Over the summer, work has been underway to create a new, secure Visitor Entrance to York Suburban High School.

The new entrance will be at the right side of the covered portico and will provide access directly to a vestibule and then the school office.  The door bell and security camera will still be in effect.

To accommodate the new entrance, the axis orientation of the high school office has been changed.  It will now be perpendicular to the main hallway.

The change was made, Principal Dr. Brian Ellis said, to improve the security at the school.  In relation to that work in the office, a handicapped restroom has been installed in the office, as well as a conference room.  The principal’s office will now be located at the front of the office area.

Students will continue to use the front lobby, back lobby, and the science wing entrances, as they have done in the past.

Eighth grade students at York Suburban Middle School will be the first to experience a new business class this year, Dr. Scott Krauser, Principal, has announced.  #MoneyMatters will be a full-year class, held every other day and co-taught by Mr. John Beach and Mrs. Janet Toner.

Mr. Beach will introduce students to the fields of accounting, marketing, and web site design and development.  Students will complete balance sheets and cash flow statements; learn about the 4 P’s of marketing (Product, Price, Place and Promotion); and will use HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to create web pages that they have designed themselves.  Mrs. Toner will teach the financial literacy portion of the course, which will include such topics as creating and using budgets, managing different types of bank accounts, and making wise financial decisions including credit and investment decisions.

“To give students a hands-on economic experience, a classroom economy simulation will run throughout the entire school year.  Students will earn salaries for jobs performed and pay bills, such as desk rent and electric and water usage.  Bonuses can be earned based on performance, and fines will be levied for missing work and poor classroom behavior,” Dr. Krauser said.

Students will also learn about and experience the payment of taxes, complete with an April 15 income tax deadline.  A classroom auction will be held each marking period, giving students the opportunity to spend some of their hard-earned money on items.  At the end of the simulation, students will be recognized for sensible financial management and high levels of savings.

The York Suburban School District’s “Step It Up” Elementary Summer Camp provided an opportunity for students to learn and have fun.

The camps ran Tuesdays through Thursdays from June 16 to July 23.  Each week had a different theme.

During the week of July 7 through July 9, the theme was “Growing” — plants and food.  Four classrooms at the York Suburban Middle School provided separate rooms for students who will be first and second graders to hone their math and science, and language arts skills.  The other two rooms provided learning opportunities for students entering third through fifth grades.

In the accompanying slide show, students in the language arts program work with teacher Stacy Houck on garden-themed words.  Other photos include students sampling watermelon, a farm-grown produce, and creating their own terrariums in plastic water bottles. 

Bill Cooley, a member of the York Suburban Class of 1962 is shown with Karen Evans (left) Vice President of the York Suburban Dollars for Scholars program, and Stephanie Sullivan, President of the organization

The York Suburban High School Class of 1962 has become the first class to create a named scholarship through the York Suburban Dollars for Scholars program.

Bill Cooley, one of the 170  members of the class, said the classmates have been funding a $500 “‘half scholarship” over the past 16 years, as well as building another fund  to raise the $25,000 necessary to create the named fund.  That goal was accomplished this year.

The $1,000 renewable scholarship will be presented for the first time next May.

Stephanie Sullivan, President of the York Suburban Dollars for Scholars was thrilled by the Class of 1962’s contribution.  She encouraged other classes to follow the lead of the Class of 1962.

Formed in 1998, to date York Suburban Dollars for Scholars grants  have supported 110 students with $337,500.  These renewable scholarships — such as the one created by the Class of 1962 — allow Dollars for Scholars  to support York Suburban High School graduates over their full college career.

The Dollars for Scholars program seeks to help as many graduates as possible, while maintaining its own sustainability as a fixture in the scholarship landscape. The program accepts any and all donations; contributions can be marked in support of the endowment fund or any of our standing named funds.

Donations may be given as a lump-sum payment, appreciated stock or property, or bequests in a will or through an estate plan. Groups may also submit donations they receive from their own fund raising events. Contributions over $25,000 can be used to create a new “named” fund in honor of someone or a particular class.  The York Suburban Dollars for Scholars program is a 501 (c) non-profit organization so donations are tax deductible.

For additional information send an email to info@ysdollarsforscholars.org.

York Suburban High School science teacher Leigh Foy (left) is presented with her MIT award by Lucie Wilkens, Director of the MIT Club of the Delaware Valley.

Leigh Foy, a York Suburban High School science teacher, has received a 2015 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Inspirational Teacher Award.

Students at MIT nominate high school teachers who inspired them through dedicated and motivating teaching.  Mrs. Foy was nominated by MIT student, Phong Vo.  In his nomination statement he shared these thoughts:

Dear Mrs. Foy:  Thank you so much for everything you have done for me throughout the past four years. You have always been more to me than just a teacher; you have been a mentor. You have always listened to my many stories, whether they were told in sadness because I was going through a tough time, told in excitement because I just learned a new science concept, told in distress because I was struggling with my many academic obligations, or told in confusion because I was trying to decide between various options.  You listened. You advised. You helped. But most importantly, you understood, cared, and supported.  Because of you, I have garnered a stronger commitment in the pursuit of learning.  You have taught me how to learn effectively, to pose probing questions, and to seek the answers using logic. I am proud to be able to call you my teacher.

As part of the award, Mrs. Foy is invited to access resources at MIT that  “will contribute to even greater success for you as an educator,” according to the citation.   It continued: “Your inspiring work has contributed to the success of your students and, through them, to the success of our Institute and to the future of our world.”