Community gathers to welcome new school personnel
Meet and Greet offers ice cream, information, camaraderie
by Jennifer Hammerberg, SAEF President
On a hot Tuesday summer evening, crowds turned out to mingle and visit. About 300 people came and went during the two-hour Ice Cream Social and Meet and Greet held Aug. 10 in the Heritage School cafeteria.
The Stockbridge Area Educational Foundation, in partnership with Panther Cubs PTO and Stockbridge Community Schools, hosted the event. The entire community was invited to welcome our new Superintendent Brian Friddle, new Heritage Principal Mark LaLonde and our new teachers and school staff.
Name tags were provided and encouraged, helping people to put names and faces together for an unforgettable evening. A great time was had by all while mingling and enjoying ice cream treats, learning about our new staff members, and seeing displays of the advanced technology in our district.
All new staff members created slide shows that were playing on Clevertouch smart boards; purchased as part of our technology bond in 2015 and available to all teachers. These high- tech devices are just a portion of the amazing technology available in our 1 : 1 school district, where we are proud to offer individualized learning opportunities supported by age-appropriate technology for all grade levels.
Local community groups were invited to have literature available about their organizations, and everyone was invited, whether they currently have kids in school or not! Our school district, supported by many amazing community organizations, is the heart of a large geographic area including Munith, Unadilla, Gregory and Stockbridge. Welcome to our community Brian, Mark and all the new staff members!
For more information, see SAEF at www.panthernet.net/our-district/saef/, Panther Cubs PTO, Stockbridge at www.facebook.com/panthercubspto and Community Schools at www.panthernet.net. A listing of community resources was printed in the Stockbridge Community News February 2021 edition.
Brian Friddle, SCS superintendent, chats with Don Porter and his wife Tammy. Don boasts 29 years working for Stockbridge Community Schools. He began as a SCS high school teacher, moving up to high school assistant principal, elementary principal and finally deputy superintendent. Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
Betty Hyatt (standing) speaks with Dorene White, local historian and a founding member of the Stockbridge Area Educational Foundation. Dorene shared photos and postcards of Old Stockbridge with community members throughout the night. Dorene, who will be 99 this November, has been a lifelong contributor to this community. She is an inspiration to us all!
Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
Stan and Sue Daily, longtime village of Stockbridge residents, were greeted and given name tags by Geri Uihlein, SAEF volunteer, co-chair of the DDDA and local G.U. Crew Howard Hannah real estate agent. Heather Adiska (not pictured) also helped to greet our guests as they came to meet the new staff and get a cold treat! Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
PTO co-President Tracie Lentz and PTO volunteer Jeanette Wetzel did a great job keeping everyone happy with ice cream treats, candy, lemonade and water! The children got in on the helping, too, by encouraging ice cream eating and name tag wearing! Thank you everyone!
Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
Ice cream, air conditioning and camaraderie were appreciated during a hot Aug. 10 evening as crowds mingle and visit during the Ice Cream Social Meet and Greet at the Heritage School cafeteria. Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
New teachers this year include (from left) Lucas Snider, HS physics teacher; David Rowse, elementary PE teacher; Payge Fox, Heritage School teacher; Kristin Hoffenbacher, Jr/Sr High teacher, and Collin Price, Jr/Sr High teacher. Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
Judy Brune (left) and Mary Jo David represented the Stockbridge Community News. Judy Brune is a retired SCS staff member and served on the SAEF board as the school representee from 2011 to 2017. Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
Heritage School welcomes new Principal Mark Lalonde.
SCS administrators (from left) Smith Principal Brad Edwards, Superintendent Brian Friddle and HS Principal Jeff Trapp. Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
Clevertouch screens set up around the room ran looped slide shows introducing new staff. Clevertouch screens have smart technology and can be used for many things such as a whiteboard, a monitor, interactive teaching devices, etc. Photo by Jennifer Hammerberg
