Owen J. Roberts School Board honors student athletes and Envirothon team, approves routine business and recognizes longtime retiree

The Owen J. Roberts School District Board on June 22 recognized student athletic achievements and an Envirothon championship, approved a slate of routine consent and personnel items and acknowledged several PTA donations that will fund summer and fall field trips.

Dr. Stull opened the recognitions, saying, “I think when you look at the room, you can tell we had a pretty amazing spring,” and turned the remarks over to district staff who presented teams and individual accomplishments. Dr. Cuthbert congratulated the baseball team for winning the Pioneer Athletic Conference and reaching the PIAA District 1 final and state semifinals (6A). He also noted softball’s PAC title and PIAA District 1 championship, and said the softball team were state runner-ups for 6A. The board noted a missing softball PAC plaque that staff are working to locate.

Coach Dominic DiRaffaello highlighted track-and-field successes, including several district qualifiers and state medalists. “Joe Ryan was third in the state in the high jump,” DiRaffaello said, and he praised student leadership and mentoring. The board also celebrated individual state-level achievements, including Matthew Gregory’s state championship in the 200 and other top state finishes.

Mr. Lindsey and Envirothon advisor Sheila Hinkley reported that Owen J. Roberts teams placed first at the Chester County Envirothon and advanced to the Pennsylvania Envirothon to compete with 63 schools; Hinkley described study areas including forestry, soils, wildlife and aquatics and noted student participation in related summer programs.

In administrative business, the board approved routine consent agenda items and a package of business-manager items without extended discussion. The board acknowledged donations and contributions: French Creek Elementary PTA donated $1,872.50 for third- and sixth-grade field trips; North Coventry PTO donated $570 for a fifth-grade trip to the Colebrookdale Railroad; and the West Vincent PTA donated $5,384.50 to support multiple grade-level trips, with $134.50 allocated to assist families in need. The board moved and recorded approval of those acknowledgements.

A personnel agenda item was pulled and amended after a typographical error was identified in a retiree’s years of service. The board corrected Elizabeth Deputy’s listed years from 20 to 25 and approved the amended item. The board then approved the remaining personnel consent items for the meeting and ratified student activity club advisors and officers for the 2026–27 school year in accordance with Section 511 of the Pennsylvania School Code.

Dr. Kupfer reported district highlights and logistics, including Special Olympics participation at French Creek Elementary, summer construction schedules across buildings and a reminder about district summer work hours. He read a tribute to Lori Palmer, an instructional coach at North Coventry Elementary School, noting her 35-year career and roles as a teacher, elementary math coach and instructional coach. “On behalf of the school board and the entire Owen J. Roberts community, we thank you, Lori, for your 35 years of outstanding service, and wish you a happy, healthy, and fulfilling retirement,” Dr. Kupfer said.

Committee reports included a Chester County Intermediate Unit update from Ms. Munson, who distributed the Intermediate Unit’s 2025–26 end-of-year summary for the district and highlighted career-technical outcomes: the district had students earn industry certifications through TCHS programs and reported updated enrollments for special education and virtual academy placements.

The meeting concluded after a reminder about public comment procedures; the board then moved back into executive session. No contested policy votes or new ordinances were enacted at the June 22 meeting.

Votes at a glance: the transcript records approval of the routine consent agenda (items 7.2–7.7), acknowledgement of donations (8.1), amendment and approval of personnel item 11.2 (corrected years of service), approval of personnel items 11.3–11.6, approval of student activity advisors and officers (12.1), and approval of business-manager consent items (13.1–13.18). The transcript captures affirmative responses during roll calls but does not provide a complete roll-call list for each vote.