Amid continuing concerns over COVID-19, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District now considers all of Montgomery County to be an area of infection. As such, the district has suspended student- and staff-travel to MontCo. The action is one of several — including the closure of Unionville High School and CF Patton Middle School for Tuesday, March 10 — because a student was exposed to Coronavirus in King of Prussia last Friday,
In an email sent at 3:10 p.m. on March 10, Superintendent John Sanville said:
“Given the growing number of cases in Montgomery County, we now consider the entire county a focus area of infection. We are suspending student and staff travel to all areas in Montgomery County. Additionally, we are prohibiting groups traveling from Montgomery County to our district. We also continue to suspend all student and staff [to] travel to urban areas.”
The actions follow the passage of the district’s Pandemic Level Action Plan which the school board directors voted on Monday night.
As part of that plan, “students who have traveled from a CDC designated level 3 country or who have someone in their home who has traveled from a CDC designated level 3 country to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Please contact your principal if this situation applies to you so we can provide further guidance. We will work with staff and students who are quarantined in order to meet unique needs,” the email said.
Sanville continued, saying the district has been disinfecting school buses regularly since the beginning of February. Buses are also wiped down daily, he said.
The two schools closed Tuesday were being disinfected and are expected to be fully operational Wednesday.
Sanville’s email continued:
“The District will be understanding with student absences during this time. If you have concerns about sending your child to school, you may keep him/her home — the absence will be excused – simply send in a note.
“We are constantly monitoring conditions and how they may impact upcoming district events. Circumstances are changing day-to-day and we realize that we may need to postpone some events if conditions get worse. We understand that the uncertain status of some events may be frustrating — we share your feelings.”
The Garnet Valley Greenway open house meeting scheduled for Concord Township tonight has been postponed.
According to an email, the Township’s Emergency Management Team — along with the Council — has determined it is “both prudent and socially responsible to postpone the session as a result of the evolving issue with the COVID-19 virus.”
“At this time, we are evaluating all special events/meetings planned that could attract large groups of residents gathering at this time. As we all know, the impact of the virus is rapidly changing, and we feel that it is improper to host an event where we have the potential to place a single resident at risk. We believe our decision reflects our role in leadership and setting an example,” the email said.
March tends to be an unpredictable month weather-wise. Warm days raise our hopes until grey skies remind us we’re not finished with winter yet. But when it comes to the art scene, March is consistent; there are always many events to attend.
L to R – “Ansels Jeffrey Pine” by Jim Connor, “Finding a Path” by Kirby Fredendall, Inked “Growth Lavender” by Florence Weisz at MLAC
The Main Line Art Center’s (MLAC) annual Professional Artist Members (PAM) Exhibition opens this Friday, March 13th in Haverford. This top notch exhibition features 25 artists making art inspired by contemporary themes. Expect to see a rich variety of paintings, photography, sculpture, ceramics, and mixed media on display. The exhibiting artists, from in and around the Philadelphia area include Sharon Bartmann, John A. Benigno, Bill Brookover, Linda Dubin Garfield, Neila Kun, Deborah Laverell, Adam Levin, Cheryl Levin, Doris Peltzman, Jean Plough, Susan Richards, John Rodgers, Barry Simon, Andrea G. Snyder, Helge Speth, Dore Vorum and more.
Work by Dore Vorum at MLAC
The PAM program celebrates, supports, and promotes a select group of MLAC Members to aid in furthering their artistic careers. This year’s show was juried by Sharon Ewing, Director at Gross McCleaf Gallery, Robert Aibel, Founder and Co-Director at Moderne Gallery and Jeff Schaller, Artist and Founder the County Studio Tours. The Friday night reception is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and the show runs through April 12th. For more details visit https://www.mainlineart.org/events/event/professional-artist-members-exhibition-·-2020/.
“Sidewalk Games -the Lookout” by Anna Bellenger at CCAA
Two new shows are opening this Thursday March 12th at Chester County Art Association (CCAA) in West Chester. For the group show “Unconventional Materials: Dansko”, artists were asked to choose from available scraps of leather donated by the Dansko shoe company and fashion them into new and unique pieces of art. Regardless of whether they used soft, coarse or heavily textured leather scraps, artists rose to the challenge and created some interesting hand-tooled works of art.
Anna Bellenger is the featured solo artist for March. Her whimsical paintings are of squirrels playing hopscotch and birds playing marbles, among other scenes. Her animals engaged in human activities are sure to entertain viewers young and old. Bellenger has said she had a wonderful teacher in Cy Twombly. She’s lucky! A reception for both shows will be held on Thursday, March 12th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
“Jeraboam” by Kathleen McSherry at Cerulean Arts Collective
Cerulean Arts Collective artists Kassem Amoudi, Ronnie Bookbinder, Fran Gallun, Charlese Kalick and Kathleen McSherry are hosting a new group exhibition at their gallery on Ridge Ave. in Philadelphia, from March 11th to April 5th. This show features Amoudi’s bold abstracts, McSherry’s engaging works made of discarded objects, Gallun’s works made with shapes arranged on top of textured backgrounds, Kalick’s geometrics and Bookbinder’s loose expressions of urban scenes. Each of these artists like layers – whether it be via the application of their preferred medium, or by the way they arrange found or cut objects. An opening reception will be held this Saturday March 14th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information visit: https://ceruleanarts.com/pages/upcoming-exhibitions
The Chester County Historical Society (CCHS) is holding its 38th Annual Antiques & Art Show this weekend at Church Farm School in Exton. The preview party is on Friday, March 13th starting at 5:00 p.m. The show will continue on Saturday, March 14th and Sunday March 15th from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit: http://www.chestercohistorical.org/2020-antiques-show for more details and to purchase tickets.
“From the Garden” by Rick Phillips at Chadds Ford Art Show
Get ready for next weekend when Chadds Ford Elementary School presents its 71st Annual Art Show & Sale. This revered event, being held on March 20th and 21st, will showcase more than 65 artists from the Brandywine Valley and beyond. What a great way to see so many contemporary artists under one roof. The show also spotlights local artisans working in metal, wood, glass and more. This year’s featured artist is Rick Phillips, whose style, critics say, is “reminiscent of 19th century painters who used the richness of light and color to create atmosphere that could almost be touched.” The show’s donating artist is Stephen Brehm, a plein air painter who was influenced by artists like Wayne Thiebaud and John Singer Sargeant. Brehm’s command of his subject matter is evident whether he is painting bovines, canines or seascapes. As many people know, Betsy Wyeth, wife of the late Andrew Wyeth, started the Chadds Ford Annual Art Show & Sale in 1949 and continued her involvement in the show while her son Jamie Wyeth was a student at Chadds Ford Elementary. The adults-only opening reception is on Friday, March 20th from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The family-friendly exhibit and sale is Saturday, March 21st from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more details visit: https://cfes.ucfsd.org/artshow/information.
A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.
Unionville- Chadds Ford School District Superintendent John Sanville has ordered Unionville High and CF Patton Middle schools closed today because a student was reportedly exposed to COVID-19. The order came after the school board adopted a pandemic action plan during it’s March 9 work session.
In a letter on the district website, Sanville wrote:
“The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District has been advised that a UCFSD student was indirectly exposed to COVID-19 during a visit to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia facility in King of Prussia on March 6, 2020. As a precaution, the student and their family are under quarantine for 14 days. Out of an abundance of caution, Unionville High School and Patton Middle School will be closed on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, for deep cleaning.
“The Chester County Health Department has advised us that the individual poses no risk of transmission since they are not showing any symptoms at this time, however, we feel we need to be vigilant and proactive in this matter. While the District already has enhanced cleaning protocols, cleaning crews will pay special attention to high- touch areas and use our Protexus spray system to disinfect classrooms and common areas.
“We understand that this issue is sensitive and complex. We are doing everything possible to keep our students, staff, and community safe. Thank you for your ongoing understanding in light of this developing public health concern. As this is a fluid situation, we will keep the lines of communication open and reach out again once we have more information.”
Earlier in the evening, U-CF School Board members adopted a pandemic action plan, which can be viewed here.
The plan authorizes schools closed if need be. Short of closures, it also authorizes mandatory 14-day quarantines for staff or students with a confirmed case or living with someone with a confirmed case, of the virus. There is also a 14-day quarantine for staff or students who have traveled to or from a CDC designated level 3 area.
During the board’s work session — before the shutdown — Sanville said the district was in phase 1.5 of the three-phase plan. That level would have kept schools open. He announced the closure toward the end of the meeting.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
