Quaker Valley Presents Middle School Drop-Off Plans to Residents

The district will start the process of informing parents beginning in December.

Quaker Valley School District officials met with local residents Monday night to present future student drop-off plans for the renovated middle school. Joseph Marrone, director of administrative services, explained the plan to a handful of residents and fielded questions during an informational meeting at the Sewickley municipal building. With student safety being the top priority, Marrone said the ultimate plan is to keep students and pedestrians separate from buses. "We also want to make it less of an impact on the whole neighborhood," Marrone said.  School buses will enter behind the school to drop off students. When exiting, buses will turn left toward Chestnut Street to avoid bringing additional traffic on Harbaugh Street. Parents …

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QV Middle School Moves Along, Causes Residential Concerns

Sewickley neighbors aren't upset about the new school itself, but rather the side effects that come with the big project.

Paving is underway at Quaker Valley Middle School and, weather permitting, is expected to last two weeks, according to a school construction official. Joseph Marrone, director of administrative services, said the paving–-part of the district’s ongoing $26.5 million school renovation--involves putting in a new parking lot behind the school's northern end. The paving that began last week with prep work also requires contractors to use on-street parking until complete.  “Hopefully we’ll be wrapping up soon and it won’t be disruptive,” Marrone said.  But a Sewickley councilman who lives across from the school says the ongoing work has been disruptive to the neighborhood.   Councilman Stan Ference recently told council that neighbors have dealt…

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Renovation: A Look Inside Quaker Valley Middle School

Check out photos of the building, which is currently under construction.

Although the new and improved Quaker Valley Middle School won't be ready when students return for the new school year Sept. 4, district residents can still catch an early glimpse of the ongoing progress. School officials on Monday toured the three-story building, which is in the midst of extensive renovations in Sewickley.  Tim Glancy, the project's general contractor, said the renovations are moving along with a completion date set for Nov. 30. Students officially start classes Jan. 7 in the building.  Scott Smith, construction manager, said one benefit of starting the project about three months behind schedule is carpenters and workers are finishing up other school jobs and available to work at the site. “We’re seeing a huge influx of …

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Joseph Hess

7:56 pm on Thursday, December 13, 2012

Who are you people I mean QV is amazing just stop talking about it that way and Ambridge is not a bad place I know a lot of kids that go to Ambridge and they are good kids and educated to. I am a QV student and I dont feel like I am being affected by this I would rather live in Ambridge if QV wasn't around.   more ›

QV Middle School Renovations Moving Forward--Check Out the Photos!

Quaker Valley's Middle School construction work is taking place this summer. View the district's media gallery.

Quaker Valley Middle School Students Win Highest Honors

Students fare well in WordMasters Challenge

Quaker Valley Middle School students recently won highest honors in the WordMasters Challenge - a national language arts competition entered by approximately 220,000 students annually, according to a statement from the district. The students competed in the very difficult Gold Division of the Challenge. The sixth graders tied for 10th place in the nation in the year's third meet from 191 school teams competing at this grade level and in this division. Mary Elena Savocchi, a third-grade student at Osborne Elementary, won highest honors for year-long achievement.  Mary Elena made only three mistakes in the course of the year's three meets, was one of the five highest-scoring third graders in the entire country in the year-end cumulative …

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Quaker Valley Middle School Renovation Update

Renovation is on target.

Things are right on schedule for the Quaker Valley Middle School renovation project, according to Dr. Joseph Clapper, superintendent of the district. “We are online in terms of our projection for moving into the building on January 7, 2013,” he said. The renovation project is “going very, very well,” according to Clapper. The project includes three main additions: A – a brand new Wellness Center which will be located next to the gymnasium and outfitted in a variety of fitness equipment; B – an integrated arts wing for the band, chorus, arts, Family Consumer and IT classes; and C – a new 500-seat auditorium. The renovation project also includes a new heating and air conditioning, plumbing and electrical systems. “We are also putting in a …

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QV Film Earns 'Fan Favorite' Award in Video Competition

The "Take A Shot at Changing the World" digital media competition challenged students in middle and high schools to develop a short video.

A Quaker Valley High School student film made an impression on voters, who named the film this year's winner in the "Fan Favorites" category.  The second annual digital media competition, "Take A Shot at Changing the World," challenged students in middle and high schools in Southwestern Pennsylvania to come up with a short video about the development of the vaccine and what is being done today to eradicate the disease worldwide. The video contest was inspired by the film, "The Shot Felt 'Round the World," which tells the story of how Dr. Jonas Salk and his team pulled together with the Pittsburgh community and nation to develop the polio vaccine.  The first-ever “Take a Shot” Film Festival took place Sunday, May 20 at the Heinz History …

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QV Superintendent Addresses Middle School Renovations in Letter

In a letter Wednesday, Superintendent Joseph Clapper discusses the timeline for moving students into the newly renovated school.

In a letter Wednesday addressed to district families, Superintendent Joseph Clapper reviewed the latest timeline relative to the middle school project and what it will mean for students next school year. Clapper explains in the letter that unforeseen challenges, such as the asbestos abatement, have delayed the school construction schedule. "We anticipate that all middle school students and staff will transfer to the newly renovated Quaker Valley Middle School over the winter break," Clapper writes.  Delayed occupancy, he states, is a minor inconvenience compared to having students contend with a building under construction.  To read the complete letter, see the PDF attached to this article, or click here. 

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Middle School Won't Be Ready for First Day of Classes

But district officials expect students will occupy the building by late fall.

A group of Quaker Valley Middle School parents had the chance to learn more Thursday about the school construction and where the project stands for the beginning of next school year. Joseph Marrone started out by telling parents with the Middle School Home and School Association who gathered at the Penguin Bookshop that there is no definitive answer at this point, while assuring them that the building will be ready for students sometime in the late fall, possibly after the holidays. "The big question, I don't have the answer yet," he said. Marrone, director of administrative services, who is overseeing the project, said the construction portion of the work is about 68 percent complete, according to construction-based measurements. Once …

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Pick Up a Book, Pass It Around for Read Across America Day

Celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday March 2 by joining book lovers and your local school or public library to encourage the reading of books.

Schools and libraries across the state and country today are participating in Read Across America Day with events that encourage the reading of books. This year, the National Education Association, a group of more than 3.2 million educators who work in public schools, and several literacy and youth groups, are calling on book lovers around the nation to take up "The Lorax," the popular Dr. Seuss children's book published in 1971 about the lovable creature who fights to save the environment. Quaker Valley School District kicked off a weeklong list of activities at the middle school as part of Read Across America Day. Leading up to today, school officials said students in grades 7 and 8 had fun each day with activities based on a new Dr. …

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