Allison Mathis North Hills School Board

It’s my favorite time of year, the West View Elementary School Science Fair. Loved visiting with the students and hearing about their projects. Thanks to West View P.T.A. for inviting me to be a judge and on coordinating a wonderful, educational event for the students. 👏 🧬 🧫

Last week I had the opportunity to represent North Hills as part of an international education study group that traveled to: Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, Wuppertal, and Mainz. This trip was a collaboration between the PA School Boards Association and the American council on Germany, sponsored by the Pennsylvania School Board Association Institute (a separate financial entity from PSBA). Why North-Reine Westphalia (NRW)? NRW and Pennsylvania are sister states!

We had a very full itinerary with many opportunities for important discussion and collaboration. During this experience, we had the opportunity to meet with the Ministry of education for the state of NRW, the U.S. Consul General and the state parliament. We discussed the challenges with hiring teachers and the decline in those going into the education system in both Germany and the United States. We visited many different types of schools where we had the opportunities to discuss similarities and differences in our education systems with teachers, and administrators. We learned about the German student apprenticeship system and toured Bayer (where they have such a program) and met with the chamber of industry and commerce. We also learned how they are promoting young talent in STEM fields.

I’ll be presenting on this trip to our school board this spring and also at the annual PSBA conference in October and looking forward to sharing what I learned. Much of which I’m still processing.

Here are a selection of photos from the week.

Opening night of Mama Mia 🪩 was phenomenal! Congratulations to all.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Music Man Jr. on an outstanding show!! 👏 👏 👏

Yessss!

The Fish Fry is back! We can't wait to serve you during our upcoming Fish Fry days on:

February 20th
February 27th
March 6th
March 13th
March 20th
& March 28th

Each Fish Fry supports our students in FCCLA. Thank you marking your calendars for some great meals!

It’s School Board Appreciation Month in PA! Thank you to Sydney for presenting me with a book that will be donated to one of our school libraries. I was so proud of listening to her speech and so grateful for the beautiful words she said. I’m very appreciative of this tradition in North Hills School District and grateful to the work of our team of dedicated school board members.

Last night, I volunteered as a Guest Bartender for the North Hills Foundation fundraiser. This was a great event. Thanks to all who came out to support the Foundation. I had a wonderful time chatting with friends, neighbors, employees, and community members. Proud of the work the Foundation is doing to raise money to fund scholarships, classroom enrichment grants, and programs like the North Hills Backpack Initiative.

Learn more about North Hills Foundation and tomorrow’s fundraiser:

North Hills Foundation fundraiser planned at Dive Bar & Grille A guest bartender event featuring North Hills Superintendent Dr. Patrick Mannarino and School Board and Foundation Board President Allison Mathis will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at Dive Bar & Grill.

Scholarship opportunity for current high school seniors planning on attending college in PA.

🎓 Your future. Your Commonwealth. Your moment. 🎓

As Pennsylvania prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, America250PA is investing in the next generation of leaders.
We’re awarding $250,000 in Semiquincentennial Scholarships to Pennsylvania high school seniors continuing their education right here at home.

✨ Who can apply?
Pennsylvania high school seniors planning to attend an accredited Pennsylvania college or university for the 2026–2027 academic year.
✨ What’s awarded?
• 25 scholarships
• $10,000 each
• Distributed across America250PA’s six regions
✨ Where can they be used?
• Any Pennsylvania college or university
• Up to 12 awards for community college students
• Up to 13 awards for students attending four-year institutions
✨ When?
Scholarships will be awarded in 2026 for the **2026–2027 academic year.

📚 This is your chance to be part of Pennsylvania’s legacy—while building your own future.
📝 Apply here: https://america250pa.org/PPE:_Semiquin_Scholarships

Times change, kids grow, but it is always nice to be home for the holidays! I hope you have a wonderful winter break! 🩵❄️✨