June 27, 2011— Wenger Feeds and the Shaw family recently committed a major gift of $100,000 to the Elizabethtown Area Education Foundation’s Investing in Our Children, Our Community, Our Future Capital Campaign. The campaign has a goal of $3,700,000 and was launched to improve the Elizabethtown Area School District’s outdoor athletic fields. Presenting the check were Barry Shaw, Wenger Feeds owner and chairman of the board, and Jamie Rowley, Wenger Feed chief administrative officer. Accepting the check on behalf of the campaign were Dr. Michael Worman, Foundation president, and Dr. Amy Hodges Slamp, superintendent. The check was presented at a[Read more...]

June 27, 2011— The Elizabethtown Area School District Board of School Directors announced that it intends to name Michele Balliet acting superintendent when Dr. Amy Hodges Slamp leaves the position effective July 31. The school directors will take a formal vote to appoint Balliet at its regularly scheduled meeting on July 19. Balliet will begin her duties August 1, and she will remain in the role of acting superintendent through October 1. The board will make a determination on the next step regarding the position of superintendent by October 1, 2011. Balliet currently serves as the assistant superintendent for the[Read more...]

June 24, 2011— A check for $15,000 was recently presented to the Elizabethtown Area Education Foundation by the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown. The donation will support the foundation’s educational classroom grant program, which awards monies biannually to Elizabethtown Area School District teachers for creative and innovative programs in the areas of academics, the arts, and extra-curricular activities. Presenting the check from Masonic Village were Vicki Gillmore, executive director; Wils Kile, president of the Resident Association, and Walter Deprefontaine, president of the VGA Association. Receiving the ceremonial check on behalf of the foundation was Dr. Amy Hodges Slamp, superintendent of schools[Read more...]

June 24, 2011— Elizabethtown Area High School students Alyssa Garber and Kristin Nauman were recently honored by the Elizabethtown Area Chamber of Commerce for their entries in the Let E-town Ring button contest. An awards ceremony was held on the square in Elizabethtown to recognize Nauman for her first place entry and Garber for her runner-up entry. Presenting the students with their awards was Ramon Escudero, executive director for the Chamber. Also present to congratulate the students was Robert Enck, vice president of Susquehanna Bank. Susquehanna Bank was a primary sponsor of the lunchtime event.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 From Chronicling Elizabethtown Last week, Elizabethtown Borough Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Transit Administration, the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to move an old freight station. The station, which was at the center of some acrimonious discussions with local historical society officials, will be moved from near the newly renovated Elizabethtown Train Station to 340 E. High St. (across from White Oak Mills), a few hundred yards away. That location was the site of a former warehouse that the borough bought and demolished because of[Read more...]

June 15, 2011— Eight fourth and fifth graders from Elizabethtown Area School District recently competed in the Lancaster/Lebanon 24 Challenge Math competition. They were Nathaniel Perry, Adam Kimball, Stuart Readinger, Lily Stewart, Noah Myers, J. Spencer Roth, Lila Becker, and Nat McCloud. There were 118 students in attendance from school districts from Lebanon and Lancaster counties. Before going to the 24 Challenge Math competition, the district’s fourth and fifth grade students took part in a school-wide competition where their scores were recorded. The top eight students were asked to compete at the higher level. 24 Challenge Math uses cards that[Read more...]

How many of our elected representatives have college degrees? And where do they get them from–private or public universities? Turns out PA legislators are close to the national average in attainment of college degrees–75% of all state legislators have a bachelor’s degree or higher; for PA, the figure is 76%. (See http://chronicle.com/article/Degrees-of-Leadership-/127801/) Nationally, 64% of state legislators have attended public universities. In PA, state legislators have attended public and private universities in roughly equal proportions. (Two are from Elizabethtown College.) Our representatives are better educated than the electorate: only 26% of PA residents have obtained a college degree. Whether all[Read more...]

June 9, 2011—Elizabethtown Area High School students Erik Ginter, Bethany Graybill, Patrick Hinson, and Taylor Shank were recently recognized at a small awards ceremony as the Elizabethtown Optimist Club’s 2011 Unsung Heroes. The awards recognized the students for quietly making an impact at their school and in the community. Optimist Club member and chairperson of the Unsung Hero Awards program Bob English presented the students with engraved plaques at the ceremony. Students were nominated for the awards by their teachers based on the following criteria: a student who supports school-related programs either as a member or a “support” person; and/or[Read more...]

June 7, 2011— More than 150 current and former students, parents, faculty members, support staff members, administrators, and community members gathered in front of Fairview Elementary School to celebrate the 55th and final year of the school on Monday, June 6. The school will close its doors for good at the end of this school year. The commemoration included a fitness walk much like the students do each morning and a ceremonial flag raising and lowering. Taking part in the flag ceremony were former Fairview and current high school students Zach Brandt and Andrea Faus and current Fairview fifth graders[Read more...]

Borough Councilman, Jeff McCloud, has made an events calendar available to the public. Click here to go to the events calendar.