone. If kindergartners can do it, anybody can.” Still, kindergarten continues to be fun for its pint-sized pupils. Learning takes place with games, songs, and manipulatives like snap-togethers and pattern blocks – and by means of
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SEPTEMBER, 2014
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2014 “BACK TO SCHOOL” PROMOTION
the unique sensitivity of a good teacher. “Look,” said Meagher as she reads to her class from a picture book. “The monarch butterfly starts out as a caterpillar that looks just like the letter J! Just like your name, Jacob! Stand up and tell the class that your name starts with a J.” Jacob rises to his feet and shyly follows directions. He seems pleased to be singled out. “Our teachers are attuned to where
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each child is academically and socially,” said Brennan, “and our approach is holistic. We grow the brain, and the person, too.” “We make sure that kindergarten is still fun,” the principal added. “We haven’t given up on singing, or art, or recess. It’s still magical to be in kindergarten.” And just as magical to teach. “Every day those light bulbs go on inside the children, all day long,” she said. Teaching is the best job I could ever dream of.”
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SEPTEMBER, 2014
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Electronic tablets transform classrooms into learning labs A
ssistant Superintendent Timothy Morgan likes to illustrate the job of a school district by comparing a student’s years of learning to a space shuttle launching pad. With kindergarten at the bottom of the launching pad, and senior year in high school at the top, the district must ensure that students are skilled in math, literacy, problem solving and technology before they launch into the stratosphere of college or work. “We want our kids to be prepared as they reach the top of the launching pad,” Morgan said. A pilot project that has placed individual iPads into the hands of the entire sophomore class at Honesdale High School is one way to equip the kids with what they need for blast off, notes Morgan. Across the U.S., school districts are purchasing electronic tablets to encourage interactive learning environments. The benefits are many, including an increase in student motivation, collaboration between students and teachers, and collaboration among students themselves.
Assistant Superintendent Timothy Morgan says the piloting of a program that supplies iPads for every sophomore student is reaping rewards.
At Honesdale High, the project, called the One-to-One initiative, has allowed for the download onto the iPad of the Civics and Government textbook. Also on the iPads are applications for English, Math, Social Studies, Art, Music and Science. “The SAT math preparation class is there,” Morgan added. “There’s a virtual tour of the Library of Congress.” Honesdale’s 230 sophomores can read their lesson, do research and turn
their homework in, all by means of the 5 by 8-inch tablet. Technology Director Scott Miller notes that a teacher using a tablet for instructing can poll the class instantly to see if an individual is having trouble with a concept. “It significantly individualizes the different learning modalities,” added Morgan. “Is a student an auditory learner? The iPad will read to them. Are they tactile? As compared to a textbook, which could not be written in, the iPad allows you to underline and highlight.” Teaching “good digital citizenship” – that is, the norms of behavior that encompass ethics, etiquette, online safety and more – are also part of the One-to-One initiative. Students are not to text on the devices, and a filter stops students from misusing the iPads in other ways. Students are able to take the tablets home with them, which allows a child who is absent due to illness to keep up with what’s going on in the classroom. The iPads are also an advantage for a student who failed to understand a les-
son in the classroom and who wants to continue wrestling with the problem at home. The iPad initiative is also helpful to students who not have access to technology at home. All in all, “it’s motivating to kids,” Morgan said. For sure, the district is not looking to do away with hard copy completely in favor of complete digitalization, the assistant superintendent noted. But studies do show that the increased use of tablets offers a significant savings in textbook costs and the expense of copying worksheets. So far, parents are supportive. “We had two ‘rollout’ nights before school opened, asking students and parents to come,” said Technology Director Miller. “Some of them said, ‘We could never afford this (on our own).’ ” Within the next several years, the district hopes to move the project into other grades as well. “The whole demeanor in a class changes with the devices,” said Miller. “When they start using them, the kids light up.”
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