Grant Spotlight
This past school year we funded two similar, and yet quite different field trips to Philadelphia!
AP US History & AP GovernmentThese Camp Hill students impressed everyone in the court room!"Both Judge Rendell and Beth Specker, the executive director of the Rendell Center for Civic Education, told me after that it was hands down the best student arguments they had ever hosted. One law clerk told me that he wasn’t sure what guidance to give because our students handled the arguments so well. They all continued to comment to me how bright our Camp Hill students are."
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5th Grade Class TripExperiencing Philadelphia is amazing!"The kids had an absolute blast and a great day!" From a fun bus ride to exploring the city in small groups, the 5th Grade Trip to Philadelphia is a rite of passage here in Camp Hill. We are proud to help cover transportation costs, pay museum fees, and make sure everyone looked great in matching t-shirts! |
Congratulations to our Spring 2023 Grant Recipients!
Please note the various funding sources utilized by our Allocations Team to award grants.
*EITC Corporate Partner Funds
^Designated Funds (dictated by the donors for very specific purposes)
All other grants are funded through general donations by donors like you!
*EITC Corporate Partner Funds
^Designated Funds (dictated by the donors for very specific purposes)
All other grants are funded through general donations by donors like you!
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Awards by Funding Source
Awards by School Building
Awards by Type of Project
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Plus, more than 100 Grants Awarded in 2022...
In their own words...
Teacher Spotlight - Ashley Poorman
As part of our mission to spotlight the many ambitious projects and programs your generous donations help make possible, we recently sat down with Ashley Poorman, the Lion Academy Director for Camp Hill’s Lion Academy, in her office in the Camp Hill High School. Together with our partners at UPMC and our EITC business supporters, The Lion Foundation has provided more than $20,000 in grants to the Lion Academy so far this school year.
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LF: Thank you for meeting with me today. What is The Lion Academy and when was it started and why?
AP: So, The Lion Academy is Camp Hill school district's online virtual learning environment. It is kind of a self contained cyber school within our school district. It is K-12. And it offers learning opportunities for students full-time and part-time. So we have full-time students who are fully virtual at home, and part-time students who take up to a credit of classes. So it's really flexible, and it's in partnership with our IU through the CAOLA program — Capital Area Online Learning Association. LF: Great. and when did it start? AP: Officially, The Lion Academy started last year. So the 2021-22 school year was the launchpad year for the program. We've grown tremendously since then, and I don't see a stopping point from here. LF: You touched on this, but which students and in what grades can participate in it? AP: So, for full-time capacity, anyone K-12 can participate. So if they are going to be fully virtual, at home and online, it can be K-12. Part-time students, that is limited to high school, so 9-12, and they can take up to a credit. |
Student Voices...I like the AP Environmental Science specifically because it allows independence in completing assignments. This allows students to pace themselves according to their current workload and responsibilities, allowing them to work when they have free time and not work when they don’t.” I chose the Lion Academy because they offer career oriented courses. I’m currently taking Intro to Nursing, which is specific to my future career and will help me prepare to start nursing school next year. |
LF: And what's the enrollment currently, and has it grown in the last year?
AP: Currently, I have almost 100 part-time students, and I have almost 40-full time students. So about 37 full-time and 94 part-time.
LF: That’s a big program!
AP: Yeah, it’s huge, And it’s pretty much doubled from last year, maybe slightly more than doubled — especially the part-time component.
LF: So for the part-time students, can you explain a bit more what their experience looks like?
AP: So they can take up to a credit, and it's a mixed bag of what that looks like. It can be two semester-length courses that are completely different. It can be one full-year course. It can be four different marking period-length courses. So it's really up to them but it equals about a credit.
LF: And who oversees The Lion Academy’s students?
AP: So that's me. I'm in charge of their progress. I always say that my job is the three As: advocacy, accountability and academic intervention. So, my primary job is working with students, keeping them on track, and checking their grades and their attendance and their progress. They also have a teacher built into each of their courses who grades their work, and also keeps a close eye on how they're doing, and can answer questions when they come up.
LF: What classes are offered and who teaches them, and how were those particular classes selected for The Lion Academy?
AP: So we have six vendors that we choose from. And they offer a variety of different types of classes. And each one of the vendors has different strengths, so we choose based on those strengths. The strongest classes from each vendor is what we typically choose.
There's over 1000 choices of different options of classes. So anywhere from the core classes, like English and math, all the way to the elective courses like nursing, forensics, fashion design, green technology, cybersecurity, those kinds of things.
And students really drive the decision-making when it comes to those classes. They decide what elective courses they'd like. And it's usually based on what they're interested in pursuing post secondary. Sometimes, it's just something that sounds interesting, and they want to try it. And so none of our teachers actually teach the courses we buy, we buy the course from the vendor, and that comes equipped with a teacher within it.
LF: And it’s all virtual, right? Is there any in person component? For instance, can a full-time virtual student come into the school and take the class?
AP: Full-time students are fully virtual, but they can come here to work. They can come here whenever they would like to get caught up, or just for a change of scenery. A lot of our full-time students will come and have lunch, and then they'll stay for the rest of the day to work in the room. Or they can work in the library. There's a lot of flexibility.
With the part-time students, they have a study hall built into their program. So they take the class over that study hall or on their own independently. But they can come here as well to do the class, which I have several each day that come down here for that study hall period. And we work together..
LF: And can full-time Lion Academy students also participate in clubs and sports and other offerings through the Camp Hill school district?
AP: Definitely. All of our full-time students are fully Camp Hill students. So whatever grade they're in, whatever is offered for that grade, they're able to participate in. So field trips, extracurricular sports, assemblies that happened during the day. We have a flex day here at the high school where students participate in clubs. Our Lion Academy students are welcome to join. Junior Achievement days also. Anything that we offer in person, our Lion Academy students can participate in.
LF: And what are the most popular classes that students take and that are offered through The Lion Academy?
AP: I've seen a lot of criminology lately. Criminology is a big one. Intro to nursing is a big one. Sports medicine is also really popular. American Sign Language is a big one this year — that's kind of new on everybody's radar, so I have a lot of kids taking that. Fashion design is another popular one. And forensics. So there's so many, but those are kind of the big hits.
LF: Can students get certified in certain careers or industries through the Academy?
AP: They can. And it's really actually a minimal commitment. So it's four credits total over the course of the four years that they're here in high school. If they take a credit every year, they can get an industry certification. So they can get a nutritionist certificate. Food sciences. IT. Information security, hospitality, medicine, nursing assistant, medical billing. There's all kinds of different certifications, and they're able to take those through Lion Academy.
LF: And those are Pennsylvania specific?
AP: Some are national and some are Pennsylvania. It just depends. There's I think 84 total. So some of them are Pennsylvania specific, but a lot of them are national certifications as well.
LF: For students who enroll in The Lion Academy full time — do they earn a Camp Hill High school diploma?
AP: Yes. So everything that they do in The Lion Academy shows up on their transcript. And they get a Camp Hill diploma. So it's all branded Camp Hill, which is nice.
LF: What is your vision for The Lion Academy going forward? Where do you see it in five, or even 10 years from now?
AP: I'd like to see it continue to grow. I think it's a great opportunity for students, especially to explore their post-secondary career options. It's a good way for students to kind of figure out what they want to do next. So I'd like to see some growth, especially in our part-time program. I'd like it if every student took at least one before they graduated. That would be a really good way to prepare them for college, and also maybe just their career fields — whatever they're interested in.
Hopefully, one day I'll have a team, and this will be a fully-functioning school within a school. That would be really nice. And it's kind of the future of education right now: customizing education and giving students the ability to kind of create their own way. And I think that this really helps to do that. So I don't see it going away. I see it growing over the next five years.
LF: So, particularly at the high school level, this gives you more of an opportunity to explore areas you normally wouldn't?
AP: Exactly — and to customize. If they have no clue what they want to do, this is a good way to try and figure it out. It's low risk. And then if they are super interested in something it's a good way to kind of further themselves down that career path.
LF: Finally, in terms of how you operate, how has funding from The Lion Foundation helped you in carrying out your mission?
AP: The Lion Foundation has been essential in helping us fund our mission. They really make these career classes possible. They are the ones who are helping us to provide these various opportunities that we couldn't provide in person. So it’s been just really essential and just so wonderful to have their support. I can't say enough good things about The Lion Foundation, but they have really helped keep us afloat and also keep us growing and becoming more and more successful. And I'm just really thankful to them.
AP: Currently, I have almost 100 part-time students, and I have almost 40-full time students. So about 37 full-time and 94 part-time.
LF: That’s a big program!
AP: Yeah, it’s huge, And it’s pretty much doubled from last year, maybe slightly more than doubled — especially the part-time component.
LF: So for the part-time students, can you explain a bit more what their experience looks like?
AP: So they can take up to a credit, and it's a mixed bag of what that looks like. It can be two semester-length courses that are completely different. It can be one full-year course. It can be four different marking period-length courses. So it's really up to them but it equals about a credit.
LF: And who oversees The Lion Academy’s students?
AP: So that's me. I'm in charge of their progress. I always say that my job is the three As: advocacy, accountability and academic intervention. So, my primary job is working with students, keeping them on track, and checking their grades and their attendance and their progress. They also have a teacher built into each of their courses who grades their work, and also keeps a close eye on how they're doing, and can answer questions when they come up.
LF: What classes are offered and who teaches them, and how were those particular classes selected for The Lion Academy?
AP: So we have six vendors that we choose from. And they offer a variety of different types of classes. And each one of the vendors has different strengths, so we choose based on those strengths. The strongest classes from each vendor is what we typically choose.
There's over 1000 choices of different options of classes. So anywhere from the core classes, like English and math, all the way to the elective courses like nursing, forensics, fashion design, green technology, cybersecurity, those kinds of things.
And students really drive the decision-making when it comes to those classes. They decide what elective courses they'd like. And it's usually based on what they're interested in pursuing post secondary. Sometimes, it's just something that sounds interesting, and they want to try it. And so none of our teachers actually teach the courses we buy, we buy the course from the vendor, and that comes equipped with a teacher within it.
LF: And it’s all virtual, right? Is there any in person component? For instance, can a full-time virtual student come into the school and take the class?
AP: Full-time students are fully virtual, but they can come here to work. They can come here whenever they would like to get caught up, or just for a change of scenery. A lot of our full-time students will come and have lunch, and then they'll stay for the rest of the day to work in the room. Or they can work in the library. There's a lot of flexibility.
With the part-time students, they have a study hall built into their program. So they take the class over that study hall or on their own independently. But they can come here as well to do the class, which I have several each day that come down here for that study hall period. And we work together..
LF: And can full-time Lion Academy students also participate in clubs and sports and other offerings through the Camp Hill school district?
AP: Definitely. All of our full-time students are fully Camp Hill students. So whatever grade they're in, whatever is offered for that grade, they're able to participate in. So field trips, extracurricular sports, assemblies that happened during the day. We have a flex day here at the high school where students participate in clubs. Our Lion Academy students are welcome to join. Junior Achievement days also. Anything that we offer in person, our Lion Academy students can participate in.
LF: And what are the most popular classes that students take and that are offered through The Lion Academy?
AP: I've seen a lot of criminology lately. Criminology is a big one. Intro to nursing is a big one. Sports medicine is also really popular. American Sign Language is a big one this year — that's kind of new on everybody's radar, so I have a lot of kids taking that. Fashion design is another popular one. And forensics. So there's so many, but those are kind of the big hits.
LF: Can students get certified in certain careers or industries through the Academy?
AP: They can. And it's really actually a minimal commitment. So it's four credits total over the course of the four years that they're here in high school. If they take a credit every year, they can get an industry certification. So they can get a nutritionist certificate. Food sciences. IT. Information security, hospitality, medicine, nursing assistant, medical billing. There's all kinds of different certifications, and they're able to take those through Lion Academy.
LF: And those are Pennsylvania specific?
AP: Some are national and some are Pennsylvania. It just depends. There's I think 84 total. So some of them are Pennsylvania specific, but a lot of them are national certifications as well.
LF: For students who enroll in The Lion Academy full time — do they earn a Camp Hill High school diploma?
AP: Yes. So everything that they do in The Lion Academy shows up on their transcript. And they get a Camp Hill diploma. So it's all branded Camp Hill, which is nice.
LF: What is your vision for The Lion Academy going forward? Where do you see it in five, or even 10 years from now?
AP: I'd like to see it continue to grow. I think it's a great opportunity for students, especially to explore their post-secondary career options. It's a good way for students to kind of figure out what they want to do next. So I'd like to see some growth, especially in our part-time program. I'd like it if every student took at least one before they graduated. That would be a really good way to prepare them for college, and also maybe just their career fields — whatever they're interested in.
Hopefully, one day I'll have a team, and this will be a fully-functioning school within a school. That would be really nice. And it's kind of the future of education right now: customizing education and giving students the ability to kind of create their own way. And I think that this really helps to do that. So I don't see it going away. I see it growing over the next five years.
LF: So, particularly at the high school level, this gives you more of an opportunity to explore areas you normally wouldn't?
AP: Exactly — and to customize. If they have no clue what they want to do, this is a good way to try and figure it out. It's low risk. And then if they are super interested in something it's a good way to kind of further themselves down that career path.
LF: Finally, in terms of how you operate, how has funding from The Lion Foundation helped you in carrying out your mission?
AP: The Lion Foundation has been essential in helping us fund our mission. They really make these career classes possible. They are the ones who are helping us to provide these various opportunities that we couldn't provide in person. So it’s been just really essential and just so wonderful to have their support. I can't say enough good things about The Lion Foundation, but they have really helped keep us afloat and also keep us growing and becoming more and more successful. And I'm just really thankful to them.
Teacher Spotlight - Amanda Rhykerd
Recent Camp Hill alum, Emma Chaplin, The Lion Foundation’s intern during the 2021-22 school year, interviewed Amanda Rhykerd, Life Skills Teacher at the Camp Hill Middle & High School. Mrs. Rhykerd received a few Lion Foundation grants to bring her innovative ideas to the Life Skills classroom.
CHAPLIN Could you tell me how you define life skills?
RHYKERD Life skills is teaching students the basics of life and how to be successful with skills that we all inherently have, but we’re teaching our students those skills directly because they struggle in that area. When I think of life skills I think about cooking and reading texts in your environment. I think about leisure, so doing things independently, whether that’s playing a game or knowing how to occupy your time.
CHAPLIN How do these skills help students in school and in life?
RHYKERD I think that it’s always important especially for our population of students to think about what their outcomes are, because they differ greatly from a neurotypical student, so we prepare them for a job or set them up for success in a day program. We think about what those outcomes are and then we really think about the skills such as leisure, cooking, even daily living skills like personal hygiene.
CHAPLIN That’s awesome! Could you tell me how many students are currently served by the life skills classroom?
RHYKERD Yeah! Right now we have 8 full time students.
CHAPLIN And how has the funding from The Lion Foundation made your classroom better?
RHYKERD We’ve gotten a few things from the Foundation; I think the biggest contribution has been the Look N’ Cook curriculum. We actually fill a whole period everyday with a cooking curriculum that the foundation funded for us. We differentiate based on what students know and what they need to learn, and it really has given us an opportunity to capture some real life skills that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to experience because we have a solid foundation of what we’re teaching during that time. The foundation has helped us drive that aspect.
CHAPLIN Great! My final question is: what is your favorite thing about your job?
RHYKERD My favorite thing about my job is definitely seeing students hit those small successes because to a lot of people they would seem small but to them and to us they’re huge. That might be learning to tie your shoe, or learning how to read a new word. Seeing a student be excited that they succeeded is definitely exciting for me.
CHAPLIN Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!
**This interview was lightly edited for space.
Student Spotlight
Camp Hill high school teacher, Mrs. Crane asked his senior Theatre Arts class to share their thoughts about the experience of seeing live theatrical productions. These trips are funded by a grant from The Lion Foundation. Hear what they have to say in their own words!
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