The Salisbury Township School District administration building was packed Nov. 13, as the monthly Salisbury Township School Board meeting was highly anticipated. There were special recognitions, a substantial donation and a happy farewell.

The meeting started with special recognitions by Salisbury Athletic Director Monica Deeb. Recognized were two Salisbury educators for their extended years of service.

Salisbury Middle School teacher Sean Recke was recognized for 15 years as the SMS Live co-advisor. He was also recognized for starting SMS Live. Next, Kelly Wetherhold was recognized for 10 years as the junior high school basketball coach.

“He was a SMS Live co-advisor. Along the way, he was the (middle school) student council advisor and coached boys tennis as well. These days, he is the co-golf coach, the (Salisbury High School) media advisor and the English Department chair,” Deeb said of Wetherhold.

Also highly anticipated was the naming of the next person to be on the Alumni Wall of Honor.

Magisterial District Judge Mike Pochron was honored as the newest member of the Salisbury Alumni Wall of Honor.

Pochron graduated from Salisbury in 1973, where he was a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. He has been a coach of the varsity baseball team for the past 40 years, serving the last 20 years as head coach. He is a two-time Morning Call Coach of the Year and took the team to the state finals in 2011.

Pochron was the first D.A.R.E. officer at Salisbury Middle School. He entered the police academy in 1978 and served as a Salisbury Township police officer for three decades before taking his position as district judge in 2011.

In other business, Associate Superintendent Lynn Fuini-Hetten announced a Salisbury Education Foundation EITC donation from The Yurkonic Agency. John Yurkonic, a 1985 Salisbury graduate, came forward with a large check to make a $4,000 donation.

“My family has benefited from a Salisbury education,” Yurconic said. He gave a short speech of his appreciation to the district as a lot of his family has completed a Salisbury education.

In other presentations, Chief Financial Officer/Board Secretary Mike Taylor, CPA, presented awards to the members of the board for years of service.

Board President Frank Frankenfield and Director George Gatanis received awards for 12 years of service, while Board Vice President Samuel DeFrank received his award for eight years.

The meeting then moved to the retirement of Frankenfield as board president. Frankenfield has spent the past six years as president, as well as spending two years as president of the Lehigh Career & Technology Institute board. Many of the board members went around the room, making comments about his strong and peaceful leadership.

Following Frankenfield’s retirement presentation, the student representatives gave their monthly reports of activity at their schools.

On Nov. 8, students at Harry S Truman Elementary School held a Veterans Day event for those who served in our armed forces. Veterans were presented with a certificate and enjoyed a continental breakfast.

On Nov. 7, seventh and eighth grade students were given a presentation on opioid addiction. The presentation focused on how to watch for warning signs for addiction.

The students at the high school took the PSATs Oct. 16. The high school representatives also announced the annual blood drive resulted in 62 donations. The annual canned food drive was also a success as 1,100 cans were collected.

Director Carol Klinger reported on the curriculum and technology meeting. Two Kutztown University student teachers were accepted into the district. Tina Sienkiewicz will be assisting Kristy Wied with her Western Salisbury Elementary School fourth grade class. Devyn Grube will be assisting Christina Horne with her WSE second grade class.

During the operations report, Gatanis announced the various plans for renovations and the costs for what will be occurring this upcoming year. The base bids for each renovation were announced.

The bid for the high school cafeteria service doors and ramp renovations were accepted in the amount of $298,519. The high school stadium turf and track replacement bid was accepted from LandTek in the amount of $1,389,000. These renovations have been discussed in previous meetings.

Policy Committee Chair Director Audrey Frick announced the final reading and adoption of updated policy 2E.7. New language was added for students whose parents move in their senior year. The language now states these students are now allowed to stay and graduate at no charge.

The closing presentation was the leadership report from Superintendent Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss and Fuini-Hetten. The team has launched the Salisbury newsletter on the Salisbury School District website at www.salisburysd.org.