§ LR ER va TP LL Te I. A =. yr. Sy October 24, 1979 Darla Schorr Teacher of the Week Darla Schorr Darla (Mrs. Edmund) Schorr, 3rd grade teacher at Riverview grew up in Mount Joy as Darla Culp. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Culp, still live in Mount Joy. She graduated from Donegal High School and then went to Millersville State College. For one year after graduation she taught 3rd grade in the Hempfield district, then went to California, where she taught 4th grade for two years. Then, it was to Madison, Wis., for a year of teaching 4th grade there, after which she returned to California and taught 4th grade there for seven years. In 1974 she r-turned to the Donegal area and began teaching 3rd grade at Riverview. She and her husband live in Donegal Heights, Mount Joy. Mrs. Schorr has three major goals for her pupils. She wants them to do their best, whatever their level of ability. She wants them to be good citizens. And she wants them to take responsibility for them- selves. She encourages good citizenship by having the children select a boy and a girl of the month from their class. The children look forward to this monthly honor when they nominate and pick two of their number for the distinction. Good citizens follow the rules. They get along with others. They are good sports on the playground and elsewhere; they don’t inter- rupt other children’s games. Good citizens don’t exclude others from their games. If they see someone just watching, good citizens get the watchers involved in their games. Mrs. Schorr doesn’t mind if the children use their knowledge of each other at home in making their selections of boy and girl of the month. Good citizens should be helpful to their friends, respectful to their parents, and helpful to their neighbors. One way Mrs. Schorr encourages responsibility is by giving an award every week for the cleanest desk. The winner of this award has a paper bow attached to his or her chair, which reads: ‘Cleanest Desk.” Children who don’t win recognition in other ways, often excel in neatness. She encourages industry. If a child finishes his assigned work ahead of the others, he can tackle ‘‘The Problem of the Week,’”’ an extra math problem. Child- ren who solve the problem of the week wear a paper button which says, *‘I solved the problem of the week.” There are all sorts of things to do with any extra time, as colorful signs at the front of the classroom constantly remind the child- ren. They can work math problems on little slates that Mrs. Schorr made for them. They can play a record and follow the record as they read a book. They can read with a partner—*‘softly.” They can just read a ‘‘good book...read...read...read.”’ Or, they can use the math drill cards. “You really have to keep them busy. They need to keep being challenged all 3273 the time. There are all levels of ability in the class. Some children learn better one way, some another. Some learn best in a small group, others in a large group. Some learn better with another student, rather than the teacher. A pupil who teaches another pupil is also reinforced in her learning. The students use their own terminology in explaining, which is clear to their friends. “I believe that children need routine in their lives. I try to maintain a stable atmosphere in the class,” says Mrs. Schorr. ‘‘They need to know what’s coming next. That goes along with discipline. “If the work isn’t done they should know the consequences. I try to make them understand that it isn’t fair for some students to do their work, when others don’t. 1 ask the students what should be done with students who don’t do their work. Their recommendat- ions are often severe; I try to soften their suggestions somewhat. But they learn to be responsible for each other by deciding on the consequences. Mrs. Schorr stimulates interest in current events by having the children bring in newspaper clippings which eventually get pinned on a current events bulletin board. They have to stand up in front of the class and tell about the current event in their own language. Then they must answer questions about the event by reading the article. ‘“This teaches them to skim,’’ says Mrs. Schorr. Mrs. Schorr’s class was very busy during the Bicentennial. Mr. Loose came over from the high school and showed the class slides of old Marietta. They made a Bicentennial skirt illustrated with historical scenes in color: a trolley, a pretzel shop, the river, and signed their names to the drawings. As long as her pupils from that class were still at Riverview, Mrs. Schorr used to wear that skirt to school one day a year, to remind them of their work. One of her classes also made a Bicentenial curtain, which still hangs along one side of her classroom. Each of the original thirteen colonies is depicted sepa- rately on the curtain. Also depicted on it is a Bicentennial “popsicle” and the Boston Tea Party with a shark-niamed ‘‘Jaws’’ appearing in Boston harbor, to eat the tea. Almost every bit of space on the walls of Mrs. Schorr’s classroom is devoted to stimulating ideas for the children. There is one board labeled ‘‘Smile—we just got 100% in spelling,” with the names of children and stars beside the names for top spelling grades. Every child’s birthday is listed vertically in chrono- logical order. There is a large display on “Environment and Hered- ity,” giving basic informat- ion about these two weighty forces. There is a large chart of “‘responsibilities,’”’ listing who is in charge of what for the month: pledge of allegiance, lunch count, milk money, today’s date, handing out papers, game “shelf, and the book cart. In addition to all their other activities, each child keeps a journal in which he or she makes an entry every week. As Mrs. Schorr said, ‘“They need to to keep being SUSQUEHANNA TIMES—Page 5 challenged all the time.”’ Last Friday afternoon, just before the students left they recited a new poem they had just learned: Today is a wonderful day, For I am going away— Not to the circus, Not to the pool— Can’t you guess? I am going to school.” Mrs. Schorr asked the children what they learned today. Each child reported something different. One little girl said, ‘I learned there is a time for talking and a time not for talking.” “What did you enjoy the most?” asked Mrs. Schorr. The children told her, one by one. One little boys said he enjoyed math the most, working with the large clock boards and learning how to tell time. Then they filed out for the weekend—after another ve- ry stimulating week of being challenged to do their best, not only at learning their school subjects, but also learning to be good citizens ‘who accepted their respons- ibilities. 1979. IASSETS Cash in bank Petty cash Investments JIABILITIES Payroll payable (FUND EQUITIES Delinquent tax equity Fund balance REVENUE Local sources State sources Federal sources TOTAL REVENUE EXPENDITURES Administration Instruction Pupil personal services Health services Fixed charges Student activities Community service Capitol outlay Debt service Intersystem payments GENERAL FIXED ASSETS Buildings ills levied—106 Furniture and equipment TOTAL GENERAL FIXED ASSETS AUDITOR’S REPORT OF DONEGAL SCHOOL DISTRICT LANCASTER COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1979 The auditors, appointed by the Board of Directors of the Donegal School District, have examined the accounts and records of said District for the year ended June 30, 1979. In compliance with Section 2432 of the Public School Code of 1949, as amended, a report of] the audit of DONEGAL SCHOOL DISTRICT was filed on or before October 31, 1979, in the pffice of the Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the said report will be confirmed absolutely unless an appeal is taken there from within ghirty days after filing thereof. The following is a concise financial statement, of said District, for the year ended June 30, GENERAL FUND BALANCE SHEET June 30, 1979 Delinquent taxes receivable Inventory of materials and supplies Principal on improvement and equipment notes Improvement and equipment notes Invested in material and supplies TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY GENERAL FUND CONCISE STATEMENT of REVENUE and EXPENDITURES Year ended June 30, 1979 Refund of prior year’s expenditures Pupil transportation services Operation and maintenance of plant Excess of Revenue over Expense Less: Principal on Improvement and Equipment notes General Fund Balance—July 1, 1978 GENERAL FUND BALANCE—June 30, 1979 OTHER INFORMATION Year ended June 30, 1979 ILITIES and DEBT—Payable in future years Authority rentals—last maturity date 9/1/88 Land and land improvements [OTHER FUNDS Fund Balance 7/01/78 Revenues Cafeteria 80,298 274,932 Activities 74,389 225,965 Payroll 2,659,653 Petty cash 32 333 Vv the DISTRICT Expenditures $ 127,625 1,298 650,000 71,488 36,730 150,000 $1,037,141 $ 152,936 150,000 71,488 36,730 625,987 $1,037,141 $2,584,136 1,691,231 115,706 L141 $4,392,484 $ 158,884 2,344,314 76,547 45,342 165,929 541,521 386,430 66,868 1,500 10,723 245,555 245,449 $4,289,062 $ 103,422 (50,000) 572,565 $ 625,987 $1,550,000 $ 350,064 8,125,966 1,378,530 $9,854,560 Fund Balance 6/30/79 260,254 94,976 213,250 87,104 2,659,653 -— 237 128 $16,971,230]
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers