Pottsgrove Grad's Video Part of Nationwide Commencement That Will Include Obamas Speeches

When Pottsgrove senior Ryan Romig heard in March for the first time that schools would be closed through the end of the year, his first response was to shoot a video.

Romig, who has made "over a thousand videos" on the YouTube platform, but has "deleted about 900 of them," took to his computer to vent his frustration at the turn of events.

"I fully and totally understand that coronavirus is a serious, serious thing, but dude, what the ..." he says in the beginning of an eight minute video that makes plain his disappointment.

"This was my senior year. This was all I had left, I had four more months left. That's it," he said.

"Now, senior prom, my graduation, everything, is just gone," Romig lamented.

He was perhaps speaking for all students across Pennsylvania when he said "all of us high school seniors, we are never getting any of this back. Nobody told me that something I've been working toward for 13 years is going to be stripped away."

As a "YouTuber," Romig of course hopes his video will find an audience.

What he hadn't counted on was that audience might include former President Barack Obama.

On June 6, Barrack and Michelle Obama will take part in YouTube's "Dear Class of 2020," which will stream live starting at 3 p.m. Both Obamas "will deliver separate commencement addresses" and "a joint message to students," according to ABC News.

That event will feature global leaders, celebrities, creators and more, including Malala Yousafzai, Sundar Pichai, former Defense Secretary Bob Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys and Kerry Washington.

A video has been created promote that event and that promotion includes footage from Romig's rant, which is titled "Goodbye Class of 2020."

"I heard about the closure when I was at work and I just came home and started working on it," Romig told The Mercury Friday.

Ironically, he said he spent less time on the video, about 90 minutes, than the usual three hours he puts into other, more complicated features.

But what "Goodbye Class of 2020," may have lacked in sophistication, it had plenty of emotion.

"I got an email asking about licensing and then I had a call with a woman who explained why they wanted it," said Romig.

Now, he is pretty excited.

"I've been doing this since I was a freshman and frankly, I was devoting so much time to it, I almost didn't graduate this year," he said with a laugh.

While he says its "awesome" that his video is part of a nationwide effort to recognize the special status of the Class of 2020, he is even more excited about what the exposure may bring.

"I'm hoping this is my big break," Romig said.In the meantime, Romig, who completed three semesters at Montgomery County Community College while in high school, plans to complete his last in the fall and then consider his options.

Pottsgrove Grad Making a Difference in Seebees

2018 Pottsgrove graduate Blake Strain

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the U.S. Navy.

GULFPORT, Ms. – “We Build, We Fight” has been the motto of the U. S. Navy’s Construction Force, known as the “Seabees,” for more than 75 years. 

Seaman Recruit Blake Strain, a 2018 Pottsgrove High School graduate, builds and fights around the world as a member of naval construction battalion center located in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Strain is serving as a Navy equipment operator, who is responsible for performing tasks involving operation of automotive, materials handling, and construction equipment.

Strain credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Pottstown.

“Responsibility, honesty, and a good work ethic are things that I took with me into the Navy and help me succeed every day,” said Strain.

Building in austere environments can be a challenge. Fighting in harsh conditions can also be a challenge. Building in austere environments while fighting in harsh conditions takes a special kind of person with a great deal of perseverance and determination.

The jobs of many of today’s Seabees remained unchanged since World War II, when the Seabees paved the 10,000-mile road to victory for the allies in the Pacific and in Europe, according to Lara Godbille, director of the U. S. Navy Seabee Museum.

For more than 75 years Seabees have served in all American conflicts. They have also supported humanitarian efforts using their construction skills to help communities around the world. They aid following earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Strain is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

A key element of the Navy the Nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.

“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”

Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Strain is most proud of graduating boot camp and his technical training "A" school.

“It was challenging,” said Strain. “I took it day-by-day and I'm still getting a lot of training and constantly learning new skills.”

Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Strain, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Strain is honored to carry on that family tradition.

“I have a lot of family members who served in the military and that had a great influence on my decision to join the service,” said Strain.

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Strain and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.

“This is a very close-knit community and everybody looks out for each other,” said Strain. "Serving in the Navy gives me a sense of pride in helping others and at the same time it's helping me to grow as a person.”

60th Band Anniversary Celebrates Late Founder

Pottsgrove Community Band founder
Thomas G. Roberts

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove Community Band.

The Pottsgrove Community Band will celebrate its 60th anniversary by presenting free concert on Sunday, June 9 at 2 PM at Pottsgrove High School auditorium.

The performance will also be a tribute to the life and legacy of Thomas G. Roberts, the band’s founder, who passed away in January.

In 1959, Tom Roberts was the high school band director at Pottsgrove High School and had a dream of beginning a community band. 

He felt it gave local musicians an opportunity to play their instruments, while at the same time enriching life in the community. 

That summer, Roberts put his plan into action and created the Pottsgrove Community Band. The band consisted of high school band students and adult musicians from the community. The band performed its first concert under the portico of the new high school building. For many years, the band performed one concert a year. 

Now 60 years later, the band has doubled in size to more than 60 instrumentalists and is made up of mostly adults. It has fulfilled an important niche in the area, performing both for formal concerts as well as outdoor summer concerts at churches, parks, fairs and nursing homes. The band performs an entire holiday series of concerts also.

The anniversary concert on June 9th, will feature a mix of old standards, such as marches, Broadway show tunes, movie themes, pop music and patriotic selections. 

Many of the band’s musicians will appear as soloists. Chris Alutius will perform a beautiful trumpet solo entitled “The Maid and the Mist.” John Braun a trombonist will play a jazz solo, “Sweet and Lovely.” Alto Sax player Mike Deklava will also step up to the microphone and play a selection called “Nightfall.”

The band is currently under the direction of John Meko, who learned to play the trumpet as a student of Tom Roberts in the Pottsgrove School District. Meko, received a bachelors and masters degree in music education and followed Mr. Roberts as the Pottsgrove High School band director, retiring in 2002.

There will be a few guest conductors. Bruce Roberts, son of the late Tom Roberts and retired instrumental music teacher from Spring-Ford, will guest conduct some of his father’s favorite compositions. Also, Rodney Boyer, another former student of Tom Roberts and retired music teacher from Pottsgrove, will be featured at the podium too.

The Pottsgrove Community Band is unique, in that, people of all ages and all musical skills are united by the common bond of loving to play music. All instrumentalists are made to feel welcome, and the group is always looking for new members. Rehearsals are Monday evening, 7 p.m., at Pottsgrove High School. More information can be obtained at the Community Band’s Facebook page.

The concert is Sunday, June 9, at 2 p.m. in the Pottsgrove High School auditorium.

Pottsgrove Students Shine in Reading Challenge

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.
Two teams of Pottsgrove High School students recently won high honors in this year’s final WordWright Challenge of the academic year. Participating with 693 school teams across the country, Pottsgrove’s eleventh graders tied for thirteenth place in the nation, while our seniors tied for fourteenth in the nation.

Pottsgrove senior and class Valedictorian, Paul Sachs was one of the 12 highest ranked twelfth graders in the country in the year-end cumulative standings.

Pottsgrove students who achieved perfect scores were juniors Simon Lapic and Brenna Mayberry. The students were supervised by Todd Kelly.

The premise behind WordWright Challenge is that attentive reading and sensitivity to language are among the most important skills students acquire in school. 

The tests students must analyze for the Challenge can range from short fiction by Eudora Welty or John Updike to poetry as old as Shakespeare’s or as recent as Margaret Atwood’s, and to essays as classic as E.B. White’s or as current as James Parker’s cultural commentary in The Atlantic. 

Though the texts vary widely in voice, tone, and length, they have one thing in common: style. All use language skillfully to convey layers and shades of meaning not always apparent to students on a first or casual reading. 

Like the questions on the verbal SAT I, the SAT II in English Literature, and the Advanced Placement exams in both English Language and English Literature, the questions posed by the WordWright Challenge ask students both the recognize the emotional and/or rational logic of a piece of writing and to notice the ways in which a writer’s style shapes and shades his meaning. Because the WordWright Challenge is a classroom activity and not a college-entrance exam, however, it can be a learning experience, not just a high hurdle. 

After completing a Challenge, classes are encouraged to talk about the tests and the answers to the multiple-choice questions, and are also given additional topics for open-ended discussion and/or written response.

The texts for the fourth WordWright meet this year were a pair of poems by Philip Booth and Alastair Reid for 9th and 10th graders and a short story by Michael Chabon for 11th and 12th graders.

Apple Names 'Distinguished' Pottsgrove Educators

David Ramage, left, and William Ziegler.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

The Pottsgrove School District is pleased to announce the two newest members of Apple’s Distinguished Educators Class of 2019. Dr. David Ramage, Director of Integration for Learning & Instruction and Dr. William Ziegler, High School Principal have been selected to this prestigious group.

In 1994, Apple created the Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE) program to recognize K-12 and higher-education pioneers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning. These are the educators who are looking to change the world. They are active leaders from the around the world helping other educators rethink what’s possible with iPad and Mac to make learning deeply personal for every student.

As ADE’s they will have the opportunity to collaborate with over 2,800 colleagues around the globe and turn fresh, new ideas into meaningful learning experiences for students. They will help create and share digital books created with Pages and iBooks Author. ADE’s are experts on the realities of integrating technology into learning environments, and they work closely with Apple to foster innovation in education. Both will have the opportunity to provide best practices and leadership in education through published lessons, courses, books, and more. ADE’s work together to develop and promote powerful ideas for improving teaching and learning worldwide.

Statistically, Dr.’s Ramage and Ziegler are only two of twelve ADE’s in the state of Pennsylvania. ADE’s represent forty-five different countries, with 942 residing in the United States, 812 from Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, and 692 from Asia-Pacific.

This honor coincides with Pottsgrove High and Middle School’s again being designated as Apple Distinguished Schools for the 2018-2021 time period.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence that use Apple products to inspire creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. They showcase innovative uses of technology in learning, teaching, and the school environment and have documented artifacts of student accomplishment.

Falcons Near-Perfect Again in WordWright Contest

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

Three students representing Pottsgrove High School recently won high honors in the year’s WordWright Challenge, a national competition for American high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different kinds of prose and poetry.

In this year’s third meet, held in February, freshman Keira McDevitt earned a near-perfect score and placed among the 32 highest-scoring ninth graders in the country. Junior Evan Croxton, who also earned a near-perfect score, was one of the 84 highest-scoring eleventh graders nationwide, while his classmate Hannah Waldt was one of the 179 highest-scorers at this grade level.

More than 70,000 high school students from 48 states entered the meet. The students were supervised by Todd Kelly.

The premise behind WordWright Challenge is that attentive reading and sensitivity to language are among the most important skills students acquire in school. The tests students must analyze for the Challenge can range from short fiction by Eudora Welty or John Updike to poetry as old as Shakespeare’s or as recent as Margaret Atwood’s, and to essays as classic as E.B. White’s or as current as James Parker’s cultural commentary in The Atlantic. 

 Though the texts vary widely in voice, tone, and length, they have one thing in common: style. All use language skillfully to convey layers and shades of meaning not always apparent to students on a first or casual reading. Like the questions on the verbal SAT I, the SAT II in English Literature, and the Advanced Placement exams in both English Language and English Literature, the questions posed by the WordWright Challenge ask students both the recognize the emotional and/or rational logic of a piece of writing and to notice the ways in which a writer’s style shapes and shades his meaning. 

Because the WordWright Challenge is a classroom activity and not a college-entrance exam, however, it can be a learning experience, not just a high hurdle. After completing a Challenge, classes are encouraged to talk about the tests and the answers to the multiple-choice questions, and are also given additional topics for open-ended discussion and/or written response.

The texts for the third WordWright meet this year were an essay by Natalie Kusz for 9th and 10th graders and a pair of essays by Francine Prose and Colin Harrison for the 11th and 12th graders. The students will participate in one more meet over the coming months, and medals and certificates will be awarded in June to those who achieve and/or improve the most in the course of the year.

Two Pottsgrove students who earned perfect scores earlier this year will be recognized by the Pottsgrove School Board this spring. Molly Neeson this fall and Michael Gillen in December.

Western Center Student Wins Spongebob Art Contest

The award-winning Sponge Bob Squarepants Fan Art T-shirt design by Pottsgrove High School senior and Western Center for Technical Studies student Alexi Neiffer

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Western Center for Technical Studies.

Pottsgrove High School senior Alexi Neiffer was selected as a Finalist for the Spongebob Squarepants T-Shirt Design Contest that was held in October 2018.

Alexi Neiffer

Alexi’s design was selected by judges: Marc Ceccarelli (Co-Executive Producer), Vincent Waller (Co-Executive Producer), and Ed Labay (VP, GMM of Hot Topic).

She was awarded $300 for her design, and it is in the process of being printed onto t-shirts and will be sold online and in Hot Topic stores. 

Alexi will also receive 1.5% commission on every t-shirt that is sold with her design.

“I grew up watching Spongebob, and as I got older I realized that I related more to Squidward Tentacles," Neiffer said. 

Look for Neiffer's shirts soon in Hot Topic stores.

"This inspired me to create a design based on Squidward, and his depressing but humorous life. Ironically, my ”hopes and dreams” came true when I found out my design will be sold at my favorite store,” she said.

Neiffer has been in David Batory’s Commercial Arts class since 2016, and was just accepted into the Art & Design program at Kutztown University, where she will study Communication Design. 

This is not the first contest Alexi has been apart of, and it won’t be the last. 

Make sure you keep an eye out for her design in Hot Topic stores across the nation.

Teaching Community Service in Pottsgrove Schools

Photos provided by the Pottsgrove School District

:Presenting the Cross Country Team check to the Cluster were, from left, Jonah Korman, Calista Faust, Molly Neeson, Aiden McDonald, Chloe Sullivan, Patrick Rieker, Megan Czerpak, Jaden Smith, Brandon Henriksen, Barbara Cooper- Director, Bryce Hampton , Larry Rechtin-Head Coach , Steve Lin, Gabe Craig. 

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

The beginning of March once again provided the backdrop for community service throughout the Pottsgrove Athletic community. For years, athletic teams have found ways to give back to the community that supports through various community service projects.

For the past eight years, the Pottsgrove High School Cross-Country team has supported and volunteered their time with the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities Meals and Shelter Programs. 

This year they added a check for $3,500. The proceeds were raised from the annual Thanksgiving morning Toss Your Turkey 5K road race. 

The Pottsgrove Cross Country has donated in excess of $13,000 to the Pottstown Cluster since the start of the Toss Your Turkey in 2011.

Molly Neeson, Michael Allmond, and Jacob Spadt

The Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities provides food security, household assistance, supportive service referrals, housing stability, and an opportunity for individuals living in poverty to participate in education and supportive programs for people living in the greater Pottstown area.

Accepting the check was Barbara Cooper, Director of the program at Trinity Church in Pottstown and presenting the check on behalf of the team is Head Coach Mr. Larry Rechtin.

The team also donated a check for $1,500 to Operation Backpack, which helps to provide food to local families. 

Operation Backpack is a non-profit organization providing food to students in our local community who might go without over the weekend. Backpacks are filled Wednesday nights and are distributed to families on Friday for the weekend. The backpacks contain enough food for dinner Friday night, all meals Saturday and Sunday, along with snacks. 

The team has contributed $2,500 to Operation Backpack in the past two years.

There's something fishy about Pottsgrove students Justin Wescoat, Jack Sibley, Rylee Howard, Evan White, Max Neeson, Tyler Kaufman

And on March 2, the Pottsgrove High School Football team joined forces with Green Allies helping them with their Recycling Day endeavor. 

The Green Allies group, led by Ken Hamilton and members of the football team spent the entire day helping to preserve our environment as they recycled large amounts of electronics and scrap metal. 

Parker Janusek, Vinny Scarnato, and Gabe Flores

This included such things as computers, TV's, refrigerators, ice boxes, microwaves, air conditioners, humidifiers and more.

The efforts of Green Allies reaches not only the Pottsgrove community but extends well into Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties. 

The line to enter Recycling Day was backed up for approximately a mile and a half.

Ethan McHugh, Alex Degler, Max Dopwell, Aamir Mapp, and Kaden Reichelderfer

Pottsgrove Hosting 1st-Ever Competition Saturday

BLOGGER'S NOTE: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

Pottsgrove High School will be hosting its first indoor dance, twirler, and color guard competition this Saturday, Feb. 23.

This is the first year that Pottsgrove High School is fielding a competitive indoor color guard.

According to Marching Band Director. Shawn Campopiano, “we have chosen to host a contest again this year to showcase that to the community as well as raise funds that will go toward the expenses of their season and their trip to Wildwood, NJ, for the Atlantic Coast Championships (ACC's) in early May. “

The guard just earned second place this last weekend at Downingtown West High School, and will continue competing through ACC's, where they will go head-to-head against 24 other scholastic color guards for a chance to advance through prelims, semi-finals, and the elite finals competition held in the Wildwood Convention Center.

Their 2019 show is entitled "Starry Starry Night" and is meant to portray not only the aesthetics of Van Gough's painting, but the emotional transformation that comes with changing your mindset from negative to positive. 

The color guard is under the direction of Riley Davenport and Katelyn Guest.

The competition will take place in the Pottsgrove High School Gymnasium. Doors will open by 12:30 pm, the show will begin at 1, and will end with awards at 3. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. Children age 2 and under are free. Food and drink will be sold during the entire event.

The show is part of the Tournament Indoor Association's 2019 season. 

Information on that circuit can be found here. This link will take you to a schedule for the event that includes a list of what groups will be attending the competition.

Pottsgrove High Readers in Top 20, 1 Perfect Score

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

Two teams of students representing Pottsgrove High School recently won high honors in the year’s WordWright Challenge, a national competition for American high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different kinds of prose and poetry.

Participating with 693 school teams from all across the country, the ninth graders tied for twelfth place in the nation in the year’s second meet, held in December, while the tenth graders tied for thirteenth place in the nation.

Students at Pottsgrove who achieved outstanding individual results in the meet included:

• Freshman: Ireland Gibney, Tamyra Franklin, Kaitlyn Mayberrry, Steven McPhilimey, and Sydney Renner; 
• Sophomores: Michael Gillen (who earned a perfect score), Naomi Hillen, and Rhys Yochem; and 
• Seniors: Paul Sachs, Josiah Thieme, and Fox Coniglario. 

The students were supervised by Mr. Todd Kelly. 

The premise behind WordWright Challenge is that attentive reading and sensitivity to language are among the most important skills students acquire in school. 

The tests students must analyze for the challenge can range from short fiction by Eudora Welty or John Updike to poetry as old as Shakespeare’s or as recent as Margaret Atwood’s, and to essays as classic as E.B. White’s or as current as James Parker’s cultural commentary in The Atlantic. 

Though the texts vary widely in voice, tone, and length, they have one thing in common: style. All use language skillfully to convey layers and shades of meaning not always apparent to students on a first or casual reading. 

Like the questions on the verbal SAT I, the SAT II in English Literature, and the Advanced Placement exams in both English Language and English Literature, the questions posed by the WordWright Challenge ask students both to recognize the emotional and/or rational logic of a piece of writing and to notice the ways in which a writer’s style shapes and shades his meaning. 

Because the WordWright Challenge is a classroom activity and not a college-entrance exam, however, it can be a learning experience, not just a high hurdle. After completing a challenge, classes are encouraged to talk about the tests and the answers to the multiple-choice questions, and are also given additional topics for open-ended discussion and/or written response.

The texts for the second WordWright meet this year were a short story by Doris Lessing for 9th and 10th graders and a Shakespeare sonnet paired with a poem by Anthony Hecht for 11th and 12th graders. 

The students will participate in two more meets over the coming months, and medals and certificates will be awarded in June to those who achieve and/or improve the most in the course of the year.

The students earning a perfect score will be recognized by the Pottsgrove School Board this spring. Molly Neeson this fall and Michael Gillin in December.

Three Pottsgrove Vocalists to Ring in Holiday Season

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

Three Pottsgrove High School choral students have been selected to perform their version of "God  Bless America." 

Sarah Ounsworth, Chloe Tice and Rae Schon will be singing God Bless America, at the American Heritage Credit Union Grand Illumination Tree Lighting and Fireworks Symphony on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. 

The annual program attracts thousands of spectators to American Heritages main campus on Red Lion Road in Philadelphia.

According to the students choral instructor, Ms. Kelsey Hendler, “the girls, who call themselves the "Soprani Squad" arranged their own music and prepared themselves for the audition. They competed against other acts and won the most votes to be selected for the performance. They are thrilled to be given the opportunity, and I couldn't be more proud of them!!”

Spectators will also enjoy the sounds of the Philadelphia Boys Choir and The Fife and Drum Corps of the Old Barracks. 

The evening celebration ends with Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross counting down the lighting of their 40-foot Christmas tree and a spectacular firework show to ring in the holiday season. The firework show is set to the theme music of the HBO series, John Adams.

Pottsgrove Senior Earns Perfect WordWright Score

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

Four students representing Pottsgrove High School recently won high honors in the year’s WordWright Challenge, a competition for American high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different kinds of prose and poetry.

In this year’s first meet, held in October, senior Molly Neeson was one of only 58 twelfth graders in the entire country to earn a perfect score. 

At the same time, juniors Skylar Glass, Brenna Mayberry and Trinity Sorg all placed among the 196 highest-scoring eleventh graders nationwide. 

More than 70,000 high school students from 48 states entered the meet. The school’s participation was overseen by teacher Todd Kelly.

The premise behind WordWright Challenge is that attentive reading and sensitivity to language are among the most important skills students acquire in school. The tests students must analyze for the challenge can range from short fiction by Eudora Welty or John Updike to poetry as old as Shakespeare’s or as recent as Margaret Atwood’s, and to essays as classic as E.B. White’s or as current as James Parker’s cultural commentary in The Atlantic. 

Though the texts vary widely in voice, tone, and length, they have one thing in common: style. All use language skillfully to convey layers and shades of meaning not always apparent to students on a first or casual reading. 

Like the questions on the verbal SAT I, the SAT II in English Literature, and the Advanced Placement exams in both English Language and English Literature, the questions posed by the WordWright Challenge ask students both the recognize the emotional and/or rational logic of a piece of writing and to notice the ways in which a writer’s style shapes and shades his meaning. 

Because the WordWright Challenge is a classroom activity and not a college-entrance exam, however, it can be a learning experience, not just a high hurdle. After completing a challenge, classes are encouraged to talk about the tests and the answers to the multiple-choice questions, and are also given additional topics for open-ended discussion and/or written response.

The texts for the first WordWright meet this year were a pair of poems by Wilfred Owen and Henry Reed for 9th and 10th graders and a short story by Katherine Anne Porrwe for 11th and 12th graders. 

The students will participate in three more meets over the coming months, and medals and certificates will be awarded in June to those who achieve and/or improve the most in the course of the year.

Pottsgrove High Takes the LEED in Energy Efficiency

Pottsgrove High School

The Pottsgrove School District is pleased to announce that the High School renovation project, completed in 2017, has achieved gold certification under the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) 2009 Schools rating system. 

The only higher level is platinum .

LEED certification identifies Pottsgrove High School as a showcase example of sustainability and demonstrates leadership in transforming the building industry, according to a release from the district. 

While it will not only save the district (and therefore taxpayers) money in energy costs it's also worth $1 million.

In $2014, the district received a $2 million grant from the Pennsylvania Alternative and Clean Energy

program in anticipation of achieving the standard.

Achieving that standard on the $32 million high school expansion and renovation project, completed last year, meant spending about $1 million in energy efficient equipment like solar panels and water conserving bathroom fixtures and tests, certifications and paperwork.

Had the building not achieved the certification, the district would have had to return the $2 million, as well as being stuck with the additional $1 million of buying the equipment.

According to The Sanatoga Post's coverage Sept. 11 Pottsgrove School Board meeting, the building needed to earn a total of 60 points on the LEED scoring sheet to cross the finish line. 

It received 65.

Mahesh Ramanujam, the President and CEO or the U.S. Green Building Council and Green Business Certification, recently presented the certificate to the district.

High School Students Pass Rotary's 4-Way Test

Area high school students participate in the Pottstown Rotary Club's 4-Way Contest at Brookside Country Club

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottstown Rotary Club.

One of the worlds’ most widely printed and quoted statements of ethics is The 4 Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor.

Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4 Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. 

It asks the following four questions of the things we think, say and do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The Pottstown Rotary's 4-Way Test speech competition began on Saturday, March 24 at Brookside Country Club and culminates on April 28th at the Rotary District 7340 Conference which will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading.

The winners were, from right, Logan Ruyak, 1st place; 

Chloe Sullivan, 3rd place; and Barry Wang, 2nd place.

The conference is attended by 300-500 Rotarians from district 7340. This year the conference will also include Interact clubs from the area.

This event has proven to be a tremendous learning and confidence building experience for the students in the past. The results of the competition are:

• First Place: Logan Ruyak of Pottstown High School
• Second Place: Barry Wang of The Hill School 
• Third Place: Chloe Sullivan of Pottstgrove High School

Also Competing:

• Melissa Xu of The Hill School 
• Frazier Thomas of Pottsgrove High School
• Abigail Richter of Pottstown High School 
• Courtney Parry of Pottstown High School

Pottsgrove Principals Make California Discoveries

Pottsgrove High School Principal William Ziegler, left, meets with Lance Rougeux, vice president for learning Communities and Innovation at the Discovery Education Network, during a conference at the University of California in San Diego this summer.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

William Ziegler, principal at Pottsgrove High School, and Dave Ramage, former Principal at Pottsgrove Middle School in Pottsgrove School District, recently joined more than 50 fellow principals from around the world for the 2017 DEN Summer Institute Principal Summit.

In March, Ramage was named Pottsgrove's Director of Integration for Learning and Instruction.

The summit is an immersive, four day-long professional development and networking experience. A global community of education professionals supported by Discovery Education, the Discovery Educator Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.

David Ramage, former principal at Pottsgrove Middle School, left,
greets Lance Rougeux with the Discovery Education
Network  during a conference in San Diego.

The professional learning experience was held July 13-16 at the University of California, San Diego, in San Diego, CA.

During the DENSI Principal, Ziegler and Ramage learned new strategies for using technology and digital content to energize their leadership and empower their teachers from Discovery Education experts and their peers. In addition, participants engaged in dialogue on topics such as supporting teachers through the digital transition, digital literacy across the curriculums, building their school’s brand, and how to showcase their school’s success to the community.

Ziegler and Ramage were selected to attend the DENSI Principal Summit through a competitive application process which involved written and video explanations of how they are helping transform teaching, learning and culture at their respective schools, and how they will share with others what they learned during the summit.

“Bill and Dave’s selection for the DENSI Principal Summit demonstrates their outstanding leadership and commitment using the latest technologies and innovative teaching strategies and techniques to improve student achievement,” said Lance Rougeux, vice president of learning communities and innovation for Discovery Education. “Their participation in DENSI 2017 will help increase student engagement across Pottsgrove School District, and support their district’s effort to prepare all learners with the critical skills they need to succeed beyond the classroom.”

After participating in the DENSI Principal Summit, Ziegler and Ramage have returned to Pottsgrove School District with new strategies and techniques they can share with their teachers to integrate digital resources into curriculum and instruction to transform teaching and learning.

For more information about the DENSI Principal Summit, click on this link. 

To learn more about the DEN and Discovery Education’s other services and initiatives, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow them on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find them on Instagram and Pinterest.

Meet the Pottsgrove Principals Tuesday/Wednesday

Pottsgrove High School Principal Bill Ziegler, left, and Pottsgrove Middle School Principal Matt Boyer.

The start of school may still seem like a long way off, but the principals at Pottsgrove's secondary schools want to get things off on the right foot.

So Pottsgrove Middle School Principal Matthew Boyer and Pottsgrove High School Principal. Bill Ziegler are inviting students and parents to meet them for an informal time to ask questions, get a glimpse into their child’s schedule, and talk about the upcoming school year.

The next meet and greet will be on Tuesday, Aug. 8 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Chick Fil-A in Gateway Shopping Center next to Costco in Limerick.

Another session will be held later that day from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Rolling Hills Community Center in Lower Pottsgrove.

On Wednesday, Aug. 9, the two principals will be at Starbucks in Upland Square Shopping Center in West Pottsgrove from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Later that evening from 7 to 8 p.m., they will be available at the Giant Supermarket in Upland Square.

If you can't make any of those dates, you can reach Boyer on his cell phone at 610-310-1140 or via email at mboyer@pgsd.org

You can reach Chris Becker, the assistant middle school principal, on his cell at 610-310-4520 or via email at cbecker@pgsd.org

Ziegler can be reached on his cell phone at 610-960-2386 or via email at wziegler@pgsd.org

Eric Daney, the assistant principal at Pottsgrove can be reached on his cell phone at 484-366-8290 or via email art edaney@pgsd.org

Will the Real Americans Please Stand Up (Or Kneel)

Real Americans are all shapes, sizes, religions and beliefs, as symbolized during this citizenship ceremony at Pottsgrove High School last year.

What does it mean to be an American?

The nation's birthday seems like as good a time as any to explore this question.

I'll begin by telling you outright I don't think there is just one answer.

The problem is, a lot of us think there is.

To some, an "American," is an English-speaking person born in this country.

But last October, I watched 54 people born in a different countries, take an oath at Pottsgrove High School that made them citizens of the United States of America.

Are they any less "American" than those of us who were born here?

I would argue that getting to this country from another, sometimes under difficult circumstances, in some cases learning a new language and learning the history and structure of your adopted nation makes them more of an American than those of us whose only qualify characteristic is being born.

These folks had to work for it.

Chin Su Kim of South Korea received his US Citizenship papers
last year in a ceremony at Pottsgrove High School.

They had to want it.

If the only real American is someone born here, one could argue that the only real Americans are the descendants of those who were here before Columbus; before Ponce de Leon; before the Mayflower blundered its way into Massachusetts Bay.

Frankly, Native Americans have a pretty solid claim, and the only practical way to dispute it is to put a pin in the timeline of the continent's history and say only those born after 1776 (or 1789) and their descendants are real Americans.

But that seems a bit capricious in the broader scheme of history.

In truth, all Americans are from somewhere else. Its just a matter of how far back you go.

And lately, we have been going way back.

It has never been easier -- or more lucrative for the Internet companies doing the searching -- to trace our descendants back through the generations to Ireland, or Italy or Slovenia and, if the commercials are to be believed, millions of us are delighted to be doing so every day.


To celebrate our non-American origins and, in the same breath, refuse to confer the status of "American" on those who came a decade or two later is beyond ironic.

It's moronic and it borders on the kind of willful and belligerent ignorance in which, sadly, we have begun to specialize in recent years.

Perhaps being a real American has less to do with where we're born and more to do with what we believe.

And no, I don't mean belief in God or being a Christian nation. We are, rather, a nation that was founded by Christians (many of them "diests," who believed in God but not religion).

The Christians who founded this nation knew their history, they knew the centuries of blood spilled in Europe in wars over who was the right kind of Christian.

This nation was founded by Christians who specifically wanted to keep Christianity out of government; to make worship a matter of personal belief and not one of government mandate.

When I say maybe a real American is defined by her belief, I mean someone who believes in the ideals of America; our right to pursue life, liberty and happiness; our right to be free to speak our minds; to worship as we wish.

Perhaps a real American is someone who understands and exercises the rights that are due every American thanks to our Constitution and its predecessor which we celebrate so noisily on this day every year with fireworks (or in Pottstown's case, lasers.)

Consider the curious case of Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who refused to stand for the National Anthem because of what he saw as unfair treatment of non-white Americans.

Many viewed this choice as "un-American."

I say what could be more American than to peacefully protest what you see as the unfair treatment of a minority?

When you can be pulled over for "driving while black," or a jury decides that a police officer did not commit murder when he shot a black driver because he is justified to be "in fear for his life" because of the color of the driver's skin, something has gone wrong. That is a violation of America's highest ideals.

Is it not the finest American tradition to stand up, or in Kaepernick's case, kneel down, for what you believe to be un-American? Let's not forget the "all men are created equal" part of the document we are celebrating today folks.

To argue that all men are being treated as equals in America today is to deny the evidence of your own eyes.

To argue that all men (and women) are provided with the same opportunities in today's public school systems is to deny the facts.

To argue that protesting such unfair treatment, sometimes peacefully, sometimes in more riotous fashion causing property damage, is un-American is to deny our own history.

After all, what was the Boston Tea Party we so venerate but a bunch of costumed hooligans destroying private property in protest over how the majority in England was treating the minority -- the colonists?

In truth, I believe this argument over "real Americans" -- most recently crystalized in a new NRA advertisements pasted below in which the word "they" is featured prominently -- is really about the dry science of demographics.



The U.S. Census predicts that in a few years, white Americans will become a minority in this country.

Its hard to win elections that way, which is why for years, Jeb Bush was trying unsuccessfully to rouse his party to this reality with the phrase "demographics is destiny" and urging the GOP to be more welcoming to Hispanics.

But instead of embracing this new majority and winning them over in the marketplace of ideas, the multi-pronged methodology now underway is to subvert that looming majority to maintain control of the country for as long as possible -- a desperate strategy to hold on to what is believed to belong only to the "real Americans."

It's pretty simple stuff when you take a step back and look at the big picture.

First, you make it harder for "them" to vote.

Purging voter rolls, requiring photo IDs and a national investigation of non-existent voter fraud as an excuse to collect state voter data is a good way to start.

Another necessity is to undermine public education.

Citizens who are taught to think for themselves are hard to fool and even harder to rule, particularly when there are a lot of them. So rather than recognize that different people learn in different ways and devote our efforts to educating each student in the best way we can, we have standardized education; using standardized tests which discriminate against non-traditional learners and, by what I'm sure is pure coincidence, non-whites and those raised in poverty.

If you don't fit the mold, you don't move ahead through the system. How did we come to this in a country where we celebrate the idea of independence every year?

We've punished and demeaned teachers for so long now, that the number of people willing to undertake this most vital and, more recently, thankless job, is dwindling to the crisis point.

But rest assured that school districts in wealthy white suburbs -- the beneficiaries of Pennsylvania's lopsided and racist education funding system -- will still be able to afford the higher salaries necessary to attract those still willing to teach.

And of course, trust in the media must be undermined as well.

You can't have those who may point out inconsistencies and outright lies; those charged with speaking truth to power and holding it to account; those who so often remind us how alike we all truly are and how much we actually have in common; running around unimpeded when you are so desperately working to instill fear with an "us" and "them" narrative.

Fearful people are easy to manipulate, particularly when you claim to have an easy solution that we can understand. Never mind that it doesn't work. What's important is that its comforting and that it reaffirms what we've always believed about who truly deserves the rewards of being a real American.

Certainly, it's not "them."

As for me, I plan to celebrate July 4th by celebrating the idea that real Americans fight for what's fair, what's right, because it makes us a better country. It brings us closer to being the country we say we aspire to be.

I plan to celebrate July 4th by celebrating the idea that the best American is an American educated enough to make decisions based more on facts than feelings, to know her rights and to exercise them with vigor, who knows that oppression of any of us is oppression of all of us.

I plan to celebrate the birth of America by celebrating an idea best articulated by a fictional Englishman, that we have come to a time in our history when we will all have to make a choice -- between what is right, and what is easy.

But that's just me.

And I'm only one American.

Ziegler Joins Principals for Fair Funding Push

Pottsgrove High School Principal Bill Ziegler speaks in the Capitol rotunda about the need for fair school funding.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottsgrove High School Principal Williamk Ziegler.

Bill Ziegler, Principal at Pottsgrove High School, joined with other principals from across Pennsylvania to advocate for increased funding for public schools at the state capitol in Harrisburg recently.

PA Principals Association hosted the Principal Advocacy Day to give an opportunity for school leaders to speak with their area legislators and to advocate for increased funding for schools. 

Principals Jessica Quinter of Juniata Elementary School, Christopher Gregaris of Crestwood High School, Melissa Patschke from the Spring-Ford School Area District, and Ziegler all spoke in the state’s Capitol rotunda on the need to increase funding for our public schools. 

Paul Healey, Executive Director of the PA Principals Association, closed out the time by emphasizing the important role of school leaders and how they need to be supported through increased funding, funding for professional development, and a fair evaluation system. 

In addition, Ziegler and the other principals spoke out encouraging legislators to fully fund the Fair Funding Formula for public schools.

Ziegler said, “Students in our public schools need the help of legislators in Pennsylvania as there is a funding crisis in our public schools. PA Principals has joined the Fair Funding Campaign and we thank our legislators and the Governor for signing this into law. However, we still need to significantly increase school funding." 

"Statewide survey data shows that 85 percent of school districts plan to raise taxes, 50 percent plan to reduce academic or extracurricular activities, and 48 percent plan to reduce staff resulting in larger class sizes,” Ziegler said.

Furthermore, Ziegler asked state legislators to oppose House Bill 1213 which enables significant property tax reductions for commercial properties. 

“If this bill passes, the Pottsgrove School District could potentially lose more than $1.7 million in tax revenue from commercial properties next year alone,” he said.

Ziegler shared how Keystone Testing disrupts learning for two straight weeks and he challenged state legislators to reexamine Keystone Testing at the high school level. Ziegler also asked legislators to revise Act 82, The Educator Effectiveness Law.

In closing, Ziegler reminded legislators how the principalship is one of the most rewarding positions in our commonwealth and a position that needs the unending support and encouragement from its legislators. 

Ziegler asked legislators to contact their local school principal to see how they can support them in their most important responsibility of leading the education of our state’s children.

Pottsgrove High 'Spelling' Out Comedy On Stage

Blogger's Note: The Following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" will be staged at Pottsgrove High School on March 30, 31 and April 1 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10, $8 for senior citizens and students.

Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor. 

Featuring a fast-paced, wildly funny and touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and a truly fresh and vibrant score by William Finn, this bee is one unforgettable experience.

The cast of the show

An eclectic group of mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming "ding" of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. 

At least the losers get a juice box.

Cast:
Emma Burrus as Olive Ostrovsky
Audra Estel as Schwarzy
Cierra Fekelman as Marcy Park (Co-Dance Captain)
Trystian Hernandez as Douglas Panch
Joe Kelley as Chip Tolentino
Tyler Montgomery as Leaf Coneybear (Co-Dance Captain)
Kathleen Moser as Rona Lisa Peretti (Student Co-Director)
Jessica Samilenko as Mich Mahoney
Michael Thornton as William Barfee

Ensemble:
Bryce Clemmer
Hailey Ellwanger
Summer Grier
Victoria Grier
Sarah Ounsworth
Michaela Sloan (Student Co-Director)
Mackenzie Vanhorn
Hannah Weghorst

Production Team:
Andrea Forrest -- Director, Producer, Choreographer
Kelsey Hendler -- Vocal Director
Anna Taylor -- Assistant Director, Stage Manager
William Einhorn -- Pit Orchestra Director

A Close Reading of the Text Reveals ...

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Pottsgrove High School.

Several students representing Pottsgrove High School recent won high honors in this year's WordWright Challenge, a competition for American high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different kinds of prose and poetry.

In the year's second meet, held in December, freshman Hailey Ellwanger, sophomores Anita Ghorpade and Peter McNamara, juniors Ashley Flint and Karli Tellis and seniors Jasmine Hughes, Nathan Smith and Nate Yuchimiuk all earned near-perfect scores, placing among the 133 highest-scoring ninth graders; the 187 highest-scoring tenth graders, the 167 highest-scoring eleventh graders and the 250 highest-scoring twelfth graders nationwide.

More than 64,000 students from 48 states entered the meet.

Pottsgrove's participation was overseen by Todd Kelly.

the premise behind the WordWright Challenges is that attentive reading and sensitivity to language are among the most important skills students acquire in school.

The texts students must analyze for the challenge can range from short fiction by Eudora Welty or John Updike, to poetry as old as Shakespeare's or as recent as Margaret Atwood's and, to essays as classic as E.B. White's, or as current as James Parker's cultural commentary in The Atlantic.

Though the texts vary widely in voice, subject, tone and length, they all have one thing in common -- style.

All use language skillfully to convey layers and shades of meaning, not always apparent to students on a first or casual reading. Like the questions on the verbal SAT and Advanced Placement exams, the questions posed by the WordWright Challenge ask students both to recognize the emotional and/or rational logic of a piece of writing and to notice the ways in which a writer's style shapes and shades his meaning.

The texts for the second WordWright Challenge meet this year were a pair of poems by Richard Wilbur and Alastair Reid for 9th and 10th graders; and a short story by Michael Byers for 11th and 12th graders.

The students will participate in two more meets over the coming months and medals and certificates will be awarded in June to those who achieve and/or improve the most in the course of the year.