#ThisIsCheltenham
Friday, June 15
In this week's news share, Cheltenham holds 134th commencement, 2018 senior walk, senior awards, Panthers name new girls' basketball coach and National Junior Honor Society holds candle-lighting induction ceremony; dismissal times for the final day of school; district, community and township events and happenings flyers; and much, much more.
For updates throughout the week, be sure to visit cheltenham.org or the Cheltenham School District Facebook page. If you know someone who would like to receive the weekly news share, direct them to the eNEWS icon at cheltenham.org to register.
Congratulations to the Class of 2018
With 350 plus students walking across the stage to collect their diplomas and move onto the next stages of their lives, Cheltenham High School celebrated its 134th commencement Thursday evening at La Salle University.
Of those students, 281 have decided how they will continue their education. Their destinations are as varied as they are, ranging from Albright to Xavier University of Louisiana. Montgomery County Community College and Temple University are the most popular destinations. Art schools like University of the Arts, Moore College of Art, School of Visual Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy are represented, as are technical colleges like Pennco Tech, Automotive Training Center, North Montco Tech Career Center and Pennsylvania Institute of Technology.
Members of the Ancient Eight are among the graduates’ destinations: Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton; as are Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Spelman, Xavier University of Louisiana, Florida A&M University, North Carolina A&T, Delaware State, Maryland Eastern Shore and Morgan State.
For downloadable photos courtesy of Kenny Moss, visit cheltenham.org/2018graduation.
To watch an archived live stream of the ceremony, visit https://livestream.com/B2W/cheltenhamgraduation.
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2018 Senior Walk
"I look forward to this day all year!" was the overwhelming sentiment of CSD elementary teachers this Wednesday when more than 100 members of the Class of 2018 returned to the halls of their elementary schools for the traditional Senior Walk.
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Foundation Awards Seven Scholarships to 10 Students
At this week’s senior awards celebration, more than 100 awards were bestowed upon members of the Class of 2018. Students received awards from the following departments: World Languages, Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Theatre and Music, Unified Arts, Physical Education and Athletics. Several students were honored for school service and academics, and Vivek Olumbe and Lila Harmar earned the male and female Phi Beta Kappa Awards.
The Cheltenham School District Foundation awarded seven scholarships to 10 students across a variety of interests. Students wrote essays to be considered for the scholarships, which increased this year from $1,000 to $6,500 thanks to the generosity of local businesses, Cheltenham teachers, community members and organization donations. This year’s winners were:
- Lauryn Banks (Spelman) earned the Class of 1967 Award for outstanding student in the senior class.
- Julia Doyle (Temple) and Alain Jean-Baptiste (Bloomsburg) received the Innovative Senior Awards, given to students demonstrating an innovative idea, initiative or project they completed while at CHS.
- Makayla Hill (Alvernia) and Gianna Williams (American) (Above right and left with CHS Principal Ray McFall) accepted the the Shooting for the Stars Awards, given to students who have demonstrated resilience and perseverance in overcoming obstacles during their CHS experience.
- Lauren Chappell (West Chester) and Tiffany Tieu (Penn) collected the Making A Difference Awards, given to students who have a passion for improving their community and having an impact on the lives of others.
- Rachel Banner (Maryland Institute College of Art) took home the Joe Kircher Scholarship, given to a student who valued their experience at Elkins Park School and demonstrated leadership, service and strong character while there.
- Zachariah Gharrafi (Columbia) received the David Katz Memorial Scholarship, given to a student pursuing a degree in STEM in honor of the memory of Katz’ lifelong interest in STEM-related topics.
- Lillian Phung (Penn) accepted the Barry Brucker Memorial Scholarship, given to a student who demonstrates perseverance and a commitment to helping others.
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CHS Alumnus Ben Bowman Named Girls Basketball Coach
Cheltenham High School Class of 1997 graduate Ben Bowman returns to his alma mater this fall as the new head coach of the varsity girls basketball team, CHS Athletic Director John Creighton announced recently.
Bowman has spent the past 13 years guiding various levels of the Souderton Area High School Girls Basketball program, including a 131-38 record as the junior varsity coach and a 7-0 mark during an interim head coaching stint. In his final two seasons at Souderton, the Indians qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association 6A state semifinals. This past season, the team finished 29-3 and won the District I tournament before falling to the eventual state champion Upper Dublin in the state tournament semifinals. Read more>>
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National Junior Honor Society Holds Candle-Lighting Induction Ceremony
The Cheltenham Middle Years Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) at Cedarbrook Middle School held its annual candle-lighting induction, welcoming 119 first-year members and recognizing its 91 second year members. The 2017–2018 NJHS officers (Yael Waxman, president; Joelle Williams, vice president; Donya Baxter, secretary, Zoe Matsinger, induction chair; and Ben Wagner, treasurer) took turns lighting ceremonial candles representing and speaking about scholarship, leadership, service and character. Class of 2018 Cheltenham High School Valedictorian Vivek Olumbe (pictured below), a national honor society officer who is a member of the University of Pennsylvania Class of 2022, delivered a rousing keynote recounting his journey from his African youth to building computers to performing service projects.
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Baseball Marathon Game Raises $2,500
About 50 Cheltenham Baseball players and alumni from the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s mixed it up on the diamond on Sunday, June 3 for the Panthers’ annual marathon game at the high school. With varsity, junior varsity and alumni players divided into integrated squads, they played three games, each 10 innings, followed by two 15-inning playoff games and the title contest. Combined with a letter writing campaign, the event raised approximately $2,500 for the program. In between games, members of the Cub Club enjoyed burgers, hot dogs and ice cream from Dreams Ice Cream Factory in Glenside and met players from each team, took batting practice with 2017 CHS alumnus Joel White and ran the bases. The Cub Club is a pilot program for Glenside Elementary students created to promote Cheltenham sports among elementary schools and encourage CHS athletes to be positive role models.
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CSD Students Recognized with Sustainable Cheltenham Awards
The Cheltenham Environmental Club and a group of Cedarbrook eighth graders received 2018 Sustainable Cheltenham Awards at Arts in the Park this past Sunday. Environmental Club Officers Zack Gharrafi and Julia Doyle accepted the award on behalf of the club for their partnership with Glenside Elementary students to create a sustainable vertical garden out of recycled bottles. CBK students Peri Albert, Anwar Bethel, Maddie Conwell, Syleena Evans, Ameer Jones, Alonna Lemmon, Raina Miller, Ahmod Newton, Aniyah Phillips, Corey Redeross, Jordan Toran and Melena Walter were recognized for their outreach event to educate the Cheltenham community about the negative impacts of fossil fuels and the urgent need to switch to renewable energy sources. Sustainable Cheltenham Awards are given on an annual basis for outstanding contributions to sustainability in Cheltenham Township, and promoting a more resilient and environmentally friendly community.
Panorama Family and Student Surveys
Families, students and teachers will be participating in the district's annual Panorama Education surveys. Panorama Education is a data collection organization that helps school systems gain greater insights into the thoughts, opinions and feelings of key stakeholder groups. Third through 11th grade students will take their brief survey during the school day, and families will receive an email with instructions to participate in the Panorama Education survey. Your participation in this survey will play a key role in helping administration make decisions which can impact our students.
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Dismissal Times for Final Student Day
On the final day of school, Wednesday, June 20, schools will dismiss at the following times:
Cheltenham High School: 9:45 a.m.
Cedarbrook Middle School: 10:30 a.m.
Elkins Park: Noon
K – 4: Noon
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Start of School Year Reminder
Please note, Cheltenham School District kicks off its 2018-19 school year before Labor Day. First day of classes is Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. View Calendar>.
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Sports Physicals for 2018-2019
Sports physicals for the 2018-2019 school year can be submitted now and will be effective, regardless of when performed, through May 31, 2019. Students should submit their physical forms by August 1 if they want to participate in any fall sports. On the day the physical is completed, ask the physician to stamp Section 6 of the PIAA physical form. We will only accept the completed PIAA physical forms for participation in after-school athletic programs. Download physical form>