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CLARKS SUMMIT — The auditorium at the Abington Heights Middle School was packed with the crowd overflowing into the cafeteria on Thursday, April 2 for a Schools to Watch Celebration, originally scheduled for March 20 but postponed due to the weather.
One of 380 middle schools in the United States to receive the honor, 35 of which are in Pennsylvania, Abington Heights Middle School was recently re-designated as a School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grade Reform. It was first designated in 2009, and following the program’s three-year renewal time-line, re-designated in 2012 and 2015.
Schools to Watch Program Director Bruce Vosburgh was a guest speaker during the celebration and presented the school with its new banner, which members of the Science Olympiad team proudly accepted on behalf of the student body.
“Schools to Watch is all about the journey, it’s not the destination,” Vosburgh said in his speech. “It’s about continuous improvement and doing what is right for young adolescents. This is why Pennsylvania became involved in the Schools to Watch program, because of the continuous improvement model. Abington Heights Middle School continues to be on that pathway of success. We are very proud to honor you all for a job well done. Each of the students present today should be very proud of their school and the programs available to you to allow you to be successful and grow as lifelong learners.”
Many of the students participated in the program, with eighth-grader Kali Terry performing the National Anthem and performances by the eighth-grade band and seventh grade chorus. Eighth-grade teacher Michael Boylan, along with several of his students, created a Schools to Watch video, shown at the end of the ceremony.
Abington Heights Superintendent Michael Mahon, Principal Michael Elia and Assistant Principal Eduardo Antonetti also spoke during the ceremony.
“Often when I drop by to visit this school, I see unfamiliar faces,” Mahon told the assembly. “Educators from all over Pennsylvania, and sometimes even beyond, will come here to see our students and our programs. In a very literal way, we are a ‘School to Watch’ because other schools and other districts come here all the time to watch your example.”
Mahon credited the students for much of the school’s success.
“Each and every day, you get up and you do it,” he told them. “You learn from great teachers, you help each other, you are kind. You give us great ideas, like recycling and improving lunch menus. And you know what? We cannot even get you out of the building, because hundreds of you, every day, or every week, participate in our after school activities.
“There is a wonderful rhythm to this school. Everyone is doing their thing, but you are all doing it together,” Mahon added. “You study extremely hard. You pick yourself up. You reach out to help each other and those in need. You are joyful and you are proud of this place, and you have made your school a ‘School to Watch.’”
The National Forum’s vision for high performing schools includes four main components that are required for designation as a School to Watch: academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organization structure and processes.
“Within these four main components, 37 rigorous criteria are identified and are used as performance exemplars,” states a district news release. “The faculty and staff of Abington Heights Middle School use these 37 rigorous criteria as a rubric for self and program evaluation. The faculty and staff use these criteria to make sure that they are always striving to be the best middle school possible and, also, as a tool for consistent discussion and school improvement.”