Nov 17, 2005 By Steve Ostrosky 4 min read

MASONTOWN – A student at the Albert Gallatin Area Senior High School Wednesday tearfully recounted to school board members an incident where several boys on a school bus harassed her. Darcy Korsh, a junior, said a boy wrote on her face and teeth while they were passengers on the bus Oct. 31. She said a harassment report was later filed, but found out that the boy was given a one-day in-school suspension for the offense.

Korsh, often wiping away tears while speaking before the board, said she later received a threatening text message on her cell phone, and her mother met with one of the principals at the high school about the incidents.

She said the principal asked if she had done anything to encourage the boys to act the way they did.

“I’m very disappointed with the principal,” Korsh said. “I feel like I was harassed and I’m very upset and all this boy got was a slap on the wrist. I don’t think you know how traumatic this is for me and I wanted to let you know what was going on and how I felt about it.”

Directors listened to Korsh’s statement, but did not respond following her comments.

In another matter, Smithfield Elementary School principal Candice Jordon discussed her recent visit to Washington, D.C. because her school was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School for 2005.

Smithfield Elementary was honored for “dramatic improvement” on state standardized tests in recent years, particularly among economically disadvantaged students.

Two Fayette County schools were among the 10 Pennsylvania schools included in this year’s listing. A total of 295 schools out of 120,000 nationwide were chosen as Blue Ribbon Schools for 2005, Jordon said.

She showed the board a proclamation and a plaque presented to her by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings during her time in the nation’s capital. She thanked her colleagues, the parents, students and district administration for their support.

“Our job is not done,” Jordon said. “We need to continue what we’re doing, but we’re going to relish in our success for a little while.”

The school also received a banner, which will be on display.

Both Jordon and school director Janet Swaney expressed dissatisfaction with the Herald-Standard’s coverage of the Blue Ribbon Schools announcement ceremony in late September.

Jordon said she felt the news was not given the proper coverage, despite the importance of a local school winning such a selective national award.

Swaney said photos did not accompany the stories that were written, and much of the stories appeared inside the newspaper and not on the front page. She said schools often talk about athletics and arts events, but they are primarily academic institutions and news of academic success should also be better publicized.

“These schools should have gotten the recognition they deserved,” she said. “The people at the paper should be ashamed of themselves.”

The board also heard from the leadership of the high school’s Junior ROTC program about the progress the corps has made in the past two years.

Cadet Lt. Col John H. Matlick Jr., battalion commander, said the corps, which began during the 2003-04 school year, continues to grow.

“We went from crawl to run, and now we’re sprinting,” he said.

He said the corps now has 170 students involved, and will likely increase to 225 cadets. Several cadet captains and cadet lieutenants also spoke about the programs increased presence in the school and community.

Jennifer Smithley, a sergeant in the California University of Pennsylvania ROTC program and a former member of the Albert Gallatin Junior ROTC program, said the high school’s program gave her more opportunities than she had dreamed possible.

“Without this program, I don’t know if I would have gone to college,” she said. “I’m proud to be one of the first female cadets from Junior ROTC at Albert Gallatin to have done something like this, and if you keep the program, you’ll see more of them.”

Smithley said she received a four-year army scholarship, and she has plans to attend officer training next year.

In an unrelated issue, superintendent Walter Vicinelly said recently hired high school principal Joetta Britvich has yet to start with the district because she is still working with the California Area School District about her release date.

Britvich was hired last month to replace Tina Burns, who accepted a similar position with the Franklin Regional School District earlier this year. She will be paid $80,000 a year when she begins her work with the district, Vicinelly said.

The board has scheduled its reorganization meeting for Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Masontown Elementary School cafeteria, with the board’s monthly meeting to immediately follow.