Schools & Education

Two parents expressed concerns at Monday evening’s Gettysburg Area School District school board meeting about the lack of administrative policy and action to protect students from hate speech and in-person or cyber-bullying at district schools. Jenine Weaver, who has four children in district schools, said that “hate speech is running rampant,” particularly slurs aimed at

by Robyn Woods When I was a kid, we would get the Scholastic catalog to take home.  This paper catalog had all of the new scholastic books that were available to be ordered.  I would sit at home and circle all the books that I wanted. My mom would then go through the titles and

by Sharon Lentzner During these past three years, we may not have all experienced or taken notice of the many wonderful events happening around us. As president of the Friends of the Littlestown Library, I would like to share one of those events with you.  This year our town celebrated the 11th anniversary of the

The Gettysburg Area School Board has approved a change to its library media policy that will allow parents to specify material that their children may not read. The new policy instructs the school system staff to develop a system that will allow parents to specify books their children shouldn’t have access to. Despite the potentially-contentious

by Sherry Feeser In just a few short weeks, the temperatures will, hopefully,  be increasing, and many of us will be looking for something to do outside.  Several of the libraries in the Adams County Library System will have you covered.  We will be placing StoryWalks outside several library branches. StoryWalks are fun for all

by Mary Lou Berg The Friends of the New Oxford Area Library (NOAL) have been a partof the New Oxford Area Library since September 1982. The NOAL wasthe first Branch of the Adams County Library System (ACLS) to beestablished. Our mission is to provide a helping hand, promote and assist with thedevelopment of our Library.

by Erica Duffy Adams County Public Libraries are a vital part of our community’s learning network. FunFest is our free event that celebrates the kick-off into SummerQuest, the ACLS summer learning program. We encourage children and families to attend FunFest to learn more about SummerQuest. The program provides children the opportunity to experience everything the

The Upper Adams School District School Board on Tuesday approved more than $ 664,000 worth of largely maintenance projects and also gave the green light to sell nearly $100,000 in iPads and laptops for a technology “refresh.” The board unanimously voted to use approximately $664,200 of capital reserve funds for several 2023-2024 projects. Board member

An amended version of Gettysburg Area School District’s policy on library materials and resources was considered by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday evening, moving closer to formal board consideration on March 6. The only change to the policy is the addition of this line:   “The Superintendent or Designee will develop a procedure to

The Bermudian Springs school board created a curriculum committee during its meeting Tuesday evening following a long debate. The committee will act as another layer between the curriculum council and the broader school board. The board has spent other meetings debating whether to create the committee and what its purpose would be. During Tuesday’s meeting,

By Robert Brown Have you ever wandered into your local library in the hopes of finding books organized by a theme or a topic?  You may not have realized it, but libraries do this all the time with their displays.  When you see a display in the library, know that someone has taken the time

Critical Race Theory (CRT) raised its controversial head at the Monday meeting of the Littlestown Area School District (LASD) Board of Supervisors. At issue is the “Reveal Math” program from textbook publisher McGraw Hill, a proposed elementary math curriculum that includes social-emotional learning (SEL) goals. According to the McGraw Hill website, Reveal Math is designed

The Upper Adams School District (UASD) Board of Directors on Tuesday approved a $155,000 proposal for architects to design and engineer a potential renovation of the girls’ and boys’ locker rooms and team rooms at Biglerville High School. The board also voted to seek bids for the physical process of renovating the locker and team

by Jessica Lagonsky One of the best pieces of my job is selecting books to purchase for the Adams County Library System. I think I can speak for my colleagues when I say there is great joy in connecting the community with a new favorite book or author, as well as making sure the latest

The Upper Adams School District (UASD) received an anonymous bomb threat on a document earlier today. UASD administrators immediately notified police and began dismissing all UASD students and adults from schools and campuses as a precautionary measure. Biglerville Police, in conjunction with Pennsylvania State Police, searched all UASD schools and facilities with the assistance of bomb-sniffing

by Annette DeFuso One of the responsibilities I have as the Technical Services Director is to participate in collection development. More specifically, I select for purchase new adult fiction books in print for the library system. There are thousands of new novels published each year, and it can be challenging to keep up with what’s

By Imari Scarbrough The Conewago Valley school board approved several administrative transfers and new hires during the board meeting Monday. The meeting was also the first for the new middle school principal and the last for the district’s assistant superintendent. Matthew Muller, principal of New Oxford Middle School, provided his final report in that role.

Locker rooms at Biglerville High School that have not seen substantial upgrades since the 1970s could be getting a multi-million-dollar renovation. Upper Adams School Board on Tuesday discussed a potential $2.86 million revamp of boys’ and girls’ locker and team rooms. Oversized locker and team rooms used by middle and high school students need a

by Sara Edmiston It’s one of the library system’s best-kept secrets that should be known by all in the county.  With your library card, you have access to millions of songs (the entire Sony Music catalog) that you can stream for 3-hours daily.  You can also download five songs weekly – and never have to

The Bermudian Springs school board accepted a late holiday gift during the regular board meeting on Tuesday when a church paid for the district’s outstanding food service debt. The topic of the donation initially came up during the board’s caucus meeting on Monday. Justin Peart, the district’s business manager, said Harvest Chapel in Abbottstown offered

Again, this year I have been tasked with writing the first Adams County Library System Gettysburg Times article of the year…. I believe this makes for at least four years running…. Past New Year’s library articles that I have written about included the “5 Best Kept Secrets of the Adams County Library System” and a

by Dorothy Puhl It is my privilege to serve as the current president of the Adams County Library System Board of Trustees. Like many residents of Adams County, I got my first library card as a small child and have enjoyed the library’s materials, programs, and services my whole life. Where else can you borrow

By Jeff Cann, ACLS Finance Director Three months ago, I wrote an article for the Gettysburg Connection explaining where the Adams County Library System funding comes from (https://gettysburgconnection.org/library-funding-101/). Today, I thought I’d give a quick overview of where it goes. The short answer is books, buildings, and people. The library expects to spend $2.8 million

Reference services. Guidance. Support. These are just a few of the terms that come to mind when I think about the relationship between the Gettysburg Library branch and my library, the Trone Memorial Library. As the center of all activity and services for the library system, the Gettysburg location offers the largest collection of resources

At its annual reorganization meeting this evening, the Littlestown Area School District Board of Directors re-elected Dolores Nester as President and Yancy Unger as Vice President. Board members Nicki Kenny and Jeanne Ewen voted against Nester; the vote for Unger was unanimous. The board also finalized the board and committee meeting schedules for 2023, which

At Gettysburg Area School District’ annual reorganization meeting last evening, President Kenneth Hassinger was re-elected as Board President for 2023 and Mike Dickerson was elected Vice President. Both votes were split with 8 members in favor and Amy Beth Hodges voting against. The board agreed to comply with state and federal laws, designated the Gettysburg

Here at the Adams County Library System, we receive regular shipments of books, DVDs, and audiobooks every week.  Some are upcoming releases heading for a release date the following week, but our materials also include endowments and specific order requests from patrons. Primarily, however, the responsibility of ordering materials is shared among a number of

Responding to the increased prevalence of flags (such as the intersex pride flag) being displayed in classrooms, The Bermudian Springs school board spent a long caucus meeting on Monday debating whether to make its existing flag policy stricter. The conversation was continued by members of the public during the board’s meeting on Tuesday. Board member

Written by Abbie James, Gettysburg Library Children’s Assistant  Scavenger hunts. Digging for pirate gold. Some fun childhood memories may have surfaced from reading those words. It turns out that hunting for treasure isn’t only exciting for kids—and I get to do it every time a patron comes into the Children’s Department and requests a book.

By Brandt Ensor, Assistant Executive Director, Adams County Library System In our budget year 2022, the Adams County Library System is scheduled to spend $165,711 on new materials of all types for the six branches of the Adams County Library System. This number also includes e-books and e-audiobooks for our Cloud Library electronic platform. I

It has been a very busy year for the New Oxford Area Friends. When you visit the library you will notice the new furniture. The Friends were instrumental in the acquisition of the new tables and chairs. These new furnishings are both practical and comfortable. They are easy to clean and sanitize and very easy

The Gettysburg school board unanimously approved the sale of a building lot on Hunterstown Rd. to the Adams County chapter of Habitat for Humanity at its meeting last night. The sale is at market rates and the intention is that a partnership will be developed between Adams County Technical Institute and Habitat to construct an

A Bermudian Springs parent approached the school board on Tuesday evening demanding the district retrain its teachers after her child was allegedly exposed to allergens while in school in September. Sarah Nickey, a parent of a third-grade student, told the board last month that her child had to be treated at two hospitals after being

by Jessica Laganosky, Branch Director, Trone Memorial Library Get ready to join the celebration with the Adams County Library System in October as each Adams County Library hosts programs and discussions featuring this year’s Adams County Reads One Book selection, “Leave Only Footprints” by Conor Knighton! If you have not had an opportunity to read

By Jeff Cann, ACLS Finance Director As the Adams County Library System’s Finance Director, I frequently hear about a common misconception: “What do you even do? Aren’t the library’s finances managed by the County Controller’s office?” Well, no. Library workers aren’t Adams County employees. We’re a nonprofit, just like United Way or the Red Cross.

As school enters its second month, Littlestown Area School Superintendent Christopher Bigger said “It feels like school. It was a really smooth start to the year.”  Bigger thanked the staff for their hard work. District enrollment is decreasing, moving down to 2,007 total students in comparison to last year’s 2,086.  “That enrollment is supporting the

At its regular board meeting on Tuesday evening, the GASD school board approved replacement of the high school athletic field and received a final briefing on the $33.8 million HVAC replacement at Lincoln and James Gettys elementary schools. A final vote to approve the latter project is anticipated at the next scheduled meeting, September 19.

The Fairfield Area school board approved a mask-optional health and safety plan during its meeting on Monday evening. The board typically streams its meetings on its YouTube channel, but the audio during Monday’s meeting was difficult to understand in many places due to some distortion. Superintendent Thomas Haupt helped fill in the gaps. Haupt said

The Fairfield Area school board approved the hire of several more employees on Monday evening, helping put the district in a strong position to begin the 2022-23 school year. The board approved hiring a handful of new teachers, a middle school counselor, a part-time special education aide, a part-time office aid and a coordinator of

The Gettysburg Area School District will likely revise its 2022-23 budget to deal with an unexpected 6 percent ($687,000) increase in tax revenue from the state. The new funds will be used in large part for special education, transportation, and charter schools. Business manager Belinda Wallen said that, given the new funding, the district’s plan

While state officials are worried about Pennsylvania’s ongoing teacher shortage, school representatives in Fairfield Area School District say their district is in good shape. During the Fairfield school board’s meeting on Monday evening, the board focused on preparations for the 2022-23 school year. Superintendent Thomas Haupt told the board he hoped it would approve adding

Vida Charter School has appointed Elana Nashelsky as the school’s first principal. Nashelsky joined the staff at Vida six years ago and has served as assistant principal since 2018, supporting the school through its recharter process comprehensive planning, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Nashelsky is a strong advocate for Vida’s vision of bilingualism, biliteracy, academic achievement,

The Fairfield Area School District passed its final budget for the 2023-24 school year on Monday evening with no tax increases. The millage rate will remain at 11.1305. Even without a tax increase, the board still expects to have a surplus of $188,959. The approved budget includes revenues of $19,836,530 and expenditures of $19,647,571. While

By Imari Scarbrough The Bermudian Springs school board will not include any tax increases in its Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget following a close vote on Tuesday evening. The board discussed the pros and cons of including a tax increase in the budget, with concerns ranging from the problems of raising prices for residents on fixed

The Fairfield Area school district is beginning the process of developing long-term plans for its curriculum, training, facilities and more. During the school board’s meeting on Monday evening, Superintendent Thomas Haupt gave a state of the district speech which also served as an opportunity for him to share his vision for the future. Haupt said

The 156 graduates of the Littlestown Senior High School Class of 2022 gathered with their teachers, school board, families, and friends on the field of Thunderbolt Stadium on Friday evening to receive their diplomas and take the first step as recent graduates into the rest of their lives. The weather remained on the favorable side

On a split 6-3 vote, the Littlestown Area School District (LASD) school board approved a proposed 2022-23 budget that includes a 1% property tax increase. Voting against the budget were board members Jeanne Ewen, Nicki Kenny, and Shari Kruger. Kenny initially made a motion to table the budget “so that it may be sent back