The Salisbury Township Board of Directors held a curriculum and technology committee meeting April 23 where they honored the third and final recipient of the Alumni Wall of Honor, received student reports, a science curriculum update and a teaching and learning update.

The meeting began with District Superintendent Lynn Fuini-Hetten announcing the 2024 Alumni Wall of Honor recipient from the Class of 1987, Monica Deeb, who served the district for 25 years as the director of student activities.

Recipients of this award must be a Salisbury graduate who has demonstrated a commitment to learning, is accomplished in their chosen field and has had a positive impact on the community through volunteerism and/or service to others.

Deeb was nominated by Salisbury High School Principal Heather Morningstar who worked closely with Deeb on a daily basis. Morningstar noted her ability to connect with people on a personal level makes her special. In her role as director of student activities she adeptly coordinated sporting events and activities and showed up for students at games, SkillsUSA events, art shows, concerts and theater performances because she was genuinely invested in students and unwavering in her support of them.

Morningstar closed by saying, “she brought people together, built community and set a standard for what it means to truly be dedicated to kids. She bled navy and white.”

Deeb said she is “extremely humbled and deeply appreciative” and thanked colleagues, friends and family members who made an impact on her and supported her along the way.

SHS students Phoebe Ballek and Claire Nicoles reported on all the happenings at the high school from the debate team’s bid for a first place finish, a successful Model UN competition, the National Honor Society’s blood drive and Easter egg hunt to the many spring sporting events currently in full swing.

Upcoming events include a May 9 prom which will be held at SteelStacks, the Mr. Salisbury contest and the May 6 spring concert.

Seniors are anticipating their last day of school June 3, a class trip to Hershey Park June 5 and a June 8 graduation day.

Lehigh Career & Technical Institute student Josh Orach reported senior students recently completed the written portion of the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute test which measures competency and evaluates their readiness for the workforce or further education. Students did exceptionally well this year as 22/28 students scored advanced.

LCTI students took part in a job fair on the campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College to speak one-on-one with employers in a variety of trades.

Salisbury Middle School students Allison Reyes and Ashley Baez Ruiz report that with the start of Pennsylvania System School Assessment testing many spirit day events will take place over the next two weeks.

The March for Adam events to benefit Niemann Pick C concluded with a schoolwide dodge ball tournament. Each grade level was represented and students enjoyed cheering their classmates to victory.

Students in eighth grade are looking forward to a June 6 class trip to Hershey Park while student council and Interact Club members will celebrate all their hard work in service to others at Blue Mountain Ski Resort to try their hand at the high rope obstacle course and zip lining.

A sure sign the end of the school year is fast approaching is when plans are being made for field day. Rest assured, plans are currently in the works for these days of schoolwide fun.

Salisbury Elementary School students Jayce Londono and Chloe Garcia Rodas highlighted the many events taking place at the school including a successful book fair, Down syndrome Awareness Day, Autism Acceptance Week, Earth Day and a kindergarten spring bonnet parade.

Third grade students took a field trip to the Reading Public Museum and enjoyed all the museum had to offer as well as the planetarium.

Students in grades three and four began Pennsylvania System School Assessments in English and Language Arts and math PSSAs.

Assistant Superintendent Kelly Pauling updated the board on the preparations being made to implement the new science standards which will go into effect this year. The new STEELS standards involve the areas of science, technology, engineering, environmental literacy and sustainability with the expectations of helping students connect science to the real world by building their understanding in a step-by-step manner through hands-on experiences.

In order to successfully implement the new standards, administration and staff have participated extensively in professional development, curriculum writing to align the standards at each grade level and searching for appropriate resources to allow students to actively investigate, experiment and think like scientists and engineers.

Curriculum work on the STEELS standards will continue throughout the summer months and a full curriculum is expected to be presented to the board by August for approval.

District administrators provided the board with a teaching and learning update about all the instructional programs going on in each of the schools.

SES Principal Zach Brem led the presentation with a reminder to parents kindergarten registration is open for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents are encouraged to visit the district website and register online. The site is easy to use and is written in both English and Spanish. Screening for eligible students who will be 5 years old before Aug. 31 will take place in May and early registration allows district administrators to provide proper staffing and make important decisions to best meet student needs.

Once children are registered, there are several activities available for students and families to attend in an effort to make the transition to kindergarten a positive experience.

Brem also reported the data and feedback from the phonemic awareness program from the University of Florida Literacy Institute which was piloted in first grade was very promising and its use will be expanded next year to include implementation in both kindergarten and second grade in place of the current Fundations program.

Middle school Assistant Principal Robert Sawicki continued with a report on the seventh grade field trip to the Challenger Learning Center which allowed students to participate in space-themed STEM activities emphasizing fun through hands-on experiences. Students were inspired to think about future career paths in STEM fields.

Morningstar updated the board about the success of the new Foundations of Algebra class which was designed for students who lack developmental math skills and would prepare them for Algebra readiness. The class is taught by Marilyn Nocerino who created her own benchmarking assessments to be administered at the beginning, middle and end of the year to measure growth.

Currently the results are promising and the average score increased by 31%. The hope is that with a stronger foundation in Algebra readiness skills, students will experience greater success when taking the Algebra Keystone test.

Director Rebecca Glenister, who was not present at the last operations and finance committee meeting, voiced her support for the addition of the library media specialist position which was discussed during the last meeting. She emphasized the benefits for both staff and students in terms of increasing book circulation, instructing students about the use of AI and Internet safety and assisting with research as well as supporting the curriculum. She recognized this may not happen this year but expressed her hope the position would be added back in the future.

The next meeting of the curriculum and technology committee will be held 7 p.m. May 14 in the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road, Allentown.