Executive Director

Ready for the "Tour de Adolescent?"

- Len Ference, PMSA Executive Director

Welcome to another new and challenging school year. Soon thousands of adolescents will be running through the school doors with their excitement, anxieties, pressures and raging hormones. The question is, have we used the summer to fill our emotional cup, sharpen our skills, motivate ourselves and planned to take our students on the educational journey of their life? Our middle level students require talented teachers, unique and carefully crafted programs and services to meet their diverse needs educationally, socially, emotionally and physically. Does your school have these types of specialized middle level programs that make for highly effective schools and ultimately highly proficient learners? If you are uncertain about the answer to this question you should contact your local PMSA Executive or Regional Board Member. One of PMSA's initiatives is to provide staff development and in-service opportunities to its member schools.

This past July, the Pennsylvania Middle School Association in conjunction with the Ohio Middle School Association and our National Middle School Association presented the first East Coast Middle Level Leadership Institute. The Institute was held at Seven Springs Resort. Attendees came from Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee and Maryland. The focus of the institute was to give an in-depth knowledge and skills in the essential elements of middle level education and to share programs and strategies that are highly effective. The evaluations of the Institute by the conferees were extremely positive. Next year's Institute will be held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

I am pleased to announce the plans for the annual PMSA State Conference have been in the works for several months. This school year's conference will be held in Hershey, PA, at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center on March 6 to 8, 2005. Our goal this year is to exceed 700 in attendance. Plan now to attend.

PMSA is carefully planning on expanding its services and benefits to our members. If you have any questions or any needs please contact us. I wish you a happy and productive school year. Remember you are the special person with a special calling to take on this important task of preparing our middle level children for the world that awaits them.