Pottsville Area School District is encouraging students and teachers past and present to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its high school by buying memorial bricks.
School board member Charles R. Wagner said samples of the bricks, made by Glen-Gery Brick, which has a brick center in Reading, Berks County, will be on display at Veterans Stadium on Friday night at Pottsville Area's varsity football game against Blue Mountain.
"Bricks like these will be sold at $75 each," said Wagner, who had a sample of one at the school board's workshop session Wednesday.
In August, Pottsville Area Superintendent Jeffrey S. Zwiebel announced "The Castle on the Hill" would be turning 80 on Jan. 3, 2013.
The Pottsville Area High School building at 16th Street and Elk Avenue opened Jan. 3, 1933.
Since then, the school board, in particular board members Wagner and Karen E. Rismiller, have been working with the school community to establish a committee to plan events to celebrate the anniversary.
It's called "The Pottsville Area High School 80th Anniversary Committee," said school board President John F. Boran.
The brick campaign was launched this week.
It's officially called the "Alumni Brick Paver Project," according to the district's website at pottsville.k12.pa.us/pasd.
People interested in buying bricks are encouraged to call the high school office at 570-621-2962 for more information, Wagner said.
"We originally thought of this as an alumni kind of thing. But we've had some outstanding teachers who were not graduates of Pottsville Area. So they could be memorialized as well," Wagner said.
Wagner said the bricks will be placed at various locations on the high school campus, including The Courtyard on the north side.
"Several 'Alumni Walkways' will be created leading to the fountain in The Courtyard area," according to the district's website.
Meanwhile, the committee is discussing other ways to observe this milestone in the high school's history.
"We're looking to host some sort of celebration, possibly a dinner with entertainment provided by our own students," Wagner said.
In other matters at the school board's workshop Wednesday:
- The board voted to adjust the school calendar to include an Act 80 Day on Oct. 5 for professional development. "Students are not to report to school on Oct. 5," Zwiebel said.
- The board voted to hire Chris Nabholz as alternative education classroom monitor subject to assignment by the superintendent, retroactive to Aug. 22. His salary will be $15,740.16, according to Zwiebel.
- To celebrate Constitution Day on Monday, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey and U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III will be speaking to the seniors at the high school, Zwiebel said.
At 10:45 a.m. seniors will have an opportunity to ask both Toomey and Jones questions at a program to be held at the high school auditorium.
"Judge Jones will also be speaking to students during their government classes that morning," Zwiebel said.