The pper AdamsUpdate

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District Newsletter - Spring 2016

The 2015-2016 school year has been a busy year for Upper Adams School District. As the year is coming to a close, we would like to provide an opportunity to share some of the many reasons Upper Adams School District is a great place for students. Please take some time to review the contents of this newsletter to celebrate with us. As graduation approaches, we are excited for our seniors to utilize what they have learned in their post-secondary plans. We look forward to sharing in the graduation celebration with our seniors and their families.

We hope that you will enjoy the contents of this newsletter. Continue to visit our district web page at www.upperadams.org for additional good news and celebrations.

On behalf of the staff, faculty, administration and school board directors, please accept our sincere thank you for your continued support and cooperation. Working together we will continue to make Canner Nation strong for our students and larger school community. Have a safe and relaxing summer!

Sincerely,

Wesley T. DollSuperintendent

Superintendent’s Message

The Biglerville Student Council/mini-THON Committee held a paint night on March 8th to raise money for the Four Diamonds

Fund. The class was taught by Biglerville High School Art Teacher Lisa Harman.

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Biglerville High School had their 3rd annual

mini-THON on March 19th, 2016, and raised

over $7500 for the Four Diamonds Fund, which supports children with

pediatric cancer at Penn State Hershey Hospital.

Ninety-five students participated in the event which lasted from 2-10 PM. Events included a volleyball tournament,

a dodgeball tournament, a soccer tournament,

Minute to Win games, a dance, and an obstacle

course.

BHS Mini -THON

The Sweet Case Fundraiser provides foster children with a nice duffle bag, pillow pet and “filler items” like coloring books, crayons, and a hygiene kit instead of using trash bags for personal items.  Sometimes foster children are taken abruptly from their homes and are given little or no time to pack their belongings in a trash bag.  Once at a foster home, these children must unpack their “trash”.  This idea is so demoralizing to children who are victims of their situation. The Together We Rise Organization has provided a unique opportunity for every community 

member to help foster children experience a better transition.  From their web site: 

Together We Rise is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization comprised of motivated young adults and former foster youth.  Our vision is to improve the lives of foster children in America, who often find themselves forgotten and neglected by the public.  We collaborate with the community partners to bring resources to foster youth and use 

service-learning activities to educate volunteers on issues surrounding the foster care system. 

TWR works with hundreds of foster agencies, social workers, CASA advocates, and other partners to bring our programs to foster youth across the nation.  Our foundation has allowed us to provide thousands of foster youth across the country with new bicycles, college supplies, and suitcases so that children do not have to travel from 

home to home with their belongings in a trash bag.  

Here at BHS, the Solutionaries took the Sweet Case challenge and raised $250 to provide 10 sweet cases to foster children.  The cases were delivered to BHS and Solutionaries members built the cases to donated to April Laue from Adam’s County Children & Youth. It was important to the Solutionaries that our donations remained 

local. 

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BHS SolutionariesBy Jennifer Peglow

February was JUMPROPE & HOOPS for Heart month across the Upper Adams School District for the three

Elementary Schools. The event taught participants about the benefits of regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle, while

promoting teamwork and building school spirit. We were really excited about this year’s JUMP & HOOP event and

the experience that it offered our students.

Students who participated in the event during their Physical Education class, raised $7,817.21. District wide

that will benefit the American Heart Association. Thank you gifts were distributed based upon the amount of donations collected. Thank you for being part of this lifesaving and

educational event!

A special thanks to the parents for supporting our elementary students as they raised money to fight heart

disease and stroke. The physical education department will also benefit by receiving vouchers to purchase equipment

for use during Physical Education class. We are very pleased we had 183 student “Heart Heroes” raise money

during our event!

*Sam Gano most donations overall for Arendtsville Elementary

*Zachary Taylor most donations overall for Bendersville Elementary

*Caden Kessel most donations overall for Biglerville Elementary

Mrs. Yargar-Reed & Mrs. Gaston

Congratulations to Sam Gano a 4th grade student at Arendtsville Elementary School. I am proud to announce that he is the student that has raised the highest donation for Arendtsville Elementary School as well as Adams County for his participation in the Hoops for Heart Event which raises money for the American Heart Association.

For his efforts, Sam has won 4 complimentary tickets to attend a Hershey Bears game. He will also have the opportunity to watch the Hershey Bears during pre-game from the Penalty Box area.

The Hoops event teaches participants about the benefits of regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle, while promoting teamwork and building school spirit.

Pictured in photo are:Left to Right- Deborah Yargar-Reed, Physical Education Teacher & coordinator Hoops for Heart event, Teresa DeVono, Youth Market Director, American Heart Association, Sam Gano, 4th grade student, Sonia Buckley, Acting Principal Arendtsville Elementary School

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Jump Ropes & Hoops

The Upper Adams School District held its annual school spelling bee competition on Tuesday, December 15, 2015. Ben Wicker of York

Springs, son of Amanda and Shannon Wicker, won the competition and competed further in Harrisburg in January. Also moving on to

that competition was 2nd place Samuel Fee of Aspers, son of Chris Fee and Allison Singley; 3rd place Hailey Steele of Aspers, daughter of Dustin Steele and Lori Johnson; and 4th place Chance Davis of

Arendtsville, son of Chris and Jessica Parker.

Upper Adams Annual Elementary Spelling Bee

From L-R: Hailey Steele, Ben Wicker, Chance Davis and Samuel Fee

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Ms. Kathy Anthony Gulden was nominated by Ann Wolfe, Principal and was selected by the First Capital Pennsylvania Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa to receive the 2015-2016 Outstanding Educator Award. As an award winner, Ms. Gulden was recognized at the Annual Chapter Initiation and Awards Program that was held on Tuesday, May 10, 2016.

Additionally, Ms. Gulden has been in education in the Upper Adams School District for the past 31 years. She has worked throughout the years as a Learning Support Teacher, Instructional Support Teacher, Literacy Coach, and an English As A Second Language Teacher, plus many other duties when called upon to meet the district’s needs.

During the 2014-2015 school year, Ms. Gulden served the Upper Adams School District by holding down three positions, Instructional Support Teacher, English as a Second Language Teacher, and Learning Support Teacher . . . working well into each evening to manage the work load, as well as, tutoring students at the end of each school day. Even though Ms. Gulden has many years in as an educator, she constantly strives to improve student learning each year and expand her professional development.

Teacher Spotlight

Mrs. Ashly Wilkinson was nominated by Sonia Buckley, Acting Principal and was selected by the First Capital Pennsylvania Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa to receive the 2015-2016 Outstanding Educator Award. As an award winner, Mrs. Wilkinson was recognized at the Annual Chapter Initiation and Awards Program that was held on Tuesday, May 10, 2016.

Ashly was a graduate of the Biglerville High School. She has been teaching for six years at Upper Adams and is currently teaching fourth grade at Arendtsville Elementary School. She has since obtained her

Masters in Education through Walden University.

Not only is Ashly an excellent educator, but also an active member of the community.

She is a true role model of an outstanding educator in both her professional and personal life. Ashly has taken a lead role on several committees within the Upper Adams School District; the Mathematics Committee, Report Card Committee, School Improvement Committee, and the building math meetings. She is a Student Council Advisor, and is a facilitator for one of our student Book Clubs. Each of these responsibilities she takes seriously and works to her maximum capacity.

Ashly promotes positive school culture. She willingly and openly shares ideas and strategies that have been successful in her classroom and organizes after school social events for the Arendtsville faculty and staff. She understands the value of integrating technology into instruction.

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Teacher Spotlight

Mrs. Ann (Grim) Showers a Biglerville High School graduate and a now a teacher at BHS, will be inducted into the Lock Haven University Hall of Fame on June 5, 2016. According to the LHU website, “this is the second class to be enshrined into the LHU Athletics Hall of Fame. The LHU Athletics Hall of Fame was established to celebrate the rich history, pride, passion and tradition of LHU Athletics by

honoring the school’s greatest athletes, coaches and supporters from the school’s founding in 1870.”

As reported on the LHU website, Mrs. Showers, a 1984 LHU graduate, was a standout three-sport athlete at Lock Haven, competing in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She played on two National

Championship teams and one national runner-up field hockey team, and was a two-time First Team All-American in the sport. Following

the 1982 season, Showers was nominated for the Broderick Cup Award, given to the top collegiate field hockey player in the nation. In 1982 and 1983, she was the only NCAA Division II player selected as First Team All-American. Mrs. Showers was a 3-year member of the U.S. Olympic

squad. She captained the field hockey team in 1983 and was a co-captain on the lacrosse team in 1984. Showers enjoyed a standout-coaching career following her time at LHU. Congratulations Mrs. Showers!

Biglerville High School wins $4,800 grant from the Century Link Foundation for innovative technology projects

Congratulations to Mr. Bob Dwyer! He was recently awarded a grant to support the purchasing of a laser cutting/engraving machine for the Technology Education curriculum. According to CenturyLink “The winning teachers’ grant application was inspirational. They demonstrated

creative teaching techniques that would be used to assist students in fully understanding subject matter, often times using hands-on-learning” said Gerald Piper, CenturyLink Vice President of

Operations. “We are pleased to be able to help these passionate educators expose their students to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts in their daily school lives.”

The Century Link Clarke M. Williams Foundation’s Teachers and Technology grant program, which has been offered since 2008, awards grants of up to $5,000 to schools in

CenturyLink’s local service areas on behalf of teachers who have developed specific plans to innovatively implement

technology in their classrooms.

This has been a busy school year at Biglerville Elementary School. In the fall we had our Artist in Residence Program. Ms. Nancy Walker and Mr. Jef Savage, known as Danza Antigua taught our students about what life was like for lords, ladies, and knights in the royal English court during Renaissance times and the importance of dance in their lives. We also had our Tailgate Party in the fall. Students showed their school spirit by wearing their Biglerville colors and took part in team activities.

In December, our 2nd grade students performed the musical Snow Way Out! at the High School auditorium. In this musical, a brother and sister named Jack and Jackie Frost had bought an inn called Winter’s Wonderland in the North Country. The inn is clean and ready for the first guests of the winter season, but there was a problem—no snow! Mrs. Fetrow led the 2nd grade students in a wonderful performance. Also, in December a number of our 3rd grade students took part in the Wreath Laying Ceremony at the National Cemetery in Gettysburg. The students helped lay 1,620 wreaths as part of the 9th Annual Wreath Project.

In February, students took part in Cultural Arts Days. These days were planned by our Fine Arts Team. The students participated in a number of activities related to Western European culture including art, music, and food. On March 16th, author Daryl Cobb visited our school. He presented interactive assemblies to our students, teaching them how he writes his books. He also presented an evening program for students and their families in conjunction with our Title I Literacy Night.

The spring has brought a number of field trips and end of the year events. Students have learned a lot of new things, and it has been a great school year. I hope everybody has a wonderful summer!

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A Busy Year at Biglerville Elementaryby Jamie Kerstetter

Young Scientists at Biglerville Elementary School

by Jamie Kerstetter

This school year, Biglerville Elementary students have had the opportunity to learn about science and conduct experiments due to the Advancing Science program. Advancing Science is the Science Outreach Program from Gettysburg College. They bring a van stocked with science equipment to visit our school, and our students get to use that equipment to

experience science first hand. They provide materials not readily available in our school, and provide trained science teachers to guide students through science experiments and activities.

The program is designed to give students more opportunities to actually do science, rather than observe as passive participants. The goal is to involve students with problem solving and

manipulating materials as often as possible in their educational careers. This year students in each grade level at Biglerville have taken part in activities through

the Advancing Science program. 3rd grade students participated in a learning lab on Light and Sound. 2nd grade students took part in a study of wetlands. Our 1st Grade students

have taken part in several sessions this year. They have explored light, studied plants, and conducted experiments on force and motion. Finally, Kindergarten students took part in an

“Insect Exploration”. This program has provided wonderful benefits for our students. They have not only learned about scientific concepts and processes, but also learned the importance of teamwork

and collaboration.

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This school year Arendtsville Elementary School students participated in Code.org’s Hour of Code week in December. Coding is a set of instructions that tells the computer what to do. The National Science Foundation predicts that by 2022, over one million computer science jobs will be available in America. Currently there are more computing jobs available than there are students studying it. Many students showed such an interest in coding, that an after school Coding Club was established.

Eighteen 5th grade students participated in the once weekly activity. Of the eighteen students in Coding Club, twelve were girls. In the male dominated field, it is important to introduce girls to computer sciences at a young age, and encourage them to pursue these majors and careers. Throughout the duration of the club, students were able to learn about what coding is, how to debug (solve problems in their code), and sharpen collaborative skills as they helped each other get through different levels of the program. The feeling during club time is one of curiosity, focus, and unity. The kids work diligently on the coding activity of the day but if any of them need help, the others are quick to offer assistance. It is a true sense of community and collaboration.

When asked what they liked best about coding, Jonas Rutowski said, “I like solving the puzzles and figuring out what it does.” Maci Dinges responded, “I liked when I was stuck and classmates would help me solve the problems I was stuck on.” “People should join Coding Club because when you get older, a lot of jobs have technology in them, and you should know how computers work,” explains Brylee Rodgers.

During the final Coding Club meeting, the members hosted a Coding Cafe for their families. The students were able to show their parents what they have learned throughout the eight week club, and started to teach them how to code. Parents were amazed at what their children were able to create and the problems they were able to solve. They then tried their hand at coding, by creating their own Flappy Bird or Angry Bird game. The students were excited about helping their families learn to code.

We are hoping to open the Coding Club up to all grades next school year, as students in other grades have shown a lot of interest. The hope is to introduce students into the world of computer programming and encourage them to expand skills such as problem solving, collaboration, communication, and self confidence.

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Arendtsville’s First Computer Coding ClubBy Lisa Kuhns

Luke Luntz and Sophia Amoss

Our Student Council at Arendtsville Elementary strives to make our school and the community a better place. We try to create opportunities for our students to connect with residents of Adams County, making a special effort in the town of Arendtsville. It is also a goal of the Arendtsville’s Student Council to provide ways for our students to show their school pride on spirit days.

During the fall, Student Council sponsored a Pink Out day to promote an awareness of breast cancer. We also supported American Education Week by encouraging all students to thank adults who work in our school system, and to dress in specific attire each day in support of education. The students ran a food drive for Bag the Bounty, helping to stock food pantries in Adams County. Student Council members stayed after school to rake leaves for residents of Arendtsville in November, and in December the entire school was invited to visit homes in Arendtsville and sing Christmas

Carols. The week before Christmas break, the students held a bake sale and raised $500.00. They donated the money to Surviviors, Inc., an organization that helps victims of domestic abuse.

In January we collected hats, gloves, and socks for the children who live at the Agape House, a shelter for women and children in Gettysburg that is run by the Adams County Rescue Mission. Our students brought in so many items that we covered a seven-foot Christmas tree that was set up in the cafeteria. In the month of February, students made Valentines that were distributed to a local nursing home, and sold heart-shaped lollipops at lunch. During our meetings in the month of March, we assisted Adams County Jaycees by stuffing thousands of plastic Easter eggs for their annual Easter Egg Hunt at Oakside Park. Our March committee members also brought in eggs filled with fun surprises to sell to the school students. They raised $125.00 to donate to 5th grade Environmental Camp. Because April is Pinwheels

to Prevent Abuse month, Student Council used money that they made from lollipop sales in February to make a donation to The Children’s Advocacy Center in Gettysburg. In order to raise awareness of child abuse, we have placed pinwheels from the Advocacy Center around our school’s flagpole.

We had a few activities planned to complete before we ended the school year. On April 22nd, we spent our recess removing litter from the school grounds in honor of Earth Day. As our last community service activity, during the month of May one of our meetings was spent making bracelets for mothers and fathers who have lost an infant.

It is our hope that the students who participate in the Arendtsville Student Council will continue to volunteer in the school and community and be willing to take on leadership roles in their future.

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Arendtsville Elementary Student Council: Making a difference in the community

Student Council Members with teachers Pam Shaffer, Tashia

Neely, Courtney Ebersole and Ashley Wilkinson

An Appreciation for A Job Well Done!“Selfies, Selfies, Selfies” our modern world is inundated with “selfies.” According to dictionary.com, a selfie is “A photograph taken with a smartphone or other digital camera by a person who is also in the photograph, especially for posting on a social media website.” When looking at the etymology of the word “self ”, one can learn that “self ” comes from Old English self, seolf, sylf meaning “one’s own person” and you can clearly understand how the word selfie became popular.

Just a few short years ago . . . in 1825 (LOL), another word inundated our world. I am not sure if you can guess this word but it also starts with the word “self.” This word does not have anything to do with selfies or selfishness. This word means “devoted to others’ welfare or interest and not one’s own.” This word also describes the character of a certain man we all know. Have you figured it out yet. . . .?

The word is SELFLESSNESS. SELF+LESS+NESS = selflessness and this word describes the nature and character of Mr. Larry Kennedy. Taking a closer look at Mr. Kennedy, you will be able to find evidence from what he has done with his life to demonstrate the real meaning of selflessness!

In addition to being selfless, Mr. Kennedy is also well known for his intelligence, work ethic, positive attitude, teamwork mentality, leadership, diligence, determination and many, many years of volunteering. Speaking of volunteering, Mr. Kennedy has served as a Volunteer Intramural Director at Bendersville Elementary School, Upper Adams School District FOR THE PAST FIFTY plus (50+) YEARS!!!!!

Furthermore, Mr. Kennedy is well respected throughout Upper Adams School District. He has motivated students over many years to instill work ethic, sportsmanship, leadership, patriotism, proper etiquette, love of learning, love for history, building cooperative learning and student self-esteem. Further he has modeled the importance of respect and community service.

Again, throughout his time at Bendersville Elementary School, Mr. Kennedy has demonstrated time and again that he is a positive, motivated teacher, volunteer, and leader with a deep love and concern for our children. His dedication to our youth is beyond commendable! The evidence of selflessness is clear! Mr. Kennedy has volunteered, initiated, and/or led the following programs:

Bendersville Elementary School Intramural Program ~ Mr. Kennedy started the Intramural Program in 1967 and has continued it through 2016. (Mr. Kennedy volunteered his “lunch period” for 36 years to run the program during working hours) ~ 13 years of continuous volunteer service after retirement~ Mr. Kennedy has been responsible for organizing, scheduling, and officiating all games. (Includes grades 4, 5, 6, plus special needs students)

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Selfieby Ann Wolfe

Continued on next page

Other feats of selflessness:~ UASD Color Day Program 2004 to 2016 (13 years of volunteer service) ~ Veteran’s Day Program 1998 –2013 (10 years of volunteer service)~ Memorial Day Services 1968 – 2015 (47 years of volunteer service)~After School Program through the Untied Methodist Church, Bendersville, PA (8 years of volunteer service)

Bendersville Elementary School’s Sixth Grade Promotion ProgramSportsmanship AwardDeveloped and funded a Sportsmanship Award Participates yearly in the 6th grade promotional program. 2003 – 2016 (12 years as a volunteer)

Faculty vs Students Softball GameBendersville Elementary School’s Faculty vs. Sixth Grade Students Annual softball game (11 years of volunteer service) Total of 38 games of softball

Bendersville Elementary School’s Amish Community in Pennsylvania Program

Mr. Kennedy started this program in 1983 while working at Bendersville as a teacher/principal and continued it after retirement in 2003 through 2016.34 years of serviceThrough this program, he developed the following for all 6th grade students: Unit of study about the Amish and assessmentVolunteer classroom instruction for 6th grade studentsPlan yearly culminating activity (Field Trip to Lancaster County)

Mr. Kennedy has volunteered for 52 years including 12 years after retirement for a total of 19.5 hours per month and 235 hours per year.

In summation, due to his great attitude, dedication, leadership, determination, and excellent years of volunteering, Mr. Kennedy has left us a long-lasting-legacy of selflessness and has demonstrated life-long Upper Adams School District PRIDE!

Thank you Mr. Kennedy, Thank you!

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It is hard to believe another school year is slowly coming to a close. On any given day visitors to our classrooms can see our teachers working with our students to solve math problems, analyze the symbolism in a work of literature, revising their latest writing masterpiece, learning to understand the Constitution, or working to prove a hypothesis for a science experiment. It was also another year of students and teachers integrating technology into their academic disciplines and finding better and more innovative ways to solve problems.

Curriculum is the heart beat of the students’ academic experience. It is a process that does not slow down nor is it ever finished. Professional staff members and administrators work incessantly to maintain a relevant, rigorous, and updated curriculum that meets the standards of today and prepares our students for the world of tomorrow.

During the 2015–2016 school year, several curriculum projects were focus areas as we worked to refine our programs. At the elementary level, professional staff members piloted two literacy series under consideration for potential use in the future. During this evaluation period, student growth and achievement, level of rigor from materials, and alignment with the Pennsylvania Core Standards was intensely scrutinized in order to make the best recommendation for students as we work to instill foundational literacy skills at the elementary level. At the middle level, students were exposed to a new Digital Citizenship curriculum, which provided them with the tools to demonstrate safe online behaviors and a positive and productive online reputation. At the high school level, the course description booklet was reviewed and evaluated for the addition of new courses as well as partnership opportunities with local colleges and universities.

Biglerville, Arendtsville, and Bendersville Elementaries continued with their new math program, Math in Focus. The Math in Focus Program focuses on problem solving as the foundation of mathematical learning using a variety of models to help students visualize and understand mathematical concepts. This program teaches concepts using a concrete–pictorial–abstract learning progression to anchor student knowledge in real–world, hands-on experiences, supported by technology applications. Positive student interactions with math are encouraged, which results in students developing an ability to easily solve complex, real–world math problems.

Curriculum committees continued to meet throughout the school year and will have opportunities during the summer to work on revising their curriculum to reflect the latest standards, trends, and innovations in their specific content areas. Curriculum work is never complete or reaches an end point. Our professional staff is always standing by to receive the next steps for their curriculum as our goal is to always provide the students with a world–class education full of opportunities for them to reach their potential. Learning is thriving in Canner Nation!

Canner Curriculum Corner by Joseph Albin

Director of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment

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A few weeks ago I attended a professional development session where participants were asked, “What do you want your school to be known for?” As I pondered this question, I reflected on our middle school’s vision, mission, and core values. My immediate response was our core values - respect, responsibility, and excellence! As I spent more time reflecting and thought more deeply, I considered what data or information could I use to verify whatever conclusions I arrived at. Two major data sources came to mind: our many years of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and our student survey data. Our data history helped me to realize that the answer to this question was deeper than just our core values, but no doubt is related to them. Our data left little doubt and made it very clear. What are we known for? Caring about all students and expecting high standards of student performance in the areas of literacy (reading and writing) as well as problem solving are exactly what we have come to expect and what we want to be known for at Upper Adams Middle School!!!

Upper Adams Middle School - What do we want to be known for?

by Dave Zinn, Principal

Pictured Left: Congratulations to Mrs. Hardman, 7th grade English Teacher at Upper Adams Middle School, for being awarded May’s Teacher of the Month from Hollabaugh Bros Inc. Thanks for being such an awesome inspiration to our youth!

Pictured Bottom:Congratulations to Mrs. Granger, 7th grade English teacher at Upper Adams Middle School, for being selected as April’s teacher of the month from Hollabaugh Bros Inc.! We’re honored to have you making such a positive impact on the lives of our local students!

When computers will be collected:

May 26th for 9th gradeMay 27th for 10th grade May 31st for 11th grade

What you need to know:

· Computers need to be charged and at the login screen when brought to collection.

· Chargers will be collected.

· Cases will need to be removed from computers.

· All damage charges due will be required to be paid before the 2016-2017 School Year.  Students will not receive their laptops until all fees are paid.

· Seniors, fees incurred must be paid prior to receiving your diploma.

Thank you!Upper Adams School District Tech Department

High School Computer Collection!

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