PHOTO PROVIDED Unified Bocce team pictured after defeating Penns Valley on Senior Night. A pink-out was held in support of Special Education Director Melissa Butterworth, who is pictured with the team.

WINGATE — As we get into the second half of the school year, there are many exciting things happening at Bald Eagle Area School District.

Academics

Mr. Skip Pighetti moved into a new role as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation in January. Skip is a longtime BEASD teacher and principal. In his new role, he has begun looking at our student achievement data, curriculum and programs for students. They are excited to have him bring a team approach to this role. Our student assessment data indicates that our students are making gains across the board in reading and math, compared to the beginning of the school year. In classroom visits, we are seeing engaging instruction and students who want to learn. Their teachers have undergone training this school year to gain strategies to teach students who are behind schedule, on schedule and ahead of schedule, and we are excited to see them use these strategies to make gains for our students throughout the rest of the school year.

Forestry Building and Fitness Center

Project

PHOTO PROVIDED BEA swimmers competed at the LHAC championships in January. Competitors were Laurie Thompson, Elijah Mercier, Caylynn Dixson and Connor Dixson.

The new Forestry Building will begin coming to life over the next month. This building will house our Forestry program, which is a career & technical education program that teaches students how to manage, harvest and process timber, manage wildlife and other skills relevant to this area. The steel components of the building have been delivered, the foundation and utility work has been completed and the building will start to go up in the near future. As that happens, the current Forestry Building will undergo a transformation into a new Fitness Center that will enhance the athletic and physical development of our students. The Fitness Center will be incorporated into the Health & Physical Education curriculum and facilitate training for the athletic teams. Everyone is excited to see these projects come to life.

Cafeteria

Improvements

Earlier in the school year, a survey was sent out to students, parents and staff to solicit feedback on our school cafeteria services. As a result of the survey, a Cafeteria Committee was created as a subcommittee of our school board. The Cafeteria Committee has been focused on finding ways to improve our school lunch and breakfast programs, to include faster service, a wider variety of menu options, increased quality of food and other enhancements. In a recent site visit, committee members were pleased to see some of the improvements that have been implemented. These include the addition of a daily pizza option, cold sub of the week, salad of the week and other menu additions. Students can expect to see additional improvements as the school year progresses.

Student Achievements

PHOTO PROVIDED Members of the school board’s cafeteria committee conducted a site visit to learn about our cafeteria operations last week. Food Service Director Laura Frye conducted the tour. She is pictured on the left, with Assistant Superintendent Skip Pighetti, board member Mary Ann Hamilton and board member Brandi Bartley.

Our students continue to excel at the three A’s of academics, athletics and the arts. The winter season has seen a variety of student achievements. Caleb Close became the all-time wins leader in BEA wrestling history, seven students participated in PMEA District Band, Cameron Corl, Kailey Eckert and Alabama Jukes earned their Keystone Degree at the FFA mid-winter convention and the Unified Bocce team won its Senior Night pink-out matchup against Penns Valley to cap off a successful regular season. BEA will be represented in the postseason with the wrestling team participating in the PIAA District 6 wrestling tournament, several swimmers competing in the District 6 swim championships and the Unified Bocce team competing at Districts. They look forward to seeing our kids finish up their winter events and kick off the spring season over the next month.

Bald Eagle Area School District

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751 S. Eagle Valley Road,

Wingate, PA 16823

814-355-4860 / www.beasd.org