At its Jan. 8 meeting, the North Hills School Board announced high school Vice Principal Kevin Sheridan was named one of 15 local winners of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ annual Most Valuable Principal program, which recognizes school principals who go above and beyond.
“Sheridan will be recognized at an upcoming game in March and will be given a personalized Penguins jersey along with a $1,000 donation made to North Hills School District,” school board member Phil Little said.
The award is a collaborative effort of the Penguins Foundation, Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Grable Foundation.
In other business, Superintendent Patrick Mannarino announced upcoming dates for kindergarten registration and curriculum nights.
The annual kindergarten forum will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in the auditorium of Ross Elementary School, 90 Houston Road. Parents are encouraged to attend. Kindergarten registration officially opens Feb. 1 and should be completed as soon as possible. Students must be 5 by Aug. 1 to qualify.
Attendees of the forum will need to sign in digitally and should bring their smartphone or a similar device to scan a QR code and complete an online form.
Curriculum nights for the district’s older students also have been scheduled, with the high schoolers going first from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 28 at North Hills High School, 53 Rochester Road.
Students currently in grades 8-11, along with their parents or guardians, will have the opportunity to visit curricular stations to review subject materials, curriculum and textbooks associated with each course. High school faculty members will be available for questions to help students schedule their coursework for next year. Counselors also will be available in the auditorium to answer individual scheduling questions.
“Parents and students currently in grades 8 through 11 should attend because it’s a great time to ask questions,” Mannarino said.
The middle school curriculum night for students currently in grades 5-7, as well as their parents or guardians, is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 4 at North Hills Middle School, 55 Rochester Road.
“There is a meeting at 6 p.m. in the auditorium for parents of rising sixth graders and a meeting at 7 p.m. for rising seventh and eighth grade parents,” Mannarino said.
The curriculum nights are not an open house.
“The meetings are for parents and guardians only,” Mannarino said.
From 3 to 6 p.m. Feb. 16, there will be a job fair for candidates interested in teaching in the North Hills School District. Representatives from many of North Hills’ departments will be on hand to answer questions. The job fair will be held in the North Hills Middle School LGI room. There will be application assistance and on-site interviews throughout the afternoon.
“It’s looking like we will have roughly 15 teacher openings in the upcoming year. So if you’re a teacher looking for a job, bring your resume and let’s talk,” Mannarino said.
The school board also recognized a high school student for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in Scouts BSA.
Luke Coldren created and installed sensory boards at the life skills classroom at McIntyre Elementary School as part of his final project. Eagle Scouts are required to complete one large project as they progress toward their final badge.
Coldren got the idea to do the project from a lacrosse friend’s mom. He then worked with the director of pupil services, Nicole Bezila, and Valerie Hofmeister, a teacher in the life skills department, to design the room.
