When: Ephrata school board committee of the whole meeting, Aug. 14.
What happened: The board opened a discussion on adding two new extracurricular activities for Ephrata High School.
Choir: Gabrielle Quandel, high school music teacher, requested the establishment of a treble women’s choir called Gold Tones. The group would be an extracurricular, vocal ensemble. According to the request form, this group would consist of auditioned soprano and alto voices in grades 9-12.
Quotable: “It is very common for high school level programs to offer a women's ensemble to accommodate the large ratio of female singers, compared to male singers,” Quandel wrote in her request.
More Ephrata Schools News:
- Ephrata school board OKs $7.5M athletic fields project to start July 25
- Ephrata school board finalizes 3.25% property tax increase for 2023-24, drops per capita tax
- Ephrata Area approves preliminary budget with highest-allowed tax increase
Musical leadership: Quandel will oversee student officers. The student officers would be elected by the projected 16–24 participants.
Athletics: Michael O’Donnell, athletic director, submitted a request for the establishment of a unified sports club. The club will support Ephrata’s unified track program and raise awareness for unified sports. The club would also support a proposed unified bocce ball team. Sarah McBee, community relations director, said in an Aug. 18 email a unified bocce ball team could potentially be offered in the 2024-25 school year. “Unified” means students with disabilities can participate, McBee said.
Club leadership: There will be two adult advisers, in addition to a student president, vice president and secretary. The unified sports club will have a projected 20–25 members and hold monthly one-hour meetings. The unified sports club will hold athletic fundraisers.
What’s next: The board will vote on these items and more at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 28, 803 Oak Blvd., Ephrata.
