At the Aug. 9 Whitehall-Coplay School Board meeting, Whitehall-Coplay School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Steckel thanked the congregation of St. John’s United Church of Christ, Fullerton, for the donation of nine cartons of school supplies and snacks, as well as Staples in Whitehall for the donation of tissues, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.

PTO PLUS President Toni Fillman addressed the board, saying the online sale of coupon books has begun and the Scholastic book fair for grades K-8 will start Aug. 25 at Gockley Elementary School.

Shari Noctor, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative president, informed members the children’s summer feeding program provided food for 1,065 students and supplied 2,755 meals over the summer months.

She also saw an increase in people coming to the food pantry at St. John the Baptist Church, 3021 S. Ruch St., Whitehall. Food distributions take place on the second Thursday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Also at the meeting, Melissa Arifaj, the new districtwide supervisor of literacy and humanities, was introduced. Arifaj has been a WCSD teacher for 17 years and a first-grade teacher at Gockley Elementary for the last 11 years. She obtained her principal’s certification and supervisor of curriculum and instruction certification from Lehigh University.

She has served as an adjunct professor at Cedar Crest College. During her years at WCSD, she has been a presenter for professional development and has been active on many committees, especially those involving English language arts.

In other business, the board approved the emergency instructional time template and sample schedules for WCSD as an attachment to the Section 520.1 resolution that was approved at the June 14 WCSB meeting.

The board approved the memorandum of understanding between WCSD and Whitehall-Coplay Educational Support Personnel Association.

Also approved was the resolution of the WCSD Board of Directors creating a board policy committee.

Correspondence to the board included the announcement that Patty Vahey, library director at Whitehall Township Public Library, is retiring Sept. 3 and moving back to Bloomington, Ill.

Also at the meeting, the board accepted the treasurer’s report listing WCSD’s current cash balance as $6,019,664.08, as of July 31.

The board approved finance committee matters, including the reappointment of Fran Lloyd to WTPL’s board of trustees to fill a second term on the library board until June 30, 2024, and the appointment of Joe Ebner, also to the library’s board of trustees, to a three-year term on the library board, until June 30, 2024.

Also approved was the Fulton Bank, PA Local Government Investment Trust and PA School District Liquid Asset Fund Resolutions to add Tina Champ to the district bank accounts.

The board approved education/student activities committee matters including the 2021-22 agreement between Center for Humanistic Change Inc. and WCSD; a speaking engagement between Jonathan Mooney and WCSD; and the agreement between Lehigh Valley Physicians Group/Lehigh Valley Hospital and WCSD, subject to administration and solicitor approval on the final wording.

The board approved operations/transportation committee matters, including the 2021-22 school bus runs and stops; the resolution and notice regarding the Act 34 hearing for the proposed new elementary school; the Whitehall Athletics 2021-22 ticket pricing; and the resolution accepting the bid for the districtwide Bi-polar Ionization Installation Project, paid for with ESSER funds.

Also approved were the teacher education credit salary increases to recognize the professional employees who have successfully completed credits beyond their degree as per the agreement between WCSD and the Whitehall-Coplay Education Association.

Approved resignations include Amanda Snyder, book club adviser and Zephyr Elementary School Breeze/journalism adviser at Whitehall High School; Heather Moore, paraprofessional at Zephyr Elementary; John Schwartz, districtwide bus driver; Courtney Hunsberger, math teacher at Whitehall-Coplay Middle School; and Holly Gerlach, paraprofessional at WCMS.

New appointments include Melissa Arifaj, districtwide supervisor of ELA and humanities, at $92,000 per year; temporary professionals Michael Kennedy, WHS chemistry teacher, at $58,175, and Jennifer Panny, fifth-grade teacher at Zephyr, at $52,299; salaried substitute Mark Horvath, social studies teacher at WHS, at $52,299; and Penny Lauer, district office/WCMS special education secretary, at $37,718 per year.

New paraprofessional appointments include Delores Zadzora, fourth- and fifth-grade emotional support at Zephyr, at $20.02 per hour; Joumana Elias, special education 1:1 at Zephyr, at $20.02 per hour; Rita Mirami, emotional support at Gockley, at $20.02 per hour; Theresa Vogel, reading support at Steckel Elementary School, at $18.85 per hour; Mary Grol, reading support at WCMS, at $18.85 per hour; Tanya Dunbar, math support at Zephyr, at $18.85 per hour; Tamara Velez, special education support at WHS, at $20.02 per hour; and Isabel Szoke and Janelle Zimmerman, math supports at Gockley, at $18.85 per hour.

Cafeteria worker appointments include Annette Lerch and Angelica Abrantes, Zephyr, at $14.02 per hour; Dina Shadi and Susan DeJesus, WCMS, at 14.02 per hour; and Monica Bachman, WHS assistant cook, at $21.12 per hour.

Approved 2021-22 coaches include Eric Schmitt, head baseball coach, at $6,410; Jordan Crispeno, assistant middle school field hockey coach, at $2,454; and Bailey Leslie, assistant middle school field hockey coach, at $1,227.