Mock DUI Crash Simulation

On the afternoon of May 3rd, Garden Spot High School Students had the opportunity to witness a mock vehicle crash simulation put on by members of the New Holland Police Department, local fire companies, and EMS. Several of our own Garden Spot Performing Art actors and actresses played the role of crash victims. A MedEvac helicopter even made an appearance.

The goal of the simulation was to display the dangers and real-life consequences of driving under the influence and driving while distracted.

Crash Scene 1 crash
scene 4 scence 5

 

Elanco Relay for Life T-Shirt Sale

relay for life

On Monday, May 21, 2018, the Elanco School District will be sponsoring a county-wide Relay for Life where all students will walk for those that are suffering with cancer and raise funds in order to find a cure for the disease. Students in Grades 7 – 12 will walk from 7:55 – 11:00 am, while students in Grades K – 6  walk at some point between 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

The Elanco Health Council is taking orders for t-shirts now because there are seven other districts joining us this year and the American Cancer Society (ACS) needs time to turn around the orders in each district. Every participating district will be wearing the same t-shirts in order to unite all of the districts. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt (proceeds go directly to the ACS for our event), please download the Relay for Life T-Shirt 2018 Order Form that has a larger picture of the shirt design.

t shirt

The cost of the shirt is $10 and the money can be sent to Julie Groft in the high school. Checks should be made payable to the American Cancer Society and the deadline to order the shirts is April 12th. You don’t need to be a student to purchase a shirt.

The other districts participating this year are Ephrata, Pequea Valley, Conestoga Valley, Manheim Township, Hempfield, McCaskey and E-Town- these names will be on the back of the shirt along with ELANCO.

 

ELANCO School District Helps Houston School

Many staff and students in the ELANCO school district were eager to help Houston residents after hurricane Harvey ripped through Texas leaving devastating flooding and destroying many communities. All three ELANCO elementary schools, middle school and high school students and staff worked together collecting items that would be sent to SJ Williamson Elementary school in Houston. 300 backpacks and 6 large boxes of school supplies were collected for the school. Thank you to all who donated.

Vintage Eastpak Backpack Michael (a.k.a. moik) McCullough via Compfight

Pathways2Success

pathways logoPathways2Success, the work-based learning program at Garden Spot High School, provides students the opportunity to work a part-time or full-time job during the school day while earning academic credits and learning skills for 21st Century careers.  The goal of the program is to help students achieve a high priority, high skill, and high paying career and encourage post-secondary training through short-term or degree based programs.

During the 2016-2017 school year, the Pathways students worked at various businesses throughout the county including High Concrete (Denver), E&G Concrete (Stevens), Garden Spot Village (New Holland), HMS Host (Elverson), Morgan Truck Bodies (Morgantown) and McDonald’s (New Holland).  The students were able to learn about how to be successful in the working environment while on the job and in the classroom.  These students are now ready to graduate and begin their careers!

To learn more about the Pathways2Success program and read stories about the individual students, visit the Pathways2Success website.

 

GSHS School Performance Profile

Whenever we hear that our current situation has to hold us back from our future aspirations we are reminded of the fact that we will achieve whatever we believe we can achieve. Thank you to an awesome staff and amazing student body for proving that nothing can hold us back when we hold each other accountable to high expectations. What a great sign of continued growth… 3rd in the county among all high schools. 4th in the state among high schools with greater than 40% economically disadvantaged student population. Your success matters to us, and we will relentlessly pursue every student that enters our building. Very honored to have the privilege of working with such amazing students, staff, and community. Thank you for your continued support!

For a detailed look at the many factors included in attaining the School Performance Profile score, check out Garden Spot High School’s Profile. Data is not all we do, but our continued growth is certainly an excellent sign of health.


 

2016-2017 SPP Scores Lancaster County High Schools

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+90 SPP Score / +40% ED in PA (Out of 952 public HS in PA)

  1. Franklin Towne CHS (SPP – 94.6 / ED – 67%)
  2. Wilson Area HS (SPP – 93.4 / ED – 43.2%)
  3. Tyrone Area HS (SPP – 93.3 / ED – 45%)
  4. Garden Spot HS (SPP – 91.9 / ED – 40.2%)

Progress of Lancaster County High Schools Since First Release of SPP Scores

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Go Spartans!

Mr. Elias M. Cox

Assistant Principal
Garden Spot High School

 

 

Parent Night – September 22, 2016

It’s a great day to be a Spartan!

To this day, I remember my dad dragging me through the halls of Annville-Cleona High School on a Saturday morning well before an afternoon football game. My principal, who just happened to be my neighbor, was more than happy to oblige my dad’s request. You see, I received a poor grade on a Spanish II quiz the previous week that had the potential of rendering me ineligible to play the next week. As fate would have it, I had a Spanish II unit test coming up the next week and I failed to take home my book and notes to study over the weekend. My dad would have none of it.

While I was embarrassed at the time, I look back on that moment fondly. I am thankful that my dad cared enough to hold me accountable, and I’m glad I had a principal that promoted the “student” in student-athlete. Trust me, there are plenty of opportunities for parents to get involved with their child’s education at Garden Spot High School that are far less embarrassing. One such opportunity is coming up on Thursday, September 22nd.

On behalf of the faculty, staff, and administration, I would like to invite you to Parent’s Night! Festivities begin at 6:45 PM in the Stan Dean Auditorium. During this event you will have the opportunity to follow your child’s schedule and speak with members of our faculty. The event concludes at 8:00 PM and light refreshments will be provided throughout the evening. We hope to see you on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 6:45 PM for Parent’s Night!

It’s a great day to be a Spartan!

The faculty, staff, and students at Garden Spot High School just completed the second day of the 2016-17 school year. I have been so impressed by the preparation of our faculty and staff. Spending time in almost every classroom, I have seen student engagement and positive relationships being established. Even more impressive is the way in which our students have embraced the ideals at the core of The Spartan Way. The Class of 2017 has certainly set a positive tone within the building and a true sense of Spartan pride lines the halls. I am excited to see what our journey through the 2016-17 school year has in store for us, but one thing is for certain…it’s a great day to be a Spartan!

Thoughts from Mr. Cox – November 9th

Good morning Garden Spot!

Reminders:

Seniors will be returning to their homerooms for days 5-10 of the upcoming cycle in order to present their Service Learning Projects. All other students will be in iSpartan placements based on their final quarter 1 grades. Juniors and Seniors will receive new placements for the cycle that begins on December 2, 2015. I was not sure I was going to be able to make this work, so your teachers had been told that all students would be returning to homeroom for the upcoming days 5-10, but I was able to figure out how to make this happen.

Teacher Spotlight:

This week I’d like to spotlight a teacher who has brought her passion for life to our school. She is involved in GSPA, brings her personal experiences into the classroom, and leads the LEO club for our school. LEO is a community service club that has been helping to make our community better. Through their efforts with a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society last year they were generously given Hershey Bears tickets to give to the students and staff at our school. Ms. Barnett has been a tremendous addition to our staff, and works tirelessly both in and out of school to assure that each of you and the larger school community receive all that you deserve. If you have had Ms. Barnett in class, or are a member of the LEO Club, thank her for her efforts in making Garden Spot great. If not, thank a teacher you have or know that is making a meaningful impact in the lives of your peers.

Personal Challenge:

GigglesWhen things are tough, you need to keep going. The other option is to give up and decide to let life keep you down. If you want tomorrow to be better, you need to do things that will make it better. Most things in life are out of your control, but there are some things that are within your control. Treating people well, paying attention and doing well in school… those two things are things you can control, and if you do them a little better, tomorrow will have one less worry and a chance of being a little better. If you do not take the steps to improve in those areas, then it is unlikely that tomorrow will look any better.

Another important factor in making tomorrow better is to do things that you can be proud of, and to focus your attention on the things that are good in your life. If you think there is nothing in good in your life, then it is time to do things that introduce good into your life… see the paragraph above. If you choose to dwell on the bad, and ignore the good, then your days will grow worse and worse as you dwell on the bad. Conversely, if you look to the good, even in bad times, it will help you keep a positive mindset that will help you through the tough times. Find those things that are good, do things that will bring good into your life, and focus your attention on those things. This is the best way to make tomorrow a little brighter. If you take care of business, and focus on getting your priorities in line, then there will always be good that you can look to in tough times. It doesn’t make the tough times any easier or less painful, but it gives you hope that eventually the tough times will pass and a brighter tomorrow will emerge.

I have often said to students in my office that when life seems bad you need to do things that have a chance of making it a little better. If you do not, then it is unlikely that tomorrow will be any better. When life gets tough it is not uncommon for people to stop taking care of the little things that really matter, and as they stop taking care of those little things they begin to feel overwhelmed life. As the burdens of life pile up, not taking care of those things you can control only contributes to the weight you feel on your shoulders. I challenge you to persevere in doing the things that you know have a chance of bringing about a better tomorrow, knowing that it is those things that will help bring you through the tough times in your life.

There is a saying that I like to use when talking with people about starting down a new path to success and a positive future; the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago… the second best time is today. The same is true of charting a new course for your life. Now is the time, today is the day. Decide to start doing the things you know need to be done to help assure a positive future. You can do it… I believe in you, and you deserve it.

Have a great week!

Mr. Cox

Assistant Principal
Garden Spot High School