During the Catasauqua Area School District Board of Education meeting Oct. 9, Dr. Christina Lutz-Doemling, director of curriculum and assessment, announced Sheckler Elementary School was named a Title 1 Distinguished School from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Title 1 is a federally funded supplemental education program that provides financial assistance to local educational agencies to improve learning opportunities among students. Each year, the Division of Federal Programs honors the top-performing Title 1 schools in Pennsylvania.

“I’m very proud we’ve been able to identify the needs of our students and place resources in the right spots,” Superintendent of Schools Robert Spengler said.

He took time to recognize Sheckler Elementary School Principal Eric Dauberman and the rest of the team at Sheckler Elementary for their hard work.

“All of our teachers take responsibility of our students. They care,” Dauberman said.

Lutz-Doemling also informed the board the Educator in the Workplace program is in full swing. The program is possible because the school district received a special grant from the state that allows members of the school district community to get out into the world and talk to employers from different industries. This will help educators gain a better understanding of future career needs. They will use this information to help shape the curriculum to better prepare students for the future.

According to Lutz-Doemling, they visited with several places so far this year including CareerLink and Guardian Life Insurance. She reported they will be visiting with B. Braun in December.

“I think we’re trailblazing the connection between schooling and the workplace,” Spengler said.

Dauberman recognized the Students of the Month for September. They are first-graders Paige Mendonca and Saniya Torres; second-graders Alexa Wright and Jeremiah Irizarry; third-graders Sarah Ruda, Alexander Jackson and Javian Cortes; and fourth-graders Abigail Wright and Elanah Chehade.

Catasauqua Middle School Principal Melissa Inselmann took the floor to announce the Star Players of the Month for September. They are fifth-grader Dylan Croll; sixth-grader Maxine Kovacs; seventh-grader Lauren Delong; and eighth-grader Briell Carvalho.

Mila Hayes, members services manager of the southeast region of the Pennsylvania School Boards Associations (PSBA), attended the meeting to recognize and honor two of the board members for their years of service. Board President Carol Cunningham was thanked for her 16 years of service on the board. Vice President Duane Deitrich was honored for his eight years. Both received a certificate marking the special occasion.

It was unanimously voted to re-elect Spengler as superintendent for a five-year term. He took time to thank the board members for their trust and faith. Cunningham made sure to mention that to assist with budgetary factors, Spengler elected not to accept a pay increase for the 2018-19 school year.

The board also accepted an affiliation agreement with Kutztown University.

It was approved to replace the existing mail machine at the district office. The board thanked Lois Reed, school district business supervisor, for doing the appropriate research and for finding a more cost-effective solution. It was noted this change will result in a net savings for the district.

Board members voted to approve adding Samuel Burrows to the substitute list as a van driver and David Burker as a substitute teacher. Both Burrows and Burker retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

High school Principal Adam Schnug reported the mental health therapist started Oct. 1 at the school.

“We’ve already seen improvements,” he said.

He was thankful to have the opportunity to offer this additional resource for the students.

Cunningham reported Lehigh Career and Technical Institute will be hosting an open house 6 p.m. Nov. 6, and she encouraged the other board members to attend.

“I was blown away during my tour last year. The services they have for the kids is second to none,” she said.

Inselmann and Reed mentioned the Catasauqua Community Cares Program has taken off and continues to grow. Inselmann said program volunteers are feeding more than 113 students who are dealing with food insecurity. It was noted that 65 of those students are at the middle school.

Inselmann reported the community and teachers have donated enough food that they have had to move the packing operations to a larger room.

“It really is a community coming together,” Inselmann said.