Neshaminy Update

Every June, Neshaminy proudly sends a new group of new alumni into the world ready for success in whatever they choose to do with the rest of their lives. Many pursue post-secondary education in college or trade school, some enter the workforce directly, and others proudly serve our country in the military. Tens of thousands of Neshaminy graduates can be found in locales near and far in a variety of professional and personal pursuits that enhance the lives of their families, their communities and the entire world.

In an effort to recognize the accomplishments of Neshaminy alumni from every year and share them with the community, the Neshaminy Education Foundation Alumni Committee is pleased to announce the first recipients of a new annual award ceremony, the Alumni Achievement Award. The goal of this award is to recognize lifelong success in business, professional pursuits, academics, government, creative arts and/or community service. The purpose is to not only celebrate and recognize their accomplishments but to also inspire the current students of Neshaminy with their stories.

Nominations for the 2022 Alumni Achievement Awards were solicited from the community prior to the pandemic. A committee of retired teachers and Neshaminy alumni narrowed the field down to five recipients. Since the District already has a well-established All-Sports and Football Hall of Fame, the decision was made to only complement those efforts and not include athletic pursuits in this particular award.

The pandemic and other scheduling conflicts delayed the original ceremony, but it was finally held on Monday, November 21 in the Black Box Theater at Neshaminy High School. Three of the five recipients and their families were able to attend in person and a fourth via a Zoom link. Each spoke about their life experiences and how that was shaped by their time at Neshaminy. Members of the NHS Select Chor attended to sing the NHS Alma Mater, and PA State Rep. Frank Farry (a 1990 NHS graduate) presented certificates to the award recipients.

Congratulations to the recipients of the first Annual Alumni Achievement Awards:

• Ben Cichy, Neshaminy HS Class of 1995: Senior Director, Lunar Program Engineering, for Blue Origin. He was also the Lead Flight Software Engineer for NASA's Next Mission to Mars and worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory making a key number of contributions to the Mars Phoenix Lander.
• Dale Earp, Neshaminy HS Class of 2004: President and Founder of Earp Enterprises, Inc., a national marketing organization for Medicare, Life, Health and Retirement products.
• Eric Gartenmayer, Neshaminy HS Class of 1986: Superintendent of the Department of Public Works for Middletown Township and Life Member of the Lower Southampton Fire Department.
• Keri Perrin Ames, Neshaminy HS Class of 1992: Owner of Yachtsman Canvas, a marine canvas fabrication company in Maryland.
• Ken Pyle, Neshaminy HS Class of 1995: Partner in DFDR Consulting, a digital forensic, e-Discovery and information security expert.

Congratulations to the honorees! A call for nominations for the next round of Alumni Achievement Awards will be announced in the near future.

With the end of the fall sports season at Neshaminy High School, the athletic fields projects have swung into high gear. Work on the baseball, multi-purpose and softball fields along with the tennis courts is well under way. The drainage work under the multi-purpose, softball and baseball fields has been completed, and the installation of the sub-surface and turf fields has begun. Backstop and fencing poles have been added to the baseball field. Concrete footing for a new electronic scoreboard at the multi-purpose field has been completed, along with the installation of electrical conduits for the scoreboard.

In Harry E. Franks Stadium, the rubber track and long jump surfaces have been removed. During the next several weeks, the grass playing field and topsoil will be removed and graded in preparation for a new turf field and track surface. The Football Hall of Fame pavilion and snack stand are being dismantled and both will be recreated in the area of a new gateway entrance and field house.

Demolition of the home and away bleachers is set to begin as soon as December 1. The original concrete bleachers on the home side, which have held generations of Neshaminy fans, will be replaced with red and blue metallic bleachers (see rendering below), eliminating the need for expensive repairs that would have eventually been required with the old bleachers. The press box will be replaced, and the final design and engineering plans for the new field house are near completion.

The project is scheduled for completion by next spring and summer. The hope is to have the baseball, softball and the multi-purpose field ready for use by the spring season sports.

Artist rendition of the new home stands and press box at Harry E. Franks Stadium.

The days of carrying crumpled bits of paper or grimy oversized wood blocks to visit the restroom or other destination during classes are numbered. All of the District's secondary schools are now using a new online system to manage hall passes.

eHallpass is a system that allows administrators and teachers to increase student safety and security when in the building. The system provides for greater accountability for the location of students, especially in the event of an emergency. The system also reduces paper waste. Use of the eHallpass system started at Carl Sandburg Middle School last year and was introduced recently at Poquessing MS and Maple Point MS. This week, students at Neshaminy High School began phasing out paper hall passes and should be all-electronic by Thanksgiving break.

The system can be accessed through the Clever portal app on student Chromebooks. iPads are also being used to access the system. At the high school, students will be allowed up to five eHallpasses each day in addition to the eight class changes when students may use the bathroom. Accommodations are available for students who have medical or other special needs that require more passes.

HERE COMES THE BUS

The free Here Comes the Bus app is available for the entire District. You can track your student's bus using up-to-the-minute GPS data through the app, which is available at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It can also be accessed on the web here. Neshaminy's school code is 29378. For the start of the 2022-2023 school year, individual student tracking will not be implemented, and students will not have to swipe cards to board buses. This feature may be added at a later date.

NESHAMINY APP

Speaking of mobile apps, don't forget that Neshaminy also has a free District app that is also available at the Apple App Store and Google Play. You can customize the app to receive your student's information, calendar listings, notifications, emergency alerts and more.

Safe2Say Something

Neshaminy offers the free Safe2Say mobile app for students, their families and Neshaminy staff to enhance safety throughout the District. This app offers a way to quickly and anonymously report bullying, threats, or other crisis situations and instantly get that information to the right people at Neshaminy.

OCTOBER WORK SESSION (with Action Items)

The School Board met on Wednesday, November 9. Among the items considered:

• The Board approved the awarding of seven construction bids for the new elementary school building to be constructed on the Maple Point property. These bids were all submitted by the deadline of October 13. Once the permits and other documents are completed and the plans submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the contracts for each of these bids will be completed and sitework and construction can begin. The bids include the following: General construction, ER Stuebner; sitework construction, Blair Corp; kitchen equipment to 11400, Inc.; fire protection construction to Accelerated Fire Protection; plumbing construction to Myco; mechanical construction to Tri-County Mechanical; electrical construction to Boro Construction.
• FIrst reading of several new Board policy items in series 100, 109 and 711 for a second reading and possible adoption at the November 22 Board Public Meeting.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The next meeting will be held in the District Board Room at Maple Point. The November Public Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 22, 7pm in the District Board Room at Maple Point. The meeting agenda and livestream video link can be found at www.neshaminy.org/meetings.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Board committee meetings are open to the public and are a good opportunity to discuss specific programs and projects with committee members in a less formal, more conversational setting than the full Board meetings. The following committees will meet during the school year:

• Facilities & Planning Committee
• Educational Development Committee
• Business Operations Committee
• Policy Committee

The full schedule of meetings for the 2022-2023 school year can be found at the following link: 2022-2023 Committee Meeting Schedule

All committee meetings are held in the District Board Room at Maple Point unless otherwise noted. The public is invited to attend and participate in Board and Committee meetings. All meeting times and locations are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances; please check the District website www.neshaminy.org for any updates.

The popular Neshaminy STEAM Expo is set to return to Neshaminy High School on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. This celebration of all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math draws hundreds of families from elementary and middle schools across the District for an evening of hands-on activities, displays, games and interactive presentations from community organizations and businesses.

If you or somebody you know works for or is involved with an organization that would like to share their knowledge and expertise with our students during this event, we want to hear from you! Please contact David Geanette, dgeanette@neshaminy.org for more information and to sign up. Our past community presenters have included art and science museums, nature centers, engineering companies, authors, animal rescue groups and more.

We are looking for certified and support staff for part-time and full-time positions across the District. Check out the possibilities by visiting the Neshaminy employment web page at www.neshaminy.org/employment.

This is a reminder to parents with a child or children attending school in our School District that we do not carry medical insurance on students but do provide parents with the opportunity to select a primary excess group insurance plan for students. Student accident insurance can help you eliminate the possibility of out-of-pocket expenses, since many group insurance policies no longer pay full hospital and medical expenses and may require a deductible or co-insurance. There are three plans available for your consideration. Sign up for the plan directly with the provider online at the link below.

LINK: Student Supplemental Insurance Information

Foundation celebrating 30th anniversary with a fund drive

The Neshaminy Education Foundation was formed as part of the District's Strategic Plan in 1993. Education foundations are uniquely poised to support school districts as independent non-profit 501(c)(3) entities able to fundraise, solicit and accept donations, endowments and memorials in support of programs and scholarships for the schools they are linked to. The NEF is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors, and provides funding for an annual classroom grant program and four scholarships for graduating Neshaminy HS seniors.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary, the NEF will be announcing a year-long $30,000 donation campaign on Giving Tuesday (November 29). Details will be shared in future newsletters, on District social media and on the NEF website, www.neshaminy.org/nef.

Eagles Ticket Raffle

We have a winner! Congratulations to Yvonne Poplawski, parent of a Nehsaminy HS student, who now has two tickets to the Eagles - Packers game on November 27. Thank you to everybody that purchased raffle tickets - this was one of the most successful Eagles raffles held by the Neshaminy Education Foundation to date, raising over $2000 to support their grant and scholarship programs in our Neshaminy schools.

More Tawanka windows to be auctioned in NEF fundraiser

If you missed out on the recent Tawanka windows auction, we have good news -- an additional set of windows will be auctioned off for five days starting December 1. These windows were recovered from the demolition of the old Tawanka building in 2015. The first batch of windows was auctioned last month, and they were claimed quickly. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to own a little piece of Neshaminy history! The auction will be announced the District Facebook page and on the NEF website, www.neshaminy.org/nef.

On Saturday, October 20, over 200 students in grades 4-12 from every school in the District joined in the District's Songfest at Neshaminy HS. The students spent the afternoon practicing and learning new choral selections, then ended the day with a concert for their families.

It was glorious while it lasted! The Phillies' unexpected run as the National League Champions and their appearance in the World Series in late October and early November resulted in a sea of red and white baseball shirts, hats and other gear appearing throughout the District.

Students and staff across the District celebrated Halloween with a variety of fun activities and costume days. Several PTO groups sponsored Trunk or Treats and Halloween parties and our Neshaminy families didn't disappoint with some great costumes and elaborately decorated vehicles. Creativity was also on display with some great costumes on display in classrooms, cafeterias and even school buses.

Unity Day was held on the week of October 19. Unity Day is a day during which schools stand together against bullying and unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. On Wednesday, the 19, the students and staff at Albert Schweitzer wore orange t-shirts that they decorated. In addition, all week long, the students learned about the types of bullying, the effects of bullying and how they can be an "upstander."

The Leadership Club at Herbert Hoover Elementary School collected 497 pounds of food that they then donated to a local food bank. Thank you to everyone who helped with this effort!

The fourth-grade Student Council at Walter Miller Elementary School took the initiative to ensure that families in the community will have what they need for Thanksgiving as their 2022-2023 Community Service Project. From November 4 -16, the Student Council organized a school-wide food drive. The group was able to hone important skills, such as practicing their verbal and visual communication skills by promoting the event with posters and morning announcements, while making a difference in their community. Today they began packing the items destined for Miller families and a local food pantry.

Thanks to the Walter Miller PTO, the Library Media Center at Walter Miller Elementary has received a much-needed update. The facility now has colorful child-friendly chairs that replaced the decades-old wooden chairs.

The annual Tawanka Pasta Dinner returned in-person on Thursday, November 10. The money raised from this family event goes to the Nurses Fund, which provides holiday meals and help for families in need.

Tawanka ES students were hard at work showing what they were thankful for. In art class, when students were finished with their assignments, they decorated feathers and wrote what they were thankful for on them. The feathers were turned into this awesome bulletin board!

The Coins for Cancer Drive at Tawanka ES was a BIG success with a total of $4,332 raised. The total was evenly divided between Mrs. Kane's organization, Go Pink, and the Healing Consciousness Foundation, the same organization that was the beneficiary of the recent Neshaminy HS Pink Out. The third grade was the winners of a special treat for collecting the most coins during this drive.

On November 10, three military veterans visited classes at Pearl S. Buck Elementary School. In addition to their special guests, first-grade teacher Mrs. Boyle collected over 200 letters from Buck students thanking veterans. Those letters were delivered in time for the Veterans Day Ceremony at Maple Point Middle School, and were shared with the veterans in attendance.

On November 10, members of the Poquessing Middle School National Junior Honor Society took the Staten Island Ferry to Lower Manhattan to visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. After touring the museum and in cooperation with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the student leaders completed a Veterans Day service project at the memorial. It involved finding the names of victims who were also veterans (110 people) and placing a small "thank you for your service" flag marker at their name. Students had been involved in all parts of the planning process, including searching for, cross-listing, and organizing the names of veterans with the names and panel locations on the memorial. One group even assisted a visiting loved one when they heard a student say their loved one's name out loud; they had been unable to find the name, and the NJHS member was able to walk them right to it. A powerful act of service on multiple levels. They also stopped at the following sites on their way to a lunch at the historic Fraunces Tavern: the New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, Federal Hall, Alexander Hamilton's Grave, as well as the Charging Bull and Fearless Girl statues.

Maple Point eighth graders hosted over 75 veterans at the school's annual Veterans Day Ceremony on November 10. The honored guests were treated to a pre-ceremony breakfast with help from the Maple Point PTO. The ceremony featured music, speeches and recitations, and a roll call for each veteran. Guest speakers included US Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, PA Rep. Frank Farry and Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub. Following the ceremony, the veterans joined the students for a traditional photo around the large U.S. flag painted on a hill outside the school.

The 2022 edition of this ceremony was the first held in the school building since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Last year the students invited Veterans to attend a drive-through parade in the parking lot.

Maple Point Veterans Day Ceremony 2022

One of the veterans that attended the Maple Point Veterans Day Ceremony, Alex Forman, had a special connection - he was among the eighth-grade students attending the ceremony back in 2005. After graduating from Maple Point and Neshaminy HS, he served in the Army for seven years and now works as a civilian for the Defense Department in Philadelphia. He was excited to return to Maple Point, share his experience and offer some advice to today's students.

On Thursday, October 27, Maple Point seventh grade students walked across the street to Core Creek County Park for an afternoon of team-building activities.

Students in Ms. DeCola's and Mrs. Toth's fifth grade classes at Carl Sandburg MS took on the roles of CSI detectives on October 25. They uncovered cold case files and analyzed theory evidence cards as to what could have happened to the Roanoke English colonists. The students will write a constructed response supporting which theory they believe to be what happened to "The Lost Colony."

Carl Sandburg MS 8th-grade AVID students got schooled at Arcadia University on November 16. The college campus tour kicked off at the famous and stunning castle where students learned the difference between colleges and universities, and they learned all about public vs. private institutions. Next, students toured the campus and although it was chilly, the stunning fall scenery and amazing architecture did not disappoint. Students then had an enlightening Q & A session with Arcadia Student Ambassadors and discovered that time management, along with getting involved in as much as possible, is the key to success in high school and college. The tour finished strong with a finale feast in the dining hall where students got to experience what lunch is like as a college kid. It was just another awesome day in AVID!

The Poquessing MS Environmental Club enjoyed a fun trip to Churchville Nature Center on Saturday, November 12 to make ornaments from supplies found in nature. Students walked around outside and collected their own supplies like pinecones, twigs, seeds, and leaves. They crafted animals and festive ornaments to give as gifts for the holidays. They also walked around and saw their exhibits including live animal displays and had time to play outside before parents arrived.

Middle school students can sign up now if they are interested in participating in the District's second annual Mini-Mini-THON on Saturday, December 3 at NHS to benefit cancer research and patient support. Cost is a $20 donation, and they accept cash, checks (made payable to Neshaminy High School) and Venmo (@neshaminy-minithon). Registration information is available at the schools.

On November 15, the seniors at Neshaminy HS were treated to a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet. A group of actors from the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival performed a 90-minute adaptation of the classic play, complete with sets and a mix of modern and period costumes. The show was part of the Festival's Linny Fowler WillPower Tour, described as "A Live Professional Theatre Experience for Middle and High School Students." The students have been studying Shakespeare and Hamlet in their English classes and had the opportunity to ask the performers questions following the show.

NHS students and teachers once again took to the woods behind Neshaminy HS for a Saturday tree planting as part of the Growing Greener grant project at Neshaminy High school. Students planted and caged 50 trees this fall. Thanks to the grant, Neshaminy has been able to remove blighted ash trees and is re-planting a section of the Idlewood preserve with a variety of native Pennsylvania species to improve water retention and flow into the nearby Neshaminy creek, replenish the supply of trees and increase safety for those that use this valuable natural resource. This is one of several tree plantings in the area in recent months.

One of the main goals of the Science Club at Neshaminy HS is to have students compete in the PJAS (Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences) competition, where they can pick their own experiment and conduct their own research. One of the hardest aspects of doing this is formulating a research plan. Dr. Allen Marks from Delaware Valley University visited the club on Monday to give a presentation on "Asking Testable Questions" to help students with the first steps of their research plans and formulating well-developed research questions. We'll update you as the projects come together!

Congratulations to all our Neshaminy HS athletes who have signed to play sports in college. They were honored by their coaches at a ceremony in the Hub last night in front of their families and teammates. The honorees: Baseball / Coach Toner: Luke Hardnock - Immaculata U, Jake Kozlowski - George Mason U, Michael Morrow - Widener U. Cross Country, Boys / Coach DeLosangeles: Zach Souders - Wilmington U. Field Hockey / Coach Pinto: Brittany Mattoi - Widener U, Avery McGinty - East Stroudsburg U, Olivia Roscoe - Millersville U. Soccer, Boys / Coach Foley: Joe Joe Maxwell - Florida Southern College. Soccer, Girls / Coach VanReed: Paige Borkowski – Penn State Berks, Carly Fox - Penn State Berks, Hannah Labadie - Penn State Berks, Alexis Ocasio - Scranton U, Mercedez Paino - St. Francis U. Basketball, Girls / Coach Gallagher: Taylor Gurysh - Kutztown U. Lacrosse, Girls / Coach Felix, Megan Lang - Gannon U. Softball / Coach Quense: Rachel Allen - Elizabethtown College. Another ceremony will be held in February for additional sports.

On the Thursday before Halloween, the Neshaminy HS Roadies presented their annual Halloween show, Spooky Kooky before an audience of 500 at Theodore Kloos Auditorium. This Neshaminy tradition consists of several original student-written comedy sketches and musical numbers. The live performance was video recorded to be shared with elementary school students and the community.

The Roadies also staged a fall performance November 16-22. "Puffs" is based on a certain well-known wizarding school but features characters that were there before a certain well-known boy wizard showed up. Conjuring up last-minute tickets was a bit of a challenge - all five shows were sold out! "Break a leg" to this awesome cast.

Capping off an undefeated 16-0-2 season, the Neshaminy Girls Soccer Team took the Suburban One League Patriot Division title, and the PIAA District One championship with a chaotic 3-2 last-minute thriller victory over Central Bucks East on November 5. The team, coached by Josh Van Reed, made it all the way to the semifinal round of the PIAA state playoffs, but ended their magical run with a loss to Pennridge High School.

On November 4, Neshaminy held its October Students of the Month ceremony in the Black Box Theater. The purpose of this program is to recognize students who exemplify the expectations of character for students at Neshaminy High School. Students are nominated as a Student of the Month for any of the following: Academics, School Spirit, Respectful Behavior, Generosity, Dedication to NHS, Noticeable Improvement and/or Resiliency in the face of Adversity. Our October recipients were nominated by staff members in the Art Department and the Music Department. The honorees are: Logan Anthony, Tara Bogansky, Miriam Cakir, Elvis Chen, Alex Dewhirst, Gianna Loram, Lorali Minde, Andrew Neiman, Hayden Solomon, Congratulations to all!

Neshaminy Update is published monthly during the school year and distributed to the Neshaminy community via email and web. To submit comments, suggestions or news items for consideration, please email Chris Stanley, Community Relations Coordinator.

Neshaminy School Board of Directors

John Allen - President

Tina Hollenbach - Vice President

Cyndie Bowman

Adam J. Kovitz

Alicia Lafferty

Carlos Rodriguez

Paul Saraullo

Kellen Sporny

Marty Sullivan

Contact Information

View Upcoming Meetings

Meeting Videos

District Calendar

Neshaminy School District

Superintendent

Rob McGee, Ph.D.

Assistant to the Superintendent / Director of Elementary Education

Michelle Burkholder

Assistant to the Superintendent / Director of Secondary Education

Jason Bowman

Assistant to the Superintendent / Director of Pupil Services

Dr. Kevin Kane

Business Administrator

Donald B. Irwin, Jr.

Director of Human Resources

Kelly Kozik

Assistant to the Superintendent / Director of Educational Operations

Paul Meehan

Neshaminy School District

2001 Old Lincoln Highway

Langhorne, PA 19047

www.neshaminy.org