NHSD Educators and Wind Ensemble
Honored at State Music Event
N
orth Hills School District music teachers Len Lavelle
and Chris Ballentine and Superintendent Dr. Patrick J.
Mannarino were recognized for their contributions to
music education at the 2018 Pennsylvania Music Educators
Association (PMEA) Annual Conference where the high school’s
Wind Ensemble also was selected to perform. The honors given
are the highest awards in the area of music in Pennsylvania.
Citation of Excellence – Len Lavelle, High School Director of
Bands and Orchestras
The Citation of Excellence is award to educators who have
made lasting contributions in their area of teaching.
Outstanding Young Music Educator – Chris Ballentine,
Secondary Schools Music Teacher
This award recognizes a young music educator within their
first three to five years in their career for their contributions to
music education and PMEA.
N
North Hills Students
Place in Top 3 at State
Speech and Debate
Championships
orth Hills High School senior Michelle Do and junior
Nickolas Bartel finished in the Top 3 out of more than 500
students representing 100 schools at the Pennsylvania
High School Speech League State Tournament.
Michelle claimed second-place in the Poetry Interpretation
event, and Nickolas placed third in Congressional Debate event.
These honors represent the first time a North Hills student
has competed in the final round at a speech and debate state
championship event in more than a decade.
Both students advanced to the state championship with
top finishes at the district event. At the district event, Michelle
won first place and was named district champion in the Poetry
Interpretation event, and Nickolas won third place in the
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Outstanding Superintendent – Dr. Patrick J. Mannarino
This annual award is given to a chief school administrator who
recognizes the importance of music and the arts in their school
district’s curriculum.
North Hills High School’s Wind Ensemble was selected out
of hundreds of high school music groups in Pennsylvania to
perform at the PMEA conference. Their PMEA concert was
attended by educators, professors, presenters and exhibitors
from across the state who attend the annual conference.
This honor can be equated to winning a curricular state
championship. The honor marks the seventh time in the past
eight years that the district’s premier ensemble has been
selected to perform at the state-level PMEA event or at a NafME
All-East Convention.
The high school’s wind ensemble consists of 51 musicians in
grades 9 to 12. All ensemble members are selected through an
audition process.
ROSS TOWNSHIP
Congressional Debate
event.
The Speech and
Debate Club was
reformed last school
year at the high
school. The club seeks to develop students’ skills in conducting
effective research as they learn to craft logical, fluid and well-
constructed arguments, expand their knowledge of topics not
commonly discussed in their everyday lives and encourage
critical analysis of topics in our world.
The club is overseen by secondary teacher and sponsor Dawn
Zahorchak and assistant coach Patrick Dickey.