SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Parkland School District has long been seen as among the top districts in the Commonwealth.
Recently, the district got yet another accolade.
Parkland was designated among the Great Pennsylvania Schools through a new initiative of the Pennsylvania School Board Association, or PSBA, to recognize high-quality districts across the state.
The designation is granted after an application and review process by the PSBA and is valid for four years.
"Really this is a collective effort of every single employee in the Parkland School District, and of course the support of this amazing school board."Parkland Assistant Superintendent Michelle Minotti
Assistant Superintendent Michelle Minotti presented a banner showing the designation at Tuesday’s Parkland School Board meeting.
“Really this is a collective effort of every single employee in the Parkland School District, and of course the support of this amazing school board,” Minotti said.
The Great Pennsylvania Schools designation is awarded to districts that “provide students with access to rigorous programming, are community-centric, demonstrate financial well-being and display resilience,” according to the website.
The PSBA defines resilience as having an emergency preparedness plan and providing mental health support for students.
Community-centric districts have innovative school programming and provide many extracurricular offerings to students.
Six school districts have received the designation: Parkland, Tunkhannock Area in Wyoming County, North Hills in Allegheny County, Central York in York County, Central Columbia in Columbia County and Franklin Area in Venango County.
School Board recognition
For a belated School Board Appreciation Month celebration, representatives from Parkland’s elementary, middle and high schools came to the meeting to thank the board and highlight career readiness programs.
Elementary school pupils spoke about Xello, an online career readiness program used by grades 3 and up in the district. Each pupil presented his or her chosen career path and explained why they enjoyed the program.
Middle school students spoke about a new Parkland Education Foundation-funded program that teaches about hydroponics, a way to grow plants. The students said the program has helped them explore potential future STEAM careers.
“Our role is not to proselytize or recruit students to our own viewpoints,” Gackenbach said. “Our goal is simply to empower each learner who we have the privilege of educating to be meaningful contributors in a dynamic global society.”Parkland School teacher Sandi Gackenbach
Parkland High School students spoke about the many career programs, including shadowing professionals, attending Lehigh Career and Technical Institute classes and the Career Fair.
Teacher Sandi Gackenbach thanked the school board on behalf of the teacher’s union. She also responded to some claims on social media that teachers “indoctrinate” children through their lessons.
“Our role is not to proselytize or recruit students to our own viewpoints,” Gackenbach said. “Our goal is simply to empower each learner who we have the privilege of educating to be meaningful contributors in a dynamic global society.”
Also Tuesday, the school board approved the district calendar for the 2024-25 school year.
The calendar includes two designated snow days, when it used to have three. Madson said that is because the district can now do flexible instructional days with asynchronous lessons instead of a traditional snow day.
