AUGUST 2017

THE HALIFAX GAZETTEHALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

-SUMMER 2017-

-Inside this Edition-Successful Summer Programs: Camps, lunch, & other activities engaged students during break.

New Faces-New Duties-New Year: Wildcats welcome new staff members while veteran staff transition to new roles.

Immunization Reminder: Back to School activities include making sure your child’s immunizations are current. See page 3.

Welcome New CTC Mobilizer: Heather Crook returns this fall to lead HASD’s Award Winning Communities that Care Program.

Athletic Highlights: Wildcatslook forward to the fall sports season and welcome a new Athletic Director.

Early Dismissal: Gratz Fair Day, 9/22/17

The Halifax Gazette is published quarterly, August-November-February-May, by the Halifax Area School District. Submit articles and pictures to Michele M. Orner, Ed.D.-Superintendent of Schools at ornerm@hasd.us.

Welcome Back!School Begins August 28th

-New Faces-New Duties-New Year- Administration spent a good bit of the summer hiring and transferring staff to replace individuals who retired or left the district at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 school year. Halifax begins the new school year fully staffed at all levels.

In the District:• Dan Hagerman was hired as Athletic Director.

At the Elementary Schools:• Heather Miller was hired to teach 5th grade.• Elizabeth Moore returns to kindergarten.• Christina Masser will join Jess Clisham in Pre-K. The

program will now serve 30 students full-time.• Catherine Leeper transferred to the aide position in the

second Pre-K classroom.• Christine Schell will support kindergarten as an aide.• Dori Quigley and Jessica Olinick will support special

education as aides.• Katelyn Kitzmiller will join the Title I staff as an aide.• Michele Cassidy and Tiffany Leonard join the cafeteria

staff.

At the Middle School:• Ryan Herb transferred to 7th grade math.• Adam Alumbaugh was hired to teach 8th grade math.• Amy Howard will teach computer/digital applications.• Elizabeth Bower will support special education/gifted.• Patricia Schylaske transferred to middle school secretary.

At the High School:• Patricia Peters will teach Family & Consumer Science. • David Kaler is the new Business Academy & Cooperative

Education teacher.• Jill Blasser will complete a long-term substitute assign-

ment in special education.• Isabelle Himmelberger joins the cafeteria staff.

NOTE: Central Registration has moved to the District Office.

HALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

2

AUGUST 2017

-Special Olympics Announces Unified Bocce Activity-

LOCATION: Upper Dauphin High School CafeteriaTIME: 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.DATES: August 5 and 26; September 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30; October 7 & 14COST: FREE

Participants must be at least 8 years old or older and identified by an an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by a formal assessment, or sig-nificant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have required specifically designed instruction. The athlete may have other physical disabilities, require a wheel chair, or be visually impaired. The athlete does not need to be enrolled in a Life Skills program. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Rick & Ruth Shiro at 717-451-5382 or email: rutheshiro@gmail.com

-HASD Welcomes New CTC Community Mobilizer-

Heather Crook returned to familiar roots this summer joining Communities that Care (CTC) as its Community Mobilizer, after spending five years at Dauphin County Drug & Alcohol Services as a Prevention Program Specialist working in the Northern Dauphin County School Districts. Heather received her Bachelors Degree in Social Work from Shippensburg University. Prior to her work in the drug and alcohol prevention field, Heather spent over ten years in management roles working in domestic violence and sexual assault. Heather is married and has a daughter who is a senior at Williams Valley Jr./Sr. High School. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with family, and volunteering in the community.

A 2017 recipient of the Shippensburg University School Study Council’s Exemplary Program Award, Communities that Care or CTC is a grant funded prevention process grounded in research that provides the Halifax community with the tools to address the risks youth face. Just a few of those risks include depression and substance abuse. CTC analyzes the data provided through the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) to tailor programs for the Halifax community with the goal of decreasing the risks students face through opportunties to participate in positive activities. Programs offered by Halifax Communities that Care include: evidence-based prevention programs at all grade levels, advising clubs such as SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and Aevidum which focuses on breaking the stigma of teen depression, Trunk or Treat, Community Day, family game nights, movie nights, and the Halifax Homecooked meals program. CTC also partners with the district’s Food for Families Task Force to address food insecurity issues in the local area.

If you are interested in being involved in Communities that Care please contact Heather Crook at 717-896-3416 or crookh@hasd.us. HASD is looking forward to partnering with Heather and the entire CTC team this school year.

HALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

3

AUGUST 2017

HALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

4

AUGUST 2017

-Middle School/High School Courtyard Transformation-

District & Community Come Together to Create Education & Performance Space

District personnel, HUMC, & the foot-ball team came together this summer to transform the MS/HS Courtyard into a environmental education & performance space. Many thanks to 7th grade teacher Jessica McGuire for acquiring the grant

that got the project started.

HASD is in need of an outdoor

kitchen. Afacilities

advertising opportunity is

available.See Dr. Orner

for details.

HALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

5

AUGUST 2017

-Open All Summer-HASD Hosts Summer Camps, Enrichment Activities, & Lunch Program for Halifax FamiliesWith Gratitude to HWEF, DCLS, Lake Tobias, Staff, Students, & the Food for Families Task Force

HALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

6

AUGUST 2017

HALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

7

AUGUST 2017

-Wildcat Athletic Update-Teams Prepare for Fall Season with New Athletic Director at the Helm

Welcome Dan Hagerman!-Q and A with HASD’s New Teammate-

-How did your education and work experiences pre-pare you to be HASD’s Athletic Director? I have a undergraduate degree from Lock Haven Uni-versity and a Masters in Sports Management from Califor-nia University of PA. I worked at Cerebral Palsy of Central PA for 5 years as a Program Manager, providing services to individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Most recently, I was a teacher at Yellow Breeches Edu-cational Center in Carlisle. At the same time, I was head junior high girls soccer coach and varsity assistant at CV for nine years. In addition to my role as a coach, I was also game manager for a variety of sports, hosting District III and PIAA events when the AD and Assistant were away. Each of these jobs provided me with the different skills, tools, and attributes to be an effective Athletic Director.-What sports did you play in high school & college? In high school (Southmoreland), I played football, soccer, and baseball. In college, (Lock Haven), I played football (place kicker and punter).-What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family & friends, watching college football/athletics (Clemson Tigers), golfing, and being outdoors. I am also a huge Steelers. Penguins, and Pirates fan. -What advice do you have for coaches, fans, & stu-dent-athletes? TO THE COACHES: put your athletes first; be a role model for honesty, loyalty, & integrity; constantly strive for professional growth; make playing for you a

positive experience; be organized, efficient, & timely; be a leader of your team; be a positive force in the school & community; be knowledgeable about your sport; and enjoy the ride.TO THE FANS: Enjoy the journey that high school sports offers. Remember who you are, who you represent, and where you are. Provide a positive environment for every-one around you. Be positive, supportive, ask questions, and listen when talking to your son or daughter. Remem-ber, yelling at a student-athlete, coach, or official is not going to change the call. Sit back and enjoy the game.TO THE STUDENT-ATHLETES: School first, athletics second. Enjoy the time because it will go fast. Have fun and be a leader in the school and on the field.-What do you hope to accomplish this school year? I hope to connect wtih students, teachers, staff, school board, and community. I hope to create a vision that will allow everyone input into constructing a meaningful direction for the athletic program. I plan to build on the strong foundation that is currently in place. I am excited to be a Wildcat and look forward to working with every-one.

-FALL SPORTS ROUND-UP-

FOOTBALL: The team kicked off its season on 8/14/17 at 12:01 a.m. with “Football Madness.” Not looking back on its successes from last year, this is a new team with a new identity. One of their goals is to return to the District III finals.BOYS SOCCER: Jeff Kerstetter returns to the sidelines as head coach. This year’s team is filled with plenty of expe-rience and renewed enthusiasm. Tri Valley League beware! GIRLS SOCCER: Although faced with the challenges of young players, this year’s team boasts the largest freshman class in the past 4 years. With returning talent, and new players willing to work hard to learn the game, the team is ready for the 2017 season.VOLLEYBALL: The team is ready to make some noise in the Schuylkill, Tri Valley, and Twin Valley leagues. The team is returning a lot of experience to the starting line-up and looks to build on the foundation that has been set.CROSS COUNTRY: Zeke Bugda and Remington Paul have been working hard all summer and pre-season. Their goals include advancing to the District III Championships.GOLF: The season begins on August 24th. The team ex-pects to improve on last season’s record.

FOLLOW HASD ATHLETICS at www.hasd.us

HALIFAX AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

8

AUGUST 2017

Halifax Area School District3940 Peters Mountain Road

Halifax, Pennsylvania 17032717-896-3416

Superintendent ..................................Michele M. Orner, Ed.D.Business & Operations Manager ..................... Michael BowerDirector of Curriculum & Instruction .............. David HatfieldDirector of Special Education .....................Matthew CzaplickiHigh School Principal ............................................ John OsuchMiddle School Principal ......................................... Rick AnselElementary Principal .............................................. Carla SauerActing Asst. Elem. Principal ............................ Jennifer MartinAsst. Business & Operations Mgr ..................... Tammy MartzDirector of Food Service .........................................Lori WeberAthletic Director ...............................................Dan Hagerman

President ..........................................................Mr. Brad HarkerVice-President ............................................Mrs. Missy KonyarTreasurer ..........................................................Mr. Gary Shade

Mr. Scott Corsnitz Mr. Larry CoxMr. Robbie Eyster Mrs. Donna RodeMr. Tom Weber Mrs. Trudy Withers

ADMINISTRATION

Visit us on the web at www.hasd.us

BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS

HASD’s Discovery Theme for the 2017-2018 school year is “Stand Up.” Students will participate in a number of activities and projects during the year designed to reinforce the foundation of the district’s character education program.

“Tanks A Lot”: A special thanks to Mike Bower and the entire maintenance and custodial crew for their tireless efforts to prepare the school buildings and athletic fields for a new school year. Pictured above: Custodian, Sean Kelly, poses with a large storage tank that was removed from Enders-Fisherville this summer.

-Back to School Nights Planned-Wednesday, August 23, 2017: • Halifax High School at 6:30 p.m. • Elementary: Grades 1-5 at 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 24, 2017: • Halifax Middle School at 6:00 & 6:30 p.m. • Pre-K and Kindergarten by appointment

Please contact the building principals for details:High School -- John OsuchMiddle School -- Rick Ansel

Elementary School -- Carla Sauer