Senior High Winter Concert
Tuesday, December 7th at 7:00 PM
Featuring the Orchestra, Concert Choir, and Concert Band with prelude music from the Brass Ensamble.

Junior High Winter Concert
Thursday, December 9th at 7:00 PM
Featuring the Junior High Band, Junior High Choir, and Junior High Orchestra

Elementary Winter Concert
Thursday, December 16th at 7:00 PM
Featuring the Elementary Band, Elementary Choir, and Elementary Orchestra

The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education is pleased to announce the following training opportunity:

Transition Tuesdays - Engaging Families in Transition Planning

This series will provide families, students, and educators with information and insights to enhance family members’ participation within the transition process of the IEP. Interviews with families and students, sharing their experiences with transition planning, will be used to guide discussions and learning. Participants will experience how to be active members in transition planning - before the IEP, during the IEP, and after the IEP.

Before the IEP
October 26, 2021
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
An IEP meeting to discuss the transition process can be overwhelming. Doing some work to prepare for the meeting can make the IEP meeting more productive. What questions should you be ready to answer? What information can you share about your student? During this session, the presenters will discuss how to effectively prepare for the IEP meeting. They will share resources to assist families, students, and educators prepare for the IEP meeting.
Presenters:
Diane Perry, Family Resource Specialist, PEAL Center
Khaleya Spence, Youth Training and Leadership Coordinator, PEAL Center

During the IEP
January 25, 2022
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
How can families be active members during the IEP meeting? It takes some preparation, but all families, along with their students, should be ready to share their future goals and offer plans for accomplishing these goals. Together, the IEP team can develop IEPs that address the students’ post-secondary goals. During this session, the presenter will provide an overview of how families can engage during the IEP meeting to create meaningful plans for students.
Presenter:
Lisbeth Little, HUNE

After the IEP
April 26, 2022
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
What should families and students do after the IEP meeting? What happens if the students need less or more assistance in meeting their goals? When will families receive reports on the students? During this session, the presenters will discuss strategies and share resources for staying in contact with families after the IEP meeting.
Presenter:
Erin Campion, PaTTAN Pittsburgh
Jennifer Craig, PaTTAN Pittsburgh

TARGET AUDIENCE
Families with a student with an IEP, Students with IEPs, Educators, Related Service Providers, Administrators

REGISTRATION
Please register online by visiting the PaTTAN website at www.pattan.net.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar, including the Zoom link.

CONTACT INFORMATION
For questions regarding registration, contact:
PaTTAN Pittsburgh – Paula Quinn, pquinn@pattanpgh.net, 412-826-6880

For questions regarding content, contact:
PaTTAN Pittsburgh – Jennifer Craig, jcraig@pattanpgh.net, 412-826-6864

Mrs. Adams notes that it is one of her favorite activities for the students because it requires students to identify where these tissues are in their own bodies.   "It also forces them to recognize where their organs are located and makes them think of the functions of their body parts on a tissue level.  I also really enjoy the expression of their artistic abilities..." said Adams.

The Raider Nation lost a truly special alum when Brooke Emery passed away last Friday, September 3, 2021. A 2020 graduate of Brookville Area High School, Brooke was a great athlete and a great person.

“She was a ray of sunshine,” said one of her coaches, Doug Roseman. “She was always smiling. It could be the coldest, wettest, most miserable practice ever, and she was guaranteed to say or do something to make you smile. She was always upbeat, and her attitude rubbed off on the rest of us.”

Coach Roseman continued, “She was one of the most dedicated athletes I ever coached. She was not the fastest runner, but she was a state medalist hurdler because she refined the hurdles to a point that few others ever attain. She would go over the hurdles again and again eliminating any little nuance of inefficiency until she got to the point that there was nothing left to improve. She led by example. She showed the other girls how you become an elite athlete. She shared her knowledge with the younger girls and helped them become better runners.”

Brooke had an attitude of gratitude and the spirit to persevere. Coach Dana MacBeth recalled, “The 2020 season, of course, never happened. We all kept the hope that it would, even a meet or two, so when we were all told that it was over, everyone was sort of stunned. I recall messaging Brooke, and through tears, telling her how sorry I was, while trying to maintain some sense of positivity. In typical Brooke fashion, she said, ‘Coach, I appreciate your time with me. I appreciate your commitment, but I am going to rise above this.’ And rise above she did. Brooke attended Shippensburg University that fall and, as a freshman, placed fifth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference meet. I can hear her now, saying, ‘Told you so, coach.’”

Dan Murdock also coached Brooke. He remembered, “Brooke moved to Brookville in the late fall of 2017 as a tenth grader. Back then, she was Brooke Quairiere. With a last name like that, she went by ‘Brooke from Brookville’ that winter when I took her with us to some indoor track meets with a few other track kids. It was easier to say, easier to spell, and provided her a new identity. It didn't take her long to make friends with many students from different circles. That was just the beginning. After that year, it seemed like she had always lived in Brookville.”

“I'm sure many people can still hear her voice. I know I can,” said Coach Murdock. “It was common for her to stop by my classroom after eighth period and say, ‘What are we doing today?’ My reply would be ‘Dress warm,’ meaning we were going outside. ‘So much for indoor track being, ya know, indoors! Pfffftt!’  If you knew Brooke, you heard some sort of sassy response like that and knew it wasn't meant as disrespect. She was meant to be ‘Brooke from Brookville.’”

Coach Ryan Young also has many fond memories of Brooke: “My favorite thing about Brooke was her passion in life. I can think of several instances, where during mid-conversation, I could see the emotion on her face. Most recently, this past June, I ran into her in Walmart. I told her a story about my father who was very sick at the time. It was a ten-minute conversation about the situation, and I was emotionally charged. Brooke could feel my pain, and it transferred onto her face – there’s a saying people ‘wear their heart on their sleeve.’”

Coach Young added, “Brooke was an ‘all in’ type of person; she gave you everything she had to give at that moment in life. The passion she presented in all aspects of her life – track, school, interaction with friends – was so evident at all times. She left a permanent mark in my memory and will always be remembered as a focused, genuine and passionate young lady.”

Brooke enjoyed everything from baking to hunting, and as teacher Stephen Jaworski recalls, she was a talented artist too. She had earned a track and field scholarship and was pursuing an exercise science degree at Ship.

As Coach Roseman said, “Each and every one of us are better people for having known Brooke Emery. She will be in our hearts forever.”

Please reach out to the coordinator directly if you have any questions or would like to enroll your child.

Parents/Guardians: You must read the program information sheet prior to enrolling your child/children in this program.  This was sent to you in a SchoolMessenger using the email address you provided to the district.  It is also available HERE.

Please complete a new form for EACH child you are enrolling in the program.

Three alumni have been selected to the 2021 class of the Brookville Area High School Hall of Fame at the HOF Selection Committee‘s annual meeting on Tues., Aug. 10.

The class includes Dick Bowley, a 1969 BAHS graduate, of Peachtree City, GA; Robert Pence, a 1956 graduate, of Littleton, CO; and Dr. Uma Chapa-Perni, a 1990 graduate, of Pepper Pike, OH. 

The 2021 class selections were announced by John Pozza, Brookville area school director and chairperson of the school’s ad hoc Hall of Fame committee. 

The three will be inducted alongside the 2020 Hall of Fame class of Ret. Air Force Col. James Harding, a 1952 graduate, of Huntingdon, TN; the late William Kutz, a 1972 graduate, formerly of Brookville; the late Dr. Karl Nolph, a 1955 graduate, formerly of Columbia, MO; and David Taylor, a 1966 graduate, of Brookville. 

A public induction ceremony for the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame classes will be held as part of Brookville’s homecoming festivities on Thurs., Sept. 30 at 7 pm in the high school auditorium.

He has also authored a book, Power of Prayer, telling the story of his year-long, life-threatening ordeal with leukemia in 2008.

Bowley was an all-conference football and basketball athlete at Brookville, and accepted a Division 1 football scholarship to Georgia Tech University in Atlanta where he played from 1971 to 1973 as the team’s punter.  He also played in both the 1973 Peach Bowl and 1971 Liberty Bowl. 

He is a 1974 graduate of Georgia Tech in behavioral management.

Pence, who was valedictorian of the 1956 Brookville Area senior class, authored a book, My Non-Political FBI, from Hoover to a Violent America, by Fulcrum Publishing.

He is a 1960 graduate of Dickinson College of Carlisle in political science and its ROTC program.

She earned her bachelors degree from Penn State University in 1992, her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in 1996, and a masters degree in public health from the University of Michigan in 2011. 

Chapa-Perni has dedicated her life to women and families through preconception counseling to help mothers deliver healthy babies, and through her research and expertise in obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine, when these same mothers were previously unable to become pregnant.

June 23, 2021

Dr. May received high marks for "demonstrating sound judgment when communicating with the public" and “maintaining a regular presence in district buildings and at district events.” 

As part of its annual evaluation, the board also monitored the status of the goals set by the superintendent the previous summer. Dr. May achieved all of his annual goals: completing Title IX training and assuming the role of Title IX Coordinator, assuming leadership of the teacher induction program, reporting on learning loss that occurred during the pandemic and addressing adjustments to fill known gaps, and analyzing staffing levels and making recommendations on the feasibility of reducing the workforce.

Penn Highlands Healthcare is offering a mega clinic on Saturday, April 24, at DuBois Central Catholic that is open to all individuals 16 years of age and older.  You may schedule an appointment via the online scheduler at https://www.phhealthcare.org/about/covid-19-vaccines-at-penn-highlands?fbclid=lwAR0o9lQkgVnLFHSxqXMl07GrSG-ZeQiwo_SQJAxWTiS5BVnyxzNL4j9kiqw or by calling (814) 503-4735.

Health officials and school administrators are urging everyone to get vaccinated, especially now that clusters of cases are being seen across the county and a new variant, B.1.1.7, seems to be more contagious than earlier strains of COVID.

The Taxpayer Relief Act provides for property tax reduction allocations to be distributed by the Commonwealth to each school district. Property tax reduction is then provided to homeowners through homestead and farmstead exclusion(s). School districts are required to notify homeowners by December 31 of each year if their property is not already approved for this tax reduction. Applications for 2020 will be mailed out soon. Please note, if you own multiple properties, you will receive applications for each property that is not already approved. A property owner can only have one PRIMARY residence receive the homestead exclusion. A primary residence is where you intend to reside permanently until you move to another home.You may not claim multiple properties as your primary residence.

Tax reduction varies from year to year based on the Commonwealth’s distribution of funds and the number of homestead/farmstead properties that are approved. In recent years, approved homesteads in the Brookville Area School District have each received an annual tax reduction of approximately $200. If you had been approved for the 2019 Fall School Real Estate Taxes, you would have noticed a homestead credit listed on your tax bill and, if applicable, an additional farmstead credit up to the same amount. In order to be considered a farmstead, the property needs to be the primary residence of the owner, be at least ten contiguous acres in area, and include buildings or structures that are used for the purpose of commercial agricultural production.

If you receive a 2020 Application for Homestead and Farmstead Exclusions that lists your PRIMARY residence, please read the instructions carefully. If you believe you qualify for the homestead or farmstead exclusion(s), you need to return a completed form to the Jefferson County Assessment Office by March 1, 2020.

If you have been previously approved for a homestead or farmstead property tax reduction and the property no longer qualifies for the homestead or farmstead exclusion(s), you must notify the assessor at 849-1526 within 45 days of the change. Any person who files an application that contains false information, or who does not notify the assessor of a change in use which no longer qualifies as homestead or farmstead property, will be required to pay the taxes due, plus interest and penalties, and pay any applicable fines.

If you have any questions regarding this issue, please do not hesitate to call the business office at Brookville Area School District at 814-849-1103.

Brookville Area School District does not have a foreign exchange student this fall, so districtleaders are encouraging local families to consider hosting an international student.

“It’s a great way to add some diversity to our schools and community,” said SuperintendentErich May. Dr. May added, “Exchange students add something special to our schools, but theyalso create a great experience for host families.”

Study abroad programs bring people together, increase cultural understanding, and promote afriendlier world. Families who would consider hosting an exchange student can work withvarious agencies, including the Pan Atlantic Foundation.

In fact, Pan Atlantic has a representative right here in Jefferson County. Mrs. Beth Weiland, ofCorsica, is currently hosting a student from Thailand. She would be happy to answer questionsfor potential host families, and she can be reached at bethderek@windstream.net.

Pan Atlantic does offer full year placements, but they are currently looking to place students forthe second semester, starting in January. This five month commitment includes room andboard, but natural families send spending cash, and the agency provides health insurance forstudents. Host families just need to set an extra place at the table.

Pan Atlantic students all speak English, although improving their skill with the language is oneof the goals of the program. Students from Korea, Spain, Italy and Germany are looking forhomes for January. For more info, call Mrs. Weiland or visit www.iwanttohost.org.