Parkland School District : Grades K -12, Allentown PA

PHS English Teacher Becomes a National Writing Project Fellow

PSD — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:39:13 +0000

Rachel Livesey, a PHS English teacher, became a National Writing Project Fellow. She was inspired after her fellow colleague, Lori Peters, became a National Writing Project Fellow in January 2011. The National Writing Project Fellow has had a great impact on how she teaches writing and she feels her students’ work has reflected significant growth. For more information visit:http://www2.lv.psu.edu/ce/lvwp

PHS Students Recognized in the East Central Scholastic Art Awards Competition

PSD — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:36:35 +0000

The following PHS students were recognized in the East Central Scholastic Art Awards Competition:

Jurors Choice- Rob Jagiela
Baum School of Art Award- Paul Peng
Gold Photo Portfolio- Nicole Dolack and Jessica Slavejkov

Scholastic Gold Winners:

Andrew Barnes- Ceramics
Catherine Cowan- Photography
Tyler Delong- Drawing
Robert Gallagher- Drawing
Ormarr Hannah- Mixed Media
Rob Jagiela- Mixed Media
Rob Jagiela- Photography
Camile Johnson- Textiles
Camile Johnson-Ceramics
Ryan Lutz- Drawing
Keila Matthews- Painting
Trevor McCleary-Metals
Jennifer Mindock- Drawing
Paul Peng- Painting
Kyle Piskula- Metals
Jessica Slavejkov- Photography
Brandon Tauber- Animation/Film

Miles in Learning to Eat Smart

PSD — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:29:21 +0000

As part of a Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grant that was secured by middle school science teacher Dianne Haberstroh, this program was designed to encourage healthy eating habits and physical fitness with a connection to energy consumption. Students designed Miles, a life-sized sculptured man made out of nutritious foods with apps on his abs that will be unveiled. With pedometers, students will record miles walked for the next four months and display results by homeroom. An energy bike, ridden by Superintendent Mr. Sniscak commenced the program. The energy bike features amounts of electricity that can be generated by pedaling a bike such as turning on a light bulb or turning on a hair dryer.

National Digital Learning Day

PSD — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:25:34 +0000

Student teacher uses a "Smartboard" to plot points during a math class

Students celebrated National Digital Learning Day with events held in the Library/Media Center which showcased the use of digital technology to compliment innovative teacher lessons.

On this day, an English class embarked on a Crucible web quest that challenged students to make connections between the Salem “witch hunts” of the 600s to contemporary “witch hunts” just as Crucible author Arthur Miller connected Salem to the time when Senator Joseph McCarthy made a public accusation that more than two hundred “card-carrying” communists had infiltrated the United States government in the 1940’s and 50’s.

High School history class signs out laptops

Later that day, a history class signed out laptop carts to work on Federalist period presentations that involve script-writing, filming, and video-editing. An interactive display of the human body was on display in the media center that was created by a Parkland biology teacher as was some robots designed by Technology Education students learning about production materials and processes.

Parkland teachers regularly embrace 21^st century technology with the use of interactive whiteboards and projectors, online web tools such as Moodle and Wikispaces, and collaborative assignments using Google Docs. Students create advanced projects on laptops using I-movie, Prezi, and Google Docs. They also prepare for standardized testing using online programs such as Study Island, MySkills Tutor, and Gomyaccess. A Trojan Tech Team consisting of 8 students assist teachers and students who need help creating digital projects or using online programs. Additionally, students can check out Kindles in the Library to read curriculum-based and interest-based books online. The high school library also provides several online databases for academic research.

Student checks out Kindle from the library

Tracy Smith, Assistant to the Superintendent for Operations, stated, “Parkland High School is fortunate to have a technology-rich media center that provides students opportunities to engage with information using a wide variety of formats. Lauren Will, the high school media specialist, is to be commended for her efforts to organize this event for our students and highlight the advances students and staff have made in embracing 21^st century teaching and learning.”

About National Digital Learning Day

Digital Learning Day is a nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology that engages students and provides them with a rich, personalized educational experience. For more information, visit: www.digitallearningday.org.