Dr. Patrick Patte relays that enrollment at the Arts and Humanities Academy has grown by 75 students in the year since its relocation. “We are providing some internship opportunities with a local nonprofit, where filmmakers and blog writers are interning with our kids to teach them about that. They get some hands-on experience and can develop stories about our school district and the Hazleton area. It’s cool to see those kids being involved in that,” he details. Furthermore, HASD is working to include middle school students in the arts. “We’re working on a program next year to bring them to the Arts and Humanities building to put on a presentation, whether it’s an art show, a musical, a part of a play, just so those kids get that cultural experience, and a mini field trip,” Patte adds. The district is also focusing on sports, bringing diverse opportunities for students to engage in physical and extracurricular activities. A recent initiative is the creation of an eSports club, providing an opportunity for gamers to showcase their talents and skills while interacting with peers across the country. “Once we thought these kids were just up in their rooms and not using their minds,” Mehalick admits,“But higher ed has recognized they’re doing a whole lot more than wasting away.They’re some of the greatest programmers and computer developers that we have playing these games. And we need to facilitate this.” Unified track and bocce teams have been introduced, showcasing the inclusive spirit of HASD. “That has been a great, great asset, not only to get kids involved in sports but to see how kind and helpful they are to each other. We’ve had great success with both teams, we’re the forerunner in the area and we’re pushing it down to our middle school level,” Patte conveys. A FUTURE VISION As for what comes next for Hazleton Area School District, Dr. Uplinger quips, “We’re running out of things to do because we’re doing it all right now.” On a more serious note, he discloses that the district is embarking on a new elementary school, to meet the demand of continued growth.“We’re running out of space very, very quickly, and once that happens, we Dr. Brian Uplinger 255 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 09 HAZLETON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
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