New Tagline Captures Essence of YSSD

Shelly 2

 

A Community of Encouragement.  A Culture of Excellence.  That newly adopted tagline captures the essence of the York Suburban School District.  It embodies not just who we are, but also defines who we want to be.

The community of York Suburban is comprised of our students, staff, parents, and district residents.  It includes alumni, retirees, grandparents, and all of our supporters.  This community reaches far beyond the geographical boundaries of the district and it goes to great lengths to offer encouragement to our students.  Encouragement comes in many different forms but always results in support for our students, and very often their families. 

This community has created a culture of excellence that is entrenched in all that we do.  There is a long and strong tradition of excellence in this district.  While excellence is most evident in the performance of our students in the classroom, it is also demonstrated in the music and theater programs, on the athletic fields, in the gym, at organizational meetings, and in the Board room.  This tradition is recognized and respected by the community and we continue to work purposefully to grow this culture.  Students and staff are inspired by the rich culture of excellence.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of providing a tour of the York Suburban High School to members of the Class of 1965.  Volumes were spoken about the rich traditions of the district.  The expectations for excellence were established with these early graduating classes and have never changed.  I heard many stories of achievement and success and was inspired to lead with a respect for the strong foundation that has been laid.

As a district, we must continue to grow and develop.  As we face the many challenges of today, we must stay true to our identity —  A Community of Encouragement.  A Culture of Excellence

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Dr. Shelly Merkle, Superintendent

Teddy Bears on Parade at Yorkshire and Valley View

Teddy Bear Parade at Yorkshire Elementary School.

Teddy Bear Parade at Yorkshire Elementary School.

Teddy Bear Parade at Valley View Elementary School.

Teddy Bear Parade at Valley View Elementary School.

Teddy Bears were out in full force (along with other stuffed animals) as students at Yorkshire Elementary School and Valley View Elementary School held their annual Teddy Bear Parades in October.

At Yorkshire the parade was held indoors because of a very rainy day.  Students walked their animal friends through the first floor hallways.

The York Suburban Middle School Band, Color Guard, and Cheerleaders greeted the students as they entered the gymnasium for a rally.

At Valley View Elementary School the sun smiled on the event.

The York Suburban High School Band, Color Guard, and Cheerleaders led the students from the school to the neighboring high school stadium where they held a rally.

 

 

 

Filling the Field with the Sound of Music

Band Night overall photo 10-09-15

The York Suburban School District Band Night was held in October.  Three district bands and alumni band members combined for the event.

The bands that participated in Band Night were:  the York Suburban High School Band, the 7th and 8th grade band and 6th grade band from York Suburban Middle School, and a YS alumni band made up of students who were in band with and knew Lauren Bajorek.

Lauren, a student at Penn State, died in an accident in Spain.  A 2012 graduate of York Suburban, Lauren had played the French horn and was studying music at Penn State.  In Lauren’s memory the combined bands performed “Nessun Dorma” from the York Suburban Band’s 2010 field show “Opera Italiana.”  Lauren was a member of the band that year.

East York Artworks Featured at PSBA Conference

PSBA Art winners

The artworks of four East York Elementary School students were winners in the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Poster Contest for 2015. 

(From left to right in photo above) Sophia Scalet, Veronica Mina, Ethan Yon, and Daniel Paz, hold their winning posters based on the theme “What the Future of Learning Looks Like to Me.” 

Their posters were featured at the PSBA conference in October and they will be printed in the PSBA Bulletin. Each student will also receive a blue ribbon and a monetary award. 

New Teacher Joins Staff

Laura Gordon has joined the York Suburban School District faculty.  A graduate of Dallastown Area High School, she holds her Bachelor’s Degree from Towson University and her Master’s Degree from Millersville University.  She is ESL  teacher at Yorkshire Elementary School.

6 Named National Merit Commended Students

Seated (from left): Madeleine Nesbitt, Grace Pindzola, and Rebecca Schwartz. Standing (from left): Gareth Keene, Paul Um, and Jonathan Abel.

Seated (from left): Madeleine Nesbitt, Grace Pindzola, and Rebecca Schwartz. Standing (from left): Gareth Keene, Paul Um, and Jonathan Abel.

Six York Suburban High School Seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2016 National Merit program.

The students are:

Jonathan Abel, son of Ronda and David Abel, Jr.  Jon hopes to attend Lafayette College.

Gareth Keene, son of Kimberly and Edmund Keene.  He hopes to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Madeleine Nesbitt, daughter of Jennifer and Thomas Nesbitt, IV.  She plans to study in France.

Grace Pindzola, daughter of Kathy and Dr. Ander Pindzola.  She plans to attend Haverford College.

Rebecca Schwartz, daughter of Jacqueline Schwartz and David Schwartz.  She hopes to attend Villanova.

Paul Um, son of Youngjin and Soohong Um.  He hopes to attend the University of Pennsylvania.

 

District VII Chorus Member Selected

Meredith Singleton, will represent York Suburban High School at the PMEA District VII Chorus festival.  The festival will be held the first weekend of February 2016.  The auditions were held in October at Central York High School and Meredith placed 22 out of 74 Alto II’s.

Music teacher Hannah Stayer said,  “I am very proud of her and all of the students who auditioned on two foreign language pieces today! The students put in many hours of hard work outside of the school day to prepare for the auditions.”

Rain Fails to Dampen Homecoming Spirit

Homecoming 2015 Court

Members of the 2015 York Suburban Homecoming Court are: (from left) Csenge Nagy, Maddy McIInay, Marina Corte Real, Olivia Krum; Morgan Taylor, Paige Robison, Olivia Gettle, Bailey Cross, Elizabeth Snyder, and Devon Hornberger. The Princess and Prince are Caroline Sirolly and Brett Sirolly. Olivia Gettle was named Queen just prior to the football game.

Days of rain may have washed out the traditional all-school Homecoming Parade, doused the plans for a twilight bonfire on the baseball field, and soaked the participants in the Powder Puff Football game on Thursday, October 1, but the wet weather certainly did not dampen the Homecoming 2015 spirit.

At the Powder Puff Football game, small groups of spectators huddled under umbrellas as girls from the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes competed in the competition.  Three male “cheerleaders” added entertainment to the game.  The water-logged seniors emerged as the victors.

One of the highlights of the school year, Homecoming continued on Friday, October 2, with presentation of the Homecoming Court during the evening football game.

The girls walked across the football field shielded by escorts holding umbrellas.

Members of the Homecoming Court were:

Bailey Cross, daughter of Tracey Shue and David Cross.

Devon Hornberger, daughter of Robert and Missy Hornberger.

Olivia Gettle, daughter of Gregory and Felicia Gettle.

Olivia Krum, daughter of Matt Krum and Angie Raab.

Maddy McIlnay, daughter of Steve and Susan McIlnay.

Csenge Nagy, an Exchange Student hosted by Joseph and Amber Seidel.

Marina Corte Real, an Exchange Student hosted by John and Lisa Senft.

Paige Robison, daughter of John and Mary Robison.

Elizabeth Snyder, daughter of Peter and Dawn Snyder.

Morgan Taylor, daughter of Don and Amy Taylor.

Twins Brett Siriolly and Caroline Sirolly, students at Valley View Elementary School and the children of David and Kendra Sirolly, were the Homecoming Court Prince and Princess.

Just prior to the kickoff of the York Suburban-Ephrata football game, Olivia Gettle was crowned as the 2015 Homecoming Queen.

York Suburban won the football game by a score of 38 to 6.

The Homecoming Dance was held on Saturday evening, October 3, at the newly-opened The Bond in downtown York.

YSMS Book Fair Runs Through November 6

The York Suburban Middle School Library will host its annual Fall Scholastic Book Fair and Music Café from November 2 through November 6 in the library.

Students will be scheduled to visit the book fair that week with their Language Arts classes. The Book Fair and Music Café family event will be held on Thursday, November 5, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m, coinciding with Parent Teacher Conferences.  All students and their families are welcome to stop by that evening and enjoy desserts, hot and cold drinks, and peruse the many books and other items at the fair.

The Book Fair will also be open on Friday, November 6,  for parents to shop before or after teacher conferences — a good opportunity to stock up for the holidays.

If you would like to volunteer to work during the book fair and/or you would like to donate baked good for our Café Night, contact  YSMS Librarian Donna Joy Krane dkrane@yssd.org .

CTC Variety Show on November 21

CTC Variety Show logo

The Annual CTC Community Variety Show will be held on Saturday, November 21 at 7 p.m. at York Suburban High School. 

Advance tickets are on sale now through November 17 and are available by going to www.ysctc.org and clicking on the forms tab to purchase tickets.