At the June 12th school board meeting, the Derry Township School District Board of School Directors proposed a $61.4 million budget for the 2017-2018 school year, with no increase in taxes. The Final 2017-2018 budget provides for resources for all programs currently operated by the Derry Township School District. In addition the final 2017-2018 budget includes a few enhancements to our current programs. First being all students in grades 6th through 12th will receive an iPad that can be used in school and at home. Second the budget includes expenses to support the development of the districtโs full day kindergarten program for the 2018-2019 school year.
At the June 12, 2017 School Board Meeting, the Board of School Directors approved the transition to Full-Day Kindergarten beginning the 2018-2019 school year. The measure includes an option for parents/guardians who prefer a ยฝ-day program. In order to keep parents/guardians and community members informed, we have created an area on our web site that serves as a repository for background information and other pertinent resources you may find of interest. Click the headline above or the adjacent graphic to access this information.
A Message from Superintendent Joe McFarland: This has been a week of very conflicting emotions for all of us. On one hand, we celebrated and honored almost 300 Hershey High School graduates. On the other hand, we mourned the loss of one of our high school students. As I noted prior to leading a moment of silence at commencement, it is an odd, and somewhat confusing juxtaposition of very different feelings. Click on the headline for more information.
A total of 283 seniors graduated as the Hershey High School Class of 2017 on June 8 during a commencement ceremony where student speakers encouraged their peers to never stop learning. Hershey High Schoolโs 110th Graduation Ceremonies were held at Founders Hall on the campus of the Milton Hershey School. The commencement exercises were also broadcast online via streaming video.
In a move to save taxpayer dollars by reducing utility costs, Derry Township School District has established special summer hours. All buildings (schools and the district office) will be closed Friday through Sunday. Normal public office hours will remain in effect Monday - Thursday. (The District Office will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. those days.) The consolidation of work hours provide a savings by reducing cooling and electricity costs.
In addition to the slate of candidates running for traditional four-year terms on the DTSD Board of School Directors, the general election ballot in November will also include the selection of an individual to fill the remaining two years of a vacated term. If you have an interest in having your name considered for inclusion on the ballot for that position, contact the Dauphin County Department of Elections and Voter Registration at (717) 780-6360 for information on how to proceed.
Derry Township School District is looking for individuals interested in training as bus drivers for the 2017-2018 school year. No previous bus driving experience is required โ just the ability to train for and obtain a Commercial Driverโs License and the motivation to give our students a positive start and end to the school day. Interested individuals may contact Steve Bell, Director of Transportation, by phone at 566-7422.
The COCOA Principles embody a district-wide culture where students and staff demonstrate DTSD's core beliefs ofOWNERSHIP - Students Commended for Positive School Climate
Jacquelyn Castleman, Principal , Jena Funck, Assistant Principal and Anna Gawel, Assistant Principal are pleased to announce that these students in Grades 2-5 are to be commended for their contributions to a positive school climate during the 2016-2017 school year.
ACADEMICS: Fourth Marking Period Honor Rolls
Fourth Marking Period Honor Rolls for the 2016-2017 school year have been released for Hershey High School and Hershey Middle School.
Academics: HHS Students named Grand Champions at Captial Area Science and Engineering Fair
Hershey’s Alan Hwang and Michael Miller were both named Grand Champions at the Capital Area Science and Engineering Fair, earning a trip to the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair held May 14-19 in Los Angeles, California. Hershey’s ChenChen Yuan was named alternate Grand Champion.
ACADEMICS: Hershey High School Quiz Bowl Team Takes First Place
Congratulations to the HHS team of Elizabeth Abraham, Levent Batakci, Samika Kanekar, Kevin Shi, Danny Su, Dhruv Tripathi, ChenChen Yuan and John Zhuang for besting 10 other teams at the recent Lebanon Valley College Quiz Bowl. This is the second consecutive year that a Hershey High team has taken first place in the competition which features questions on a variety of math topics from Algebra to Calculus.
Academics: HHS Science Olympiad Team Wins at Millersville University
Hershey High School’s Science Olympiad team bested squads from 34 other schools competing at Millersville University, earning a first place at the regional competition and qualifying for the Pennsylvania State Competition at Juniata College.
Opportunity: HHS Diver Captures PIAA Class 3A State Championship
HHS diver Jake Hedrick captured the PIAA Class 3A State Championship held at Bucknell University’s natatorium, capping his senior season with a gold medal.
Opportunity: HHS Choir Place "Gold" in Roxbury Choir Festival
HHS choirs hit the right note at the prestigious Roxbury Choir Festival in New Jersey. The In Voce and Cantabile choirs each earned “Gold” ratings for the second straight year, with Cantabile ensemble repeating as Grand Champions for the entire 23-school event! In addition to the ensemble awards, two individual vocalists from Hershey earned special recognitions, with Lydia Neuhauser being named outstanding soloist for her performance and Kodiak Thompson, receiving the award for Outstanding Performance in the Solo Division.
Opportunity: HMS Chess Team Wins Championship Chess Match
A huge congratulations to the HMS Chess Team for competing in the championship match on March 1, 2017. After a very intense two hours, Hershey Middle School came away with the victory with a score of 11-5. This win brings an end to their season, and after several exciting months of competition, Hershey finished this year with a fantastic undefeated record of 11 wins and 0 losses! A special shoutout goes to Calista Huesch who played in the number two position all year long and was the only person on the Hershey team to never lose a single match throughout the entire season. Congratulations to Calista for this impressive accomplishment. And many congratulations to all 8 of the varsity players who were part of a great season this year. The varsity members this year were Manny Didia from 6th grade, Cam Cooney from 7th grade, Ani Rao from 6th grade, Dhevin Karunanayaka from 6th grade, Scott Niu from 8th grade, Anthony Eichman from 8th grade, Calista Huesch from 6th grade, and Rocco Huesch from 8th grade. If you see any of these students throughout the day today, be sure to congratulate them on a phenomenal finish and a fine season!
OPPORTUNITY: County Band
Congratulations to HMS students Tehya Walters, Gracie Singleton, Emma Rubey, Lincoln Reiter, Karleigh McLeod, Nick Martin, Taylor Koda, Lauren Kaye, Madison Geeting, Patrick Gardner, Kirsten Ecker and Neela Agarwa. These young musicians successfully auditioned for the Dauphin County Music Educators Association County Band.
OPPORTUNITY: Students Recognized by the Hershey Apollo Awards
Congratulations to the cast and crews of HHS Theatre's production of You Can't Take It with You who have earned a nomination for a Hershey Theatre's Apollo Award for Outstanding Play! Special congratulations to Kodiak Thompson for earning a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play and to Cara McErlean, who earned an Honorable Mention for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play. Finally, congratulations to our own Paige Beck for earning nomination for Outstanding Student Playwright for the second year in a row! So proud of our students for their talent, hard work, and dedication to our HHS Theatre program!
