Members of Leadership Centre County visit BASD
When Bellefonte Area High School Vice Principal Becky Michaels talked about student interaction with members of Leadership Centre County, she enthusiastically described them as being “amazing!” On March 16, members of this year’s Leadership Centre County class visited schools within Bellefonte Area School District for its annual Education Day. Each district in the county hosted LCC members along with local charter schools.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase our students, schools, teachers and everything we do at Bellefonte,” Director of Curriculum and Instruction Kris Vancas said as he presented more information to the school board.
The day included morning and afternoon sessions with school tours, a luncheon provided by the food service department, visits to various classes, a technology presentation, superintendent’s panel, debriefing session and more. They were even serenaded by musicians from the district’s performing and fine arts department. One of their stops was also to teacher Jordan Eccher’s Project Lead the Way class at Bellefonte Area Middle School. There, members got to see first hand the interactive projects students have been working on.
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is nationally recognized in pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade for providing students with a rigorous and interactive classroom environment to help develop in-demand knowledge and skills used in the real world. According to its website, PLTW is a national nonprofit to promote STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and math – while providing support for the teacher or instructor with special curriculum and resources needed to execute a successful program.
At the high school, Michaels said two tours were given with the help of students from the school’s Raider Revolution club and who also discussed information about academics, athletics, clubs and more. “Our students did amazing,” Michaels said. “The adults on the tour were so impressed by the way they conducted themselves, how they presented themselves and the building, and how involved those students are in a wide array of things.”
Many of the topics discussed were artwork on the ceiling tiles, student resource officers, guidance, technology and even had the chance to observe English teacher Kaysey Beury’s class that was acting out a scene from a Shakespeare book they had been studying in class. They also gave a tour of the technology wing and hallway that features the school’s Family and Consumer Sciences programs, in addition to the TV studio in teacher Carla Cipro’s room, woodshop labs, world languages department and more.
Students who are a part of Raider Revolution had the opportunity to sign up to help give the tours, including several students with past experience giving school tours to new students. The mission of Raider Revolution is to create and promote a safe and positive school environment that establishes a welcoming atmosphere, enhances student learning, and encourages student growth by demonstrating and recognizing positive behavior.