Great Valley School District Might Not Raise Taxes

Administrators cited progress at Uptown Worthington as one reason for economic optimism.

Back in January, Great Valley School District applied for the option to raise taxes beyond the 1.7-percent cap imposed by state law for the 2013-14 school year. At Monday night's school board meeting, district leaders discussed the possibility of not raising taxes at all. What changed? According to a post on the district website, health care costs are lower than expected and revenue projections are looking up.  And the Uptown Worthington development's long-awaited progress is also expected to bear fruit, with the majority of commercial space already leased: “Based on the revised projections and the outlook for the future, we could go lower—even to zero—if the Board would desire,” Lonoconus said, according to the district website. One of …

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Who's Speaking at Commencement?

Find out who'll give the addresses at local college graduations for the Class of 2013.

Here are the Class of 2013 undergraduate commencement speakers for some Philadelphia-area colleges, in chronological order. Information is obtained by the schools' websites unless otherwise noted. Valley Forge Christian College, Friday, May 3: Pastor Mark Batterson  Penn State Brandywine, Saturday, May 4: David H. Lipson Jr., a 1978 Penn State graduate and the president of the company that publishes Philadelphia Magazine St. Joseph's University, Saturday, May 11: Elisabeth A. Hagen, a 1991 graduate and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Undersecretary for Food Safety Chestnut Hill College, Saturday, May 11: Mary Louise Quinlan, author of “The God Box: Sharing My Mother’s Gift of Faith, Love, and Letting Go”  Rosemont College, Saturday, …

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Is Your Alma Mater Represented?

Great Valley graduating seniors are showing off their college selections in style.

It's that time of year, and many Great Valley High School seniors have decided where they'll head next year. The district has a collage of photos on its website showing the students repping their chosen schools.  Click through to see if your alma mater is among the names displayed.

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Newsweek Ranks Great Valley Among US High Schools

The magazine's 2013 rankings came out Monday.

On mobile? You can see interactive map here. Newsweek has ranked Great Valley High School as the #359 best high school in the country. Locally, Conestoga High School in Berwyn was ranked #124, Harriton High School #219, Radnor High School #255, Strath Haven High School #291, Lower Merion High School #321, Springfield High School #648, Haverford High School #742 and Marple Newtown High School #1096. For its rankings, Newsweek sent out a survey to more than 5,000 high schools in the U.S., with about 2,500 schools responding in 2013. You can see the details about Springfield High School's ranking, and every other ranked high school by clicking on the markers in the interactive map above. The survey scores were then weighted and calculated …

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School Board Candidates Want Civil Election Season

In an open letter, the candidates running for Great Valley School Board urge their supporters to be honest and respectful.

Editor's note: The following message comes from the seven undersigned candidates on the primary ballot for Great Valley School Board.

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Tom Gunderson

11:19 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

Perhaps I am biased as the husband of one of those "miserable people" on the board that you hope to join, but somewhere around "I broke this down into terms that you two can understand," I came to the conclusion that you might not have the temperament for public service.   more ›

Great Valley Sophomore Meets Hillary Clinton, Kate Hudson

Jess Zuo visited Washington D.C. in early April after being selected as an ANNpower fellow.

Great Valley High School sophomore Jess Zuo had a chance to visit with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other high-profile women recently. Zuo was selected as one of 50 ANNpower fellows in recognition of her leadership potential and commitment to positive social change. ANNPower is a partnership between ANN Inc, which operates Ann Taylor stores, and Vital Voices Global Partnership: During the Forum, the ANNpower Fellows received leadership and communications training, unique mentorship opportunities and met with internationally renowned women leaders, including: Zuo was born in Toronto, Canada, according to the ANNPower website, and moved to the Philadelphia area at a young age: She and the other fellows will be eligible for up to $2…

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Great Valley Ranks 21st in Top PA High Schools, Mag Says

U.S. News and World Report released its annual school rankings this week.

Great Valley High School ranked number 21 in a new list of about 200 Pennsylvania High Schools by U.S. News and World Report. The school, Great Valley School District's only high school, ranked number 710 in the magazine's nationwide standings. More than 21,000 public high schools were evaluated as the list was created. The magazine's website gives statistics for the school along with the ranking: "The AP® participation rate at Great Valley High School is 43 percent. The student body makeup is 52 percent male and 48 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 14 percent." Among the other academic metrics that were taken into consideration, all of which were above the state average in Great Valley's case: See the full ranking entry…

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8 Days Left: Foundation at Great Valley Looks to Raise $250K

The foundation hopes to raise $200,000 in the final eight days of its spring campaign—a daunting task, but they did it last year.

'Once Upon a Mattress' Runs Through April 27 at GVHS

Tickets to the show, a retelling of 'The Princess and the Pea,' cost $12.

Great Valley Drama Guild will stage Once Upon a Mattress at the high school through April 27. The play is a "hilarious retelling of the classic fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea," according to the Great Valley School District website: When Sir Harry brings back the most unlikely Princess in the land, the queen is horrified and immediately begins to scheme, but Princess Winnifred, with some help from Sir Harry, the King, and the Jester, isn't going to be quite so easy to get rid of. Performances will be at Great Valley High School on April 19, 20, 21, 26 and 27. All shows are at 8 p.m., except the matinee on Sunday, April 21, which is at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $12 and are available via Ticket Turtle. Senior citizens will be admitted free to…

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