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Kennett students take a ‘senior stroll’...2A
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Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 150, No. 24
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Protective fence causing a hotbed of controversy in Avondale
Couple embroiled in legal issue with neighbors By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer Bucktoe Manor in Avondale, built in 2001, is a residential subdivision of detached, single-family homes that upon first visit, conjures up the words “bucolic,” “peaceful” and “serene.” All along the winding roads of the community, each home seems to have created its own
individual identity, and each property offers a wellmanicured sprawl of green, dotted with just a gentle touch of tall trees and sloping terrain. When Keith Davis and David Ruth first moved to Bucktoe Manor in Avondale in late October of 2014, they did so with the hope that all couples with children have – to be welcomed Continued on Page 4A
60 Cents
Leading the march
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Avon Grove High School senior Robert Evans leads the procession of the graduating class of 2016 at a ceremony held on June 13. For a complete story on the commencement exercises for both Avon Grove and Unionville High School, turn to Page 1B.
Avon Grove School Board votes to implement full-day kindergarten By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer After nearly a full year of discussion and debate, the Avon Grove School Board voted 7-1 to implement a fullPhoto by Richard L. Gaw day kindergarten program Keith Davis and David Ruth, residents of Bucktoe in time for the 2017-2018 Manor in Avondale. school year.
The district’s administrative team, led by superintendent Dr. Christopher Marchese, has long championed a transition to full-day kindergarten as a way to help prepare the district’s youngest students for their academic careers. Full-day kindergarten was also a cornerstone of the dis-
New Garden forms team to explore potential sale of sewer system By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer As a measure of assurance that both New Garden Township and its residents will benefit from the proposed sale of the township’s
sewer system, a 13-member committee has been formed to dot the “I’s” and cross the “T's” on a proposal that, if approved by its supervisors, would transfer the rights of ownership of the system to Aqua Pennsylvania
Wastewater, Inc., by early 2017. The Sewer Sale Evaluation Committee is made up of supervisors Richard Ayotte and Randy Geouque; Greg Hanson and Mike Wolf of the township’s Sewer
Authority; township solicitor Vince Pompo; township manager Tony Scheivert; Spence Andress, the township’s director of planning and projects; township engineer Matt Brown; Continued on Page 3A
Hopewell Elementary opens STEM classroom By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Great opportunities await Hopewell Elementary School students as the Oxford Area School District officially opened a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) classroom for fifth- and sixth-graders on June 1. The classroom is equipped with a 3-D printer, iPads, Apple TV, microscopes, and other state-of-the-art equipment. “We’re very excited to have this technology in the hands of the students,”
explained Dr. Nicole Addis, the principal of the Hopewell Elementary School. The classroom is intended to introduce the elementary students to STEM concepts and hands-on experiments and research that will set them on a career path. Oxford offers a Project Lead The Way program that focuses on STEM coursework at the high school, and there is a Gateway program at Penn’s Grove Middle School. Administrators and teachers were very enthusiastic about now being able to introduce fifth- and sixth-graders to STEM concepts as a way to
trict’s strategic plan that was developed by a committee that included administrators, staff members, and the community. “We know that a full-day program provides a strong foundation in academic, social and emotional skills,” Continued on Page 3A
Viable option for Kennett Square By Uncle Irvin The idea of consolidating the Kennett Library in the same structure as the administration and police in the borough is a viable option worth pursuing. Three obstacles come to mind: How would the quasipublic site by financed? How much would be the sole responsibility of the borough, and how much would be the responsibility of the library board, and where would Continued on Page 3A
Photo by Steven Hoffman
Dr. Nicole Addis, the principal of the Hopewell Elementary School, with students in the STEM classroom.
prepare them for the future. elementary school level,” “You don’t see many Addis explained. “Fifth and Continued on Page 8A STEM programs at the
© 2007 The Chester County Press