SYCSD Schools Awarded Highmark Foundation Grants

Three schools in Southern York County School District will receive Highmark Foundation grants to help create healthier school environments. Friendship Elementary School (FES) will receive $7,000, and Shrewsbury Elementary School (ShES) will receive $7,500 to educate its students on bullying prevention. Susquehannock High School (SHS) will receive $5,500 to educate students on healthy eating and physical activity.

FES Principal Lisa Boyer said her staff is excited to begin school-wide social emotional learning and bullying prevention programs in conjunction with the school’s responsive classroom morning meetings. ShES Assistant Principal Robert Van Vorst explained, “The grant will help our community of learners set the tone for respectful learning while establishing a climate of trust and empathy. This will enable educators to focus on the link between academic success and social-emotional development.”

At SHS, Assistant Principal James Sterner said grant will be used to purchase fitness technologies to enhance the data collection which students use in their physical education classes to evaluate their fitness levels and progress towards their personal goals. “The program will promote healthy living and lifelong wellness for our students,” he said, noting that the school’s physical education and health department staff is committed to educating students for healthy lives beyond their years in school. “We are grateful for Highmark’s generosity and are excited for the opportunities the grant will provide our Warriors.”