Parkland School District

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Parkland School District
Parkland School District Logo
Map of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania with Parkland School District Highlighted.png
Location of Parkland School District in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
Location
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Parkland School District is a public school district located in the Lehigh Valley region of Eastern Pennsylvania. It serves North Whitehall Township, South Whitehall Township, Upper Macungie Township, and a part of western Allentown.[1][2] The district has nine elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. Parkland School District has a total enrollment of 9,572 K-12 students across its twelve schools as of the 2020–2021 school year.[3] Parkland's superintendent is Dr. Mark J. Madson, who began his term on July 1, 2021.[4]

Parkland High School[]

With 3,196 students in the 2020–2021 school year, Parkland High School is the largest high school in the Lehigh Valley.[5]

Orefield Middle School[]

Orefield Middle School
Address
2675 PA Route 309

Orefield
,
Pennsylvania
18069

United States
Information
TypePublic
Established1999
School districtParkland School District
SuperintendentRichard T. Sniscak [6]
PrincipalTodd M. Gombos [7]
Grades6 - 8
Enrollment945 (2016-2017)[5]
MascotJaguar
NewspaperThe Orefield Oracle
Information610-351-5750
WebsiteOrefield Middle School

Orefield Middle School is located in Orefield, PA, on PA Route 309. It is the home of Parkland's football stadium and bus depot. The school serves the northern half of the district, primarily north of Tilghman Street.[8]

History[]

Orefield Middle School was founded in 1999. Its predecessor, Troxell Junior High School, was established when students in grades 7 to 9 were moved from Parkland High School due to overcrowding.[9] When the new and current Parkland High School was constructed in 1999, the school was moved from Troxell to the old high school building and renamed Orefield Middle School to serve students in grades 6 to 8. During the first two terms in the new building, the facility was renovated to accommodate middle school instruction.[10] In 2014, a rain garden was installed in a courtyard to aid in environmental education.[11]

Academics[]

Students at Orefield are assigned to teams of teachers that are instructors for core subjects. There are six teams for 6th grade, and three teams each for 7th and 8th grades. The school also has language, music, art, and technology classes.[12] Orefield Middle School's 2014 performance profile indicated that the school has an academic score of 89.3.[5]

Springhouse Middle School[]

Springhouse Middle School
Address
1200 Springhouse Road

Allentown
,
Pennsylvania
18104

United States
Information
TypePublic
Established1970
School districtParkland School District
SuperintendentRichard T. Sniscak [6]
PrincipalMichelle M. Minotti
  • Allison Z. Thompson [13]
Grades6 - 8
Enrollment1,270 (2016-2017)[5]
MascotTimberwolf
Information(610) 351-5700

Springhouse Middle School is located in Allentown, PA, on Springhouse road just behind the Administration building. It serves the southern half of the district, primarily south of Tilghman Street.[8]

History[]

Springhouse Middle School was initially a Junior High School serving grades 7–9. However, when the new High School was constructed and Troxell Junior High School closed, Springhouse began serving grades 6–8.

In 2006 the school underwent a renovation and expansion due to overcrowding (spurring from numerous new developments in Upper Macungie). The D-wing, auxiliary gymnasium, health class rooms, and a new dedicated band room were part of the expansion. Despite this, the school is again dealing with overcrowding and in 2016 had to recently cede some of its sending area to Orefield.[8]

Academics[]

Students at Springhouse are assigned to teams of teachers that are instructors for core subjects. There are eight teams for 6th grade, and three teams each for 7th and 8th grades.[14] The school also has language, music, art, and technology classes.[12] Springhouse Middle School's 2016 performance profile indicated that the school has an academic score of 81.14.[5]

In 2014, the school became famous for becoming the first-ever Science Olympiad team to make the national competition, where they won the DuPont Enterprise Excellence Award. Springhouse has made the national competition in 2015 and 2016 as well, winning numerous gold medals in various categories.[15]

Cetronia Elementary School[]

Cetronia Elementary School is currently rated the fourth best school out of the entire school district. With three floors and three hallways, the school holds almost 500 students during the school year. Cetronia is the home of the "hedgehogs". The students are exposed to various extra activities, such as library, gym, music, and art. At grade 3, students are asked to choose an instrument to play throughout school until their graduation of high school. With cleanly kept playgrounds, a track, and a basketball court, the students are exposed to fresh air for 20 minutes of their day. They are also rewarded for good behavior with a STARS ticket in rare occasions. Those also lead to more rewards of playing video games with the principal and gift cards for various places.

Fogelsville Elementary School[]

Symbolized by a rosette encircled in a scalloped design on the front of the building, Fogelsville Elementary School was built in 1965. These seven separate rosettes, which are located both inside and outside the school, are mosaics set into the brickwork. According to Pennsylvania Dutch legend, the rosette repels “bad luck” and the scalloped design helps the students inside “sail smoothly” through life. Intended by its architects to reflect the historical roots of the school's community, the school was first called The Upper Macungie Elementary School and in 1970 renamed to Fogelsville Elementary School. When dedicated in 1965, the original building consisted of 13 classrooms, a library, a health room, and an activity building, which accommodated 411 students. Today, Fogelsville Elementary consists of 28 classrooms with an enrollment of 694 students, which presently is the largest of the eight elementary schools. Fogelsville Elementary School is the home of the “foxes”.

Ironton Elementary School[]

Ironton Elementary School was built in 1942.

Kernsville Elementary School[]

Built in the 1850s as a one-room schoolhouse, Kernsville is located on Orefield Road in Orefield, PA. It is a mere mile away from Orefield Middle School, serving 396 students in the 2016–2017 school year.

Kratzer Elementary School[]

Named after Johannes Kratzer, a German immigrant and farmer who, near the turn of the 19th century and for the consideration of one dollar, donated a corner of his extensive family farm for the construction of a public schoolhouse. Later, when the Parkland School District was formed and unified, the original Kratzer schoolhouse served as the Parkland Community Center. The original building was torn down in the 1960s, but the modern building still retains the name of the original landowner, whose descendants still reside in Lehigh County. A portrait of Kratzer which hung inside the original building has been lost.

There are approximately 400 students that attend Kratzer Elementary School.

Parkway Manor Elementary School[]

Schnecksville Elementary School[]

Fred Jaindl Elementary School[]

Named after Frederick J. Jaindl, farmer and philanthropist. It broke ground on March 29, 2009 and the school opened its doors in August 2010. The 20-acre site near Trexlertown accommodates approximately 600 students in grades K-5. It is also located near the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, and Grim Road.

References[]

  1. ^ Parkland School District Profile Retrieved on Feb 21, 2010
  2. ^ "MySchoolLocator for Parkland School District".
  3. ^ "2020-2021 District Profile" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Parkland names Nazareth's Mark Madson as next superintendent". Retrieved 2021-03-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e "District Profile". parklandsd.org. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Administration". parklandsd.org. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  7. ^ "Todd M. Gombos Named New Orefield Middle School Principal". parklandsd.org. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "District Map". www.parklandsd.org. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  9. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2015-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Orefield Middle School Renovation Runs Behind * Project Is Converting The Old Parkland High. District Says It Took 5 Months For State To Approve Funding". The Morning Call. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  11. ^ The Morning Call (30 September 2014). "Orefield Middle School making courtyard garden for nature lessons - The Morning Call". themorningcall.com. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Parkland School District Orefield Middle School Staff". parklandsd.org. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Parkland hires assistant principals, varsity baseball coach".
  14. ^ "Parkland School District Springhouse Middle School Staff". www.parklandsd.org. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  15. ^ "Springhouse Middle School - Science Olympiad Student Center Wiki". scioly.org. Retrieved 2016-11-21.

External links[]

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