At the Whitehall-Coplay Communities That Care meeting Jan. 20, Melissa Fausey, with Penn State EPISCenter, attended to discuss next steps for the coalition checkup.

The coalition checkup project provided a feedback report for CTC members to identify potential focus areas to help the coalition grow. During the past couple of years, coalition members worked on increased communication and awareness in the community.

Fausey shared the feedback summary of the survey coalition members took toward the end of last year. This feedback summary outlined areas of growth and strength as reported by the CTC members. The next step of the process was for the coalition to decide on its next focus area.

Some of the suggested focus areas included shared understanding, committee meetings and coalition funding for activities.

Denise Continenza, Penn State Extension educator and CTC coordinator, wondered if the group members understood how the funding works within the coalition. She reported the coalition’s partner organizations help fund the programs offered in the district.

“We garner support from our partners,” Continenza said.

Regarding the shared understanding of the purpose of the coalition and its goals within Whitehall-Coplay School District, the group members reported strong numbers in the feedback survey. It was noted this is important to maintain to help keep the focus on the identified priorities.

The coalition used to hold regular committee meetings in the past. Between the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting meetings and member turnover, the practice of holding committee meetings has dwindled.

The CTC members decided to choose the committee meetings as their next focus area. The committees are formed around the coalition’s primary focus areas.

Whitehall High School senior Giovanni Mazzola noted it was helpful at an earlier meeting when the coalition broke into groups to discuss specific aspects of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey. He said it allowed them to further discuss the topic at length.

It was noted reintroducing the committees could help maintain the focus for the group and will allow for more overall participation from coalition members.

It was also noted time constraints can be a concern with adding another meeting to the members’ busy weeks, so it was suggested using a portion of the regular monthly meeting to break out into committees for discussion.

In other business, the CTC members continued their ongoing discussion about the coalition’s priorities. The PAYS data showed many students reporting lower levels of commitment to school. The WCSD students who attend the monthly meetings were asked for their input on why that might be.

“School is not about learning. It’s about getting good grades,” Whitehall-Coplay Middle School eighth-grader Dayna Nelson said, adding intentionality and passion are missing from the classes, which can make it hard for the students to connect with and really enjoy.

Ongoing programs and methods of trying to connect students to school include the school providing a variety of clubs and activities and the career fair and mock interviews sponsored by Whitehall Area Rotary Club.

A new addition is the recently approved community service graduation requirement. The hope is this will help get the students out and involved in the community.

There was discussion about the potential of adding an activities period during the day for students to take part in clubs or other activities. It had been noted many students have obligations after school, which make it difficult for them to get involved in clubs.

School administration mentioned these are just preliminary investigations as accommodating this activity period would be a major undertaking requiring a total overhaul of the scheduling system.

The next CTC meeting will be held 9 a.m. Feb. 24 in the LGI room at WHS, 3800 Mechanicsville Road.