Pennsylvania School Boards Association honors members of Quaker Valley School Board

Tribune-Review
Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 8:01 a.m. | Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 8:01 a.m.

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Courtesy of Quaker Valley School District

Jon Kuzma, Daniela Helkowski, Gianni Floro, Lena Hannah and Jeff Watters pictured at the Nov. 9 Quaker Valley School Board meeting. Kuzma, Helkowski, Floro and Watters were honored by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

A representative from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association honored four Quaker Valley School Board members for their service at the Nov. 9 school board meeting. For more than 125 years, PSBA has recognized individuals for their dedication and desire to ethically serve students, schools and the community.

Lena Hannah, Section 5 Manager for PSBA, recognized Gianni Floro, Jonathan Kuzma, Daniela Helkowski and Jeff Watters by presenting certificates and adding them to the PSBA Honor Roll of School Board Service. They received the award for their many years of service to QVSD.

Floro has served for more than 20 years; Kuzma, current board president, has served for eight years; Helkowski has served for eight years; and Watters, board treasurer, has served for eight years.

Along with the four Honor Roll members, Hannah recognized Sarah Heres for her work during her 14 years of service as she leaves the board this month.

“This is just a glimpse of some of the work our board members and superintendent, who also has been a fierce advocate for our district, have done,” Hannah said. “School districts are expected to offer more services, along with world-class instruction, with limited resources. These expectations provide a tremendous challenge for school directors, unpaid volunteers who give of their time to contribute to the schools and communities they serve.”

Superintendent Dr. Tammy Andreyko congratulated the Honor Roll awardees.

In the recent election, Helkowski and Kuzma were the top two vote-getters in Region 1. Updated tallies show Helkowski with 795 and Kuzma with 700. However, newcomer Brett Williams has 696 votes and said on Nov. 9 that “the race is still too close to call.”

The reorganization meeting is set for Dec. 7.

Also at the Nov. 9 school board meeting, the new high school architect team presented its findings from community engagement sessions. Information on the findings will appear in the Nov. 25 issue of the Sewickley Herald.