The Sun Valley High School Marching Vanguards took Gold at the Cavalcade of Bands State Championships on Saturday, November 14 in Hershey, PA.  Their performance entitled "Witch and Famous," won first place in the American Open Division of the Cavalcade of Bands, beating out 11 other groups including bands from Haverford, Marple Newtown and Methacton high schools.

 

The day started off early for the Vanguards, meeting at Sun Valley in the early hours of the morning to practice their routine before boarding the bus to Hershey.  Once they arrived at the stadium, they practiced their routine again and began to mentally prepare for what was ahead.  When it came time to choose their performance spot, they drew the undesirable #1.  However, they did not let this misfortune affect their performance.  They delivered an exceptional performance, earning the highest score ever achieved in Sun Valley Marching Band history of 96.1 and the title of State Champions in the American Open Division.  The group also won special awards for High Visual and Overall Effects.

 

It has been an incredible season for Sun Valley's marching band, as they have placed first in every Cavalcade competition this season for a total of seven 1st place wins.  Their season began before the start of the school year. They practiced outside Sun Valley in the final days of summer in order to have their routines in place for the first football game and the start of competition season.  Their schedule is packed, playing at football games, competing on the weekends and appearing in various parades throughout the year.  It is no doubt a huge commitment for all involved.

 

The Marching Vanguards are under the direction of Tim Pry, who has been Sun Valley's music director for the last 10 years.

 

Mr. Pry noted "In my 10 years as a director here at Sun Valley, I have never seen this band perform at the level they did at Championships this year. You always want the kids to have their best performance be the one that counts in the end.  These kids did just that.  When it counted, they pulled out all the stops and left everything they had to give on the field.  I'm so proud of these kids.  It has been a truly wonderful season working with the students, the instructional staff, and the parent group in putting together such a fun and entertaining show."

 

Sun Valley's Marching Band has now placed in the top three for the last four years at the Cavalcade of Bands State Championships.  The last time Sun Valley won a state championship for marching band was in 1981. 

 

Sun Valley Principal, Mr. Pete Donaghy noted "I am so proud of the student members and directors of the Marching Vanguards, and now State Champions! With the amount of work this group puts into their season, it is no surprise to me that they brought home the gold this year.  The talent, spirit and dedication that these students possess are what allow this group to achieve greatness.  The Marching Vanguards are an outstanding example of the high caliber of students and programs we have here at Sun Valley."

The Penn-Delco Board of School Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Patrick Crater as the district's new athletic director.  Appointed to the position during the board of school director's study session on November 18th, Crater will take on the post previously held by Mr. Joel Alutius, who will be transferring to Northley Middle School as an assistant principal.

Mr. Crater is currently the Health and Physical Education teacher at Haverford High School, a position he has held since 2006.  Prior to this position, he served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and was the youth sports director for the Reading and Berks County YMCA.     

 

Crater is a seasoned educator with solid athletic administrative experience including budget management, game and facility management, score reporting, communication with coaches, safety, and recruiting.  His broad expertise will certainly be an asset to the Penn-Delco athletic program.   

 

Crater has received advance certifications from Cabrini College and West Chester University in educational leadership, supervision and administration.  He has held numerous coaching positions at the high school level and is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. 

 

Dr. George Steinhoff, Penn-Delco Superintendent of Schools noted, "I'm thrilled to have Patrick Crater join the Penn-Delco administrative team as our new athletic director. Pat's ability to detail and outline specific steps leading to an exemplary athletic program was impressive. His experience is ideal and I look forward to seeing him work with our student athletes, coaches, booster groups, and parents to make Sun Valley and Northley athletics the best possible experience for our students."

 

Looking forward to his new position at Penn-Delco, Crater states, "It is with much enthusiasm that I join the Penn-Delco School District.  I've had the opportunity to meet with school and community leaders, and I really appreciate their commitment to education and dedication to the growth of their athletic programs.  I am eager to get started, and excited to meet the rest of the staff, students, and community members.   I am looking forward to connecting Penn-Delco's athletic programs at all levels and providing the leadership to help student-athletes have success on and off the field.  I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity."

Spotlight on Curriculum

Social media and technology have changed the way educators teach, how students learn, and the way teachers and students communicate. Reading and writing, the current definition of literacy also includes the ability to learn, comprehend, and interact with technology in a meaningful way. Penn-Delco School District recognizes the importance of technology in the classroom. Sun Valley High School is well into its second full year of the 1:1 initiative providing all students with laptops. Our elementary schools are about to begin an exciting program that teaches students the foundational skills of technology.

 

Beginning December 7, students in grades one through five in each of our elementary schools will be enrolled in a weekly Elementary Technology class. This class will be a part of each student's related arts cycle. The Elementary Technology class will teach foundational skills, digital citizenship, keyboarding and word processing, Excel, PowerPoint, internet browsing and queries and coding. Mrs. Mindy Ross and Mr. Christopher Gorniak, the teachers of the Elementary Technology courses, will offer students hands-on experiences with technology that will later assist them as they move through their education. Technology in the classroom can help students become capable users, information seekers, problem solvers and decision-makers. 

 

Technology should enhance learning. Penn-Delco teachers are successfully bringing technology into the classroom by assigning online course content, using adaptive software for students with special needs, and utilizing online student assessments and other digital tools. With a click of a mouse, any student anywhere has the opportunity to learn. Technology promotes individual student instruction to meet the needs of each student and is connecting parents to teachers.