Shippensburg intermediate showcases student work with new ‘Greyhound Gallery’ and profile-of-a-graduate rollout

Shippensburg Area Intermediate School held a Greyhound Gallery showcase at the end of the school year to let students display work they were proud of and to introduce a kid‑friendly “profile of a graduate,” teachers and administrators told the board on June 16.

The event assembled hallway displays of student projects — from essays and art to a large LEGO Titanic and a dirt‑bike trophy — and included classroom demonstrations and a teacher meet‑and‑greet, Mrs. Mowery, an intermediate‑school staff member, said. “What you have in front of you is the newspaper article that was published by Kim Spencer for us. She attended the event and took some pictures and got to talk to teachers, students, and parents that also attended the event,” Mowery said.

The gallery grew from a year‑long effort to develop shared language around district goals, administrators said. Superintendent Terry August and other district leaders praised SACE staff for linking the profile to PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports) and embedding the profile components — communicator, collaborator, critical thinker, innovator, resilient — across classrooms and monthly assemblies. “The step is to develop that common language and common understanding. And SACE has done an outstanding job,” August said.

Teachers used the evening to solicit parent and student input on what each profile element means in everyday terms, Mowery said, and the district posted age‑appropriate profile verbiage in common areas so students understand the competencies they are working toward. The district also plans to hold the Greyhound Gallery again — potentially after state assessments and end‑of‑year projects — and to expand portfolio work showing students’ evidence of learning over time.

Board members and administrators described the gallery as a different kind of event from past “learning nights,” noting it intentionally showcased student artifacts to create an authentic audience for student work. “When students have this kind of language and they have to talk about it in front of people, that helps improve the quality and engagement of the kids,” one board member said.

The board did not take formal action on the gallery; the presentation was informational. District leaders said they will continue to pilot and refine the profile rollout and plan to repeat the gallery next year.