In The Q

QCHS students excel in FBLA regionals

Nineteen Quakertown Community High School students finished in the top five of their events during Wednesday’s Future Business Leaders of America Regional Leadership Conference at Delaware Valley University. The students competed against schools throughout Bucks County in areas of Business and Career Skills.

Two of the students captured first place in the competition. Connor Frisch, a junior, won the Network Management event. Gage Frisch, a sophomore, was first in Insurance and Risk Management.

“The performances of our students were positively awesome,” Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner said. “The district very much appreciates the efforts of FBLA advisor Sandi Frisch for her continued leadership of the FBLA program.”

Here's more on the FBLA competition.

ASPIRE students performed a great service as they sorted, grouped and bagged donations from the District Services Center for students experiencing housing instability. Students gained on-the-job experience.

ASPIRE, which stands for acquiring Skills Professionalism, Independence and Responsibility for Education/Employment, is for students ages 18 to 21, who may have a mental or physical challenge that calls for more schooling to help them prepare to navigate the world after high school.

The mission of this program is to prepare students to be competent, confident and caring in managing their personal, family and public lives. Students are taught daily living skills, how to gain and retain employment and are educated in self-advocacy and interpersonal skills.

Quakertown Community High School's Best Buddies club had a great time decorating - and eating - cookies baked by chef and teacher Chris Polk.

The club, advised by Jennifer Honrado and Megan McGinty, is dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Quakertown Community High School Choir has been performing all over the community this holiday season. On December 8th, the choir, under the direction of Erin Camburn, sang three songs for the School Board.

And a big shout-out to the singers chosen for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 Choir: Amoria Riendeau, Karinna Richardson, Tanner Sheridan, AJ Lightbourne, Otani Ekpe, Richard Strader, Phillip Rotzell, and Zachary Polek, first chair rank!

Quakertown Borough Police Department’s 12th annual Shop With A Cop event at the Quakertown Walmart was its most generous ever.

With support from the local community and businesses, the Shop With A Cop Committee raised more than $70,000 and hosted more than 320 children this year, an increase from 230 in 2021. Children were paired with a police officer and given a $150 gift card to purchase gifts for themselves and their family members. Children also received meals to take home and a school bag full of essential items and school supplies. While the children shopped, parents were given $100 to shop for gifts and/or home items.

More than 80 officers from 20 local law enforcement agencies joined forces to make this year’s Shop With A Cop program possible. Participating departments include Quakertown Borough, Richland Township, Bedminister Township, Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole, Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, Dublin Borough, Hilltown Township, Marlborough Township, Newtown Township, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Game Commission, PA State Police, Perkasie Borough, Pennridge Regional, Plumstead Township, Springfield Township, Telford Borough, Upper Saucon Township, and Warwick Township. Multiple Departments also partnered with the Quakertown Shop With A Cop program by sponsoring families in their own communities.

New position created: Floater Teacher

The Quakertown Community School District has developed a plan it believes will relieve staffing shortages by creating a new position called “Floater Teacher,” who will be hired without a specific assignment.

Floater Teachers will have a contract and benefits like traditional teachers, but their assignments will vary day-to-day based on the needs of the school building they are assigned to and the district’s needs.

More on Floater Teacher here.

QCHS grad now an NFL agent/attorney

A 2013 QCHS graduate visited his old stomping grounds recently to speak with students as part of the Career Pathways Speaker Series. Stephen Vanyo is an attorney/NFL agent at the Law Office of Lloyd Z. Remick/Zane Management, Inc. practicing Entertainment, Sports, and Media Law.

A member of the National Honor Society, Marching Band, and Jazz Band during his days as a Panther, Mr. Vanyo let students know “I sat where you sat. I went to the same Wawa you go to. I played in this auditorium.”

Here's more about what Mr. Vanyo had to say to students.

Speaker series: Genetic counselor

Candace Peterson, a genetic counselor and Quakertown Community High School graduate, spoke with students as part of the Career Pathways Speaker Series. A Genomic Science Liasion at Ambry Genetics, she explained what her job entails and potential career opportunities for students.

This monthly series is coordinated by Laura Neilson, a world language teacher, and George Banas, who teaches Project Lead The Way pre-engineering courses.

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs in QCSD

Quakertown area families, QCSD has several openings for paraprofessionals at Quakertown Community High School. Each of these open positions comes with health insurance, additional benefits, and an additional $1 per hour stipend. It's a great opportunity to work with young people in a wonderful educational setting!

To see what's available, please click here.

Class of 1983 40th reunion

Quakertown High School Class of 1983 40th Reunion to be held in the summer of 2023.

The date and venue are to be determined. Please join the 1983 Google group, quakertownhs1983@googlegroups.com to receive notifications about the reunion. Get the word out to other classmates as well!

Class contacts are Kelly Wuerstle Flack and Kathy Ortt Orrok. Questions, contact Kathy at kathleen.orrok@gmail.com

PA Gov School for Sciences application

#QCSD families, the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences (PGSS) at Carnegie Mellon University is accepting applications from talented high school juniors for the summer 2023 program, which runs from July 2 through August 5.

PGSS is an intensive, five-week summer residential program that emphasizes cooperative learning and hands-on laboratory research for high school juniors pursuing careers in science and mathematics. The program offers an enrichment experience in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The goal of the program is to encourage Pennsylvania’s youth to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.

Accepted applicants will receive a full scholarship to the program. Awarded scholarships will cover the costs of housing, meals, and all instructional materials. Families are responsible for transportation to and from the university, personal items, and spending money. Students must commit to living on campus at Carnegie Mellon throughout the duration of the program.

Completed applications must be submitted via the website per instructions http://sciences.pa-gov-schools.org no later than January 31. Applications submitted after this date and time will be disqualified. For additional information about the program and to complete an application, visit http://sciences.pa-gov-schools.org.