North Hills High School Jazz Band and Administrator Featured at 2012 PASA/PSBA Conference

North Hills High School Jazz Band and North Hills Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Assessment and Special Programs Dr. Jeff Taylor have been selected to perform and present at the annual Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and Pennsylvania School Boards Association Conference in Hershey on Oct. 16 to 19.

Students will perform high-energy jazz on Oct. 17 for more than 600 school administrators and school directors from across Pennsylvania during the conference’s Student Celebration Showcase. The jazz band consists of 21 students playing saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, guitars, bass and drums. The jazz band was selected based upon a taped audition.

Dr. Taylor will speak on Oct. 18 about North Hills School District’s Online Academy @ North Hills in a session entitled “How to Create a Successful District-Created Virtual School.” He will describe the step-by-step procedure utilized by North Hills to create the district’s comprehensive online learning option. The Online Academy includes a fully virtual program for kindergarteners through seniors, a blended schools option, an alternative education program, summercredit recovery program, summer enrichment program and professional development opportunities for educators.

            Unique in the area, The Online Academy @ North Hills was built by North Hills educators starting in 2008 and not purchased from an outsourced company. In the academy, students have the opportunity to create their own school experience through traditional classroom courses, online study or a blendedapproach that combines traditional and online opportunities. All Online Academy students earn a North Hills School District diploma and can participate in all athletics and activities offered by the district.