Amanda Glensky

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Before administrators proposed to move eighth-graders to the middle school, Bill McVeagh considered moving out of the Springfield Township School District so his rising eighth-grader would not have to go to high school earlier than would be appropriate.

“Many of the people in the community for years have been concerned with eighth grade in high school,” he said. “Many of the parents in the community were concerned at the point to thinking of pulling students out and putting them in private school.”

These concerns are that socially, developmentally and maturity-wise, eighth-graders are experiencing one of the most difficult times in their lives, he said.

At that age, the experience of being the “top dogs” of the middle school might give them the confidence to excel both academically and in their transitions to ninth grade, he said.

He added that he has “nothing but kudos” for the school district administration.

Some of the other parents who spoke at a Sept. 24 public forum for middle school parents agreed with McVeagh and administrators that the proposal to restructure the school district is a good idea.

Others were concerned that bringing fifth-graders to Erdenheim Elementary and eighth-graders to Springfield Township Middle School would take away the opportunities these students have now.

A few parents urged administrators to consider how a change would affect the gifted program for fifth and eighth grades if the school board were to pass the proposal, which will be up for a vote later this month.

One parent said that her children, graduates of Springfield, valued spending their eighth-grade year in high school because it exposed them to the arts early.

Other parents asked the administrators to keep in mind that some students are actually ready for more responsibility as eighth-graders.

Another concern was that children missed out on the more focused and grade-appropriate academic instruction that administrators promise the restructured system would allow.

According to administrators, one of the benefits of restructuring the schools would be higher academic achievement. Students would have schedules appropriate for their instructional needs, and it would be easier for teachers in the same grade level to work together because they would all be in the same building, they said.

For fifth-graders, this means more time for language arts instruction, which is difficult to schedule when adhering to a middle school schedule, said Superintendent Wendy Royer.

If fifth grade is moved to elementary school, students would be instructed by one teacher all day, rather than having a schedule with a few different classes and instructors, she said.

The new structure would increase rigor across all grade levels, administrators said.

Some parents asked if present fifth-graders are not having enough language arts instruction, and if there would be a curriculum adjustment so next year’s sixth-graders could receive language arts instruction comparable that proposed for next year’s fifth-grade class at Erdenheim.

The middle school faculty and staff have been targeting the language arts curriculum in order to heighten student performance, said Alice Snare, principal of the middle school. They already have adjusted the fifth-grade schedule to improve language arts instruction and made sure that the time allocated for the subject would not be interrupted, she said.

For example, a library tutorial might take place during a different class, Snare said.

“Because we want to do better doesn’t mean our students aren’t being served,” said Carol Rohrbach, director of curriculum and staff development. “We are doing a very good job … we want to do even better.”

Royer said Sept. 25 that she does not think there will be any changes to the proposal before the school board members discuss it at their next meeting.

“The meetings gave us a lot of insight into what the parents’ concerns were,” she said. “I felt that we gave parents their assurances that academic programs would not be compromised by the restructuring of schools.

“There seems to be a lot of sentiment for returning fifth-grade to elementary, and that didn’t surprise me.”

About 40 parents spoke during the elementary school meeting and about 21 at the middle school meeting, Royer added.

“I know the administration was really pleased with the turnout and the comments that they got from parents and the community,” she said.

The school board will discuss the proposal at its Oct. 6 meeting and vote Oct. 20. Once the board takes action, school district officials need to get started quickly to prepare for the change, Royer said.

Her plan is keep parents informed during the entire process, she said.

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When Susan Zemmel and Larry Schiff moved their dental office to 813 Bethlehem Pike, Erdenheim, they planted new trees that attracted song birds. Their neighbors were so pleased to see the new species that they sent thank you notes.

Last month, the owners of Schiff & Associates Aesthetic & Family Dentistry were recognized for another contribution to the area. On Community Day, Sept. 13, the Friends of Historical Bethlehem Pike presented its third annual Acorn Improvement Award to Schiff and Zemmel and their architect, Banny Jesudason of JLM Design Group on Germantown Pike.

The award honors property owners and designers who address historical preservation, pedestrian consideration, beautification, environmental improvements and appropriate economic development.

“It’s always nice to be recognized,” Schiff said at his office Sept. 17. “We very much support their efforts to get the Bethlehem Pike historical feel.”

“We think we did a good job fitting into the community,” Zemmel added.

Mimi Leitzel, the Wyndmoor-based interior designer for the project, nominated the building for the award in June. Leitzel, one of Schiff’s patients, heard about the Acorn Award and thought the property would be a great candidate.

“This building shows potential inspiration for other renovations on the pike, and provides not only a service to patients, but newly renovated spaces for other tenants to build thriving businesses,” she wrote in her letter of nomination to the Friends.

Schiff and Zemmel, who were married in 1986, bought the Bethlehem Pike property in 1990, although planning for the renovations did not begin until two years ago, when they had grown out of their space.

“It was an eyesore with old systems, and we wanted to be able to incorporate all of the new technology available in our field,” Zemmel said.

Not about to leave their strong ties with the Erdenheim community, Schiff and Zemmel explored ways to develop the property. The most viable option was a multimillion-dollar project to build on and around the current structure.

Workers broke ground in June 2008. Throughout the construction, Schiff and Zemmel continued their normal operations from their second floor office, as did the Twisters Wellness Center, located on the bottom floor of the building.

“It was a little bit of a challenging project for us, mainly because we had to add a third floor without adding a disturbance to the two lower levels,” Jesudason said in an interview Sept. 18. “We had to come up with a very unique structural system to construct a third level.”

This process included building a third floor supported by six corkscrew-shaped steel stilts, called helical piles, which were drilled into the ground. A concrete slab was placed on top of the piles, columns added and steel beams installed across the existing building to make the floor.

Then, the new and old windows had to be matched and everything with a stone base, Jesudason said.

“This approach still has a residential quality and scale, but is inviting and suitable for a commercial building solution,” Leitzel wrote in her nomination letter.

Schiff and Zemmel moved into the new third-floor office Jan. 20. The new space can accommodate modern and environmentally friendly technology. The interior is the ultimate in high tech, Zemmel said.

The office is completely digital, save for a back room with folders of hard copies of documents. All lights in the office are activated by motion sensors, and doctors use a digital X-ray machine because it emits less radiation and energy than other models.

“We are much more efficient now than before,” Schiff said.

Patients sit in ergonomic massage chairs during their appointments and can watch cable television — or the work going on in their mouths — on overhead monitors. The individual exam rooms are soundproof.

“When it’s comfortable for the patient and you take that stress out of the visit, everything is simplified,” Zemmel said. “You can offer the highest-quality dentistry available.”

The building also has its own water supply sanitized in a plant within the office. Everything in the sanitation room can be opened by the tap of foot-level lever or light kick with the knee.

The Acorn Award is on display at the coffee bar across from a bamboo fountain in the lobby.

“Winning the award is a great thing,” Jesudason said. “We honor that and hopefully it will give us the opportunity to reach out to other potential clients in the area who will look at the building and come to us.”

Both originally from New York, Zemmel and Schiff met when she was a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania and he was a faculty member. Their children were born here. Schiff played Santa Claus one year for the Erdenheim Civic Association and delivered presents to local children on Christmas Eve.