Author: Brian Wallace

• Hambright rock path celebrates creativity, collaboration

  There’s a colorful new walkway winding across the front of Hambright Elementary School, and every Hambright student and staff member had a hand in its creation. The Hambright Path of Leadership is comprised of more than 900 rocks that were hand-painted over the past several weeks by every student (all 26 classes, including kindergarten) and…

• Sierra Echavarria named Homecoming Queen

  Congratulations to Sierra Echavarria, who was crowned the 2017 Penn Manor High School Homecoming Queen. Sierra was chosen from among the nine members of the Penn Manor homecoming court at halftime of the Sept. 30 football game against Hempfield High School. Last year’s queen, Karly Emmert, was on hand to crown Sierra during a ceremony…

• PMHS freshmen to learn ‘soft skills’ under new Comet Credential program

  Penn Manor ninth-graders were introduced this week to a new initiative designed to help them develop the “soft skills” employers say are needed to succeed in the modern workforce. All freshmen will complete online courses toward earning a Comet Credential, a certificate indicating they have completed training on a series of essential interpersonal skills and practices…

• More than 200 celebrate re-dedication of Conestoga Elementary

  More than 200 people turned out Sunday, Sept. 24, to mark the re-dedication of Conestoga Elementary School and tour the newly renovated school. State Rep. Brett Miller addressed the crowd in Conestoga’s new multipurpose room, recalling the school’s rich history and pointing out that new facilities are important, but it’s the students and staff that…

• Penn Manor HS welcomes 52 students into National Honor Society

  The Penn Manor chapter of the National Honor Society welcomed 52 new members during an induction ceremony Sept. 20 in the high school cafeteria. To qualify for NHS, the Penn Manor High School juniors and seniors had to maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.85 and demonstrate strong leadership, service and character traits. The…

• Board members honored for years of service

  Penn Manor school board members Dr. Rich Frerichs, Chris Straub and Jeff Lyon were honored Monday by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association for their years of service on the board. Frerichs has served for 20 years; Straub has been a board member for eight years; and Lyon has served for eight years. Nathan Mains, PSBA…

• A sunny, smooth start to the new school year

  Penn Manor School District students returned to classrooms Thursday under clear, sunny skies to start off the 2017-2018 school year. Conestoga Elementary students and staff were back at their newly renovated school after a one-year hiatus. The building was closed last year for an $11.7 million renovation project that added a new kitchen, playground and…

• Penn Manor celebrates MU partnership at Opening Day

  Penn Manor School District celebrated its longstanding partnership with Millersville University during Opening Day activities Monday, Aug. 21, to mark the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Nearly 375 professional employees took part in the daylong event, which also included presentations by 20 industry representatives designed to help teachers better prepare students for entering the…

• Penn Manor welcomes 30 new staff members

  Penn Manor welcomed 20 new teachers for the 2017-2018 school year during New Teacher Orientation Day, held Tuesday, Aug. 8, at Manor Middle School. In all, 30 professional staff members have been hired for the coming year. Some of the teachers previously served in long-term substitute positions at Penn Manor schools, but the others are completely…

• PMHS teacher publishes book tracing family’s 400-year history

  When Scott Hertzog was in the eighth grade, he interviewed his grandmother and created a family tree for a school genealogy project that sparked an interest in his family’s centuries-old farm outside Ephrata. Now, 30 years later, Hertzog has published an ambitious 330-page book that traces the history of the historic property, from the late 1600s to today, called “My…