DuBois Schools Receives Feminine Hygiene Product Grant

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DUBOIS – The DuBois Area School District has received almost $6,000 dollars to help purchase feminine hygiene products.

These funds are all possible due to the signing of Act 55, allowing the Department of Health to allocate up to three million dollars to Pennsylvania schools for feminine hygiene products.  

For the current school year, the grant program will provide $1.75 dollars per enrolled student, tallying $5,713 dollars for DuBois schools.

The district plans to use these funds to purchase dispensers and menstrual products for students.

With other contributions from the community and other grants, the school has been able to partner with We Care for Kids launching the DOT program, which has been highly successful at the High School.

It was also noted that an overage of one in four teenagers miss class due to lack of access to hygiene products.

A full look at the Superintendent’s report is below:

Recognition of PSBA Years of Service

Dustan Dodd – 5 years

Mark Gilga – 10 years

We are proud to recognize and celebrate the dedication and commitment of two members of our school board this evening.

PSBA’s Honor Roll of School Board Service program celebrates school board directors for long-term service and recognizes their dedication to their local districts and communities. Bestowing a certificate represents our appreciation for their work and steadfast commitment to their students.

This year the Honor Roll Program celebrates 40 years of recognizing our long-term school leaders and with this anniversary come some exciting updates to the program. Now, when school directors reach five years of service and for every five years thereafter, PSBA is pleased to offer then an Honor Roll certificate. The Honor Roll is the association’s way of thanking individuals who exemplify leadership by giving unselfishly of their time and talents for the betterment of public schools and students across the commonwealth.

This evening, Mark Gilga is being honored for his 10 years of service and Dustan Dodd is being recognized for his 5 years of service.

In their time on the board, both Mark and Dustan have contributed greatly to the success and progress of our district, and we are incredibly grateful for their leadership, passion, and commitment to education.

Please join me in congratulating Mark Gilga and Dustan Dodd for their service and for being named to the PSBA Honor Roll!

Homecoming

I would like to extend an invitation to our annual Homecoming game and festivities on Friday, October 4th! All DASD families are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Schedule of Events:

• 4:00 – 5:30 PM: Tailgate Party in the High School front parking lot – with all food and beverages generously provided by our staff and local businesses to include:

o   Dominos

o   Pizza Hut

o   Buck’s Pizza

o   Martin’s

o   Scotty’s Donuts

o   DuBois Drug and Wellness

• 5:30 PM: Line up for the parade to Mansell Stadium.
• 5:45 PM: Parade begins.
• 7:00 PM: Kick-off at Mansell Stadium vs. Ridgway.
• Approximately 8:15 PM (Halftime): Crowning of the Homecoming Queen.

For those participating in the parade, please dress in red, black, and white, and walk with your respective school. School banners are encouraged! All students must be supervised by a parent, guardian, or PTA representative.

Game Admission:

• $3 for students
• $4 for adults

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the High School Athletic Office on October 1st, 2nd, and 3rd from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM, and on October 4th from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM.

We hope to see you there!

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to remember and honor those lost to suicide, as well as support suicide attempt survivors and all who experience suicidal ideation, mental health challenges and crisis every day.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank our HOPE Squads at both the High School and Middle School for their continued efforts to build awareness, prevention and by providing support. I would also like to thank the elementary school counselors for their efforts to foster awareness of emotions and to recognize when others may need a friend through their annual “Start with Hello week” – which is a call-to-action event for schools and youth organizations dedicated to kindness, inclusion, and making connections.

School Director Kristin Williams recently suggested that I contact the Community Guidance Center to speak with Scott Rendos, Director of Outpatient Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol. Mr. Renos shared opportunities for some upcoming trainings to include QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) and ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. These training opportunities have been shared with our school counselors and the health and physical education department.

An Evening of One Acts

According to Dorothea Hackett, each year the Theater Department produces Fall in Love: An Evening of One Acts to raise food donations for the Helping Hands Food Pantry in Reynoldsville. We have been doing this for many years. Part of the membership requirements in the International Thespian Society is community service. Each year, ITS encourages “Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat”, a national food drive to combat childhood hunger.  We ran and continue to run a homeroom food drive contest in our building. However, one year, a student suggested that we produce a show in the fall and change non-perishable food items as admission. He even had a title:  Fall in Love with all of the shows having some kind of love theme which we have been doing ever since. They continue to run the homeroom contest the two weeks before and during the show.  It is also a good way to introduce new freshmen to the program since the rehearsal commitment is shorter.

September 26-27 7:30 PM in the High School AUD

Snack Bags of Joy

DuBois Continuum of Care Community will host the sixth annual Snack Bags of Joy in preparation for the holidays. This year, they have set an ambitious goal of 300 bags of snacks to include a warm hat and gloves, to brighten the holiday break for students who utilize the food pantries located in each school for supplemental food items for the weekends and holidays. Led by Darla Kahle and the team at the DuBois Continuum of Care Community, I want to express how much our students benefit from and appreciate the additional snack items while our schools are closed for the holidays.

High School College & Career Fair – October 8^th

We’ve used our digital sign and Facebook page to promote this event, inviting local businesses and colleges to participate and we are excited to provide this opportunity to our students!

2024 DAHS College & Career Fair Participants

Thank you in advance to all participants and to Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Clark for coordinating this event!

Ask Me About It Posters

Also on the career readiness front is our new initiative for students to spark conversations with district employees to learn more about their educational path and career in the DuBois Area School District. When visiting schools, you will see these posters on display outside of classrooms and throughout the buildings.

PA Wilds Program

 In addition, I would like to recognize the tremendous opportunity for our students coordinated by our High School Art teachers: Cheyenne Kanouff and Robyn Craig for a new entrepreneurial program for our students.

According to the Art Department, through the PA Wilds Entrepreneurship opportunity, we plan to incorporate into our curriculum product design, development and the business aspect of creating handcrafted items to sell.

Through the multiple three-dimensional design classes, jewelry and metals classes, and art club, our students at DuBois Area High School will have the opportunity to learn first-hand how to develop a product, and take it to market. Through the $4,000 grant that comes with this program, students will have the opportunity to take a field trip to Kinzua Bridge to see the gift shop and how products are purchased wholesale, marketed, and sold within this specific PA Wilds gift shop. The Department hopes to create and sell ceramic jewelry dishes, metal keychains and metal and clay earrings in the gift shop with the proceeds benefiting the Art Club.

This program provides students a real-life business opportunity to sell their work, market it for sale, observe the overall process in how an artist can earn income from their craft, and basically get a front row seat in how to collaborate and work with an established marketplace and therefore become an independent business.

Spotted Lantern Fly

On September 10^th, Bethany Klees of the PA Department of Agriculture, while escorted by our recently certified members of the maintenance department, completed a visual inspection of the High School boundary lines and did not locate any evidence of the Spotted Lanternfly.

The Spotted lanternfly is an invasive planthopper that feeds on a wide range of plants, including grapes, hops, stone fruits, and hardwood trees. When the spotted lanternfly feeds, it excretes a sticky, sugary fluid that causes sooty mold, which can further damage plants.

We appreciate the support of the PA Department of Agriculture for completing the inspection and a special thank you to Mr. Dunlap and Mr. Siple for their prompt completion of the training course.