William Penn leaders present programs, attendance interventions and student-run thrift store to York City school board

William Penn Senior High School leaders and students presented programs and data to the York City School District board on Dec. 18, outlining extracurricular inclusion work, increases on state Keystone tests, ongoing attendance and suspension challenges, and new student-run supports meant to boost engagement.

Kristin Ostrom, a teacher at William Penn Senior High School, described the school’s Best Buddies chapter, which pairs students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We meet every Friday for a club,” Ostrom said. “Our club consists of people with and without IDDs to make friendships, and we do activities like Just Dance… and sometimes we sell cookies to raise money.” Student leaders Mela, identified as Best Buddies president, and Grace, the club’s communications manager, also spoke about leadership training and a summer conference they attended.

The presentation included recognition of the Rowland family. Charles Barnes, the school’s college, career and readiness coach, said the Rowland family “represents hope” and described the father — identified in the presentation as Mr. Rowland — as a caregiver who raised 11 children after the loss of his partner. Barnes said eight of the family’s children still attend district schools and that the family’s “arrival was more than a geographical move.” The family was introduced and honored by school staff at the meeting.

Principal Michael Steele (identified as “Mr. Steele” during the presentation) and other administrators reviewed academic and climate data. Steele said overall student attendance is about 80 percent, with grade-level rates reported at roughly 79 percent for 9th grade and 80–81 percent for grades 10–12. The school identified 184 students as chronically absent; 94 of those have been assigned mentors and are working with MTSS coaches on a check-in/check-out protocol meant to provide daily contact with a staff mentor.

On testing, school leaders described multi-year growth on state Keystone exams: English language arts proficiency rose from 5.3 percent (2021–22) to 23.7 percent (2022–23) and to 35.4 percent last year, according to the figures presented. Algebra I proficiency was reported as 2.4 percent (2021–22), 5.1 percent (2022–23) and 12.5 percent last year. Biology proficiency figures shared were 4.8 percent (2021–22), 18.4 percent (2022–23) and 14.4 percent last year. Administrators said the trend is positive overall but that large shares of students remain at basic or below-basic levels on interim pre- and midterm assessments.

School staff said they are using common assessments, increased classroom walkthroughs and professional learning communities (PLCs) to change instruction based on data rather than impressions. Steele said the school had completed more than 219 walkthroughs and had 53 observations in progress. “We’re looking at the data. We’re trying to see what we need to do to help our students advance academically,” Steele said.

The presentation highlighted staffing, induction and professional development. Talent-management remarks credited a new teacher induction program with stronger mentor accountability; staff attendance was reported near 86 percent. The school reported a reduction in open special-education positions from nine last year to three this year and the ongoing search for additional teachers including biology and business education positions.

Administrators detailed social-emotional and climate efforts led through PBIS (positive behavior interventions and supports) and the LiveSchool platform. Dr. Jones (identified in the presentation as leading PBIS work) described a goal of “tier 1 fidelity” in behavior supports and showed LiveSchool usage trends: student usage rose from 37 percent in August to peaks above 80 percent in October with staff usage also rising; usage dipped in November, which administrators attributed to the holiday and assessment season, and leaders said they expect rebounds with targeted reminders.

A student-run thrift store, called Bearkat Casual, was presented as a LiveSchool-funded initiative. Assistant principal Mr. Little recounted how student leader Kayshia (last name not specified) organized donated clothing and set up racks and a point-based system allowing students to spend LiveSchool points rather than cash. Little said the school had a soft opening before Thanksgiving and a grand opening with more than 40 students in line; students use LiveSchool points to “purchase” items for themselves or family members.

Other student opportunities described include DECA (two students qualified for state competition), Special Olympics partnerships and a STEAM leadership group that is collecting #2 recyclable plastics for a bench-building project. Administrators said STEAM students attended conferences including a “Women in STEAM” event and hosted a kickoff at York Revolution Stadium.

Health and student services updates included Family First Health Center’s school-based services and a mobile dentistry program. School nursing staff reported administering over 400 vaccines in partnership with the York City Health Bureau.

Director-level board members asked detailed questions about the mentorship and check-in/check-out plan. When asked how the program will work, administrators said participating students will check in with a mentor during the first 10 minutes of the day and check out in the final 10 minutes so a single staff member builds daily contact with chronically absent students. School staff indicated they hope to expand the program so “every staff member has at least one check-in/check-out connection.”

Board members also pressed for clarity on instructional feedback cycles. Steele and other administrators emphasized PLC time as the place for teachers to review data and adjust instruction, and they said visiting presenters such as John Collins (brought into classrooms to demonstrate writing strategies) helped staff see practical classroom applications.

The presentation closed with requests for community donations to support the thrift store and school store — especially cosmetology and personal-care items — and an invitation for businesses to host STEAM-related field experiences for students.

Why it matters: William Penn’s report combined student-led inclusion work and new incentives with measurable gains on state tests and a suite of targeted interventions aimed at attendance and instructional improvement. Administrators asked the board for continued community and district support as they scale mentorship, staffing and student engagement programs.

Sources: Verbatim remarks and slides presented to the York City School District board of directors during the Dec. 18 meeting. Direct quotes are from the meeting transcript and attributed to the speakers who made them.