North Penn School Board President Cathy McMurtrie (Credit: NPSD)
"While this year will be a very busy one, myself and the other board members are committed to our purpose: to maintain a safe and welcoming school environment for all of our students."
(The following is a Letter to the Editor from North Penn School Board Director Cathy McMurtrie. The views expressed within are her own.)
Dear North Penn Community,
2025 is off to a fast start and January has already flown by! With 11 months still ahead in what I believe will be a year filled with excitement and challenges, I am sending best wishes to our community for happiness, health and peace through this year.
As the newly elected School Board President, my first month has been a whirlwind of new responsibilities, learning, and engaging with this community. Our previous president, Mrs. Tina Stoll, was and still is committed, engaged, and a huge supporter of our students and staff. I certainly want to maintain that high level of commitment and engagement.
As such, I had the opportunity to participate in two elementary school service projects in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King and his legacy of helping others. I assisted 2nd and 3rd graders at Gwynedd Square Elementary to fill bags of food and toiletry donations for several organizations. There were several hundred bags filled for distribution, in addition to monetary contributions. I also spent time at Inglewood Elementary doing a “Sock Roll”, creating bundles of socks and snacks for those in need. Our elementary students are incredible, and spending time with them while helping our neighbors in need was such a fulfilling experience.
As the month continued, I visited Gwyn-Nor Elementary and met their new therapy dog, Penny, who was in a 4th grade classroom on that day during a quiz. Several students would pet her as they would be asking their teacher questions at the same time. Therapy dogs visit our schools from time to time, and I got to see firsthand the therapeutic and calming benefits of these well-trained dogs.
Lastly, I have continued following the progress on our high school renovation project. As I complete this letter, I am thrilled to say that we have held our bid opening day for the Phase 1 work scope. We will continue to update the community on the successful bidders and getting underway with the work. While this year will be a very busy one, myself and the other board members are committed to our purpose: to maintain a safe and welcoming school environment for all of our students.
Sincerely,
Cathy McMurtrie
President, North Penn School Board
