The annual reorganization meetings and the postponed November Action meeting were held at the North Penn School District Educational Center on Monday, December 2, 2024.
At the reorganization meeting, new members were elected President and Vice President for a one-year term.
Mrs. Cathy McMurtrie was elected as President, and Ms. Juliane Ramić was elected as Vice President, both for a one-year term.
“We have one more year left of service, but we just figured it was good to pass the baton while we were still here,” former school board President Mrs. Tina Stoll explained.
Following the re-election, members of the board expressed their gratitude to Mrs. Tina Stoll and Mr. Christian D. Fusco for their service on the board.
“It has been a pleasure working with you guys. You’re still here throughout your terms, but I am really pleased for your leadership as President and Vice President through I don’t think anyone would argue the most challenging times in education- your leadership through the pandemic and many other things,” Dr. Todd Bauer stated.
“To Tina and Christian, I just want to thank you. Having just a taste of what it means for families to also serve that they’re behind you and what they sacrifice as much as you when it comes down to time, energy, and effort means a lot,” Mr. Jonathan Kassa added.
“I want to say thank you to everyone on the school board for allowing me to be President for the last seven years,” Stoll expressed. “I am really grateful to be working with such a great team and with a great administration. I couldn’t have asked for better people to work with.”
“I thank you all for giving me the opportunity these six years to sit in that seat and to represent you all in that manner. It was the privilege of a lifetime,” former Vice President Christian Fusco stated.
Mr. Al Roesch was reappointed to the position of North Montco Technical Career Center Joint Operating Committee member.
With the adjournment of the reorganization meeting, the action meeting began.
The Board began by recognizing the North Penn International Friendship Committee Students as the night’s student spotlight.
Mr. Ted Knauss, the ambassador for North Penn’s International Friendship Committee, has played a pivotal role in arranging and hosting over 450 students from 40 different nations. With him, he brought three students who studied abroad last fiscal year, Marco Buchner, Reegan Burns, and Lily Juska, to share their testimonials.
Marco Buchner, a current North Penn senior, spent his junior year in Germany.
“My opportunity began the sophomore year. I learned about the ability to go abroad, and from there, it has been an incredible experience. I met tons of people with incredible points of view around the world. I couldn’t recommend the experience more,” Buchner explained. “The experience taught me a lot about myself in regards to what I wanted to do after high school, such as how I wanted to talk to people and how I wanted to interact with the world.”
Reegan Burns also reflected on her experience during her year abroad in Bordeaux, France.
“My time in France was spectacular. I have been recommending it to my friends here. I got to see so many places and meet so many people, and I can now say I have friends in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Australia, and Ireland,” Burns said. “Learning a language was absolutely incredible. It did take some time to learn, but eventually, I did learn French. It’s something I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
Lily Juska spent her junior year abroad in Aland, Germany, and concluded the spotlight with her experience with the International Friendship Club which lasted much longer than just her time in Europe.
“Even though I was abroad last year, my time with the IFC started 10 years ago when we hosted our first exchange student for two weeks when my older sister was in ninth grade. The best part about the IFC is all the connections you make that truly are lifelong connections,” Juska explained. “Any time I am talking to someone about my trip, and they ask ‘Would you go back’ my answer is always ‘in a heartbeat’ because it was one of the best things I could’ve ever done.”
During the audience of citizens, several parent and student-athlete representatives spoke on behalf of the baseball and softball programs at North Penn High School, expressing the need for irrigation and upkeep systems to be built into the renovation budget.
Baseball athletes Luke Chartrand and Kevin Brace stood before the board expressing why a greater investment in the baseball and softball programs is necessary for the safety and benefit of future generations of athletes.
“I remember dreaming about playing on the [North Penn] field and competing at such a high level and as I made my way through the middle school, the fields I was playing on were not in good condition. I just thought to myself I can’t wait to get to the high school and play on a real, well-maintained field. Sadly, the dream is dying as I recently saw the infield grass, and it’s just shy of a mud pit,” North Penn senior baseball player Kevin Brace stated.
“Over the past 13 years, our booster club has spent over $100,000 on field renovations, but sadly [they] are not being kept up with,” Brace continued. “I understand success shouldn’t dictate who gets money, but with the dedication from our coaches, players, and parents, I truly believe [we] deserve an irrigation system.”
“Setting an example for our peers and making an effort to do the right things is one of our main focuses as a team,” North Penn senior baseball player Luke Chartrand said. “Representing our school respectfully seems to go overlooked sometimes. Having an upcoming renovation of this size and not having either baseball or softball in the picture doesn’t seem fair.”
“Kevin Brace and I are both seniors on this team who will never see the benefits of whatever renovations are ultimately done, but we are both standing up here tonight speaking on behalf of the team and the young kids eager to play for North Penn someday because we know the importance of renovating the field and giving a successful program what it deserves,” Chartrand continued.
Parents of baseball and softball players also offered their input regarding school funding for these athletic programs.
“North Penn softball has won six state championships. That is the most of any school in the entire state of Pennsylvania. We have won three out of the last four years,” baseball and softball parent Tracy DiLorenzo stated. “We are so fortunate to have two very passionate coaches that don’t just care about wins. They care about these kids. They care about the success. We need the commitment from the school board as well.”
All committee reports, Solicitors reports, Superintendent reports, and finance reports were approved. With the approval of the nonconsent items in the finance report, Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Steve Skrocki’s retirement slated for the spring of 2025 was also approved.
In other businesses, the School Board Calendar will be updated by the end of the week and published on the website and in the newspaper, which can be found in the ESC bulletin shortly after.
There is no action meeting for December. All other information regarding future meetings is posted in BoardDocs.
