February 20, 2025 – ChaddsFordLive.com

Board accepts Sanville’s retirement

Directors of the Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board, somewhat reluctantly, unanimously agreed to accept the resignation of Superintendent John Sanville.

He was hired in September 2011 after former Superintendent Sharon Parker retired. Sanville announced his retirement publicly in an email on Jan. 31, saying it will be effective July 31.

(File photo) John Sanville at the 2014 Polar Plunge.

While it was only an agenda item for the meeting with no planned ceremony, several of the directors chose to congratulate Sanville and express their own feelings on his retirement.

Mary Kate Loomis, in her first term as director, offered congratulations to Sanville saying she would “grudgingly accept his retirement.”

Addressing Sanville directly she said, “It’s always been a comfort having you in charge. You’re the only superintendent I’ve known as a parent…Sitting on the board has given me a deeper appreciation for what you do and how well you do it. You love the district. You genuinely want the best for the staff, the students, the families, the community. Anybody who knows you knows that to be the truth.”

Brian Schartz shares Loomis’ mixed emotional status regarding Sanville.

“It’s a bittersweet moment,” he said addressing the superintendent. “We’re with mixed emotions for the loss of your impact on our community. At the same time, it’s a moment to celebrate a well-deserved retirement and offer our congratulations. So, this being our first opportunity to publicly acknowledge that I want to congratulate you on your retirement and wish you all the best.”

Board President Victoria Baratta also said she has mixed emotions over the retirement. “I have deeply appreciated the kindness and leadership that Dr. Sanville has shown me and the entire community over the past 13 years. I’m excited for him to take a much-deserved rest and then, I am sure, pursue professional options that will only expand his positive educational impact across the state and the country.”

Steve Simonson said, “I want to acknowledge the retirement of Dr. Sanville. There will be time down the road to more fully celebrate and reflect on Dr. Sanville’s 14 years here, but we’ve been very fortunate to have his steady hand on the wheel and there will be large shoes to fill. I wish you a wonderful retirement.”

Erin Talbert also expressed appreciation for Sanville.

“I want to thank Dr. Sanville. He has served for 13 years, and his legacy will live on in the strong and capable leaders he has developed and the many students who have graduated and gone on to contribute to our community, businesses, the armed forces, and society in general. I’m personally grateful for his steady hand at the wheel during turbulent times. It’s a tough job and John deserves our gratitude.”

The board also voted 9-0 to have the Chester County Intermediate Unit to conduct the search for a new superintendent.

Sanville was originally hired in 2007 as director of secondary curriculum before becoming superintendent.

In an email from the district on Feb. 19, Sanville is quoted as saying: “Serving as Superintendent of Unionville-Chadds Ford School District has been the greatest privilege of my career. This district is defined by its incredible students, passionate educators, and a community that values education. I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together and excited for the district’s continued success in the years ahead.”

There were offers from several entities to conduct the search, but the CCIU proposal was the most favorable since it’s free of charge. Other entities were asking for anywhere from $15,000 to $26,425.

No timeline regarding the search and eventual hiring was presented during the meeting, but the proposal from the CCIU outlines what it will provide, as well as a possible timeline. Actions include private sessions with the school board to discuss the hiring process, up to six staff and community focus groups, coordinating interviews with candidates, plus 12 other services. The aim is to have a candidate chosen for a board vote in May.

The CCIU search team includes its Executive Director George F. Fiore, Steve Gerhard, the assistant executive director, plus five others including former U-CFSC Communications Director Christa Fazio.

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New super in Pennsbury

Local News, Local News Pennsbury

DSC_0289-Enhanced-NR-Ellssworth — Kay Ellsworth takes the oath of office to be a supervisor in Pennsbury Township. She is sworn in by former Township Manager Kathy Howley. Ellsworth replaces Dan Boyle who became the township manager after Howley retired last summer.

Pennsbury Township now has a new supervisor replacing Dan Boyle. Kay Ellsworth was sworn in at the beginning of the Feb. 19 meeting. She will serve out the remainder of this year when Boyle’s term would have ended, and she will run for her own six-year term in November.

Ellsworth has lived in Pennsbury for four years and has been on the Planning Commission for three. She said she wanted to become a supervisor to serve the community.

“I sat on the Planning Commission for three years already and when an opening became available, and they asked if I would accept the appointment for the balance of Dan’s term, it was a great opportunity,” she said adding her goal is “to continue to serve the township in any way I can and to further the goals of the Comprehensive Plan.”

Supervisors’ Chairman Aaron McIntyre spoke highly of Ellsworth.

“She had served in an exemplary fashion on the Planning Commission. She’s logical, and empathetic, considers the large picture, and distills it all down into some really good decision-making. That’s important to us. She’s also very good with the public and I think that she answers very directly, and I think she’ll make a great contribution.”

There was a touch of irony in the swearing-in. Ellsworth was sworn in by former Township Manager Kathy Howley who retired last summer and was replaced as manager by Boyle.

Other business

• Supervisors awarded a contract to fix a sinkhole at a small bridge on Constitution Drive in the Knolls. The contract went to Bertolet Construction, LLC, of Wernersville, Pa. According. to Boyle, the contract is for $65,000, which was the lowest of eight bids received.

Township engineer Matt Houtman said the work would likely begin in March.

• Township supervisors also recognized the career of David Allen who is retiring after working for the township for 45 years. He started in 1980 and became the roadmaster in 1990.

The commendation reads, in part: “…Dave and his department have diligently served the township and its residents by maintaining and repairing the township roads and keeping the roads safe and passable during inclement weather and…have also maintained the public parks and properties in an exemplary fashion.”

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Around Town Feb. 20

Around Town

Screenshot — Andrew Wyeth, Untitled, 1979, Watercolor, 21 ½ x 30 in. Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, M2111 © 2024 Wyeth Foundation for American Art / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. The exhibit is leaving the museum on Sunday, Feb. 23.

• One exhibit is leaving but two more are underway. The Andrew Wyeth exhibit Up East: Andrew Wyeth in Maine at the Brandywine Museum of Art is closing this Sunday, Feb. 23 but another two exhibits are already on display. The photo exhibit Robert Frank and Todd Webb: Across America, 1955 (https://chaddsfordlive.com/2025/02/08/new-photo-exhibit-at-brandywine/) runs through May 11, while Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund goes to June 1.

• Newlin Grist Mill will be hosting Public Archeology Days on Saturday, March 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public can either join in or just observe how a professional archeologist and volunteers dig into the history of the grist mill site. Excavations on other sites are planned for dates in April, May, June, and July. No reservations are required. For those who would like to help with the dig, be sure to wear clothes that can get dirty and close-toed footwear. Bring work gloves if you have them; the site has a limited number of pairs to lend.

Learn how music has been used t o train soldiers.

• On Thursday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m., Hagley Museum, is hosting an Author Talk with David Suisman about his book Instrument of War: Music and the Making of America’s Soldiers. Suisman will trace how the US military used—and continues to use—music to train soldiers and regulate military life, and how soldiers themselves have turned to music to cope with war’s emotional and psychological realities. Register here.

• The Chester County History Center is holding a virtual lecture: Early American Women in Science: Stories of Practice and Perseverance on Tuesday, March 4, from 7-8 p.m. The lecture, by Jessica C. Linker is Assistant Professor of History and Co-Director of Huskiana Press, presents case studies of women who practiced science in the early nineteenth century, including Lucy Way Sistare Say, the first woman elected to the Academy of Natural Sciences, and Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps, the author of numerous scientific textbooks on botany, chemistry, and natural philosophy (as well as one-time resident of West Chester), among other lesser-known women and girls. This talk will provide examples of how women in early America practiced science and explain why some women were able to succeed as scientific practitioners while others faded into obscurity. Register here for this pay-as-you-wish event.

• The Delaware County Symphony presents: Eternal Offerings, a symphony concert on Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m. This is the third symphonic concert of the season and features a performance by world-renowned soprano Katherine Whyte. The concert opens with the dramatic Overture to the opera Rosamunde by Franz Schubert. The stage is now set for Katherine Whyte’s performance of Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs. Attendees can find out more about the pieces featured at this concert by attending Meet the Music, a free, pre-concert lecture presented by Neumann University Music Professor, Dr. Richard Sayers, at 2 p.m. The concert will be held at Neumann University – Bruder Life Center, Meagher Theatre in Aston. Tickets, available here, start at $20.

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