Bucktail students plead with board for School Counselor, more music opportunities
By Christopher Miller
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – Bucktail government representatives Kedda Bissman and Martin Lewis spoke to the school board Thursday evening to provide updates on Bucktail happenings.
“Our students and teachers are worried that our empty guidance counselor position will affect the seniors’ opportunity to get much college assistance they will need for their future,” Bissman said. “We understand that the position is expected to be filled sometime soon, but the seniors did not deserve to be left to find the resources they needed by themselves. Now is an important time for college and especially scholarship applications with quite a few seniors planning to attend college that will be first generation college students and need the help of someone who is experienced in the college application process.”
The Bucktail School Counselor position had been vacant and “open” online for several months up to the retirement of former counselor Sheri Gordon in October.
“Our second item to bring to the board is one you have heard before. With the music program growing, Bucktail music students would like to have more opportunities in the program. We understand there are many factors that go into scheduling and employment. As of this year there is more interest in music programming at Bucktail than just Mr. Kahley can handle. The elementary program has grown to include more than 40 kids from grades four through six. This is on top of a quickly growing high school program upwards of 15 members with interest in at least 5 different ensembles such as concert band, choir, brass ensemble, basketball pep band, and marching band. We only get an hour and 12 minutes a week of efficient practice time when you take into account setup and tear down time. To add more to this, Mr. Kahley teaches music classes such as piano and guitar, music and film, music and movies, history of rock and roll with interest in music theory and a ukulele class.”
Board member Elisabeth Lynch spoke in favor of the expansion of the music program at Bucktail, asking Roger Elling to add it to his agenda.
Elling then spoke to Bissman and Martin.
“You have a percussion group there, one of the interesting things is down here we have the indoor guard/majorettes. Did you know indoor percussion is something that also goes out and does things like events and tournaments? You may want to look into that. We would love to see Bucktail involved in that,” Elling said.
