Happy Summer

Happy summer, everyone!!  Hopefully, the season will warm up and allow us all to relax and recharge before the fall.  A little less rain would certainly help our maintenance staff and summer employees as they are already working very hard to clean all buildings and grounds.  The bleachers are here for the new multipurpose field, as well as the soccer nets, player benches and football goalposts.  A six-foot-high  fence will border the part of the field that abuts the road.  Once these upgrades are completed, we anticipate full use of this field for our fall sports practices and games. 

Our auditorium renovation fundraiser, “A Cause for Applause,” is moving along nicely.  Buying a seat (or two or three – no limit!), is a great graduation gift or a special way to remember a loved alumnus of CCSD.  The following link leads to a letter explaining what is being done and how you can donate: https://docs.google.com/a/ccsd.k12.pa.us/document/d/17ucx6THz1KKAyCplSLkZTYdNsYcVd1leXuX_Ea6u40g/edit?usp=drive_web

All seats are being reupholstered, new carpeting is being laid, and some surfaces are being painted. In addition, we are installing new rigging, stage curtains, sound board system and lighting.  The desk seats in the rear of the auditorium, as well as the wood on the walls, is being replaced.  This joint venture capital improvement project is possible through the Central Cambria Education Foundation and contributions from community members and local businesses.  For details see www.cceducationfoundation.org

Congratulations to the 133 seniors who recently graduated and to their families for being a positive part of their educational lives.  My interview with a cadre of these talented seniors was both enlightening and informative.  As usual, a wonderful group of seniors has graduated from Central Cambria.  While their influence and presence here will be greatly missed, I’m confident that we’ll hear great things about them over the years.  The ceremony can be viewed at our web site www.cencam.org.

June 30 will be the last day for Deb Dixon, our payroll clerk and Mrs. McDermott, our HS principal.  Both have been great to work with and have done many wonderful things for Central Cambria.  Their talents and presence will be greatly missed by all who have come to know them.  Good luck with retirement!!

My wife and I recently attended my niece’s wedding in Nashville.  What a great time to be a Pens fan!  I brought enough Pens gear to outfit a small country. Nothing like walking into a honky tonk establishment in Nashville wearing a Pens shirt and getting your picture taken with the local singer (she begged me not to post the photo because “I could lose my job.”)  The Nashville fans were very gracious and were very proud of their Preds. 

 

On the subject of sports, OTAs (Organized Training Activities) are now over for football rookies and training camp starts July 24. Hope springs eternal as I look for the Pens’ win to spark our Steelers to take serious aim at the Super Bowl.  I never wish a season away, but I am so ready for some football. 

Enjoy your families and what is left of June… go Bucs!

Dr. D.

An apology

Before I begin this blog, please let me apologize for missing my April post; the month was supremely busy and flew by before I realized I hadn’t posted. While it is actually the only blog I’ve missed in eight years, I do apologize to those of you who read my (indispensable!) blog. 

It appears for now that the monsoon season at Central Cambria has finally abated.  I am sure Cambria County’s water table level in is at an all-time high.  Of course, such rainy weather led to the need to reschedule—multiple times—many of the outdoor sporting events.  Kudos to Mr. Wilson, our AD, for his never-ending work with our sports programs.

As with all school districts, May is another very busy month at Central Cambria. With state testing, field trips, graduation arrangements, spring sporting events and playoffs, even these rainy days have flown by. As for me, with assistance from Mrs. Dixon, Mr. Cerelli and Mr. Wilson, I recently concluded my senior interviews; as usual, the groups I spoke with held nothing back.  Their suggestions, perceptions, memories and comments were intuitive, pointed, and well-articulated.  Overall, the groups with which I spoke represented about 35% of this year’s graduates.  These discussions gave strong evidence that; this class is very bright and super-competitive.  As usual, I will include many of their comments in my speech at the graduation ceremony. 

Speaking of graduation, here’s a preview of the theme of this year’s message:

This year, second grandson will graduate – from Kindergarten!  That is the good news; the bad news is it will be the same night as our graduation.    It is this event upon which I hope to expound during my talk.

I plan to relate how the cycle continues regardless of age or career.  I will touch on the ways in which education has changed since the early 1900’s. In those days, the non-academic focus was on immunizations and basic hygiene; today’s educators emphasize such things as suicide prevention, the pros and cons of social media, lockdown drills, and STEM learning, to name a few.  In all this time, however, the element that changed only minimally is the calendar; in general, the same 180 days comprise a school year.  As Winston Churchill said “so many things to do, so little time.” In my opinion, much more is being wedged into those 180 days than ever before.

On the subject of time constraints, it appears the people in Harrisburg will not be able to produce a budget before the end of June, no big surprise.  Both houses and the Governor seem split on some critical issues, foremost being the identification of revenue streams to actually funding the budget.  Each official has his or her own ideas on which programs to cut or reduce in order to alleviate the deficit and fund the budget.  This recurring problem in Harrisburg reminds me of the movie “Groundhog Day” in that every budget year seems to be like its predecessor. 

On a lighter note, how about the Pens? How about the Pens?!!  Where are they?! They seem poised to make a deep run toward the Stanley Cup championship but their recent difficulties with Ottawa leaves me wondering.  I respect the coach’s philosophy of “next man up” and “just play”.  Despite the multitude of injuries, they keep finding ways to win. Here’s hoping that the Pens’ pucks will consistently find the back of their opponents’ nets.  Let’s go Pens!!

Of course, the NFL draft is now history. There are always needs on both sides of the ball, after free agency and retirements, but it looks as if the picks the Steelers made could have a big impact.  Time will tell.  If only the season started tomorrow – Sigh…. Despite the fact that I see myself as an armchair expert, I have to trust that the team staff knew far more than I did about the interactive dynamics of various players as they drafted for the coming season.

As we approach the summer break, I encourage all students to make smart choices in the friends they hang out with, the events they attend, and even the ways in which they network on the Internet. Please have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing summer. 

Congratulations to the 2017 graduates and to their parents, relatives, friends, and others who have offered encouragement, patience, and a listening ear.  As you leave our district, remember: Red Devil Pride never graduates!

Good luck, seniors!

Enjoy your summer!  Dr. D.

Weather of March

March is always an interesting weather month.    Snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain and sunshine, and temperatures ranging from sub-freezing to summer-warm are all present in the month of March.  This year the lion that came in at the start of March seems reluctant to make room for the lamb that signals the end of winter. I am sure Mother Nature’s plan still includes warmer weather in Cambria County—eventually.

This has been a typical winter for CCSD students: we’ve had five cancellations, four delays and one early dismissal.  Currently, our last student day will be June 5.  Mrs. McDermott hopes that an end to cancellations will allow the graduation ceremony to take place on June 2.    Graduation will once again be held at the Stokes Field House at St. Francis.  As in years past, my May blog will include some interesting information about the graduating class of 2017 during the month of May.

Pennsylvania’s weather has delayed the administration of the PSSAs and Keystone Exams until April; between these and the usual spring activities, the remaining school year is bound to wind down at breakneck speed for students, teachers and administrators.  With the arrival of spring, we are excited to see how, after improvements were made to these playing surfaces last fall, our athletes perform on the baseball and softball fields this year. The multipurpose field appears to have weathered well through the winter; now we’ll see how strong the grass is when it comes up and how well it takes hold.  The plan is to use this field in the fall. 

2016-17 has been a wonderful year with so many students giving stellar performances in sports and extracurricular activities.  Our wrestlers, swimmers, and boys and girls basketball teams did a great job in Districts, Regionals and State finals.  Seven choral students advanced to state PMEA competition and six middle school students will go to San Diego CA, for the national Lego competition. Our hockey team went to the LHAC finals and lost to an opportunistic Altoona team.  They had a phenomenal season.  Max Murin is the first wrestler in CCSD history to be crowned state gold medalist twice, and our boys basketball team went further into PIAA play than any other boys basketball team at CCSD.

And as ever, March is the month for budget debates/battles at the Legislature.  Governor Wolf’s budget address in February has raised concerns about how much and when public schools will receive funding.  I urge you to contact your local representative at the state level to tell them they need to do their job and pass a fair, fiscally sound budget in a timely manner.

Speaking of the Governor, Mr. Wolf hosted a round table discussion on the state’s opioid crisis in our District on Thursday, March 16.  This was the first time a sitting Governor has ever been at CCSD.  His determination to address this crisis was very apparent.  It was an honor to have him at our District.  He also made a point of meeting Max Murin to congratulate him on his wrestling accomplishments.

Finally, while most people happily see March as the time that Spring is finally in the air, we fanatics see this season as a harbinger of legitimate reasons to think and talk about football.   NFL free agency trades continue, and there are just 36 days until the draft begins. All of these events are hitting the airwaves and adding to the notion that football is back. And many colleges, including PSU, have begun spring practices.  As I wait (patiently?) for football, I’m happy to note that our Pittsburgh Pens are providing us with excellent hockey performances. They are in a good position to secure a wild card spot for the playoffs. 

As time marches on at an increasingly rapid pace, it won’t be long before many of us will be avoiding the heat and complaining about cutting the grass. If you’re like me, objections will be minimal as we embrace the pleasures—and the challenges—of every season.

Until next month,

Dr. D.