Seven Quakertown Community High School students traveled to the state Capitol Monday, where they seized the opportunity to speak with Gov. Tom Wolf, Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera and several lawmakers.

They were invited by Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner, who was part of a delegation of Bucks County superintendents and Bucks County Intermediate Unit officials in Harrisburg to advocate on behalf of students. Dr. Harner was the only school leader to have students attend the sessions in the state Capitol.

“Our students had a great educational experience today,” Dr. Harner said. “They were well prepared and very professional. I’m so proud of each one of them.”

The students in the photo at the top with Wolf are, from left to right, Amelia Derry, Ryan Lancaster, David Fletcher, Alexandra Brandis, Andrew Labeeb, Joseph Lock and Angelina Becker. They are from Advanced Placement Government class and the Video Production unit.

Besides meeting and interviewing the governor and education secretary, they spoke with state Reps. Marguerite Quinn, Gene DiGirolamo, Helen Tai, Craig Staats, and state Sen. Chuck McIlhinney.

Also in attendance was Adam Schmucker, principal of Trumbauersville Elementary School. He is Pennsylvania’s National Distinguished Principal. Rivera congratulated Schmucker on his statewide honor.

Here's what the students had to say about the experience:

Joseph Lock: "I absolutely loved the Capitol visit. Not only was it informational, but I also was able to work on my skills for TV News. I loved meeting the Governor, and the Secretary of Education. In addition, it was interesting to see what goes on with our politics, and how the state aids the district."

Angelina Becker: "I thought the simple architecture of the building was so fascinating! Everyone was so welcoming and I had a great experience!"

Ryan Lancaster: "Going to the capitol was certainly an experience I won't ever forget. Although I had gone to film to be more behind the scenes, everyone was extremely welcoming to myself and my peers, making us feel equally as important as those who surrounded us. Gov. Tom Wolf had gone out of his way to ask us graduating seniors what we had planned doing after high school and made sure we got a photo with him. Meeting this team of people who make sure our schools run efficiently gave me a whole new perspective on school. After visiting the capitol I have a new appreciation for our wonderful superintendent Dr. Harner as well as our school's staff, for everything they do for us students, without us realizing."

Andrew Labeeb: "I'm thankful that Dr. Harner invited me and two other AP Government students. It showed how dedicated our district is to getting its students out there, and into the 'real world.' I was a little surprised that there were no other students there (from other schools), but then I realized that Dr. Harner pulled some strings to get us into the big house to watch and to see what goes on in the one place that affects the rest of the commonwealth. It was an amazing experience and I'm thankful that it was allotted to me."

When Ashton Herd woke up Saturday morning, he wasn’t feeling too great. The Quakertown Community High School lineman and his Panthers had lost their first game, a physical contest, 17-14, to Cheltenham, dropping their record to 4-1.

But then Ashton turned on his laptop and clicked on Facebook. He soon remembered that no matter what the scoreboard said, his football team produced a winning effort before the game even began.

On the Quakertown Panther Football page, a message stated: “Thank you for honoring my son last night and thank you to #74 for making my son feel so special!”

“That made my day,” said Ashton, number 74. “I’m happy we could give them a night to remember.”

September 21 was Childhood Cancer Night at Alumni Field, and the stands were filled with black and gold to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. The football team honored five young people either currently battling the dreaded disease or have beaten it into remission.

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Seven Quakertown Community High School students took part in the recent Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) breakfast meeting, sponsored by the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce, at the Spinnerstown Hotel.

The students, all included in the above photo are, from left to right, Ethan Korpics, Emelia Graham, Jacob Lewis, Samuel Barndt, Daniel Carroll, Michelle Meyers and Nicole Chambers. Adults in the photo, from left to right, are School Board member Ron Jackson, Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner, Business Education Teacher Kurt Handel and Chris Betz, publisher of the Upper Bucks Free Press.

All students took part in a PFEW summer camp. In 10 years of recruiting students for the camp, Handel said the experiences they have shared with him have been very positive. “Many students say the camp was a positive life-changing experience for them,” Handel said. One student, Nicole Chambers, told Handel before attending the camp that she was not interested in becoming a business major. She has since changed her mind, and will major in business in college.

Quakertown student Samuel Barndt was selected to share his experience with all in attendance at the breakfast. He spoke about how the experience helped him cement his dream of becoming a lawyer. Sam said he spent two lunches speaking to different attorneys about what it takes to become one. “On top of learning the ins and out of running a business he was also able to get advice on his future career goals,” Handel said.

PFEW is a one-of-a-kind summer program that offers in-coming high school juniors and seniors a unique and challenging opportunity to see what it is like to run their own business. Participants create an "imaginary" management team where they learn first-hand about the Free Enterprise System.

Amy Migliore, an art educator in the Quakertown Community School District, will be giving presentations at two upcoming university art conferences.

On October 12-13 at McGill University in Montreal, Ms. Migliore is among a panel of educators for the symposium “Art as an Agent of Social Change,” which offers artists, researchers and educators the opportunity to explore the impact, possibilities and influence of the arts in educational research. Her topic is “Children’s book course as creative animation.”

Ms. Migliore has also been invited to speak at the 80th Annual Kutztown University Art Education Conference, dedicated to timely topics that fuel best practices in art education through hands-on workshop sessions and speakers. It takes place on November 16.

“As an Alumna of Kutztown University, I am thrilled to have been asked to speak at their annual fall conference for a second year in a row,” Ms. Migliore said.

A PhD student for Pennsylvania State University in Art Education, Ms. Migliore’s doctoral colleague and dissertation committee member proposed that they present a panel for the McGill Symposium about the interdisciplinary work they did together at Penn State. “McGill University is often referred to as the Harvard of Canada, so the opportunity to present there is quite an honor,” said Ms. Migliore, who is leading the group in a creative visual activity she designed to promote empathy.

Ms. Migliore has taught in the district for 18 years. She received her Bachelor’s in Fine Art and a masters certificate in Art Education from Kutztown, and a Master’s in Educational Technology from Wilkes University. For the past six years she has been working on a doctorate in Art Education from Penn State, with a minor in Curriculum and Instruction. She has also served as the chair of Design Interests for the Pennsylvania Art Education Association for six years and has had the opportunity to present at state, national and international conferences with other leaders in her field. She has also worked as an independent freelance consultant for Crayola education at various times over the past five years.