New teachers, facilities greet NS students

By Gerry Ulicny (For The News-Item)
Published: August 23, 2010

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FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - The North Schuylkill School District will start the 2010-11 school year with optimism and a sense of newness.

Superintendent Andrew D. Smarkanic said that after 14 teachers retired at the end of the 2009-10 school year, administrators interviewed for months to replace them with 14 new teachers, whom Smarkanic praised as being worthy to fill the shoes of those the district was "sad to lose."

The high school will boast a refinished gymnasium and a brand new football field.

Smarkanic said the field, which is a natural grass field with drainage and irrigation, is ready for use. The gym floor has already been refinished; that job was completed last week.

Something the administration hopes will make everyone's lives easier is the introduction of a full academic year schedule and calendar for the entire district. A copy of the calendar will be given to all students and staff at the beginning of the year. This will be used instead of monthly planning, as was done previously.

"It should make it easier to plan things," Smarkanic said. "People are very busy, and anything that can help them to plan ahead helps a little bit."

Smarkanic is also a relatively new addition, having taken the superintendent's job in January of this year.

Sporting events are not going to be listed on the calendar, he said, because many factors, especially weather, can cause dates to change. However, the public has access to that information and also other schedules on the district website, http://www.northschuylkill.net.

The North Schuylkill School District has 1,953 students enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12 for the coming year and 160 teachers on staff. The elementary and junior-senior high schools are both located at 15 Academy Lane in Fountain Springs.

The first day of school for all students is Aug. 30.

New assistant principal

On Wednesday, North Schuylkill schools welcomed the district's new assistant secondary principal, Christian Temchatin.

Temchatin was hired at a salary of $65,000 - which will be prorated for the 2010-11 school year - to replace Dennis Kergick, who was recently appointed supervisor of curriculum and federal programs at North Schuykill; that position was vacated by Paul Caputo last school year.

Temchatin said he believes he has joined a district with a positive future and he brings plenty of enthusiasm to the position.

"I am very excited to join the talented administration staff at North Schuylkill School District," Temchatin said. "It is easy to see, by speaking with the administration and the school board, that North Schuylkill is a district making great strides in the right direction to meet the present and future challenges of public education."

A Hazleton native, Temchatin received a Bachelor of Science in secondary social studies in 2003 and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction in 2008 from Bloomsburg University. In November 2009, Temchatin received a Pennsylvania Certificate in Adminstration: Principal K-12. He will be eligible for a Supervisory Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction this fall.

Temchatin's worked for the past six years as a social studies teacher in the Hazleton Area School District.

He lives in Conyngham, with his wife, Nina, and two girls, Ella and Lila.

'New' psychologist

Also appointed last week was Kara Moore to the position of school psychologist, with a salary of $57,000 for 200 days of service during the 2010-11 year.

The district had previously contracted with Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 for school psychologist services. Moore held the position last year, so she will not be a new face for students.

"It's always good when you can have your own staff, and we are glad to have her," said school board Secretary Merri Lynn Craig.

(Tuesday: Southern Columbia.)

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