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New biology teacher introduced; district announces STEM camp, device upgrades and free cybersecurity training
Summary
The board met a newly hired biology teacher, heard dates and registration details for a July STEM camp and learned the district upgraded student and staff laptops and secured free Microsoft Defender XDR training valued at $10,000.
The Southern Columbia Area School District introduced Caitlin Atkinson as its successful candidate for the biology position and heard a series of administrative updates about summer programs, schedules and technology ahead of the 2024–25 school year.
Caitlin Atkinson told the board she recently graduated from Bloomsburg and completed student teaching at Warrior Run High School; she said she is relocating to the area and is "really excited to start here and work with everybody." The board welcomed Atkinson during the meeting.
Administrators also reviewed summer programming and school schedules: STEM camp is scheduled for July 31–Aug. 2 (9 a.m.–noon), registration remains open with more than 100 students registered at the time of the meeting, and open-house and orientation dates for various grades were announced. The district reiterated volunteer needs and supply-list resources for families.
The technology office reported complete upgrades to student and teacher laptops for the 2024–25 year, including new devices for middle school teachers. Staff ran a technology recycling event that produced financial returns for the district and partnered with a local company for the effort. The district also received complimentary network vulnerability scanning from a managed security service provider (Foresight) and has arranged free Microsoft Defender extended detection and response (XDR) training through Softchoice and Microsoft, which the technology staff valued at $10,000.
Why it matters: Staffing, summer enrichment and technology readiness affect classroom operations and safety for the coming school year. The free cybersecurity training and device upgrades aim to reduce risk and support instruction.
Next steps: Administrators will continue onboarding staff, share assessment results (Keystone raw data) with principals for fall scheduling and finalize plans for graduation venue and service days.
