The Education Blog tracks news about area school districts; their administrators, teachers, staff, and students; and education-related issues we believe will interest our audience.
PV Schools Foundation Seeks Funds for Anatomage Table
Tuesday (Nov. 22, 2023) at 4 a.m.
COLLEGEVILLE PA – The purchase of a “state-of-the-art 3D anatomy visualization tool,” intended to help students learn more about the human body, is the target of a new fund-raising campaign launched Tuesday (Nov. 21, 2023) by the Perkiomen Valley (PV) School District Foundation.
The campaign hopes to raise funds to buy and implement an Anatomage Table, related software, and necessary training for the district biology department. The equipment provides a clinical learning experience using images and scans of actual human specimens.
The foundation effort represents “a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming education within the district,” according to its executive director, Kristin Craven. Its goal is $125,000. The sum reflects the foundation’s “commitment to providing our students with the best possible resources to excel in their studies and prepare for future careers,” she said.
“I have seen (Anatomage Table) demonstrations, and it is a phenomenal tool,” Craven added. It is a window into the world of science and healthcare, offering an experience that textbooks and traditional teaching methods cannot match, the district added. Learning is direct and immediate, it said.
Potential uses beyond biology studies
“My hope for the future is that we can offer students a focused track of study with advanced science electives,” district biology teacher Dr. Kathleen Fitzhenry said. “Having the latest technology in medical education, as used by clinical training programs across the country, can give PV students that head start when pursuing post-secondary training.”
Fitzhenry also sees the potential in other courses too. They include zoology, relying upon its array of animal images; and for student artists in the field of medical illustration.
Craven encouraged supporters to donate, as well as spread the word “to make this transformative educational tool a reality for the Perkiomen Valley School District.” Individuals or companies interested in supporting the initiative can donate through the foundation website and receive a tax-deductible receipt.
For more information, call the foundation at 610-489-8506, or send an e-mail to foundation@pvsd.org.
Photos provided to Travels With The Post
by the Perkiomen Valley School District and Anatomage Inc., used with permission
Pottstown Middle School Choir Entertains Local Veterans
Tuesday (Nov. 21, 2023) at 2:45 p.m.
POTTSTOWN PA – Local residents who also are among the nation’s veterans were honored by the Pottstown Middle School Choir during its recent performance at a veterans’ appreciation dinner held by Pottstown Elks Lodge #814.
The choir, directed by Lori Hoshaw, entertained the audience with its rendition of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” Pottstown schools’ Director of Community Relations John J. Armato reported. Hoshaw described the experience as an opportunity for students “to learn about civic responsibility first-hand.”
Members of the choir (above) include Audrey Muriel, Aidan Conrad, Ashirah Still, Da’Rya Davis, Sebastian Haberle, Peyton Coale, Destiny Trejo, Morgan Hine, Cheyenne Gillenwater, Jason Horton, Carla Horton, Allen Jennings, and Leo Alessi. Muriel also sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” to open the dinner.
“I am proud of our students using their talents to help honor our veterans, who have sacrificed to help preserve our freedoms,” Hoshaw added.
Photo and video provided to Travels With The Post by the Pottstown School District
One-Day 2023 Bus Violations Tally Improves Over 2022
Monday (Nov. 20, 2023) at 4 a.m.
HARRISBURG PA – Students, bus drivers, and travelers across Pennsylvania appear to be somewhat safer during 2023 than last year, thanks to what the state said was its continuing efforts to target enforcement against, and document, school bus safety violations.
The announcement from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration followed an annual October school bus enforcement and education initiative called “Operation Safe Stop.” It involved law enforcement agencies, school districts, and state regulatory departments during an event that focused on Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law and the importance of school transportation safety.
This year’s one-day safe stop data, according to the state, revealed that participating school districts and law enforcement agencies reported witnessing 176 violations of the law. That’s about 30 percent fewer than the 252 violations recorded in 2022.
“We’re certainly glad that violations decreased this year,” Kara Templeton, PennDOT deputy secretary for driver and vehicle services, observed. But “one incident of passing a school bus is one too many,” she added. “If we saw this many violations in just one day, it’s clear that safety for our students traveling to and from school needs to be a continued focus for our communities.”
The School Bus Stopping Law requires:
- Drivers approaching a school bus, with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, to stop at least 10 feet from the bus;
- Drivers approaching from all directions are required to stop;
- However, drivers who encounter a school bus stopping on the opposite side of a divided highway are not required to stop, but only when lanes of the highway are clearly separated by a divider like a concrete barrier or grassy median.
Drivers face steep penalties if convicted of disobeying the stopping law: a $250 fine, five points on their driving record, and a 60-day license suspension. Fines increase to $300 if someone is caught by a stop arm camera,” Cpl. Zeina Black, permits and bus safety unit supervisor with the Pennsylvania State Police, noted.
“But even worse than these penalties,” Black said, “a tragedy could occur if either a driver or a student is not paying attention to their surroundings.”
Photo by Alla Serebrina on Deposit Photos, used by Travels With The Post under license
Pottstown High Inducts 14 as Honor Society Members
Friday (Nov. 10, 2023) at 4:01 p.m.
POTTSTOWN PA – Fourteen new members recently were inducted into the Pottstown High School chapter of the National Honor Society, it reported Thursday (Nov. 9, 2023). The induction ceremony was conducted before administrators, teachers, family members, and friends in the high school’s Stanley Davenport Center For Performing Arts.
Inductees (at top) are Ava Alessi, Triniti Rhodes-Fisher, Annasophia Chhern, Natalie Shope, Wesam Elgendy, Allyana Sykes, Jayanna Hill, Emely Villegas, Aliyas Hudson, Cianne Wells, Arek Javage, Ariana Wilson, Colin Plank and Isabella Wright. During a ceremonial candle-lighting (above), they learned about the organizations guiding principles: scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
To be considered for membership, students must be of high academic standing, and also demonstrate accomplishments in the areas of leadership, character, and service. Membership is considered “a positive reflection on the students themselves, their families, school, and community,” district school board member and Director of Community Relations John J. Armato noted.
“They give us another reason to say ’proud to be from Pottstown’,” he added.
Photos provided to Travels With The Post by the Pottstown School District
Boyertown, Oley Valley Students Join Tower Health Internships
Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 6:21 a.m.
WEST READING PA – High school students in the Boyertown and Oley Valley school districts are among 29 potential future medical professionals (at top) who were accepted this month into Reading Hospital’s high school internship program, according to hospital owner Tower Health.
Ten other Berks County districts also are participating in the program. Among the group, 26 students will participate in a full-year internship, Tower Health said, and three will participate during the spring semester. It did not identify the students by name.
The education program was expanded to all Berks County school districts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Students toured the hospital on their first day in the program. They also met with hospital leaders P. Sue Perrotty, Tower Health president and CEO, and Dr. Charles F. Barbera, Reading Hospital president and CEO (above at right).
Barbera studied English and communications in college. “I wasn’t considering a career in healthcare until I completed an internship at a hospital,” he told the students. “These experiences are life changing,” he added.
Perrotty encouraged them to consider a career in healthcare, which can go in many different directions. “Hospitals are just like a city,” she explained. “We’re open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. We will never close. To be successful we need individuals in clinical roles, of course, but we also need finance, IT, marketing, facilities, human resources, and so many more.”
Photos provided to Travels With The Post by Tower Health