The Pleasant Valley School Board approved extending the contracts for the interim assistant to the superintendent, Robert Mauro, as well as interim supervisor of special education, Mary Beth Gustafson.

Mauro came to the school district in June as the interim director of human relations, which was filled in August. He then stepped into the interim assistant to the superintendent position in September. His new appointment will run from Nov. 2 to Jan. 15, 2021, or until the position is filled.

The director of human resources position was previously held by John Burrus, who resigned in May. Former Assistant to the Superintendent Joshua Ziatyk also resigned in May, with his last day July 5.

The contract with Gustafson was extended from Nov. 4 to Jan. 15, 2021, or until the position is filled. She was first approved for the position on Aug. 13.

The vote on the two independent contracts was 8-1 with school board director Susan Kresge voting no. Kresge said the item was put in the agenda the same day as the board meeting, and did not learn of it until the executive session just before the meeting. School board President Donna Yozwiak said the item had been included in the superintendent’s report earlier in the week.

Other employment matters:

• Resignations: Jody Berube, the K-6 Special Education Department chairperson; and Stephanie Foust, a paraprofessional at the elementary school;

• Hired: William Calhoun, custodian, high school, and James Haldeman, custodian, middle school, both at $17.84 per hour; Glenda Martini, health room technician, $29,760 a year; Paul Fava and Nickolas Snyder, substitute custodians, $10.38 per hour;

• Change to current assignment: Shefike Mehmedi, from food service at PVMS to custodian at PVES, $17.84 per hour;

• Intramural advisers: Theresa Sinisko, Math Lab adviser, PVHS;

• Supplemental contracts: nonathletic: Leticia DiPipi and Jennifer Mulder, social studies curriculum leaders, PVIS, split $1,137.50;

• Supplemental contracts: athletic non-coaching: Craig Morris, line judge for Girls’ Volleyball, $35; and Dan Muir, junior high chain crew for football, $30;

• Intramural: Cory McKeever and Briana Fulme, field hockey.

The school board also applauded some accomplishments.

• John Gesiskie, girls’ volleyball coach, and his assistants, for his 500th career win, He has led the program since its beginning in 1993. Over the years, they have received nine MVC Championships; six EPC, Mountain Division Championships; three District XI PIAA Sportsmanship Awards, and more than 20 District XI playoff appearances.

• Jaxon Havens, a senior, earned “Commended Honors” for the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. More than 1.5 million students took the PSAT’s last October, and he finished in the top 50,000.

• Erhan Capan and David Terzioglu, both seniors, joined 18 other high school students across the country to develop a free online site that teaches coding to refugee students. The link to the website can be found on the PVHS Twitter page @PVBEARSHS.

• Mary Scully, a senior, won her District XI qualifier, earning her a spot in the district playoffs. She finished 6th in District XI.

• The Aevidum club at PVHS participated in “Chalk About Mental Health Day” on Oct. 13. They wrote inspirational messages with chalk on the sidewalks of the high school for students to see on their walk into the building on Oct. 15.

The district is also mourning the loss of William Jones, a sophomore in the cyber academy, who passed away on Wednesday. Superintendent Lee Lesisko said he had attended classes with his peers up until a few years ago when he began to have health issues and had to make frequent trips to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“We are all very sorry to lose a member of our PV family,” he said.