Paxinosa Elementary School on Northampton Street, Easton
Posted by: Noël Jones
At the Easton Area School Board meeting last week, Asst. Principal Hector Bonilla of Paxinosa Elementary was honored by Superintendent McGuinley for Paxinosa's being recently awarded the National Title 1 Distinguished School Award for Pennsylvania. This is a burst of great news about progress in an otherwise troubling string of stories about the EASD and poor student performance. I looked for a story in the local papers, but didn't see one. Below is a letter to the editor of the Express-Times about this important award:
Paxinosa’s success warranted story
I think The Express-Times should nominate itself for a “Turkey.” The Paxinosa school has received the honor of being named a National Title 1 Distinguished School for Pennsylvania and the only mention in the paper was a picture buried on the back of the B section. The picture was published after several phone calls (thanks to Pennsylvania editor Rudy Miller). However, is the newspaper only for sad, tragic stories? Can't something positive be published?
There are about 700 students at Paxinosa and if the other parents feel as I do, we want all the hard work of our children and their dedicated teachers and staff to be recognized. The school had to qualify in several areas including attendance and test scores.
If The Express-Times has room for pictures of dogs and people baking and going to football games on its front page surely it can find room for an educational milestone. Our kids deserve it.
I think The Express-Times should nominate itself for a “Turkey.” The Paxinosa school has received the honor of being named a National Title 1 Distinguished School for Pennsylvania and the only mention in the paper was a picture buried on the back of the B section. The picture was published after several phone calls (thanks to Pennsylvania editor Rudy Miller). However, is the newspaper only for sad, tragic stories? Can't something positive be published?
There are about 700 students at Paxinosa and if the other parents feel as I do, we want all the hard work of our children and their dedicated teachers and staff to be recognized. The school had to qualify in several areas including attendance and test scores.
If The Express-Times has room for pictures of dogs and people baking and going to football games on its front page surely it can find room for an educational milestone. Our kids deserve it.
MAUREEN RIVERA
Easton
**
To the students, parents, teachers and administrators of Paxinosa Elementary--CONGRATULATIONS!! The community is very proud of you--Way to go, Paxinosa!
Posts
10 comments:
this is such great news after hearing about EHS being in corrective action II for so many years...let's hope all the other schools begin to follow suit!
Thank for posting this Noel. They have a great group of dedicated teachers at Paxinosa. I was not surprised that the EASD didn't make a big deal about this. Remember that they would not want to draw positive attention to the performance of Principal Hightower before litigation begins in the racial discrimination lawsuit against the district that he is a plantiff in. He deserved praise at that school board meeting as well as Hector Bonilla.
Very interesting...I did not know that. Thanks for posting.
It's really great to have something positive to post about in terms of improved student performance and they we should be shouting it from the hills, in my opinion. Success is as contagious as failure, and if the other schools see that Paxinosa has done this, they might start pulling themselves out of corrective action.
Congrats again to the student, parents and everyone who works there!
"I was not surprised that the EASD didn't make a big deal about this. Remember that they would not want to draw positive attention to the performance of Principal Hightower before litigation begins in the racial discrimination lawsuit against the district that he is a plantiff in. He deserved praise at that school board meeting as well as Hector Bonilla."
MAYBE HAD HIGHTOWER GOTTEN HIS ASS TO THE BOARD MEETING, HE WOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE ACCOLADES THE BOARD PLAN FOR HIM THAT EVENING!!!
"if the other schools see that Paxinosa has done this, they might start pulling themselves out of corrective action."
Noel:
You obviously know very little about the AYP status of the EASD school, or maybe its what Kerry Ellison feeds you and your bully friends that waste time at Board meeting.
The fact is that the EASD only has one school, EAHS, that did not make AYP last year. EAHS made the most progress it ever has on the PSSA tests, and, with the new principal recently promoted, they should make AYP this year.
However, God forbid that would happen. You and your Board detractors will have nothing to bitch about!
He had to be there to be given accolades? Considering what the district has put him through, I can't blame him for being a no-show at a board meeting. They are a completely useless bunch.
Don't you just HATE IT when the public starts holding an elected body accountable;-)
Kudos to Paxinosa and thank you! This is something the West Ward neighborhood can use to promote itself as a good place for families to live. We have a good elementary school that can be walked to! Announcements should go out to realtors in the area to use this fact when marketing homes in the West Ward. More home owning families will help us support our schools financially without undue burden on a few.
On another note, personally, I appreciate Noel and Carinne, Gavin and others who make a point of attending School Board meetings on a regular basis. They are tax payers, as I am. A school worthy of accreditation will view its community as a partner and valuable player in the continuing improvement of its school (not "bully friends and time wasters.") On the other hand, sometimes it takes a bully to face down a bully -
Anon 11:38--first of all, anyone who starts a post with a intro as smug, critical and snarky as, "You obviously know very little about the AYP status of the EASD school, or maybe its what Kerry Ellison feeds you and your bully friends that waste time at Board meeting," clearly has a personal ax to grind with both blogger and board member, and it detracts from any point you might be trying to make.
If you want people to take you seriously, you need to try to make your points without sounding like a defensive member of the administration.
What also detracts from your points is that you got your facts wrong--below is the link to the PDE AYP ratings for the EASD for all to see. Currently EAHS is in its 4th year of Corrective Action II. EAMS 7-8 is also in corrective action but ranked as "Making Progress." March Elementary school is currently under a warning:
http://paayp.emetric.net/District/SchoolList/c48/120483302
But I agree with Cathy--the fact that Paxinosa has received this award is a great draw for prospective home buyers with young children. The more middle-class home-buyers we have in the neighborhood, paying into our tax base, the better or our city's budget and potential revitalization.
Now that EAMS is making progress, that's also a great sign. Of course, if our administration continues to cut teacher jobs while giving themselves raises, it will make improvement all the more challenging. We need to cut WASTE--and waste rarely = TEACHERS.
We need to cut expensive sweetheart deals w/D'Huy, for one, and we need to figure out who it is behind the scenes that has been approving payment of invoices and leases of space without board approval over the years. That person should be fired.
Good grief. I am disappointed to see that yet another coward, I mean “anonymous” person has tried to take a story as positive as this and turn it ugly. I have heard many statements of praise at many board meetings to individuals or groups that were not in attendance. Yet when individuals who are actually Board MEMBERS (Pat Volcano) are absent with THE WORST ATTENDANCE RECORD OF ANY BOARD MEMBERS LOCALLY and I call attention to this fact then I am the one being a bully? Shame on you.
“EAHS made the most progress it ever has on the PSSA tests, and, with the new principal recently promoted, they should make AYP this year.” Way to take an accomplishment that might happen and already credit it solely to one promoted principal.
So all that I think really needs to be commented on here is congratulations Paxinosa and good luck to all the students and teachers who are working hard to follow the success.
Post a Comment