The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has named Peters
Township School District as a 2010 National School District of
Character. The CEP panel of experts has given this honor to an elite
list of 13 schools and 2 school districts nationwide. Peters Township
has earned this award for character education initiatives spanning from
kindergarten through high school.
The national winners are selected following an extensive
application process and thorough site visit. CEP evaluators measured the
District against the Eleven Principles of Effective Character
Education.
Peters Township will be honored at an awards ceremony at the
National Forum on Character Education on Friday, October 29 in San
Francisco. In addition, the CEP will showcase the winners’ stories in
its annual publication and on its website. Peters Township will be a
model for effective character education for schools across Pennsylvania
and the nation. To support character education programs across the
District, the CEP gives each winning school or District a $3,000 grant.
Individual schools within the District have previously been
awarded the National School of Character honors – McMurray Elementary
(gr. 4-6) received the award in 2004, and Bower Hill Elementary (gr.
K-3) earned this award in 2008. The District has also earned several
Promising Practice Awards from the CEP over the past several years.
Character Education began more than 10 years ago in Peters
Township through the efforts of the Peters Township Character Counts
initiative – a partnership of the School District, municipality, public
library, local businesses and individual community members.
May 2010
PTSD Ranks 4 th in Business Times Guide
In the May 5, 2010 “Guide to Western Pennsylvania Schools,”
the Pittsburgh Business Times profiled area school districts to
determine how local districts compared to other districts in the area
and across the state.
Peters Township School District was ranked fifth among 105
local districts for the fourth consecutive year, and was the highest
ranking district from Washington County. Among the 501 school districts
in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Peters Township ranked 13th
overall.
Based on Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)
results from the previous three years (with the most recent year given
the most weight), Peters Township High School ranked 6th out of 124 area
high schools. Peters Township 8 th grade students ranked 4 th overall,
and the 7 th grade ranked 3rd out of 155 area middle schools. Both the
Middle and High School were the highest ranking districts in Washington
County for all grade levels.
May 2010
PTHS Students Earn National Merit Scholarships
Peters Township High School seniors Claire LaRosa, Evan
Komoroski and Benjamin Pritz have been selected as winners of $2500
National Merit scholarships. These outstanding students are part of a
select group of 8,200 students nationwide who earned this honor.
Kevin Hough and Josh Schake have also earned special
corporate scholarships through the National Merit program from CONSOL
Energy and PPG Industries Foundation respectively. Every year 1,500
National Merit Program participants, who are outstanding but not named
Finalists, are awarded Special Scholarships provided by corporations and
business organizations.
May 2010
PTSD Named Finalist for National School District of Character
The Character Education Partnership (CEP)
has named Peters Township School District as one of twenty finalists
from across the United States in its National Schools of Character
awards program.
“These schools are doing remarkable things to improve school
climate and develop young people of good character,” CEP Executive
Director Joe Mazzola said. “They demonstrate that character education is
an effective way to build safe, welcoming schools where students and
teachers flourish. We commend all of the applicants and are honored to
recognize the National Finalists as models for schools around the
nation.”
Peters Township is one of only two finalists being
recognized for achievement across an entire District - kindergarten
through 12 th grade. The CEP will be conducting a site visit in the
District to review character education efforts and will select
approximately ten winners in May.
The Peters Township School District is no stranger to the
Schools of Character Award. Bower Hill Elementary (K-3) was named a
National School of Character in 2008 and McMurray Elementary (4-6)
earned the honor in 2004. In 2006, Pleasant Valley Elementary (K-3) was a
finalist for the award, and in 2007 the District was named a finalist
for its kindergarten through 8th grade programs (Bower Hill, Pleasant
Valley, McMurray and Peters Township Middle School).
March 2010
PTSD Libraries Named Outstanding School Media Program
PTSD has been chosen as the winner of the 2010 Outstanding
School Library Media Program Award by the Pennsylvania School Librarians
Association. The five building libraries were recognized as a team for
exceeding all of the association’s criteria in staffing, facilities,
collection, budget and programming. According to the PSLA President
Nancy Smith Latanision, “Your school libraries are truly an example of
what we hold as exemplary in Pennsylvania school libraries.”
The District librarians – Terry Morriston, High School;
Janet Johns, Middle School; Meg Owens, McMurray Elementary; Myra
Oleynik, Bower Hill Elementary; and Nancy Barley, Pleasant Valley
Elementary – will be honored at the PSLA annual conference in State
College in April.
Feb. 2010
Clarification on the School Calendar and the State of Emergency
Pennsylvania Law 24 P.S. §25-2523 allows
provisions for school districts to apply for a waiver of up to 3 school
days when the district i s compelled to close any school(s) because of
contagious disease, natural disaster or other emergencies. Issuance of a
“state of emergency” does not trigger an exemption or guaranteed
waiver for days of school missed for that reason. Impassable roads do
not necessarily lead to a waiver.
In our case, knowing the possibilities that western
Pennsylvania weather holds, we provide for several make-up days built in
to our calendar every year. In addition, we have the option to add
additional days on to the end of our school year, if necessary.
Peters Township values its educational system. As a result,
the District will make every effort to continue to provide the full 180
days of the highest quality education possible for our students.
Feb. 2010
Dr. Merante Announced as New Assistant Superintendent
Effective, February 1, 2010, Dr. Anthony Merante will assume
the role of Assistant Superintendent for the Peters Township School
District, a position that has been vacant since Dr. Nina Zetty became
Superintendent of Schools in August, 2008. Since 1993, Dr. Merante has
been Principal of Peters Township Middle School and brings extensive
experience as a special education teacher, counselor and administrator
to the central office position. Dr. Mary Monsour will serve as Acting
Principal at the Middle School until the position is filled permanently.
Dr. Merante holds his Bachelor’s degree in Special Education
from Duquesne University, a Master’s degree in Counseling from
California University of Pennsylvania, and his Doctorate in
Administration and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
Feb. 2010
Bits of Lit Earns Publication Honors
The “Bits of Lit” student literary magazine from Peters
Township Middle School has been recognized by the American Scholastic
Press. The annual collection of student art, essays and poetry has been
included in an elite group of schools from across the nation earning
“First Place with Special Merit” – a classification above the first
place honorees for publications with “special and outstanding design and
content.”
Under the guidance of teachers Renee Brown and Carla McCue,
the publication is created each year from work done by 7 th and 8 th
grade students. A group of 17 student editors were responsible for
choosing the student work, typing, editing, formatting, and organizing
the literature and art work in the magazine. The mission of the
publication is to showcase and celebrate excellent student work in art
and literature. In the 2008-2009 issue, more than 200 student-created
works of art and literature were included in the publication.
PT Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
Five students from Peters Township High School have
been named semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
in the 55th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These students
are among an elite group of 16,000 students from across the nation to
earn this honor.
Seniors Benjamin Gauthier, Evan Komoroski, Claire LaRosa,
Benjamin Pritz and John Wawrose will now have an opportunity to continue
in the competition for some 8,200 National Merit Scholarships, worth
more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring. Merit Scholar
designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments,
and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
In addition Andrea Briggs, John Flaherty, Lindsey Golden,
Melissa Jarrett, Taylor Maher, Joshua Schake and Benjamin West were
named Commended Students by the National Merit Corporation for placing
in the top 5 percent of the more than 1.5 million students who took the
PSAT nationwide.
PTSD Approves New Teacher Contract for 2010-2015
At their regular meeting on September 21, 2009, the Peters
Township School District Board of School Directors approved a new
agreement with the Peters Township Federation of Teachers (PTFT). The
new five-year contract will go into effect on September 1, 2010 and
expires on August 31, 2015.
Under the terms of the new contract, the average salary
increase over the five-year period is 3.2% with a minimum starting
salary of $41,100 the first year. Among the changes are an average
2.0-2.5% increase in extra-duty compensation, increased healthcare
contributions and six hours of additional staff development time
throughout the school year.
The negotiations began early at the request of the PTFT, who
met with District administrators throughout the summer to come to the
agreement.
Presidential Address: Sept. 8, 2009
Our District, along with schools across the country, has been
overwhelmed with calls from parents regarding President Obama's speech
to the students of America on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. In a message
sent to parents on September 3, 2009, the Peters Township School
District stated that our students would not be viewing the presentation
on September 8.
Please know that this decision is not about political debate
or personal opinions or comments, but about why we are not showing the
speech "live" on Tuesday.
The District supports the President's message "urging
students to take personal responsibility for their own education, to set
goals, and to not only stay in school but make the most of it."
However, given the late notification of the event and the overwhelming
response from our community, we feel it necessary to allow our parents
time to view the speech and, for those parents who choose, to have the
opportunity to opt their children out of viewing the presentation.
Each building's leadership team will view the speech and
determine a meaningful and manageable time to make it available to our
students. (The "live" presentation poses logistical issues throughout
the District given that this is lunch time in several buildings.)
Parents will be informed of the time and manner in which the speech will
be shown and given the option of having their child take part in an
alternative activity.
Thank you for understanding the weight of this decision and its impact on the students and parents of this community.
PTHS Among America's Best High Schools
U.S. News and World Report has listed PTHS among the best high schools in the nation in its 2009 America’s Best High Schools
ranking. Peters Township was among 20 schools in the commonwealth to
earn a silver rating from the magazine, putting the District in the top
3% of high schools in the nation. See more at www.usnews.com.
Barry Wood Wins Outstanding Public Educator Award
Barry N. Wood, PTHS Theatre and English Teacher/ Director, is
the first teacher to win the Dr. Howard Jack Outstanding Public
Educator Award being presented by The Washington County Community
Foundation. The Award was presented to Mr. Wood at the Foundation's
Legacy Gala on Wednesday, June 3, at the Holiday Inn Meadowlands.
Jefferson Litany Video Celebrates PTMS Tradition
Four 8th grade students from the video production class at
Peters Township Middle School, known as The Works, decided to create a
movie about a middle school teacher and the unique teaching aid he
created to help 7th grade students learn about the 3rd President of the
United States, Thomas Jefferson. The instructional or teaching aid has
grown into a major PTMS tradition and has been a part of student life at
the middle school for over 12 years. The teaching aid is well known in
the school district as The Jefferson Litany.
The four student producers decided to ask a fifth 8th grade
student, known for her writing skills, to write the story about the
teacher, the school, the community and the teaching aid. The student
author also became the narrator of the movie. The student producers then
decided to ask a 7th grade student, and her ASL interpreter, to become
the ASL signer for the completed video. The student signer, and her
professional interpreter, worked very hard to perfect the complicated
ASL signing which was added to the video using the school's TV studio.
The four original video production students, along with the
student writer, the student ASL signer, and the professional ASL
interpreter worked very hard, over the time span of about three weeks,
to produce the inspirational video. Click here to view the video.
PT Thespians Recognized at State Conference
In December 2008, juniors and seniors from Peters Township
High School's Thespian Troupe #185 attended the annual Pennsylvania
State Thespian Conference. During the conference, students watched
performances by other students from around the state, performed on
stage, participated in various theater-related workshops, and met with
colleges to learn more about their theater programs.
A Peters Township cast performed the one act play 13 Reasons Why Not to be in a Play and a Fiddler on the Roof medley,
and several students walked away with awards from the event. Junior Ben
West was chosen from several applicants after a rigorous interviewing
process to serve as a State Board member for 2009-2010. (Senior Drew
Caliguiri served as a board member in 2007-2008). Caliguiri also
received the Thespian Hall of Fame award for his performances on stage
and his dedication to the thespian troupe. Senior J.C. Barzil received
the Tech Hall of Fame award for his participation in the technical crews
and his dedication to the troupe. Finally, Dan DeLuca received the
All-Star Cast Award for his performance in 13 Reasons Why Not to be in a Play.
High School FBLA Students Qualify for State Competition
Peters Township High School students have qualified for the
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Competition
based on their outstanding performance in the Regional Competition on
January 13, 2009. Ten students earned first place awards in categories
ranging from public speaking to business ethics. The first place
students are: Ed Courtney, Christine Dee, Nick DeNardo, Adam Ferraco,
Lizzie Fitzgerald, Daniel Ketyer, Jeff Lioon, Lara Moore, Nicole
Provident, and Eric Yeckley. Overall 18 students qualified for the state
competition based on their first, second and third place awards at the
conference.
The State Leadership Conference also provides the students
with an opportunity to become involved in workshops that focus on
personal and career development; compete in open event competitions, as
well as network with other FBLA members from across the state who have
similar goals and interests.
Students Earn Recognition on National Financial Literacy Challenge
Sixteen students from Peters Township High School earned
recognition for their performance in the National Financial Literacy
Challenge sponsored by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The students,
who are part of the Personal Finance class, took the online exams and
scored in the top 25 th percentile and earned certificates for their
achievement. The students are: Rebecca Burns, Josh Diesing, Karissa
Jones, Ryan Kotar, Blaine Krivacek, Julie McCracken, A.J. Metz, Steve
Miller, Jared Nicholson, Taylor Relich, Mike Raune, Tom Shields, Lindsay
Terrell, Bryan Tomayko, Hannah Weyrick and Steve Wickline.
Middle School Magazine Earns National Honors
The literary magazine, "Bits of Lit," produced by students at
Peters Township Middle School has received First Place with Special
Merit honors from the American Scholastic Press Association for 2008.
This is the second consecutive year that this publication
has earned the first place ranking among the top publications in the
nation. The magazine features student poetry and short stories. A team
of student volunteers selects the best submissions for the magazine and
then formats them for publication. Student artwork is also used in
conjunction with the written works. The theme of the publication this
year was "Building."
US News and World Report Ranks PTHS Among Top Schools in State
U.S. News and World Report has listed Peters Township High School among the best high schools in the nation in its recent America’s Best High Schools ranking.
Peters Township was among 20 schools in the commonwealth to
earn a silver rating from the magazine, putting the District in the top
3% of high schools in Pennsylvania.
The ranking is done each year based on academic and
enrollment data from more than 21,000 public high schools to find the
very best across the country. The methodology is based on the key
principles that a great high school must serve all its students well,
not just those who are bound for college. They examined state
proficiency standards and benchmark testing, and also assessed the
degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.
Complete listings are available on www.usnews.com.
McMurray Students Earn Calsu-Solve Honors
McMurray Elementary 6 th grader Nicholas Roberts won the
individual Calcu-Solve competition sponsored by Upper St. Clair School
District at Duquesne University on November 21, 2008. There were nearly
240 students from the area who participated in the competition.
In the team competition, Roberts and classmates Elizabeth
Mamros, Roy Wang, and Andrew Parker finished third out of 60 teams. A
second McMurray team of Lane Mitchell, Matthew Graham, Samantha
Chaudhari and Matthew Dekman finished eleventh overall.
McMurray Students Welcome "Artist in Residence"
Students at McMurray Elementary are making their mark on the
District. Beginning this month, the fourth, fifth and sixth grade
students are working with local ceramic artist Laura Jean McLaughlin to
produce a ceramic tile mosaic that will permanently hang in the art room
hallway in the building.
As part of the Artist in Residence program, funded in part
with a grant from the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, McLaughlin will
work with the art teachers to provide a hands-on experience with the
art.
McLaughlin is a ceramic artist who studied at the Watershed
Center for the Ceramic Arts, ME, Penland School of Crafts, NC, West
Virginia University College of Creative Arts and Indiana University of
Pennsylvania. Her work is in the collection of PNC Park, Kohler Art
Center, Kohler Company and HBO in New York.
Grants Support Pleasant Valley Art Program
Pleasant Valley Elementary has been awarded two grants that
will support the school’s “Morning Masterpieces” - a project that
introduces K-3 students to distinguished works of composers, artists and
authors.
Through grants written by school librarian Nancy Barley and
music teacher Barbara Viola, the project will receive $2000 from Target
and a portfolio of prints from the National Endowment for the
Humanities. The Target funds will be used to purchase new books,
technology and other equipment to support the project.
A daily project, Morning Masterpieces is designed to provide
enrichment, awareness, and a deeper understanding and appreciation of
music, art and literature. Listening, observation and exploration are
components of the project that help lay the foundation for the student’s
critical thinking skills and appreciation of these artistic mediums.
“Morning Masterpieces” is presented to the entire school via
the morning announcements television broadcast. As the introduction to
the announcements, Morning Masterpieces presents connected works that
represent a weekly theme, such as the solar system. The works (in this
example - Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, "Starry Night" by
Vincent Van Gogh, and the book Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle) are
displayed visually on the main bulletin board at the entrance to the
school so that parents, students and visitors view the Morning
Masterpiece display as they enter the building.
PTHS Juniors Selected for Westinghouse Science Honors Institute
Four juniors from Peters Township High
School have been selected to participate in the Westinghouse Science
Honors Institute - Ben Gauthier, Julia Girouard, Claire LaRosa, and
Erica Schwotzer. Selected through a competitive application process, the
students will participate in ten Saturday morning lectures during the
months of October through February. These lectures include a broad range
of science and engineering topics from Stem Cell Research to Space
Exploration. In addition students are given an opportunity to
participate in a field trip to the nuclear reactor at Penn State.
WSHI is a free program for high school juniors from Western
Pennsylvania who demonstrate a strong interest in science and who are of
high scholastic standing. Students attend WSHI to gain insight into
careers in engineering and science. They network with professionals and
interact with students from different schools who also have the same
abilities and interests.
Sue Smith Sworn in as New PTSD School Board Member
On Tuesday, September 23, 2008, Mrs. Sue Smith was sworn in
as a new member of the Board of School Directors for the Peters Township
School District by District Justice James Ellis.
A Peters Township resident since 2000, Smith has a history
of volunteerism in our schools and has served as an officer in the
District's various Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) since 2002. Smith
holds a bachelor's degree in Education from the University of
Massachusetts and taught at the elementary level for six years. She also
holds a master's degree in Business Administration, Marketing from the
University of Illinois and spent four years working for General Mills in
Product Management.
Following the Board's September regular meeting, where the
Board was unable to come to a consensus regarding the vacant Board post,
residents interested in the Board position could petition the
Washington County Court of Common Pleas in accordance with the
Pennsylvania School Code. Smith sought the judicial appointment and was
appointed by Judge Debbie O'Dell Seneca. Smith will complete the term of
Mrs. Sandy Gregg who resigned her position in August. The term will end
on December 1, 2009.
Smith and her husband Robert are McMurray residents and have three children.
Dr. Nina Zetty Named New Superintendent of Schools
On August 4, 2008, the Peters Township School Board voted to
appoint Dr. Nina Zetty as the new Superintendent of Schools for the
Peters Township School District.
Dr. Zetty has been with the District since November, 2006 as
the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Instruction and Assessment.
Dr. Zetty began her career in public schools as a teacher in the
Jefferson-Morgan School District where she spent 8 years in the
classroom before becoming an administrator in the Keystone Oaks School
District as an Administrative Principal and an Instructional Principal
at the High School. In 1998, Dr. Zetty became the Principal at Bentworth
High School, and after four years was promoted to the position of
Assistant to the Superintendent in Bentworth before coming to Peters
Township.
A graduate of California University of Pennsylvania with
both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in secondary education-mathematics
and computer science, Dr. Zetty received her doctorate from West
Virginia University in Curriculum and Instruction. She also completed
the Administrative Program for Principals at the California University
of Pennsylvania and the Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility Program
at Duquesne University.
Among her many professional affiliations, Dr. Zetty is the
president of Southwestern Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development (PASCD), and a member of ASCD, Pennsylvania
School Boards Association, Pennsylvania Association of Federal Program
Coordinators, the National Association of Secondary School Principals
and the National Staff Development Council.
Dr. Zetty, 49, and her husband John are residents of Brownsville. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.
Plans are underway for a community reception in the coming
weeks to provide an opportunity for parents and community members, who
have not already done so, to meet Dr. Zetty. Additional details will be
provided at a later date.
McMurray Students: Paying it Forward
Mrs. Kathleen Zuccarini and the students in her fourth grade
classroom are taking on some extra work this spring. As winners of The
Almanac’s Pay It Forward Contest, they will receive $5,000 to put
together Buddy Boxes for children of all ages at the Washington County
Women’s Shelter.
The boxes will be for boys and girls of all ages with things
such as books, CDs, make-up, socks, crayons and other items that will
make a difference in the lives of children at the shelter.
When they learned of The Almanac’s contest, the students
brainstormed ideas and came up with the Buddy Boxes. The “Pay it
Forward” idea fit right in with this class of 27 students – all year
there has been a Pay it Forward box on Mrs. Zuccarini’s desk. Students
would write down a good deed that has been done for them or some way
they helped someone at school or at home and drop it in the box. The
class would then talk about it through the year.
“The Character Counts program is a big part of McMurray
Elementary,” said Mrs. Zuccarini. “Many classrooms in the building focus
on building character in a variety of ways. The contest was just
another way for the kids to do something kind for someone else.”
In the coming weeks, the students will help purchase the
items for the boxes, assemble them and help deliver the gifts to the
Women’s Shelter.
Bower Hill Named a National School of Character
Bower Hill Elementary School has been named a National School
of Character by The Character Education Partnership (CEP). The school
is among ten schools nationwide to receive this distinguished award.
Along with the well-deserved recognition, the school
received a $20,000 grant at the 15th National Forum on Character
Education, Character Is Destiny, held October 17-19, 2008, in Arlington,
Virginia. Having demonstrated the success of their initiatives through
the rigorous application and screening process, Bower Hill will use the
grant to serve as a national leader and model for other schools and
districts seeking to improve their character education efforts.
“What sets us apart is people,” said Principal Kelly
Gustafson. “We have the programs – but they didn’t come about out of a
package we purchased. Our team sees a need and they develop a way to
meet that need. It is our partnership of administrators, teachers,
parents and students that makes Bower Hill unique.”
While Bower Hill can point to impressive academic
statistics, it was the results of the recent Character Counts survey
that had people taking note: 96% of the student body reported talking
and hearing about honesty, respect, caring and responsibility in their
classes; 98% of students were praised by their teachers, parents and
classmates for giving their best effort; and 88% of the students
reported participating in a service project in their school or
community.
Assistant Principal Mike Henaghan points to Bower Hill’s
family atmosphere as a key factor in the success of their programs.
“Families of our students are welcome to visit and eat lunch with their
children during their lunch periods – we have grandparents and parents
here an average of 9 times a day.”
The Bower Hill PTA has also played an integral role in
providing quality programs both during the school day and after school
hours. Recently the Bower Hill Bee-Stro served more than 550 dinners to
students and their families and raised over $1,100 for the Peters
Township Public Library. Other events sponsored by the PTA include
Family Game Night, Family Fun and Fitness Night and the Read-A-Thon.
Bower Hill provides many opportunities for collaboration and
involvement for families and the community. Volunteers are frequently
in the building as mystery readers, indoor recess activity leaders,
orientation tour guides, and at numerous special events throughout the
year. The Grandfriends program also teaches students to respect others
through dedicated seniors who share their time and talents with the
youngest generation.
Student volunteers range from third grade job applicants
(office aides, kindergarten helpers, door holders, etc.), to study
buddies (listening and helping young struggling readers or practicing
math facts), to high school volunteers returning to assist the younger
students.
The Peters Township School District is no stranger to the
Schools of Character Award. McMurray Elementary (4-6) was named a
National School of Character in 2004. In 2006, Pleasant Valley
Elementary (k-3) was a finalist for the award, and in 2007 the District
was named a finalist for its kindergarten through 8th grade programs
(Bower Hill, Pleasant Valley, McMurray and Peters Township Middle
School).
The organization also gives Promising Practices Awards for
implementing unique and specific strategies in character education that
others may learn from and even replicate. Each of Peters Township’s five
buildings have received this award: Bower Hill in 2003 and 2005;
McMurray in 2002 and 2006, Peters Township Middle School in 2004 and
2005; Peters Township High School in 2005; and Pleasant Valley
Elementary in 2004.
Pittsburgh Business Time Ranks Peters Township Among Top Schools in the State
In May, 2008, “Guide to Western Pennsylvania Schools,” the
Pittsburgh Business Times profiled more than 800 local schools to
determine how local districts compared to other districts in the area
and across the state.
Peters Township School District was ranked fifth among 105
local districts for the second consecutive year, and was the highest
ranking district from Washington County. Among the 501 school districts
in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Peters Township ranked ninth
overall.
Based on Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)
results from the previous three years (with the most recent year given
the most weight), Peters Township High School ranked third out of 123
area high schools. For 2007, Peters Township eleventh graders had a
higher percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient than the
two schools ranked above them in math and matched their scores on the
writing portion of the exam. Peters Township Middle School also ranked
sixth overall out of 140 area middle schools. Both the Middle and High
School were the highest ranking districts in Washington County for both
grade levels.
McMurray Elementary Students Place 5th Nationally in WordMasters Challenge
Fifth graders at McMurray Elementary once
again placed among the top students in the nation in the WordMasters
Challenge, finishing 5th in the nation among 725 competing schools.
This was the third and final challenge of the year – the students placed 7th in February and 11th in November.
In all, more than 38,000 5th graders competed in the third
challenge. Among the 96 students who earned perfect scores were three
McMurray students – Samantha Chaudhari, Nick Kirsch, and Natalie
Rihmland.
Other students who excelled in the final meet included Mandi
Bertocci, Sarah Chaudhari, Anthony Lijweski, Jennifer Pardini, Nicholas
Roberts, Delaney When, Alex Franco, Sean Harrision and Ally Ruggieri.
The Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking that first
encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new
words that are considerably harder than grade level and then challenges
them to use the words to complete analogies expressing various kids of
relationships.
Coached by teacher Elizabeth Clark, the students received a trophy to display at the school.
Congratulations to the students and staff at PTMS for earning a first place award for the "Bits O' Lit" Literary Magazine!
The Bits Of Lit Magazine won the 2007 American Scholastic
Award for a Middle School Literary Magazine.
After being scored, our magazine earned 940 out of a possible
1000 points. The magazine earned perfect scores for Content and
Organization. Nicole Mitchell and Renee Brown, the literary sponsors for
the magazine, are very proud of the hard work and dedication that went
in to this year's publication. Contributing to this win was a hard
working group of students, including: Brittany Ball, Natalie Hauck, Nic
Nee, Joey Sypula, Mark Seraly, Brooke Tenison, and Victoria Zeffiro. We
look forward to another fantastic publication for 2008!
PTHS National Honor Society Announces Results of Annual Charitable Dodge Ball Tournament
The National Honor Society's Fourth Annual Dodge Ball event
raised five thousand dollars for the" Make a Wish Scholarship Fund" this
year!!! Wow !!! Once again the PTHS NHS cannot thank you enough for
all of your support. The time and commitment put into this event every
year by staff and students is very much appreciated. The parents,
students, staff and community members that pay to attend this event have
contributed to this event's huge success. The lives of the young adults
that receive this scholarship money are changed forever (by your
generosity) and they are extremely grateful.
PTSD Recognized for High Student Achievement
The Pennsylvania State Department of Education recently
released news that Peters Township is one of 29 (out of 501) school
districts to have done better on state achievement tests than would be
expected for the 4th year in a row. PTSD had a significantly higher
percentage of students scoring proficient or above compared with other
districts with similar portions of economically disadvantaged students
The list was released by Standard and Poor's School Evaluation Services.
More information is available at www.schoolmatters.com
Congratulations to members of the PTHS FBLA Team for earning awards!
Several students earned first place awards. The top students
were Patricia Belan, Kathleen Brown, Kameron Burk, Janel Carey, Ed
Courtney, Andrew Hanlon, Jonathan Krak, Greg Kuzy, Allison Moore, Rob
Percival, Thomas Rauch, Jes Stockhausen and Brett VanDyke ! The team is
sponsored by Mrs. Kathie Sekely and Mrs. Vivian Lane.
Expansion Magazine Names PTSD a "Gold Medal" School District
McMurray, PA ~ The Peters Township School District announces
that it has been designated as a Gold Medal school district by Expansion
Management Magazine in its 14th annual Education Quotient (EQ) issue.
"Each year, Expansion Magazine compares more than 2,800
school districts across the nation on how well the district is preparing
its students to be part of the work force after graduation," said Cara
A. Zanella, District spokesperson. "To be ranked as a Gold Medal winner,
the district must rank in the top 16 percent of all school districts
nationally."
The special report from Expansion Magazine is mailed to over
45,000 CEOs, Vice Presidents, Directors an other officers of companies
that have indicated they are considering expanding into new geographic
areas. This year's EQ looked at all secondary school districts in the
United States with an enrollment of at least 3,300 students.
The EQ is calculated on a weighted scale that measures
results in three major categories: Graduate Outcome (how well students
learn and how many stay to graduation), Resource Index (which measures a
community's financial commitment to education), and the Community Index
(which measures the community's adult education and income levels). All
three indices, as well as the EQ score, are calculated on a scale of 1
to 99, with 50 being the midpoint. Gold Medal schools rank in the top 16
percent of those districts evaluated.
PTSD receives state recognition for academic achievement!
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) honored the
Peters Township School District with its second Keystone Award for
meeting the Adequate Yearly Progress standards for two consecutive
years.
The keystone-shaped award was given to schools across the
state where students have exceeded the math and reading standards
required by the state's accountability system and the feral No Child
Left Behind Act. to meet AYP in the 2003-04 school year, at least 35
percent of students needed to reach proficiency in math and 45 percent
proficiency in reading. For the 2004-05 and current school year,
proficiency standards were raised to 45 percent proficiency in math and
54 percent in reading.
All five district schools -- Bower Hill, Pleasant Valley and
McMurray Elementary Schools and Peters Township Middle and High Schools
-- received the Keystone Achievement Award for their high achieving
students. The teachers, school staff, parents, community, and students
have worked hard to achieve at this level. PDE has added the
Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System to its ever-growing slate of
tools that helps our schools achieve at this sustained level of
achievement.
This is the second year the PDE and the Pennsylvania
Association of Federal Program Coordinators have partnered to create the
Keystone Achievement Award. Statewide, 2,234 schools will be receiving
this award and 1,567 will receive this award for the second time.