Letter: North Penn springs to life with student talent, new programs, and campus upgrades

Dear North Penn,

Happy first days of spring! As the trees and flowers begin to bloom, so do all the exciting events going on throughout our schools. The past few weeks have been busy in the district, kicking off what always feels like a race to the end of the school year.

March is National Music and Theater in Our Schools Month, and no one exemplifies excellence in the performing arts like North Penn students! There’s a reason the North Penn School District has been named one of the Best Communities for Music Education in the nation for 14 consecutive years and counting!

• Our middle schools put on incredible performances of “Descendants” (Pennbrook), “Big Fish” (Penndale) and “Grease” (Pennfield) to kick off the month. On top of the talent that was on display, check out the unique collaboration between the Pennfield Theater department and North Montco Technical Career Center to bring the Greased Lightning car to the stage!
• The Tri-M Music Honor Society put on their second annual NPHS Talent Show, and it was a spectacle of song, drumming, dance, and more! The students wowed the audience and judges for over two hours, reveling in the joy in music.
• Be sure not to miss the high school’s spring musical, “Mean Girls” from April 30th- May 2nd!Get your seats now to see Cady, Regina, the Plastics, and the full cast navigate the dangers of high school popularity, friendship, and staying true to yourself. Tickets are on sale now!

We are also very excited about the newest elementary school special being piloted around the district, SHIELD! SHIELD is the new STEM-focused class, engaging students in Solving Hypotheses through Innovation, Environmental Literacy, and Design. From a partnership with Villanova University to the start of Artificial Intelligence clubs competing on a national level, this is just the start for the SHIELD program as it prepares to expand throughout the district in the 2026-2027 school year!

Lastly, March has also seen an incredible acceleration of the work happening at the high school, with many phases of the project coming together. The 3rd floor of K-Pod is absolutely stunning, and the 2nd floor will be fully finished (on time!) and open for students after spring break. Significant progress has been made on the new transportation center, leading to the major work for the A-Pod addition to begin in the near future. Simultaneously, a review of all North Penn facilities to assess the capital needs of the entire district will be kicking off shortly, a crucial first step in the ongoing work of maintaining the facilities our students attend daily. Massive thanks to Bill Slawter and the entire Facilities & Operations team for their leadership on this work.

As a parent of three North Penn students and one of the newest members of the North Penn School Board, it has been the greatest joy to experience the incredible work happening in each of our schools firsthand.

• Community members have shared their wishes for the programming offered to our students before, during, and after the bell rings.
• Teachers and administrators demonstrate their unwavering commitment to our children, pushing to do more for them each day.
• Best of all, our students are thoughtful, engaging, and eloquent in sharing their hopes and expectations for their school. They have big dreams for what our district can and must be- from classes, to clubs, safety, and facility improvements. Our district’s future is bright because of the students we serve!

Wishing you the best as we rush into spring and some of the brightest moments of the school year.

Daniel M. Bell
NPSD Board of School Directors

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