Mar 22, 2005 By Jenny Susa 2 min read

BELLE VERNON – Belle Vernon Area School District Superintendent Robert Nagy will become a member of a panel of educational leaders at California University of Pennsylvania, after being invited to join a committee to examine the university’s program of studies in the College of Education and Human Services. Geraldine M. Jones, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, sent the invitation, saying that purpose of the panel’s meetings would be to “listen to what the staff is doing a California University to educate students.”

Jones said that more importantly their job would be to “give them feedback on their strengths and where they could be stronger,” and “most importantly, how they as a university can help individual districts and their staff.”

Director Deborah Puglia congratulated Nagy on behalf of the board for being invited to participate.

In other matters, the board approved the district’s participation in the Goodwill Industries Transition Works project. The project is meant to provide continued work readiness skills attainment and expanded occupational skills training opportunities for 30 in-school youth between the ages of 14 and 2, with barriers to employment. The program will provide school year and summer opportunities for disabled youth in school. Services include workplace and seminar activities, paid and unpaid work experience, career exploration and pre- and post-program assessment and registration on Team PA Career Link.

The board also approved a request by high school band director Mark Surovchak to host a Junior Drum and Bugle Corps for a stay of several days during their summer tour, as has been done in previous years.

Although exact dates were not yet available, Surovchak said that it would likely be a few days in late June, then again in late July or early August. He said the corps offered “exceptional learning experience for the band staff and students through observation of and interaction with their rehearsals, and it also provides a unique cultural experience for the students to interact with young men and women from other parts of the country.”

In another matter, Puglia said the Policy Manual Committee had revised the cheerleader constitution and by-laws.

“One big thing we did was take out the demerits procedure,” said Puglia. “We also will now have two 7th, 8th, and 9th grade squads.”