Burrell School District leaders want students and parents to join teachers and administrators for the Fall Fireside Chats this month, part of an effort to increase engagement among teachers, administrators, families, and the community.

"Our goal is to reconnect with our families, build trust and strengthen relationships," said Dr. Autumn Turk, the district's Director of Curriculum & Development.

Two Burrell School District educators will serve the system in leadership roles this fall.

Former Charles A. Huston Middle School Assistant Principal Autumn Turk will serve as the district's Director of Curriculum and Development. Travis Welch, a former social studies teacher, leaves his position as dean of students at the middle school to serve as assistant principal. 

The nominations are in, and Burrell School District's Ashlee Peters-Roberts is a finalist for the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.

The 33-year-old 6th-grade Social Studies teacher at Charles A. Huston Middle School is among 12 finalists who will be honored this fall in Harrisburg when the winner of Pennsylvania's Teacher of the Year will be announced.

Burrell School District leaders are working to build trust and strengthen relationships among families, students, teachers, administrators, and the community. 

Burrell School District students ended the year with many success stories to celebrate in all areas, including academics and sports.

A Burrell guidance counselor's success with using her goldendoodle as a therapy dog has inspired other educators in the district to train their pets as therapy dogs.

Several Burrell High School juniors and seniors are joining district school board members to discuss important issues, offering students an opportunity to influence board decisions that impact them. The four students began joining school board members at the beginning of the academic year for the agenda meetings to discuss issues before members act on them during regular meetings.

As students adjust to the hardships caused by the global pandemic, Burrell School District leaders are focused on providing the support needed to ensure that students do not fall behind the learning curve.

Educators are expanding opportunities for teachers and students in Burrell School District thanks to two grants recently awarded.

Burrell joined five other southwest Pennsylvania school districts to collaborate through the Consortium for Public Education with funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. Leadership teams from the districts are working together through the consortium and with teams in their individual school systems to improve school design, strengthen family and community engagement, and increase career readiness for students.

A Burrell School District program that focuses on the social, behavioral, and emotional needs of students goes beyond the basics to provide support.

Burrell District schools welcomed new educators and promoted others to new positions this academic year as students returned to the classroom. 

Students in the Burrell School District have an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and special certifications through a career training program and a partnership with a local nonprofit.

Rodney Schafer practices what he teaches, so well in fact that the Burrell School District rocketry instructor received national attention for his skills.

Though students in the Burrell High School class of 2021 faced their fair share of challenges with the pandemic, they made it to graduation on June 10.

Two students in particular — Ian Oswalt and Reid Watkins — achieved much success in their senior year.

Despite the tribulations of a virtual event, several Burrell High School students excelled at this year’s state Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competition.

A team of Jordyn Kowalkowski, Jessica Kowalkowski, and Sydney Horvat took second place in Sports and Entertainment Management. Their performance qualified them to compete at the FBLA National Leadership Conference, which will also take place virtually from June 29 to July 2.

The 2020-2021 school year has been challenging for everyone, including students, parents, and teachers.

“The most challenging part of the year for me has been trying to focus when I go virtual for the day,” said John Lindgren, senior at Burrell High School. “It's just very difficult to go to class after class while sitting in the same spot all day.”

Burrell School District hasn’t changed much from its original Health and Safety Plan at the beginning of the year and that’s because it’s working.

“The mitigation efforts that we put into place are serving us very well,” said Angela Dastolfo, RN, BSN, NCSN, MS, Coordinator of Health Services.

Burrell School District takes art education seriously, and it shows. The district has recently been named as an Outstanding Visual Arts Community by the Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA). Only 27 districts across the state received this prestigious recognition.