The North Hanover Herald
Winter 2026
A Message from the Board President
North Hanover Township School District Community:
Each year in January, school boards across the state hold reorganization meetings. This is the time when boards swear in new members and elect leadership. This year, we swore in two new board members elected in November to three-year terms: Chris Mazzella and Melissa Wood.
Chris grew up in the area and is a successful business owner in our community. Melissa, who was also elected Vice President of the board, is very familiar with our schools. She taught in the district for more than 20 years and is a lifelong resident of the area. Both are dedicated to the mission of creating high levels of learning for all students and ensuring that our students are resilient, lifelong learners.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Anthony Grindlinger and Adam Knighten for their years of dedicated service to both the board and our community. I also want to thank Ross Greene and Nancy Morrow for their continued commitment and ongoing service. Finally, I am deeply appreciative of all current board members for their confidence in reelecting me as board President. Their support and collaboration mean a great deal, and I look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of the district.
In addition to welcoming our newest board members, we welcome Dr. Michael Maschi, who began his tenure as district superintendent on December 22. Dr. Maschi has hit the ground running, meeting with teachers and staff, interacting with parents, and getting to know the North Hanover community. His experience, energy and commitment are truly impressive, and we look forward to working with him to provide the best education possible for the students of our district.
The North Hanover Township School District is incredibly fortunate to have such dedicated and talented teachers and staff who make daily learning and growth possible, and supportive parents, volunteers and community organizations who help advance the district's educational mission. With spring and warmer weather on the horizon, we look forward to seeing you more at school and community and helping us ensue a strong finish to the school year.
Sincerely,
Bryan Reading,
President, Board of Education
A Message from the Superintendent
Dear North Hanover Community,
By reading this newsletter, you are utilizing a skill that about 21 percent of the United States population doesn’t have – the ability to read. That is why it is critical, as a primary level school district, that we focus on student outcomes centered on reading and writing if we want to fulfill our mission to create high levels of learning for all students and prepare them to engage as twenty-first century citizens.
I encourage you to read more about these efforts in the lead story of this issue, Growing Readers and Writers in North Hanover. Deniese Guinan, director of curriculum and instruction, is leading these initiatives, but all teachers and staff in the district play an important role. Parents and families also are vital to this effort, establishing reading and writing practices at home that become lifelong habits.
I have no doubt that teachers, staff, and families can work together to improve student outcomes in these areas. Our sense of community is our greatest strength. From my conversations with students and parents to my interactions with community members, I am heartened by the spirit of community that is vital to educating our students.
I also interact with our teachers and staff daily, and every single time, I am impressed with their professionalism, commitment to academic rigor, and their student-first approach to education. Our school district has a lot to offer the students and families of this community.
In addition to our focus on reading and writing, some examples of our outstanding academic programs and initiatives are spotlighted in this issue of The North Hanover Herald. For example, the Horizons Expanding Through Language Learning Opportunities (HELLO) initiative has transformed the way the district teaches languages and has garnered national recognition. Likewise, the Physical, Emotional, Academic, and Cognitive Engagement (PEACE) initiative is making a meaningful impact across the district, supporting student growth through the integration of movement and the brain-body connection.
I welcome you to read about these initiatives and join me in celebrating the teachers and staff who work hard every day to ensure that all North Hanover students grow to become resilient, lifelong learners.
With enthusiasm,
Dr. Michael B. Maschi
Superintendent of Schools
The North Hanover Township School District is committed to helping every child grow into a confident reader and writer.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Deniese Guinan spearheads these core academic programs alongside the district’s teachers and staff to support strong reading and writing skills that serve as the foundation for learning across all subjects and open the door to future success.
“Through intentional instructional and meaningful partnerships with families, we work to ensure every student has the tools they need to thrive, today and in the years ahead,” Guinan said.
Superintendent Michael B. Maschi said the district is laser focused on improving student outcomes in reading and writing.
"These are the building blocks of education," Dr. Maschi said. "By improving student outcomes in reading and writing, we are setting the foundation for our mission to develop lifelong learners who engage as twenty-first century citizens."
Across multiple subjects, students work together in the classroom to learn new skills and apply those skills for long-term development.
In Reading, students are supported through:
- Daily phonemic awareness instruction through the Heggerty program, which provides daily, systemic lessons that help students hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in spoken words
- Systematic phonics instruction using the University of Florida Literacy Institute program, which assists students in connecting sounds to letters and spelling patterns
- Explicit instruction in fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
- Daily opportunities to read a variety of engaging texts
- Small-group instruction and targeted support based on student needs
- Meaningful conversations and reflection about what students read
In Writing, students are supported through:
- Daily lessons that include focused instruction, independent writing time, and opportunities to share work
- Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences, including narrative, informational, and opinion pieces
- Teacher feedback and one-on-one conferences to help them develop and refine their writing
- Time to revise and reflect, helping students grow as confident writers
- Strong connection between reading and writing, using texts as models to inspire and guide writing
These key life skills can be developed in and outside of the classroom, Guinan said. Families can offer additional support at home through the following areas:
Early Elementary (K-2)
- Reading
- Reading aloud together every day, letting your child predict what might happen next
- Talking about pictures and story events to build comprehension
- Playing with sounds, rhyming, clapping out syllables, or identifying beginning and ending sounds
- Writing
- Encouraging your child to draw and label pictures, then adding words or sentences
- Having your child write short notes or lists for family activities
- Praising effort and creativity over perfect spelling
Upper Elementary (3-6)
- Reading
- Asking questions about what your child reads and discussing main ideas and details
- Encouraging journal writing, stories, or opinion pieces about topics of interest
- Asking your child to explain their writing and suggest ways to add more detail
- Practicing revising: changing words, adding sentences, or reorganizing ideas
- Talking about themes, character motivations, and how the text connects to real life
- Writing
- Encouraging multi-paragraph writing for stories and reports
- Supporting planning and organizing before writing
- Asking questions about their writing choices and discuss ways to improve clarity
"We encourage parents and families to be full participants in this process," Dr. Maschi said. "Engaging your child in reading and writing at home helps establish practices that carry into the classroom and and become life habits."
Project PEACE (Physical, Emotional, Academic, and Cognitive Engagement), a $1 million, five-year Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) grant, is making a meaningful impact across the North Hanover Township School District, supporting student growth through the integration of movement and the brain-body connection.
“Project PEACE is designed to strengthen students’ focus, self-regulation, interpersonal skills, and academic stamina while addressing learning gaps in a supportive school environment,” said Jason Danley, principal of the Discovery Early Childhood Center at Endeavour Elementary School and Project PEACE director.
The project kicked off in 2022 and focused on internal planning during its first year. The following four years focused on the project’s hallmark milestone -- the implementation of high-technology Exergaming Rooms and the Physical for Academic and Cognitive Engagement
(PACE) labs across all three schools.
“These innovative spaces provide students with structured opportunities to engage in cardiovascular movement, release energy, and refocus for learning,” Danley said. “It also is common to see students using the classroom equipment purchased to promote movement while learning, such as under-the-desk ellipticals, pedal bikes, wobble boards, and bands.”
Results show a powerful impact on student learning. The project receives a yearly evaluation by Laurus Grant Writing & Evaluations Services, a professional firm focused on youth development, social service, and education programs.
According to the evaluation conducted following the program's third year, North Hanover Township schools experienced a nine percent reduction in out-of-classroom behavior referrals from the first year to the third year of the program, with a notable decrease within the 2024–2025 school year, suggesting improved student behavior and self-regulation.
Students and families reported that the Exergaming Rooms and movement-based supports helped students return to class calmer, more confident, and ready to learn, reinforcing the connection between physical movement and academic and emotional success.
In addition, Project PEACE prioritizes the professional development of teachers and staff to ensure long-term, sustainable impact.
During the 2024–2025 school year, 62 staff members participated in S’Cool Moves professional development, an evidence-based training focused on using movement strategies to support student focus, engagement, and behavior. Staff feedback indicated high levels of satisfaction and strong classroom relevance, with educators reporting increased confidence in addressing students’ social-emotional and behavioral needs.
By pairing innovative student-centered initiatives with ongoing professional development, Project PEACE reflects the district’s commitment to nurturing the whole child and helping them reach their full potential.
“Even after the grant concludes, the district remains committed to initiatives that directly align with our strategic pillars and contribute to students’ academic, social, and emotional achievement,” Danley said.
The Horizons Expanding through Language Learning Opportunities (HELLO) program is opening opportunities for students in the North Hanover Township School District to say “Hola” and a lot more in Spanish.
Funded by a $1.7 million Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) grant, the HELLO program was introduced throughout the district in 2021 to increase Spanish proficiency and strengthen positive attitudes toward language learning.
According to April Wawryk, principal of the Upper Elementary School and HELLO director, the program has not only achieved those goals but also transformed how the district teaches languages.
“Prior to this initiative, we had one 45-minute Spanish class per week, and data showed students were making limited proficiency gains under the prior schedule,” Wawryk said.
Implementing the Program
Grant funding supported the addition of two Spanish teaching positions, increasing district capacity to four certified instructors. The program redesign shifted elementary delivery from a single weekly 45-minute class to more frequent instructional intervals. Grades K through 2 now receive three 20-minute sessions per week, and grades 4 through 6 participate in expanded instructional blocks, resulting in a doubling of total instructional time for grades 5 and 6 compared with the previous model.
Teachers began teaching completely in Spanish and, instead of focusing on verb conjugation and grammar, they focused on themes and topics that students would find interesting.
“If we had a lesson on art and were talking about the Mona Lisa, students would be describing the Mona Lisa, but they would be describing it in Spanish,” Wawryk said.
Seeing the Results
The district spent the first year developing the new model and introduced it into the classroom during the 2022-23 school year. Now, in the fourth year, the district is seeing the fruits of its labor. Based on an external evaluation of the HELLO program conducted by Dr. Kathleen Haynie, the district has steadily increased student confidence, enjoyment, and cultural curiosity.
