The Tigers' Pride

Welcome to the spring edition of The Tigers’ Pride. As we turn the clocks ahead, I am filled with pride looking back on the recent achievements of our students and staff. Thank you to the faculty, staff, and students whose hard work and dedication made all of these great accomplishments possible. This month also begins our spring sports season, and it is with great excitement that the long-awaited lower fields and band practice area are now officially finished. As the spring days get longer, these fields will be filled with athletes and musicians pursuing their passions.

Tina M. Kane, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Boys Basketball: The team finished 12-13 and won a playoff game, marking the first time in school history that the team played in a playoff game for three straight years (losing to the eventual district champion each time). The boys exceeded expectations for this year (one game away from returning to states!). Thank you, seniors!

Boys Indoor Track and Field: The Boys Track and Field team qualified for ten spots in The Meet of Champions: Logan O’Donnell (High Jump), Matt DeAngelo (800m and mile), Luke Moyer (60m and 200m), Ricky Lee (mile and 3,000), and Joel Zacharias (200m, 400m, and Long Jump). Luke Moyer set a new MNHS school record in the 60m, and Joel Zacharias recorded two new MNHS school records in both the 200m and in Long Jump (16th in the state).

Cheerleading: Featuring top finishes at all local competitions, cheerleading had a great season. Varsity received a bid to PIAA states and UCA Nationals, finished top 5 in the Central League, and had strong performances at states and nationals. JV competed in Wildwood last month.

Color Guard: The MNHS Winter Guard’s 2023 program “Flora” is currently sitting at a high score of 66.97 with a 13 point increase in the MAIN Guards Scholastic Regional AA Division. Congratulations to all members on their hard work, dedication, and 3rd place finish!

Diving: Ethan D’Angelo repeated as Diving Central League Champion this year and will compete at the District 1 Diving Championship at North Penn. Delaney Behl placed 7th place with a career high score at Central League Championships and will also compete at the District 1 Championships.

Girls Basketball: The team finished 12-11 this year. It was their 4th straight winning season and the 4th straight year in the playoffs! Mary O’Brien and Brooke Impriano were 4-year starters who led the team.

Girls Indoor Track and Field: Featuring the largest team of girls in MNHS history (80), the teams toppled MNHS school records at The Meet of Champions:

• Justine Rimple broke the high jump record with a 4’7” jump
• 4x800m Relay team of Margo Gebey, Allie Pavone, Marissa Mounce, and Madi Impriano ran 10:22.29, which is 10 seconds faster than the previous record
• 4x200m Relay team of Justine Rimple, Jaylen Tyler, Mary Goldbeck, and Sydney Huynh broke the record by 1.2 seconds (1:54.7).
• Zeyan Lin broke two school records at Ocean Breeze in New York, medaled in the 4x800m Relay at Alvernia, and medaled in the DMR, 4x800m, 4x400m and 55m hurdles at Glen Mills.

Girls and Boys Swimming: Two team members, Pat Droesser and Kaden Bothma, qualified for Districts. Congratulations!

Percussion: MNHS Indoor Percussion is developing their 2023 program, “In The Dark”. The program will be starting their competition season soon, and the members are putting lots of preparation into their show. This past weekend they notched a five point increase and placed 5th overall. We wish them well at their upcoming first competition and the rest of the season!

Wrestling: The team went 12-10 overall (5th in the Central League) with standouts Damon Smith, Will Evans, Jimmy Hally and Louie DiLuzio each notching 20+ wins with Districts and Regionals still to come. One of the team's leaders was Josh Tiger Wesley; even though he had never wrestled before, Josh had a great senior year, winning 16 matches (so far) with Districts still to go.

Jacob Forbes, a fifth grader at Loomis Elementary School, won an essay contest hosted by the Delaware County Daughters of the American Revolution. Jacob had to imagine that he was a delegate at the 1775-1776 Second Continental Congress. His essay discussed important accomplishments for his colony. Mrs. Denise King supported Jacob in writing the essay. Jacob was invited to a special ceremony with his parents where he will read his essay. He also won a $50 gift card, a goody bag, a certificate, and a bronze medal. Congratulations, Jacob!

Russell Elementary School recently teamed up with Broomall's Kids Against Hunger, a non-profit humanitarian organization with a mission to "provide fully nutritious food to impoverished children and families around the world…and around the corner", for a community service project. Spearheaded by school counselor Mrs. Chelsie Maiers, the project raised enough money to provide over 6,800 meals to local families in need. Fifth grade students, teachers, and faculty members packed the meals during a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service event. All involved enjoyed working together while supporting a great cause.

Students and staff at Paxon Hollow Middle School had a blast raising funds to combat childhood cancer during “Lemonade Days”. Organized by Michelle Lunn (PHMS math teacher), each day students looked forward to a lemon-themed activity. On Tuesday, students sold lemonade outside the gym during the girls’ basketball game. During lunches on Wednesday, each grade competed in “lemon runs” by quickly moviong from point A to point B without dropping the lemon balanced on top of their head. Multiple faculty members were “good sports” and volunteered to have students throw whipped cream pies at them, which brought lots of smiles and laughter on Thursday afternoon. Friday ended the eventful week with Dave Parsons (PHMS science teacher) getting a haircut from students and ended with dozens of students participating in “Minute to Win It” games. It was truly a great time for a great cause!

Culbertson Elementary celebrated Read Across America week with a "wild" week of reading, featuring surprise guest readers and a chance to enjoy a favorite book "on safari". Dressed as their favorite book characters, students and staff came together as a "pack" for a school-wide assembly focused on the joy of reading. Thanks to "tour guides" Nina DerHagopian (Special Education) and Kelly Dougherty (Librarian), students learned that when they unlock a love of reading, their travels and imagination will never end! Click below to watch Culbertson's Read Across America video.

Performances start Thursday, March 16th and run through Saturday, March 18th.

Visit www.MNDrama.org for showtimes and ticket information.

Congratulations to MNHS's Mini-THON on raising over $65,024.06 (a new school record) to support the Four Diamonds foundation and their efforts to combat childhood cancer!

Each year, the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union honors 20 outstanding educators from five counties (Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia). The recipients have made a positive impact through their work, dedication, and contributions. This prestigious award is accompanied by $1000 classroom and school stipends as well as a special awards ceremony in the spring. Marple Newtown School District is proud to have two recipients this year. Congratulations to our 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award recipients:

• Jennifer Cipollone (Counselor, Marple Newtown High School)
• Noelle Newton (Counselor, Loomis Elementary School)

Throughout the year, students from each of the six MNSD schools are selected by their art teachers and recognized by the Superintendent for their creative artistic ability. Dr. Tina Kane, Superintendent of Schools, recently honored students and families from Worrall Elementary School whose art was displayed in the Board Room of the district's Administration Building. During the ceremony, Dr. Kane personally speaks with the artists about their work and awards a Superintendent’s Art Recognition certificate in honor of their creative contributions to the art program.