By BILL HALBFOERSTER
Twenty-four exchange students from Germany, along with their American counterparts, met with members of the Northampton Area School Board at their meeting Monday night. They were introduced by Ms. April Krempasky, who is leading the German American Partnership Program on this side of the Atlantic for the Northampton Area School District.
The German students arrived this past Friday for a 12-day stay in the U.S., studying at the high school and living with families in this area. The American students will visit Germany in June and July, when they will attend school for 12 days at Freiherrvom Stein Schule in Gladenbuch.
The students are scheduled to visit Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia as part of their trip here. After they were introduced, all of the students shook hands with the school directors, who welcomed them to America.
Other Matters
• Two other presentations were made on Monday – one, the 2012-2013 Northampton Community College budget given by Dr. Arthur Scott and two, the PFM middle school financial picture, given by Ms. Jamie Doyle.
• That was followed by a construction discussion on the middle school project by KCBA architects and a discussion of the 2012-13 NASD budget.
• In personnel matters, the board approved:
– A full-year sabbatical for Kristen Sevinsky for professional development.
– A half-year sabbatical for Rebecca Philbin and Linda Kney, also for professional development.
– Resignations of Susan Baird, ESL teacher; Richard Baran, guidance counselor; Thomas Keim, biology teacher; Jodie Laury, elementary teacher; Judith Luckenbach, elementary teacher; Richard Silvius, mathematics teacher; Wendy Lyons, elementary teacher; Brenda Rose, librarian; Martha Fenningham, kindergarten teacher; Nancy Wilkin, chemistry teacher, and Kathryn Chartier, English teacher, all for super-annuated retirement.
– Resignations of Barbara Carrigan, speech and language pathologist; Mary Dawn Ditty, librarian; Donna Feldman, elementary teacher; Diane Wakeman, English teacher; Gwen Whilden, health and physical education teacher; Pamela Pope, social studies teacher; Alice Keim, family and consumer science teacher, and William Gowdy, social studies teacher, all for retirement.
– Alana Heller, paid child-bearing leave of absence starting in May.
– Dale Danner, extension of medical leave.
• The board also approved the Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech School general fund budget of $9,892,650, with the NASD portion of $2,267,440.
