PRE-SCHOOL TEACHER IS REAL-LIFE HERO TO STUDENTS
Education is about shaping students’ current skills and future aspirations. Whom children look up to is integral to how they develop. Students in the Baldwin High School Preschool have a real-life role-model in their midst. Pre-school teacher, Jordan Rush, has enlisted in the Marines. Earlier this month, Jordan went downtown for two days of physical and psychological testing to determine if he would be accepted into the Marine Corps. Of the sixteen men and women who were tested, only six were accepted, and Jordan was one of them. Jordan was already a hero in students’ eyes— with his dazzling smile and enthusiasm, he works hard to create meaningful lessons for the class and is adored by the children. His enlistment further cements his status as a hero to students.
His mother, Jineen Rush, shares that as a young boy, Jordan attended his cousin ' s graduation from basic training. The awe and respect he had for his cousin and the Marine Corps has stayed with him since that day. When it came time to make plans for his future, Jordan told his mother that he wanted to serve his country and took steps to realize his long-time dream. The Rush family are integrated members of the District community. Jordan’ s brother, Tyler, graduated from Baldwin High School in 2015, and his sister, Julianna, is a third-grader. Mrs. Rush expresses,“ We’ re all very proud of him. He’ s a good kid, very disciplined.” Jordan is already training 3 days per week in anticipation of leaving for basic training at Parris Island this fall.
Virginia Pfatteicher is the head teacher of Jordan’ s classroom and shares what a contribution he’ s made to the students and the learning environment:“ He is a very kind and selfless young man whom all of the preschoolers look up to. He is hardworking and always willing to go beyond what is expected. When he told me he was joining the Marines, I was so touched by his desire to serve our country.”
Service for the community is a central value of the District. We are proud of the many ways students serve while in school and how they contribute to the world around them after graduation. Jordan will make a wonderful Marine, and we wanted the rest of the community to know how proud we are of him and how grateful we are for his service. He truly is a hero.
The Baldwin High School Preschool is a program that provides learning opportunities on all sides. Preschoolers gain skills in science, math, reading readiness, and art. High school seniors considering a career in teaching, health care, or other human services take this course for credit and benefit from hands-on experience.
DISTRICT SPRING CONCERTS
Spring is in the air, and we invite you to join us for our musicals, orchestra, band and choir performances. Visit www. bwschools. net / our-district / calendars for these and many other events during the spring season.
n May 1, 7:00 p. m. 8th Grade / BHS Band Concert at Baldwin High School n May 3, 7:00 p. m. BHS Piano Recital at Baldwin High School n May 4, 7:00 p. m. HMS / BHS Jazz Night at Harrison Middle School n May 7, 7:30 p. m. HMS 8th Grade Chorus Concert & HMS Strings Concert at Harrison Middle School n May 8, 7:30 p. m. HMS 6th & 7th Grade Chorus Concert at Harrison Middle School n May 10, 7:30 p. m. PES / WES 4th & 5th Grade Band Concert at Baldwin High School n May 11, 7:30 p. m. PES / WES 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Strings Concert at Baldwin High School n May 21, 7:00 p. m. HMS 6th / 7th Grade Band Concert at Baldwin High School n May 22, 7:00 p. m. BHS Strings / Wind Ensemble Spring Concert at Baldwin High School n May 23, 7:00 p. m. PES 5th Grade Choir Concert at Paynter Elementary School n May 24, 7:00 p. m. WES 5th Grade Choir Concert at Whitehall Elementary School n May 24, 8th Grade Band, Chorus, and Orchestra perform at the Highnote Festivals at CMU and Kennywood n May 29, 7:00 p. m. BHS Spring Choir Concert at Baldwin High School
aldwin-Whitehall
CITY BALDWIN-WHITEHALL OF MCKEESPORT NEWS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
cKeesport
FIFTH-GRADE STUDENTS CREATE EDUCATION TOOLS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS
Fifth-grade students at Paynter used their MakerSpace and Creation Station to serve the community. Rather than creating projects that collect dust and get thrown away, children made educational toys for students in the Life Skills and Autistic Support classrooms, as well as for young children serviced by SHIM. Library Media Specialist, Kristen Mutschler, explains, " We turned our MakerSpace into a MakerCare area and are so excited to help others! We created Busy Boards and Busy Books that work on basic, finemotor skills and skills such as colors, shapes, numbers, and letters."
The MakerSpace allows students to express their creativity and explore the design process both individually and as a group. Ms. Mustchler noted,“ Students were able to self-select their own projects and teams based upon who was interested in the same project. The engineering design process was used to create the end-product as they used the 4Cs: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.” Supplies for the Busy Boards were donated by members of the community, who responded with overwhelming generosity once they heard about the project. Students dug into the project with enthusiasm, bringing fresh ideas for the project and working outside of school time— some students even requested to come in during recess to continue working.
The project produced educational tools, while simultaneously providing a valuable exercise in compassion for the students making the Busy Boards. The students repeatedly expressed how good it felt to help their peers. Some students related that they or their family had gone through hard times, and it made them happy to be able to help others when they needed it. Ms. Mustchler shared,“ watching our fifth-graders showcase their kind and caring hearts in a process with such compassion and empathy has been amazing!” The fifth-grade students presented the Busy Boards to students in the Life Skills and Autistic Support Classrooms in January, and they are already being put to good use.
BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL ❘ SPRING 2018 73