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Franklin Township staff describe "Warrior Way Clubs" and report strong turnout at fall family engagement nights
Summary
Franklin Township staff presented a pilot of 25 "Warrior Way Clubs"—including field hockey and unicycling—that organizers said energized students; district staff also reported robust attendance at fall Title I and family engagement events across elementary schools.
Franklin Township Principal Shelley presented the school’s new "Warrior Way Clubs" program to the Gettysburg Area School District board, saying the pilot offered about 25 staff-led clubs and was "simply amazing." The clubs ran during a Warrior Way celebration and included activities such as field hockey, unicycling, pumpkin art, bracelet making and a construction crew funded in part by a family donation of lumber.
"They had a lot of fun," Ashley Kunkel, a reading specialist who led the field hockey club, said of student participants after describing indoor drills and basic stick handling for a mixed group of boys and girls.
Eli Burrow, a second-grade teacher who ran a unicycle club, told the board he brought small unicycles to school and described students as "very curious." Burrow said no child mastered riding in the one-hour session but many made small gains and left energized.
Shelley described how students signed up with up to five choices; staff used a dot system to balance K–3 and 4–5 participation. She said the event will repeat quarterly, with additional sessions planned in January, March and at the end of the school year. The program required staffing adjustments for higher-skill activities (for example, diamond painting required two adults), and organizers said they would refine repeat-session assignments based on who has already practiced a particular activity.
The presentation included photos and quotes from club leaders; Shelley thanked Vanessa for compiling pictures and noted broad staff involvement in planning. A board member praised the schools’ family atmosphere and recommended a short unicycle demonstration during the meeting.
Separately, Dr. McFarland reported on fall Title I and parent-family engagement nights across elementary schools: Franklin Township’s Title I evening on Oct. 9 drew "over 200 students, parents, providers, and staff" and included a fun run, book fair, STEM activities and fundraising that returned proceeds to students. Lincoln Elementary’s Oct. 9 event "Wild About Reading" had more than 100 sign-ups and roughly 70 attendees; James Geddes’ K–1 event on Oct. 16 drew about 20 families. Community partners at the events included SCAP, United Way, Head Start, Strawberry Hero Nature Preserve and Adams County Library.
The district said it will build on the high turnout by continuing outreach and repeating engagement strategies at future events.
