May 23, 2012 – ChaddsFordLive.com

New principal for Patton Middle School

By Jim Phreaner

School Board School Superintendent John Sanville has announced the appointment of Timothy V. Hoffman as principal of Charles F. Patton Middle School, effective July 1.

“Hoffman was selected after reviewing 120 applications,” Sanville said at the May 21 Unionville-Chadds Ford School District board meeting. “Fifteen finalists were identified for final interviews. In addition the selection focus group made site visits to several schools to evaluate the finalists for the position. The key criteria included background and reference checks and most importantly which candidate fit our vision.”

Hoffman comes to UCF with seven years of administrative experience serving as an assistant principal at two schools in the Tredyffrin – Easttown School District.

In a brief speech, Hoffman said, “It will be difficult to get the grin off my face. When our family moved from Montgomery County Maryland seven years ago, we wanted our children to attend the best public school district in the region. We moved to Unionville-Chadds Ford. It is an honor to follow Bruce Vosburgh as principal of Patton Middle School and I look forward to transitioning into the new position with Bruce’s expertise to guide me.”

Prior to Sanville’s announcement of Hoffman’s selection, Patton Middle School Principal Bruce Vosburgh congratulated Patton students Eric Jankowski, Hank Ward, John Stookey and Alice Liu who participated in the American Scholastic Challenge 2012 that took place online during February.

“[More than] 17,000 students participated from schools throughout the country,” Vosburgh said. “The competition allows participants to demonstrate a variety of problem solving skills and knowledge in many academic areas. This year, these top four students earned high scores to place them in 2nd place, earning a Silver Award. Special congratulations go out to Alice Liu, who earned an outstanding score of 96 out of 100 and took first place overall out of all 17,000 participants. “

Other news

School Board Vice President Jeff Leiser said that he had“…assumed the responsibility of chairing the newly formed school board Negotiations Committee comprised of myself, Keith Knauss and Victor DuPuis. The Negotiations Committee has been formed to conduct preliminary meetings with the U-CF Education Association teachers union. The current teacher’s contract expires at the end of the 2013 school year. The school board hoped to open brief negotiations with the expectation of adding one additional year onto the current contract. No additional outside legal or other parties have been engaged for the three meetings we recently conducted with the teacher’s union negotiators. While the school board appreciates the professional manner the teacher’s union has presented, our current negotiations have been suspended until January 2013 at the request of the union. Their position is the school board’s offer for an additional contract year falls very short of teacher’s union compensation goal.”

Leiser said there are three negotiating objectives.

“We want what is best for our students in terms of quality of education, will the terms of the next teachers’ contract be sustainable within the limitations of our school budget and we also will weigh current local economic conditions and any additional tax increase burden on the local taxpayers to support the next union contract.”

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New exhibit at CF Historical Society

Local News

CFHS-2012-exhibit — New exhibit at CF Historical Society

Battle of Brandywine: The Road to Recognition is on display through December 1.

By Rich Schwartzman

Spurred by the upcoming 235^th anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine, the Chadds Ford Historical Society and the Christian C. Sanderson Museum are co-sponsoring a new exhibit, Battle of Brandywine: The Road to Recognition. The exhibit is on display at the Historical Society’s Barn Visitors’ Center on Creek Road now through December 1.

Referring to the anniversary as the “excuse” for the exhibit, CFHS board member Sallie Corbishley — exhibit curator — said there was something else that she found interesting.

“What I found interesting is what has happened to the land over the years since 1777. Everybody has talked about the battle and the generals, but what has happened to the land,” she said.

After reviewing old newspaper files, Corbishley said people have been trying to save the battlefield site for years.

“They tried and tried, but it was hard to do,” because of money and politics.

She added that it was politics that led the state to buy the property on Route 1 in Chadds Ford and designate it the Brandywine Battlefield Park even though the battle was not fought there.

“For years and years they tried to get some land near Birmingham Friends Meeting where the battle actually occurred starting in 1900,” said Corbishley.

At that time, a Col. Francis Hooten had an agreement from landowners to sell an area of land at Sandy Hollow for a memorial, but it didn’t work.

“Apparently the governor vetoed that one,” Corbishley said. “One of the other early attempts, I understand, the Pittsburgh delegation voted against it. So, it’s all political.”

Part of the exhibit shows a timeline from 1777 to 2009.

“That’s all about the politics of battlefield land area, of trying to preserve the battlefield, to keep out development, and, until probably the 1950s, it really didn’t matter because this was still a rural area,” Corbishley said.

It all changed with the growth after WWII, she added, when the dairy farmers lost their European market and were burdened with extra rules and regulations.

“So they were willing for development, ripe to sell. They needed the money. That’s when the development started. That’s when everyone started to look at this. If we don’t do something now, there won’t be anything left to preserve,” she said.

Corbishley hopes people who see the exhibit come away with an appreciation for where they live and for what happened here.

In addition to the timeline, there are numerous artifacts on display, courtesy of the Chris Sanderson Museum.

According to Sanderson curator Chuck Ulman, the two organizations had worked together on other exhibits, so the collaboration was a no-brainer. The groups had just a couple of meetings before the Sanderson board agreed to get involved.

Ulman said there are about 20 items on loan from the museum with the primary one being a sheet map and a Washington Headquarters’ sign painted by N.C. Wyeth for Chris Sanderson.

CFHS Board President George Franz said he thinks the exhibit is “phenomenal.”

“Sallie always does a good job of trying to come up with an exhibit that appeals to multi-generational things. So, there’s lots of stuff in there that will intrigue kids and things that, I think, will intrigue adults,” Franz said.

One of the items, he said, youngsters will like is a table display filled with jelly beans representing the 27,000 British and Colonial troops that took part in the battle.

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May Fair 2012

Local News

It was an afternoon of fun, games and entertainment as Chadds Ford Elementary School held its 63rd annual May Fair on May 18. Each class, K-5, performed its own musical number based on this year’s theme, A Healthy Body. There was also the traditional Maypole Dance and Parachute Party.

During the entertainment portion, school nurse Julie Krause was named Fair Queen. She’s leaving the school at the end of this academic year.

After the official end of the school day, there were carnival games and a dunk tank where school Principal Mark Ransford got dunked.

Ransford also passed on some historical information regarding May Fair that, when it was first held in 1949, it was a rodeo with horses, riders and cattle coming up from Texas.

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Adopt-a-Pet May 24

Local News

Heather and Harriet are a pair of young, spunky sisters who are desperate for some more room to romp. At any time of day, these girls can be found jumping and jiving all over their cage at the shelter, playing with toys and each other. Heather and Harriet have the right stuff to be great family pets. They are both exceptionally playful and affectionate cats that would make fantastic furry friends for older children. Now is the perfect time to adopt two pets. For a limited time, the Chester County SPCA is featuring a Perfect Pairs Adoption Promotion in which pairs of animals can be adopted for a reduced adoption fee – adopt one pet at the regular adoption fee, and the second fee is 80 percent off. Heather and Harriet qualify for this program, and their total adoption fee is $100. If you are able to provide Heather and Harriet, or any of our other animals here at the shelter a home, visit the Chester County SPCA at 1212 Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call 610-692-6113. Heather and Harriet’s registration numbers are 96807673 and 96807674. To meet some of our other adoptable animals, visit the shelter or log onto www.ccspca.org. Not quite ready to adopt? Consider becoming a foster parent! CCSPCA is particularly in need of kitten fosters at this time. Additional information and applications are available online or at the shelter.

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Birmingham Township news briefs May 24

Along the Ford

• Birmingham Township supervisors adopted a new cable franchise ordinance for its agreement with Comcast Cable. No figures were discussed, but Supervisors’ Chairman John Conklin said before the session that Comcast would increase its payment to the township to 5 percent. The company now pays 3 percent. Comcast will also pay the township a signing fee of $6,195. Conklin also said he didn’t know what changes there would be to subscribers’ bills, and the ordinance does not mention charges to customers. The new ordinance follows an agreement negotiated between Comcast and 13 different townships, Conklin said.

• Supervisors voted to support a request for a zoning variance made by the Clark family who have purchased the property at 1045 Birmingham Road. Attorney Brian Nagle said his clients want to renovate and upgrade the property, but to do so requires them to build a garage within the 200-foot front yard setback. The garage can’t go in the back of the house because of a septic system. The Clarks are scheduled to go before the Zoning Hearing Board on June 13.

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Around Town May 24

Along the Ford

• Visitors to the Brandywine River Museum may start to purchase tickets on June 1 for the opening of The Andrew Wyeth Studio tours. Public tours of the studio begin July 3 and run through Nov. 18. It was in the Chadds Ford studio that Wyeth, one of the most beloved and significant artists in American history, painted many of his most important works of art. On guided tours of the studio, visitors will gain insights into Wyeth’s life, his working methods and sources of inspiration in the private space where he created many of his masterworks. Tickets are $8 in addition to museum admission. For complete details, please visit www.brandywinemuseum.org or call 610-388-2700.

• The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will, next week, repair worn concrete on state highways in Chester County, an operation that will result in short-term lane restrictions. The work schedule is:
· From Wednesday, May 30 through Friday, June 1, eastbound and westbound Route 3 (Market Street/Gay Street) will be reduced to one lane from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. between Matlack Street and Worthington Street in West Chester Borough.
· On Saturday, June 2, the same stretch will be reduced to one lane from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Motorists are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the construction areas.

• The Delaware Museum of Natural History announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,500 museums across America, to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2012. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families.
“The Blue Star Museums program is something we’ve participated in for the last several years and couldn’t be more proud to be a part of,” said Executive Director Halsey Spruance. “Providing our military personnel and their families an opportunity to explore the Museum at no cost is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for their service to our country.”

• Longwood Gardens kicks off its summer Fireworks & Fountains shows on Saturday, May 26. The half-hour show, Swan Lake, combines Longwood’s famed illuminated fountains, fireworks, and music from the beloved ballet synchronized to dazzling effect. Admission is by advance-sale ticket only, although tickets can be purchased the day of the display if still available. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, which provide the best viewing experience. Blankets are not permitted. Tickets prices are $38 for adults, $22 for children 15 and younger. Garden Pass members pay $31 for adults and $18 for children. For information and ticket orders, visit www.longwoodgardens.org or call 610-388-5200.

Around Town May 24 Read More »

Police log May 24

Police

DUIs; head-on collision; identity theft

• According to a state police report, Brian Cregan, 43, of East Fallowfield Township was stopped on Route 1 near Ring road in Chadds Ford Township for a series of traffic violations and found to be DUI and in possession of a small amount of marijuana. The stop was made at 3:30 a.m. on May 20.

• A motorcyclist from Trainer and his passenger were injured in a head-on collision with a car at Cheyney Road and Samuel Hill Lane in Concord Township shortly before 8 p.m. on May 17. According to a police report, the driver of the car, Marc Eric Elvin, was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI. The report said Elvin turned onto Cheyney Road and struck the motorcycle head-on. The cyclist and passenger were transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

• State police reported a 40-year-old Chadds Ford woman was the victim of identity theft. A report said the victim’s credit card number was stolen and used to make purchases totaling $753. Items charged included an HP laptop, an iPod Touch and a Motorola cell phone.

• Police are investigating three cases of criminal mischief in Chadds Ford Township. A report said someone struck three mailboxes on Beaver Valley Road on May 15 sometime between noon and 4:30 p.m.

• State police said Big Cheese Pizzeria on Route 202 was the intended victim of theft about 2:30 a.m. on May 12. A report said someone pried the rear door handle and cut phone lines in a Verizon box on the rear of the building. While clearing the building, police determined that nothing had been disturbed or taken from inside. Police speculate the perpetrator was scared away by the alarm going off.

• James M. DiCamillo, 58, of Woodlyn, was charged with DUI following a traffic stop on Route 1 between Route 202 and Evergreen Drive at 2:20 a.m. on May 18, a police report said. Police reported the stop was made for numerous traffic violations and that the accused was determined to be DUI while speaking with police.

Police log May 24 Read More »

Free Your Space: Strengthening your organizing muscles

Home and Leisure

By Annette Reyman

In general, I am happy with the overall organization of my home. Spaces are set up to be both functional and inviting. Items are room-appropriate and conveniently stored for easy access. We have furniture and lighting to make each room comfortable. It’s not going to win any awards, but on some days it’s picture perfect.

I must admit, however, that there are other times that I can walk in, look around and just feel stressed out by what I see. With four people coming and going and living in the house, our spaces are well used. I do not strive to live in a museum of untouched elegance, but a clear table surrounded by four empty chairs would be nice.

So, where can we find the balance? What is the answer to having a comfortable place to “hang your hat,” while still maintaining order? Can comfort and organization co-exist in the same space? Many an artist or teenager would say no.

Some may feel that the chaos of an environment provides inspiration for creativity and fun. And I will concede that, for them, this may be true. For myself and for my clients, artists included, it is not. I find that sitting down to a clear, clean table or desk with a fresh assortment of supplies within easy reach is much more liberating to the creative spirit. The blank slate and room to spread out invite all sorts of ideas to come rushing in to fill it!

Clutter and chaos, while easy to create (i.e. it is simpler to drop your jacket on a couch as you walk by than to take the extra few seconds to hang it in the closet) can be much harder to dig out from under, requiring energy and motivation levels greater than the passed opportunity of hanging up the jacket in the first place. It is also a fast track to decreasing the square footage of functional living space in your home — an Easy Pass on the highway to Stress.

As with your body, your home can benefit from healthy living. A regular maintenance program, just like preventative healthcare, will keep the ebb and flow of daily living on a manageable track. Here are three simple exercises that will strengthen your organizing muscles:

1- The Look-Back. This exercise involves stopping at the threshold of whatever room you are about to exit, turning around to stand in the doorway and moving your head and eyes from left to right and back again. You are scanning the room for any items that are out of place and can be addressed in under two minutes. This would include things like jackets to be hung up, empty glasses for the dishwasher, pens and pencils for the pencil cup or drawer, empty wrappers and other garbage, couch pillows that can be straightened.

2- The U-turn. This is an exercise in decreasing eye-clutter. Look for items in your home that can be turned to show the least amount of lines: books and magazines can be displayed binding first and, instead of storing folded towels with all the edges facing forward, they can be turned to show only the fold (bottom of the “U”). The same can be done with sweaters and other stacked clothing or linens. This is a small change that can make a big difference. The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), an international organization offers research in their Journal of Vision that relates eye-clutter with search-efficiency. In other words, the less eye-clutter that our eyes must scan, the more quickly we can locate objects. The u-turn exercise helps decrease the number of lines that our eyes must process and, in turn, increase the speed at which we can make decisions.

3- The Slam-dunk. You can’t dunk if you don’t have a hoop. Putting containers in high-traffic areas of your home will give everyone a landing place to aim for. Make it easy for family members to put away bathroom items by giving them each their own bathroom bin. Clearly labeled boxes for kids’ school and craft supplies give children cues for convenient clean-up. A basket for incoming mail or outgoing recycling provides an easy solution to spreading paper piles.

The additional benefit of practicing these organizing exercises is that, when practiced regularly, they can improve your physical health by decreasing your stress. Choose one exercise to work on this month and see what happens.

* To contact Annette Reyman for organizing work, productivity support, gift certificates or speaking engagements in the Greater Philadelphia area call (610) 213-9559 or email her at annette@allrightorganizing.com.
Reyman is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO®) and Board Member of its Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Visit her website at www.allrightorganizing.com or follow All Right Organizing on Facebook.

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In My Experience: Saying Goodbye

Along the Ford

By Jeanne-Marie Curtis

Dear Jeanne-Marie,

I have suffered so many losses in my life that I just do not know where to turn. How can I get past all of this pain?

Signed,
Nowhere Man

Dear Nowhere Man,

Some people are in your life for a reason, some for a season.

Signed,
Jeanne-Marie

In My Experience

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. Some losses I fought kicking and screaming, some had me cry myself to sleep for weeks, but mostly I just stoically put one foot in front of the other and kept going.

Lately, however, I have spent much time remembering the past:

The first day I held my daughter. Hearing, “I love you Mommy”.
Snuggling while reading bedtime stories.
Waiting for Santa and the Easter bunny.
‘Camping’ under blankets in the living room.
Picnics in the car outside McDonalds.
Elementary, middle, high school.
Girl scouts, Disney World, softball, concerts, marching band, color guard, dances, and sleepovers.
Then…boyfriends and college visits.

Overnight she went from her first tricycle to her driver’s license.

Although I, too, have suffered the loss and pain of both parents dying, the insignificance of material things, the betrayal of friends and family, and the surprise of aging, nothing prepared me for my child growing up and becoming a strong, independent woman who really does not need me anymore.

Yes, I know this is the goal of all parents but you are never prepared for how it feels.

As a single mom raising a daughter alone, there is always the risk that she will feel responsible for me and not develop a full, happy, adult life for herself. I do not want this to happen. So why does if hurt so much as I face the fact that this is her last year with me in our home?

Each event at school, with friends or family, will be the last time. There were so many events; what will I do with myself when she has left for college?

Will I be one of those parents that keep her room a ‘shrine’?

Will I hoard everything that represents the past?

No.

I will be grateful for all that we had and all that we did.

I will take a break, rest, and renew.

Then I will begin the next chapter of a really great story…mine.

Dear Readers,

Summer is here and my daughter and I will be traveling to visit family and colleges. If you would like to see In My Experience return in the fall, please comment below. Thank you.

*Jeanne-Marie Curtis came from Philadelphia to Chadds Ford Township in 1990. She has her BBA in HR Management/Employment Law. She is the author of Junctions by Jeanne-Marie (Every Woman’s Journey and Journal) a gift book available at ChaddsFordLive.com To order, click Products/Books.

*To submit a question: email Jeanne-Marie at junctionsbyjm@aol.com

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Memorial Day reflections

Opinion

It’s another Memorial Day weekend with all the attendant solemnities and frivolities. It is difficult, at times, to separate the meaning of Memorial Day with the politics that lead to war and the need for people to find enjoyment.

Memorial Day is designated as a day when the United States remembers its war dead, but it’s also the unofficial start of the summer season. There will be parades and graveside wreath-laying ceremonies followed by barbecues and, after dark, fireworks displays. One must wonder what that single day dichotomy says about our culture.

Perhaps, though, that swing from solemnity to fun is how it should be. People don’t like to linger on the serious, especially when it’s nice outside and there are more pleasant diversions like playing on the beach or kayaking down the Brandywine.

The key is how sincerely people treat the solemn side, how deeply we reflect and what we take away from that reflection.

Those among us who remember the Vietnam War era recall vividly the protests and riots. On the surface the protests were against the war, but likely they were spurred on more by the military draft that existed at the time.

Even that, though, is telling. There was a draft during WWII, but anti-war sentiment and demonstration was minimal. The difference is that the U.S. entry into WWII was a defensive war — we had been attacked by a foreign nation. Such was not the case in Vietnam, or Korea or Iraq. It must also be remembered that Afghanistan never attacked us either.

There is a small ant-war presence today, as made evident by protests during the recent NATO conference in Chicago, but nothing like the protests during Vietnam. The 2012 demonstration could almost be called an aberration since war protests are so rare today.

While Americans from all over the political compass were outraged over the 9/11 attacks of 2001, and even the more pacific accepted the attacks as reason for action in Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden, we have been there far too long. Troops are supposed to remain until next year, while it’s been a year since bin Laden was killed.

Sadly, U.S. citizens have become too accustomed to, and almost accepting of, war. The country has been has been occupying defeated enemies since 1945 and engaged in almost constant hostilities for more than 60 years. Foreign policy discussions always seem to include the possibilities of new engagements from Iran to North Korea. Enough is enough.

As people remember the war dead this year, they should resolve to tell politicians to stop making new ones. They should also vote accordingly.

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