Wayne Highlands School Scene 2013

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, 2013

Facing down jitters, new teacher does what he loves S

hawn Knash could have sought a teaching job anywhere, but the way he sees it, there’s no place like home.

In August, the graduate of Honesdale High School and Kutztown University began his very first week at the front of the class, teaching social studies and English Language Arts to eighth graders at Wayne Highlands Middle School.

“I love it here – the kids, the parents, the staff, the culture,” said Knash. “There’s no place like it.”

Approaching that first day, Knash said, he felt a combination of both excitement and fear.

“You want to make sure that kids know what’s expected,” he said.

“The first time they meet you, you want to make sure you set the tone.”

So at 9:30 a.m. on the first day of school, he awaited the students who began flooding into his social studies class.

“I focused on what the rules and expectations were going to be,

New Wayne Highlands Middle School teacher Shawn Knash works with eighth grader Kailyn Carrick.

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Fred W. Stabbert III Dan Hust Frank Rizzo Kathy Daley, Jeanne Sager, Eli Ruiz, Kaitlin Carney Liz Tucker Sandy Schrader Katie Peake, Cecilia Lamy Laura Stabbert Susan Owens Patricia Biedinger, Jasmine Rivera Michelle Reynolds Janet Will Sue Conklin, Ruth Huggler, Rosalie Mycka, Tracy Swendsen Elizabeth Finnegan, Jacob Stein, Petra Duffy Richard Conroy

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SEPTEMBER, 2013

what my goals for them were,” he said. “I told them that social studies is more than facts and dates and people – it’s about learning skills.

For example, if you think like an historian – looking at a problem, formulating an opinion and then finding facts that back up that opinion – you can be a successful adult.”

For anyone who might argue that teachers, whose workday supposedly ends at 3 p.m., have it easy, here’s Knash’s take on the matter: “I don’t believe there’s been five minutes in the past few weeks where education and my work here have not been on my mind.”

Knash, who substitute-taught for Wayne Highlands and has also served for three years as the District’s JV and varsity soccer coach, finds himself polishing up lesson plans while he and the team are riding the bus to away games.

“I spend a lot of time making sure I’m organized,” said Knash, who arrives at school at 7 a.m. even though his first class isn’t until after 9.

‘You want to make sure that kids know what’s expected.

The first time they meet you, you want to make sure you set the tone.’

He’s the first in his in; they’re ready to go. family to study teachThey rise to the occaing. His mother works sion every day.” as assistant to a special In social studies, his education teacher at classes are working on Wayne Highlands High the five themes of geogSchool, and his father raphy, which comprise is the county engineer. the organizational Teaching first approach to teaching opened up to him as a the subject: location, possibility when he place, human-environwas a high school ment interaction, freshman volunteermovement and region. ing at the YMCA in Shawn Knash “I like to lecture, but I Teacher | Honesdale. like to get the kids “I really enjoyed involved too, up and working with kids and thought I’d be moving. Working together and colgood at it,” Knash said. laborating and sharing ideas is Eventually, he studied at Kutz- important.” town, where he earned his B.A. in His English Language arts classes secondary education. are studying a novel and also work“Teaching eighth grade is great so ing on a unit called “Argument,” as far,” he said with a smile. “They’re in the ability to debate and constill kids, but they know enough that vince. you can treat them like adults. They “When you grow up, people will still want to learn, and you can still ask your opinion on things,” he tells have an influence on them. And I his students. “And they’ll ask you love their enthusiasm. They come why you have that opinion. If you

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can’t answer, they might not accept your opinion.”

New teacher Knash takes his job seriously.

“This is their education,” he says.

“While they’re here, they have to learn skills to help them go on and be successful, not just in terms of money, but in terms of happiness.”

And he delights in his work.

“There hasn’t been a day yet where I ask myself, ‘What was I thinking?’

Every day I leave and feel this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Credits: 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 the Wayne Highlands School District for all its cooperation in this project.

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After serving as principal at both Damascus Area School and Preston Area School, Christopher Pietraszewski now focuses on the exciting educational world of adolescents at Wayne Highlands Middle School.

A seasoned but ‘new’ middle school principal tells his story W

hen the chance to serve as principal of Wayne Highlands Middle School presented itself, Christopher Pietraszewski leapt at the opportunity.

“For me, it was very appealing,” Pietraszewski said, noting he has taken over the post vacated by Maralyn Nalesnik, who retired. “I love the adolescent grade levels and the challenges the kids face. I love to help them navigate through those challenges and assist staff in helping them.”

He’s also enjoying the ability to focus on three grade levels – sixth,

seventh and eighth – rather than on the kindergarten-through-eighth grade schools he’s just come from.

“I want to dig into educational initiatives, like reviewing standardized test data to come up with strategies to make kids more successful. I want to look at ways to expand after-school academic assistance for students,” he said.

The seasoned school executive has his own way of explaining his fascination with public education.

“The process of education is a human endeavor,” he said. “We all have a story. It’s important to hear and learn everyone's story – students,

faculty, staff, parents. In sharing our stories, we can work together to move forward to meet our goals.”

Pietraszewski’s path to supervising the middle school’s 540 students and 70 teachers and staff might be considered a story in itself.

Raised in Indiana, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame and taught science for six years at St. Bonaventure Indian Mission School on a Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico. He then taught at Loyola High School in Detroit, a Jesuit school for inner-city African-American male students.

After moving to Pennsylvania, he

SEPTEMBER, 2013

taught and then became an assistant principal at Delaware Valley High School. Finally, Wayne Highlands hired him as principal of the K-8 Preston Area School from 2008 to 2013, with the K-8 Damascus Area School added to his duties in 2011.

The role of principal typically covers many areas – school leader, teacher evaluator, the individual who’s the last word when it comes to developing and implementing programs, creating schedules and dealing with parent and community relations.

For Pietraszewski, the joy comes in interacting with kids.

“Getting to spend time talking with students,” said the principal, “is one of the most important and rewarding aspects of the job.”

He gets to know students by encountering them in a variety of settings: in the classrooms and hallways, at sports and musical events, in the cafeteria and at community gatherings, where he himself plays an active role.

“I serve as a lector at St. John's and St. Mary's churches in Honesdale,” he said. “I coach youth soccer in the fall with the Honesdale Soccer Club, and, in the spring, I coach baseball at the Honesdale Little Baseball Association.”

His wife, Kathleen, is a teacher at the First Presbyterian Church Preschool in Honesdale. The couple’s children, Noah, 17, Liam, 14, Aidan, 12, and Kalin, 9, all attend schools in Wayne Highlands.

The District is known for its academic excellence and structured environment, but it’s not without challenges, said Pietraszewski. At the same time, as school finances shrink and expenses rise, Wayne Highlands sees more students whose families struggle with poverty.

Projects such as the Student Assistance Program link parents with the help available in the community for their “at risk” kids, whose problems might interfere with achieving success in school, he said.

“We must continue to be available for them, let them know it’s okay to talk to adults and to ask for help,” the principal said.

“I’m honored to be a part of the team at Wayne Highlands Middle School,” he said. “We are all important parts of the team, and we each have a crucial role to play in our students’ success.”

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Connecting with students and teachers on ‘a powerful level’

ositivity. That’s how the Wayne Highlands School District jumpstarted its new school year this August.

“What’s my passion?” the District’s new teachers pondered as Superintendent of Schools Gregory Frigoletto posed the question at the annual staff convocation.

“If you have passion for what you do,” the superintendent stressed, “if you’re dynamic and have high expectations in the classroom, you will inspire your students.”

This year, teacher orientation included an emphasis on the history and culture of the high-achieving District, an especially important move as Wayne Highlands welcomed a bumper crop of new hires.

Twenty-six teachers, administrators and support staff are replacing seasoned employees, all of whom retired in June.

Some of the newcomers are “green,” enjoying their first job in education. One of them is Shawn Knash, now teaching Middle School social studies and English Language Arts (see story elsewhere in this section).

Others, like David Jagger, arrived at Wayne Highlands from other school districts. Jagger is the new principal of the Damascus and Preston Area K8 schools and hails from the Abington Heights School District in Clarks Summit.

Some new staff members are new to the area, while others are born and bred in the Honesdale region. One of them is former Honesdale police chief Joe LoBasso, who is the District’s new Director of School Safety.

Nevertheless, all got a strong dose of just what makes Wayne Highlands tick.

Superintendent Frigoletto said the District’s success as one of the highest-scoring school districts in northeastern Pennsylvania is due in no small measure to its structured learning environment and sense of family.

“Professional camaraderie and caring for each other, a sense of family, working together, and giving back to

the community are what we are all about,” said Frigoletto.

The Superintendent calls it “the human element,” and, for the assembled staff, aired a series of taped interviews with past superintendents and teachers. Each advanced opinions on what makes Wayne Highlands unique and how its traditions and values must continue to sift into classrooms and hallways.

Former Superintendent of Schools Daniel J. O’Neill, a retired Major General, said expert leadership was key, along with respect and appreciation

for “our customers – students, parents and the community itself.”

Wayne Highlands “sets the bar high and then tries to find the resources to meet those expectations,” said O’Neill. His daughter, Sandy Rickard, serves as principal at Lakeside Elementary School in Wayne Highlands.

Maralyn Nalesnik, newly retired as principal at Wayne Highlands Middle School, pointed out, “It takes all of us to build a learning environment.”

She added that the District’s strong sense of pride sets it apart.

“When people ask, ‘What do you

This year, Superintendent of Schools Gregory Frigoletto called for teachers to provide rich academic experiences in the classroom, as they also honor history and traditions.

do?’ and you say, ‘I work for Wayne Highlands,’ that means something,” Nalesnik said.

Another staffer commended the District for promoting the longstanding values of loyalty and good school citizenship.

“It’s so important to retrace our history,” Frigoletto said later. “We have the responsibility to make sure we keep those traditions going. There is a lot at stake.”

As school opens this year, Wayne Highlands is far from alone in facing difficult challenges on the federal, state and local levels.

“There are also challenges economically and increasing challenges with regard to student needs,” the Superintendent said.

“But,” he added, “we will embrace these challenges with perspective. A new school year offers new goals and new opportunities.”

This year, the District will focus on continued student success in math and literacy and will reinvestigate the effectiveness of the curricula it uses, Everyday Math and America’s Choice, respectively Transitioning the District’s curriculum standards – what students must know and be able to do in each subject – into those of the Pennsylvania Common Core will continue as well.

This year, the District is employing a new student information system (SIS) to compile data on each student. As the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania unveils its new School Performance Profile program on how school districts performs in various categories, it will draw data from each district’s SIS. Frigoletto said, however, that the continued concentration at Wayne Highlands will be on the student as a whole and not simply as a test-taker.

“What we want to focus on here,” said the Superintendent, “is student achievement, not only on the PSSA [Pennsylvania System of School Assessment] tests, but about growing our students in multiple ways, and about connecting with them on a powerful level.”

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Encouraging kids and adults to reach out to those they don’t know

andy Rickard never forgot a tip given her years ago about the tangible power of a smile or kind word.

“It was that the first three people you encounter in a day actually decide what kind of day you’ll have,” said the principal of Lakeside

Elementary School, “so that smiling and saying, ‘Hi, how are you?’ can change everything.”

Rickard is one of the Wayne Highland administrators involved in the rollout this year of Rachel’s Challenge, a campaign to encourage kindness, compassion and under-

standing in schools and beyond.

Wayne Memorial Hospital is joining the school district in the initiative, along with the Wayne County Behavioral and Development Program and three other school districts: Western Wayne, Wallenpaupack Area and Forest City Regional.

After Rachel Joy Scott was shot to death in the 1999 Columbine school massacre in Littleton, Colo., her grieving family learned from her friends that Rachel, age 17, was an unofficial ambassador of kindness to students who were different, picked on or new at school.

“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way and show compassion, it will start a chain reaction of the same,” Rachel wrote.

“People will never know how far a little kindness will go.”

Rachel’s diary spelled out her code of conduct: treat others the way you want to be treated; dream big and believe in yourself; appreciate everyone and mock no one; use the power of positive gossip; forgive and be forgiven.

“Our kids have the same societal pressures of kids elsewhere,” noted Wayne Highlands Superintendent of Schools Gregory Frigoletto. “Rachel’s Challenge is an attempt to help with this. We’re excited about bringing the program in.”

Donna Decker, an RN and Manager of Community Health at Wayne Memorial, said Rachel’s Challenge is much needed.

“Last February, we held a brainstorming session on the emotional stability of the Honesdale community,” Decker said. “We found the number one issue to be the emotional problems – the behavioral health issues – of our community.”

Young people have reported feeling under emotional stress, being isolated and alone, and having seriously considered suicide. Adults report conflicts in their workplace and a sense of disengagement from the community.

“We live in such a negative society,” said Decker. “Rachel’s Challenge gives people something to be able to hold onto.”

Rachel’s Challenge is a series of empowering programs and strategies to replace bullying, negativity and CONTINUED ON PAGE 7H

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ENCOURAGING KIDS...

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violence with acts of respect in schools and communities.

Presentations given by members of Rachel Scott’s family are taking place this month.

The program consists of at least three formal components: an adult conference for community and business leaders so that kindness and compassion can reach into all arenas; age-appropriate assemblies for students from kindergarten though 12th grade; and community programs for parents, grandparents and any others interested in making a positive impact.

Rachel’s Challenge, which has impacted millions of students and families across the U.S., inspires young people to serve as mentors to their peers and to younger students.

Ongoing activities often include taking Rachel’s pledge and reading the pledge aloud on each day and establishing Friends of Rachel clubs. In

some schools, “act of kindness” bulletin boards or school-wide displays celebrate those students who help others.

Superintendent Frigoletto pointed out the necessity for a program like Rachel’s Challenge, given the way the technological age has changed how kids communicate.

“Facebook, YouTube, texting – there is the constant pressure for instant gratification, and the human element gets lost,” he said. “Because communication is not face-to-face, often there is a lack of sensitivity in dealing with one another.”

Principal Rickard says she looks forward to implementing Rachel’s Challenge at Lakeside, which educates third, fourth and fifth graders.

“We’ll focus on positive interactions during the day,” she said. “I’m hoping kids will make the effort to reach out to those they don’t know.”

She added that it’s thrilling to engage adults as well.

“I’m so happy that the whole com-

Rachel’s Challenge posters are tailored to the age group of the students. Here are the pledges suggested for middle school students.

munity is involved,” the principal said. “It’s great to have everybody on the same page at the same time. I

hope I can go into Wal-Mart and feel the difference we’ve created.”

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