Dally Announces Lehigh Valley Charter School as One of First Speaker's 
Golden Apple Award Winners
Four other schools take honors for best practices in the sciences,
applied studies, parental involvement and leadership
 
BETHLEHEM - On behalf of Speaker of the House John M. Perzel
(R-Philadelphia), Rep. Craig Dally (R-Northampton) today announced the
Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts as one of the first
five recipients of the Speaker's Golden Apple Awards for Education
Innovation, a program designed to highlight and recognize unique and
ground-breaking education programs in Pennsylvania's public schools. The
school received the award in the Arts and Humanities category.
 
"Well over 100 programs in schools across the state were nominated and
an independent selection committee of arts and humanities experts chose
your school and your innovative programming as the best of the best,"
said Dally in front of nearly 200 students, parents, teachers, and local
legislators. "Although your school has only been operating since 2003,
for your unique and revolutionary education programs, already you have
made your mark. and it's an A+."
 
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Dally also commended school leaders for the school's graduation rates,
academic programs, diverse geographic student body (students from 35
school districts, 50 different schools and 11 counties attend the
school) and exceptional faculty (a Spanish teacher who also is an equity
actor, an English teacher who plays jazz piano, and the directors of
guidance and special education who have extensive experience in
theatre). 
 
"As a school community, we are thrilled to have been notified as the
first recipient of the Speaker's Golden Apple Award for Educational
Innovation in the Arts and Humanities," said Dr. Tom Lubben, School
Founder and Superintendent. "Since our opening three years ago, it has
been our goal to be a model for educational replication. This award
matches our mission statement and will enhance our ability to share this
model throughout the state, and I am personally indebted to all of our
parents, students, supporters, and staff who have helped to bring our
school to this level." 
 
Lubben helped Dally unveil a design of a 36" by 46" banner the school
will receive at an awards dinner in Harrisburg next month. 
In addition to the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts,
Golden Apple Awards were also given out today to three other schools
across the state for best practices in the areas of applied studies,
parental involvement and administrative leadership. The winners include:
South Western School District, York County (Administrative Leadership);
Manheim Central School District, Lancaster County (Applied Studies); and
Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School, Blair County (Parental Involvement).
The winner of the award for Natural, Social and Behavioral Sciences and
Mathematics will be announced next week. 
 
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Award categories may be modified or added each year and links to the top
programs will be listed on www.goldenappleawards.com for schools across
the state and nation to view and learn from.
 
Next month, officials from the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the
Performing Arts, as well as individuals from the four other winning
schools, will be recognized by Perzel in the House of Representatives
and honored at awards dinner in the state Capitol. 
 
The awards are the first of their kind established by a state Speaker of
the House, and any Pennsylvania public school, school district, area
vocational technical school, charter school or intermediate unit seeking
to recognize a program in any of the categories areas was eligible to
apply. Teachers, parents, school board members, administrators and
private citizens nominated programs they believed to be outstanding and
worthy of being shared across the state. 
 
Review panels composed of experts in the five award categories initially
reviewed and scored all nominations and selected a winner in each
category. The Speaker's Golden Apple Advisory Committee, headed by Rep.
Jess Stairs (R-Westmoreland), chairman of the House Education Committee
and made up of other education, business and community leaders,
established the program's guidelines and requirements. 
 
Nomination forms for the 2007 Golden Apple Awards will be available
on-line later this summer. For more information about the Speaker's
Golden Apple Awards for Education Innovation, including complete
eligibility requirements, as well as a list of advisory committee
members, visit www.goldenappleawards.com.