North Hills Faculty Gives Back

to the Community
Teacher Driven Efforts Raise Money for Needy
Families and Community Programs
The NHEA raised more that $400 The Sr. High Jazz Choir, led by
at the Community Carnival this past teacher Harriet Valliant, has per-
Saturday to benefit The Caring Place formed on average 20 + performances
and the North Hills Foundation. This each year at local community agen-
was just one example of how NH cies including senior centers and
teachers and faculty participate in nursing homes.
fundraising for the community all Shannon Gruber and the McIntyre
year long. student council raised more than
$5497 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society.
Joe Deible and a group of NH
senior high students have raised
more than $30,000 for Toys for Tots,
Child’s Way, and children’s medical
care by staying up all night as part
of their Tired for Tots events and
other fundraisers.
Ross Teachers and Staff donated
33 wreaths which were placed by lo-
cal veterans and volunteers at The
Missi Marangoni and Amy Patsile- National Cemetery of the Alleghenies
vas coordinate the annual Lee Na- on December 12th. Ross teachers
tional Denim Day which raised more also raised over $1600 for The Shar-
than $2800 in faculty donations for ing and Caring Program for Disabled
Breast Cancer Research. Donna Veterans. This event gives hospi-
Perry’s fundraising for the Susan G. talized and ailing Veterans the op-
Komen foundation raised another portunity to board the Gateway Clip-
$1200 last spring. per, have lunch with their comrades,
Bonnie Ziff and the senior high and be entertained for the after-
teachers raised $340 for the Leuke- noon.
mia/Lymphoma Society as part of a
denim day fundraiser last month.
The North Hills Elves Project
raised $5,165 to supply needy fami-
lies in the North Hills area with
gift cards and gift boxes for
Christmas last year.
The Environmental Club, led by
volunteer coordinator Robin Stein,
has been recycling paper, batteries,
pop bottles, and aluminum cans for
four years.
NH Achievements and Accomplishments
North Hills exceeded ALL Adequate achievement in the college-level
Yearly Progress benchmarks based upon Advanced Placement Program, repre-
the 2010 PSSA results. sent an increase of 7 students or
As determined by No Child Left be- 10 percent over the past year.
hind regulations, 100% of the faculty Shannon Diven, a 6th grade
in the North Hills School District are teacher at West View, earned Na-
classified as Highly Qualified Instruc- tional Board Certification– in-
tors. creasing the number of board certi-
North Hills Senior High is one of 29 fied teachers in the district to
schools in Pennsylvania to be named one seven.
of America’s Best High Schools by News- Kathy Duddy and Angela Honchar
week magazine. were honored with the Scott E. Fol-
mer Award, which recognizes those
who give outstanding support to
special education students.
Matt Simon, a North Hills Junior
High teacher, has been named the
2010 Outstanding Middle School Art
Teacher by the Pennsylvania Art
Education Association.
Six North Hills Senior High
School seniors were recently recog-
nized as semifinalists in the Na-
tional Merit Scholarship Program –
the school’s highest number of
semifinalists in recent history.
Last year, North Hills received
its highest SAT scores in recent
history.
North Hills was one of 11 dis-
The Junior High was one of only 38 tricts across the state to be
programs nationwide to be selected as awarded the 21st Century Teaching
an Apple Exemplary Program for its best and Learning Initiatives grant,
practices in creating a 21st century which is worth $20,000. The funds
learning environment. were awarded by the Verizon Founda-
The College Board recently announced tion, which is supported by Verizon
that a record-number 75 North Hills Communications, following a grant
students earned the designation of AP submitted by elementary librarian
Scholar ~ including one National AP Cody Ressel.
Scholar. These students, who earned
recognition for their exceptional