District News

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is thrilled to be celebrating our Centennial School Year! We invite all members of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District community to be part of our exciting Centennial celebrations throughout the year.

Save the date for the UCFSD Centennial Gala! The gala will take place at Longwood Gardens on Saturday, April 13 from 7pm to 11pm. We hope you will join us as we celebrate 100 years of excellence in education at this grand event! Proceeds and silent auction to benefit the UCF Education Foundation and the UCF Community Scholarship. Stay tuned for ticket information. If you would like to be a Centennial Sponsor, click here to learn more.

As part of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District's Centennial Celebration, Unionville Elementary hosted an open house on Saturday, November 4, to welcome UCFSD community members into the building where it all started! When the district opened in 1923, the school served all students in grades 1-12.

Attendees were able to tour the school and explore the rich history within its walls. Items such as art, blueprints, old uniforms, photos, programs, and yearbooks were on display for visitors to enjoy. UES Principal, Dr. Michelle Lafferty provided remarks along with UCF Superintendent, Dr. John Sanville. Local historian and former UCFSD teacher Ray McKay provided attendees with a detailed story of the formation of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District from 19 one-room schoolhouses. The presentation ended with Senator Carolyn Comitta, Representative Christina Sappey, and Representative Craig Williams presenting citations in honor of the district's 100th year. Thank you to our students, staff, and community members for making this celebration an event to remember!

U.S. News & World Report recently name FIVE Unionville-Chadds Ford Schools among the best in the state.

Charles F. Patton Middle School earned a Best Middle Schools badge and ranks #14 in the state for Pennsylvania middle schools.

All four of the UCFSD Elementary Schools earned a Best Elementary Schools badge. Out of all the elementary schools in the state of Pennsylvania, our elementary school rankings are:

#37 Pocopson Elementary School

#43 Hillendale Elementary School

#59 Chadds Ford Elementary School

#107 Unionville Elementary School

These badges were earned because the schools place among the top 40% in the state. For more information about the U.S. News & World Report Elementary and Middle School Badges, including how the rankings are calculated, please visit U.S. News and World Report here.

Two Unionville High School students with a big idea were selected as winners in the Changemaker Challenge for their innovative invention, the Go Green Filter. T-Mobile’s Changemaker Challenge is a nationwide contest that encourages the next generation to create positive change in their communities. They received $15,000 in seed money to further their project.

Collaboratively developed by UHS seniors Jack Reichert and Rohan Kapoor, the Go Green Filter is a groundbreaking solution designed to be installed in car exhaust systems, effectively reducing carbon dioxide emissions by an impressive 74.25%. Their goal is to see the widespread adoption of Go Green Filters in every gasoline-powered vehicle across the United States, potentially leading to a remarkable 20% reduction in total carbon emissions.

Reichert and Kapoor’s vision for this started over a year ago. They took their idea to their families, who supported their vision and funded the startup. Their innovation has achieved significant milestones, earning first place through various competitions, including the World Series of Innovation, the State Invention Convention, and most recently, T-Mobile's Changemakers competition. This process has also led the team to write a patent, which they are hopeful will receive approval in the near future. Read more about their story here.

Congratulations to the Unionville Boys Golf Team on becoming the 2023 District One Boys Golf Champs! Additionally, the team had three Individual PIAA State Qualifiers (Charlie Barrickman, Jax Puskar, Nicolas Gaughan) and the team finished third in the PIAA State Tournament.

Congratulations to our Unionville High School Girls Volleyball team on becoming the 2023 District One 4A Girls Volleyball Champs! Read more about their win here.

In addition to becoming District Champs and the PIAA State 4A Runner-Up this season, varsity coach Stephanie Smith celebrated her 100 coaching career win at Unionville! Congrats Coach Smith!

For the second straight year, Unionville High School's Grace Li is the PIAA 3A Tennis Singles State Champion!! Congratulations Grace!

Read more about her win and future plans here.

Congratulations to the Girls Cross Country team on becoming Ches-Mont League Champions! The team finished ninth place at the District I Championship Meet. They had two Individual PIAA State Qualifiers (Cara Rapin, Erin Rapin). Erin Rapin earned a 39 place finish!

Congratulations to the Boys Cross Country team on becoming Ches-Mont League Champions! The team finished 9 place at the District I Championship meet. They had two Individual PIAA State Qualifiers (Jonathan Stancik, James McGlynn).

Congratulations to the 10 Unionville student-athletes who participated in the Fall College Signing Event! These student-athletes have all made the commitment to continue playing their sport at the collegiate level!

Siena Pitone - Canisius University (Lacrosse)

Rachel Young - Frostburg State University (Field Hockey)

Izzy Iwasyk - Auburn University (Swimming)

Connor Bellafiore - Elizabethtown College (Lacrosse)

Corrado Ditoro - Montclair State University (Lacrosse)

Hadley Levinson - George Washington University (Rowing)

Luca Urdaneta - Goldey-Beacom College (Baseball)

Nicholas Diehl - Tulane University (Baseball)

Vincenzo Sammaritano - Elizabethtown College (Baseball)

Grace Li - United States Naval Academy (Tennis)

Congratulations to Kai Cotrotsios, Bri Greeley, Marshall Gantt, Ian Gushurst, Abby Mangan, Anusha Mutnuru and Tyge Thomas who were selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Honor Choir in Providence, RI in February! This is a UHS record for participation in this highly competitive ensemble. ACDA East brings together the choral communities of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland and the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Our students will meet some of the best high school singers from across the country and have the opportunity to work with some of the best conductors in the world. Bravo UHS ACDA students!

The Unionville High School Marching Band closed their spectacular season with a big win at the US Bands National Championships! The Marching Band traveled to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, to compete among some of the best marching ensembles in the country. Their award-winning show “Where The Sidewalk Ends” produced a final score of 95.65. This impressive score led to the Unionville High School Marching Band bringing home the bronze medal and the caption award for Best Color Guard! Congratulations to the UHS Marching Band! Thank you to the students, staff, and parents for their hard work and dedication in advancing the program. We can’t wait to see what’s next!

The Unionville High School Chorale Concert Ensemble performed the national anthem at the Philadelphia Phillies game on September 27, 2023, at Citizens Bank Park. We recently received this photo from their spectacular performance. Bravo UHS Chorale students!

Check out a video of their performance here.

Unionville High School students in Mrs. Quinn's Yoga 2 class visited Unionville Elementary to teach yoga to some of Mr. D'Esposito's physical education classes. The high school students not only shared their yoga knowledge but also fostered a sense of community and well-being among the elementary school students!

Congratulations to the Unionville High School Academic Competition Team on winning their first match of the season! The UHS High School Academic Competition Team hosted the match in the UHS auditorium against teams from Downingtown West High School and Owen J Roberts High School. The Chester County Academic Competition program is run by the Chester County Intermediate Unit and sponsored by Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union. UHS is one of twenty-four Chester County high schools that compete. Each regular season match features teams from three schools. Students work together in a "quiz bowl" format to answer toss-up and team questions. The questions cover a wide variety of academic topics: American History/Geography, World History/Geography, Math, Science, Literature, Fine Arts, and Current Events. Read more about the UHS Academic Competition Team victory here.

Congratulations to Unionville High School seniors Elleanor O'Donnell and Sophie Rissmiller who were selected as the 2023 Senior Student Featured Artists for the 47th Annual Unionville Art Gala! Below are some of Elleanor and Sophie’s art that was on display at the UHS Art Department Student Art Show, held in conjuction with the Unionville Art Gala. Also on display were works by other UHS art students, including Honorable Mention artists Amala Seshachar and Ryan Jiang.

Over the summer, UHS students in the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) traveled to Germany to meet their German exchange partners. Our students took us along their trip during their Instagram takeover. The GAPP German partners visited the United States at the end of October. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District extended a warm "willkommen" to the Unionville High School GAAP Program exchange partners from Germany! The German exchange students had the opportunity to attend classes, extracurriculars, and even field trips with their UHS partners!

Interested in learning more about the exchange students experience? Read more on their blog here. *web browser translation required* For Google, right click, and select "Translate to English"

Patton MiniTHON was a HUGE success! Charles F. Patton Middle School students raised $19,710 in just a few weeks! Many thanks to everyone who helped make this a spectacular event.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District elementary schools celebrated Veterans Day by recognizing loved ones who have served our country. Some of the celebrations included ceremonies with special remarks by UCF administration and students, musical performances, and photo slideshows. Students also decorated their respective buildings with artwork and American flags to thank and honor all those who have served in the United States Military. Thank you, Veterans!

CFES lined the front of the school with American flags in honor of Veteran's Day.

The Hillendale Huskies had a visit from Ben Hartranft, an autism advocate, and public motivator, who shared how inclusion and kindness shaped his life with autism. The students loved hearing of Ben's adventures and how perseverance got him to where he is today! Thank you to Ben from Benergy EAC for teaching our HES community about autism, kindness, and inclusion!

Do you know a teacher who goes above and beyond?

Nominate them for the 2023 Citadel Heart of Learning Award. The award recognizes local teachers who make a difference in our community, support students beyond the call of duty, and encourage their full potential.