Assistant Superintendent Dr. Maureen Leeson recognized the winners of the Richard Check Steelworkers’ Archives Legacy Writing Contest at the Oct. 5 school board meeting. The fifth grade student winners from the 2024-25 school year all hail from Clearview ES and are currently middle school students.

They are: First Place Jadelyn Jaslene Vega Ayala for her essay, Northeast. Teacher: Mrs. Tenaglia, Second Place: Madeline Owens, Nitschmann. Teacher: Mrs. Hood, Team NCC; Third Place: Janiliz Galarza Rivera, Northeast. Teacher: Mrs. Tenaglia; Honorable Mention: Avery Clagett, Nitschmann. The Richard Check Steelworkers Archives Legacy Writing Contest is a yearly writing competition for elementary school students.

The curriculum committee continued discussion on the electronic device policy that had started over a year ago. Principals Brandon B. Horlick, Liberty HS; Theodoro Quinones, Northeast MS; and Ashlee Woodson, Freemansburg ES, shared their perspectives on how the rollout of this policy has been accepted. The “learning walk’ a tool for administrators to observe classrooms in an informal way, included how many electronic devices have been accounted for on the elementary school and middle school level.

This plan was initially met with reluctance, but the messaging from the district during the summer helped ease students into the expectations of this policy. Northeast principal Quinones said he appreciates the administration setting the boundary and that student and teacher focus in the classroom appears better.

Woodson said in elementary schools cellphones have never really been a big issue but they are maintaining the same consistent messaging as presented by the upper grades. She stressed the importance of having family support for these policies.

Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Mark Stein reported that the Fountain Hill ES project is on schedule. Directors Winston Alozi and Karen Beck-Pooley asked how the satellite program, referring to the temporary housing of students at another site during the construction, is working out, Stein said “we are making it work.”