Northern Lehigh School District Assistant Superintendent Karen Nicholas discussed the upcoming year:

New and updated“Front entrances at the high school and Peters Elementary School have been redesigned this summer to help students and staff to be more secure. New technology has been added throughout Slatington Elementary, the middle school, and the high school,” Nicholas said,“There are Chromebooks in all grade 3-6 classrooms, new lap tops in seventh- and eighth-grade ELA classes, and new laptops in all English and social studies classes in the high school.“The Wonders reading program will be implemented in all K-5 classrooms. A new English language arts pilot study will take place in sixth, seventh and eighth grade classrooms during the 2017-2018 school year. This is a digital curriculum.”What are you most looking forward to?“We look forward to the energy and excitement that everyone brings to the new school year. The students, teachers and administrators are anxious to begin new friendships and create new memories. We love fresh starts. There is just something about a new school year that screams hope and possibility.”The biggest challenge?“Accelerating achievement for all students is our biggest challenge. We are using the implementation of a digital learning environment to personalize instruction for each student’s individual skills and interests.“To accomplish these goals, the district always keeps in mind fiscal responsibility. This is not an easy task when the majority of our funding comes from our community. Maintaining the quality of our classroom instruction despite funding shortfalls with unfunded mandates, we utilize creative and responsible fiscal management, as we work to build our schools for long-term success.”— Terry Ahner