Middle School Stages 'Wizard of Oz'

The production debuted Thursday, with shows left Friday and Saturday.

Great Valley Middle School will present The Wizard of Oz Friday night and Saturday afternoon and night. The show opened Thursday night, and according to the director and producers at the GVMS Musical Theater blog, things went well: Audiences have three more chances to take enjoy the classic story of Dorothy's adventures in Oz. Remaining performances are Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door, if the shows are not sold out in advance. For more information, see the Patch calendar listing.

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Kristen Klugh Cannella

9:46 am on Monday, March 11, 2013

Having carted various thespians to and from rehearsals, and attended two evenings, and then marveled at the colors, the orchestra, and the sets, I want to give an additional 'shout out' to the students who were part of the stage crew (an onorous task with such an enormous production) and the parents who designed, built, and then moved the sets for 4 performances not to mention dress rehearsals!! …   more ›

Drug-Sniffing Dogs Search GV Middle and High Schools

The search, which sent the schools into lockdown, was scheduled in advance and not caused by an emergent situation.

Great Valley High School and Middle School went into lockdown Thursday morning as drug-sniffing police dogs roamed the hallways, checking lockers. According to Dan Goffredo, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education and Pupil Services, the search was scheduled in advance and the dogs did not find anything illicit. "We've used state police for the last few years to come in and do inspections in the high school and middle school. They did both buildings today," said Goffredo, who was the high school principal until this school year. Keep up on breaking news by liking Malvern Patch on Facebook. The searches take roughly 20 to 30 minutes per building, as multiple German shepherds search lockers and athletic locker rooms. During that …

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GVMS Students, Teachers Tout Science Program

Lunar samples—moon rocks—will be coming to the school soon.

At a science showcase on Oct. 18, science-minded eighth-graders at Great Valley Middle School demonstrated how they identify star types. Before a crowd of parents, the students showed off their star lab, where they observed the stars, collecting data like the brightness—or magnitude—of a star to determine which stage it was at in its life cycle.  The students used an iPad program to help them process the data. "We recorded the brightness that showed up on the LuxMeter app and at the end you had to make connections and conclusions on how you think everything connected between size, temperature, color and brightness," student Maggie McNamara said.  After the demonstrations, parents moved to the Choral Room, where science teachers Derek …

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Obituaries

Josiah Hibberd, 86, Malvern Elementary Principal

The beloved educator led thousands of field trips.

Josiah "Josh" Hunter Hibberd, who worked for 43 years in Great Valley School District, passed away over the weekend. He was 86. Hibberd was known for keeping a cluttered desk, taking students on thousands of field trips and working ceaselessly at the business of helping students connect with the lessons. A West Chester native, he joined the Navy while a senior at West Chester High School to fight in World War II.  When he returned from the war, he became an educator, joining the teaching staff at Malvern Elementary School in 1952. He became principal there in 1956 and served in that role when the school became part of Great Valley School District in 1969. When Malvern Elementary closed in 1981, he taught in Sugartown Elementary School and …

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Pierce Named GVMS Assistant Principal

Amanda Pierce previously worked as secondary mathematics resource teacher.

Editor's note: The following information comes from Great Valley School District. More information about last night's board meeting coming in a subsequent article. At its meeting on Aug. 20, the Great Valley Board of School Directors approved the appointment of Amanda Pierce as the assistant principal of Great Valley Middle School. Pierce fills the position vacated by Kyle Hammond earlier this year. Pierce has been with the Great Valley School District since 2009 and prior to the assistant principal position worked as a secondary mathematics resource teacher. In that role, she collaborated with math teachers to make instructional decisions for students based on assessment results. She also worked to monitor consistency in the mathematics …

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GVSD Board May 21 Meeting At a Glance

The board appointed a new solicitor, delayed a vote on activity fees and agreed to let retiring teachers speak at graduation.

The Great Valley School District Board of Directors business meeting Monday night ran a relatively trim two hours and 20 minutes. None of the major budget decisions—like secondary school reorganization, tax levels and activity fees—were voted on. Board vice president Stephanie Gunderson wielded the gavel, as president David Barratt and member Ted Leisenring were absent. 

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Pete Kennedy

11:09 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Tim, Ellen Behrle was the dissenting vote.   more ›

GVSD Budget: Donations Helped, Big Changes Loom

The Write the Future campaign donation spared some programs on the chopping block, but reorganization of the middle and high schools remains a possibility.

At Monday night's Great Valley school board meeting, superintendent Alan Lonoconus delivered the latest incarnation of the 2012-13 budget proposal. The $78 million dollar budget projects a shortfall of $3.7 million, excluding a tax increase and use of reserve funds. Including $2.8 million from reserve funds, the budget showed a $121,764 surplus within Act 1 constraints, and nearly $1 million with Act 1 exceptions. View the slide show above to see the full budget presentation. Some items slated to be cut were saved, thanks to an oversize $272,825 check donated to the district by the Write the Future campaign earlier in the night. Much of the night's discussion centered on the penultimate slide in the presentation, which listed two "…

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Great Valley Teacher Wins 'Heart of Learning' Award

Special Education teacher Bernie Secrist was announced as one of three winners at a banquet Tuesday night.

Great Valley Middle School teacher Bernie Secrist was announced as a winner of the Citadel Heart of Learning Award at a banquet Tuesday night at the Desmond Hotel. The award comes with $1,500 for classroom use, on top of the $500 that all finalists received. In April, 15 Chester County teachers including Secrist were named as finalists for the award. At the banquet, one winner was announced in each of three categories. Secrist won the middle school award, Kelly Colquitt Downingtown Area School District won for elementary school and Delbert Ferster of Owen J. Roberts won the high school award. Secrist was nominated by multiple people, including superintendent Alan Lonoconus. A press release from the school district has reaction from another…

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GVMS's Secrist Named 'Heart of Learning' Finalist

Special education teacher Bernie Secrist was nominated by her peers and students and will represent the district for the county award.

Great Valley Middle School teacher Bernie Secrist wasn't expecting to be named a finalist in the annual Citadel "Heart of Learning" award ceremony. In fact, she almost didn't go. "I had some paperwork that was supposed to be done this afternoon, and I was still working on it," Secrist said. "I was not going to come down, I was going to work for the last few minutes I could squeak out." It's a good thing she did attend the April 20 ceremony in the school's gymnasium that afternoon, along with the rest of the faculty and student body. After being nominated by peers, students and even superintendent Alan Lonoconus, Secrist was announced as one of 15 finalists for the award. She gave high fives to students as she headed to the front of the gym…

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Sobering Statistics Regarding Students

The schools budget discussion included a by-the-numbers look at student well-being in the district.

At a recent Great Valley School District Board meeting, Jane Trimble, the student services coordinator, explained the level of activity in her department. "I can tell you we have a steady stream of students through student services on any given day, between 10 to 20," Trimble said. Here are the statistics she supplied to the board for the 2011-12 school year as of the March 12, 2012, board meeting:

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Tom

11:42 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Race to Nowhere documentary will be screened at the Westtown School on April 13th @ 7:00. For more info go to :http://www.westtown.edu/   more ›