Laurel Highlands puts savings toward safety
Laurel Highlands school board officials said Thursday that savings achieved in a $50 million high school renovation project will be put toward improvements at district elementary schools.
“We’ll be able to add an additional level of security to our staff and our students,” Superintendent Dr. Jesse Wallace told the school board as it tackled a long addendum to its agenda.
Wallace said a $2 million contingency fund is largely still available because of a minimal amount of changes to a project that is substantially completed at the high school.
The board approved the $14,255 purchase of an intercom paging system for Hatfield Elementary School; the $11,133.24 purchase of security recorders and cameras for all the elementary schools; the $4,235.40 purchase of interior door push bars for Hatfield; and the $3,063.25 purchase of security glass modifications for secretary windows at Hatfield and Hutchinson elementary schools.
Funds will be used as well for a raptor system that can track visitors’ driver’s licenses and maintenance fees for such a system at all district schools.
Personnel matters approved Thursday included selecting Michelle Halfhill as a 3-11 p.m. custodian at the middle school; hiring Amanda Bilitski as a middle school science substitute teacher; adding Bilitski, Bethany Frazee (early childhood school counselor), Curry Sarah Havens (elementary).
Haylee Kraushaar (biology 7-12) and Robert Strickler (earth and space science) to the list of regular certified substitutes; and adding Jon Difilippo (communication 7-12) and Amanda Bittinger and Ezekiel Zelich (both biology) to the emergency certified substitute list.
Wallace touted a lot of activity across the district, including Marshall Elementary efforts to raise $888.13 for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, $690 for the American Heart Association in a “jump rope for heart” promotion and $1,700 for arts in the schools with an art auction.
He said the National Honor Society at the high school raised $511.50 for the American Heart Association and $823.75 for Make A Wish.
Wallace said hundreds of thousands of math problems were solved in district schools in a “First in Math” competition, with 1.46 million problems solved at Hatfield, 1.17 million at Marshall, and more than 500,000 each at Clark and Hutchinson elementary schools and the district middle school.
He also honored achievers in recent WPIAL swimming and diving competition at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool, including second-place efforts by the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle relay swim teams, a school record 1:51.72 by the girls’ 200-meter medley relay team, John Ek’s second-place in diving and Logan Knoyer’s third place in the 50-meter freestyle.
The Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps provided a color guard to open the meeting. Cadet Lt. Col. Brian Piwowar told the board that the AFJROTC managed to retain 94 of the 100 cadets who started the school year, and that they were able to achieve 1,867 hours of community service.