LANSDALE- October 18th marked the 1000th action meeting in North Penn School District’s history. Before commencing the meeting’s political agenda, the North Penn community celebrated this notable milestone by recognizing all nine current and fifteen former school board members for their selfless contributions to the district.
On behalf of the entire North Penn School District, superintendent Curt Dietrich began by thanking all honorees for their “admirable time and dedication.” With terms spanning from 1955 to today, the honored board members collectively covered 56 years of services. John D. Weireman, a member of the very first North Penn school board committee serving from 1955-1970, was the oldest in attendance. “There is a lot of history in this room,” stated Dietrich.
Among the other honorees was Terry Prykowski–a North Penn graduate, a former Knight Crier staff writer, and a board member who served from 1991-1995 and a second term from 1998-2012. Prykowski reflected on the changes fostered by the passage of time in North Penn’s history. While she was on the board, pressing issues included the possibility of a second high school and the foundation of the ROTC program.
“The issue of the second high school was very divisive,” she recalled, “but as you can see, we didn’t need it because our classes are small and effective. Also, Montgomery Township threatened to secede from the district over that issue. It was a very different time.”
Following the recognition ceremony, the board carried on with its regularly scheduled minutes. Audience of Citizens was the first item on the agenda, and a group of parents from A.M. Kulp Elementary voiced their concerns about class size.
“We are worried about instruction time due to the logistics of having a single teacher for 27 children,” expressed a worried parent. “Independent learners are not being challenged, and the children in the middle are getting lost. We need to make the decision to invest in our children now in order to lay the groundwork so they will not suffer later in their education.”
In response to their address, both Dietrich and board president Vince Sherpinsky agreed to organize a meeting at a later date to discuss the issue.
Next, Education Committee chairperson Suzan Leonard revealed that starting with the class of 2017, proficiency on the Keystone Exam will replace the graduation project as a graduation requirement. Additionally, Alternative Revenue Committee leader Josie Charnock discussed the success of a recent fundraiser luncheon at Bacco Italian Restaurant, and urged the audience to attend the next function to be held at Texas Roadhouse in Montgomeryville on February 24th.
The 1000th board meeting was a notable landmark for the North Penn District bringing together elements from its past, present, and future. It has been an “amazing evolution” as Dietrich described it.
***Bridget Phillips contributed to this article