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