Carole Geary, Pleasant Valley School District's assistant superintendent/curriculum proudly presented to the principals of Polk Elementary, Chestnuthill Elementary, PVE, PVI and PVMS the Keystone Achievement Award at the last school board meeting.

This award is given to public schools that demonstrated sustained academic achievement over two consecutive school years that achieved Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. AYP is determined, in part, by a school's performance on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, the standardized test given annually to students in grades 3-8 and 11.Each school that earned a Keystone Achievement Award received a large, keystone-shaped placard that can be displayed at the school.Displaying a Keystone Achievement Award is a way to acknowledge the school's academic accomplishments.These awards reinforce the hard work the schools are doing and the success the students are achieving.Keystones reflect the commitment of students, families, teachers and the entire education community.According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, more than 2,100 Pennsylvania schools received the Keystone Achievement Awards this year.Student achievement in PA rose for the eighth consecutive year, according to PSSA results released in September.Students posted record gains in reading and math scores, with a record number of students performing at grade level in reading and math on the state's tests.Overall, three quarters of Pennsylvania students are now achieving at grade level, and the smallest percentage of students ever scored at the lowest level since the inception of PSSA testing."These Keystone awards are near and dear to our hearts," said Mr. Drake, PVMS principal.The board voted to approve:*$174,450 for Step By Step Learning service agreement to include ongoing training for 3rd grade teachers and administrators which includes Data Leaders training, LETRS Module 6 training, modeling, coaching, Student Intervention Response training and middle of the year/end of the year reporting.*renewing the Teachscape software license in the amount of $3,000*one day of DIEBELS Next Training through Wireless Generations for $3,200.*Affiliation Agreement between Shippensburg University and PVSD, effective Feb. 1, 2011 for a period not to exceed five years for field, student teaching, Professional Development School, interns and student observers.Mr. Gress, the principal of PVHS, reported on some of the school's good news.Students from Monroe County Technical Institute recently competed in the Skills USA competition.The students from PVHS that placed were: 1st place-Katherine Zoll, advertising design; Bart Kosciuczyk, criminal justice; Christina Cenexant, customer service; Kurtus Mackes, diesel equipment technology; Gina Albuino, jobs skill demo A; Duncan Rodriguez, nurse assisting; Cody Bollinger, precision machining technology; 2nd place-Brian Cassidy, computer maintenance technology, Eric Caulfield, computer maintenance, Robert Cunningham, architectural drafting; 3rd place - Mike DeStafano, TeamWorks, Austin Altemose, TeamWorks, Tom O'Leary, TeamWorks, Faith Dorn, Health Knowledge Bowl.Congratulations were offered to PVHS students Bryan Baumgartner for placing 4th and Wilson Wong for placing 9th out of 112 students in the MVC Chess Tournament Championship held at the high school on Feb. 15.PVHS's Chess team placed 2nd overall in the tournament.Kelsey Fisher was congratulated for her 1st runner-up placement in the regional Poetry Out Loud competition.She recited one of her prize winning recitations of "The Canonization" by John Donne and received a rousing round of applause from all in attendance.Donna Yozwiak, guidance counselor at PVHS announced that the PVHS newspaper, Bear Facts staff was awarded a Silver Medalist Certificate by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.In business matters, the board approved:*$300 to Mountain Top Productions for DJ services for 7th grade dance, year end celebration at PVI to be held May 20, 2011*$1,500 to WeatherBug StreamerRT for a one year, three-seat license at no increase from last year.*$5,991 to Center Point Tank Services, Inc. to supply and install one INCON TS-1001 Monitor for tank at bus compound.*the 2011-2012 Monroe Career and Technical Institute budget in the amount of $48,421,900 with PV's share being $2,147,619.The board approved:*the hiring of Matthew Gould as a substitute monitor, retroactive to Jan. 28, 2011*the transfer of Barbara Daskal, full-time paraprofessional associate from PVE to Chestnuthill Elementary, retroactive to Feb. 9, 2011*the hiring for high school winter school of Christina Dixon, social studies, with a stipend of 1 credit course (30 hours); Shavonne Liddic, mathematics with a stipend of 1 credit course (30 hours); Danielle Unger, English with a stipend of 1 credit course (30 hours*Ralph Weichand as spring volunteer Boys' Tennis coach; Lisa Kaye as 2010-2011 supplemental - co-curricular position as accompanist for PVHS musical*2011-2012 fall head coaching positions - Chris Pachuta, boys' soccer; George Fair, cross country; James Terwilliger, football; Mark Allison, girl's tennis; Steve Krechel, golf; John Gesiskie, volleyball*2011-2012 supplemental - co-curricular positions - James Percey, athletic director; Greg Bowman, assistant athletic director (PVHS); Maureen Shields, assistant athletic director, (PVMS); James DeVivo, marching band director.