The original item was published from March 7, 2016 3:15 PM to January 8, 2021 9:28 AM
Like every other homeowner in Cranberry, I spend a lot more on school taxes than on my Township or County taxes. So, like everyone else in Cranberry, I’ve wanted to make sure I’m getting value for it.
Fifteen years ago, my own three kids were enrolled in Seneca Valley. It was a positive experience for them. The system worked – serving my children well, preparing them for college and grooming them for lives as responsible adults. At the same time, as engaged parents, my wife and I went to school open houses, came to parent-teacher meetings, attended school events, and became acquainted with a number of the district’s staff, faculty, and administration members. That reinforced our feeling that we were getting real value from Seneca Valley.
My kids are grown now, but so has my appreciation for the school district. Over the years my kids were students, Seneca Valley worked steadily to raise the bar of achievement. That effort has continued, and it’s been noticed by third-parties – by people who don’t have kids in the district. Pittsburgh Business Times has ranked Seneca Valley in the top fifth of its regional rankings for several years now, part of a long upward progression that the district has experienced. In effect, it has gone from being a good school district to being a very good district.
I’d like to believe that Cranberry Township has played a part in that progress. Every year, dozens of high school students come asking for some form of Township support for their senior projects, and we do our best to accommodate them. Girls from the district’s STEM-FEMS program have come into our parks and neighborhoods to stencil caution signs on our catch basins. And just last week, a class from Haine Middle School came to our Board of Supervisors meeting with a PowerPoint presentation about protecting our region’s watershed.
On a more personal note, my wife and I continue to attend academic, sporting, art, and musical events put on by our school district. At each event, we are impressed with the passion and talent of the students and staff we see there. Just this past weekend, we attended the high school’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, and we were blown away, as were many of the other parents, grandparents and friends of the cast who came there.
If you have kids in the district’s schools, you already know what I’m talking about. But if you don’t, I would encourage you to attend some of the many events mounted by Seneca Valley, whether they’re theatrical, athletic, scientific or social, and see what I mean. After all, you’re already paying for them. The full calendar of events is available on the district’s website,
www.svsd.net.
Seneca Valley provides important support to our community and we are delighted to cheer them on.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and your experiences with our schools. You can reach me at
jerry.andree@cranberrytownship.org