Burgettstown Area School District

A look back at the week that was, and a peek at the week ahead. #True2theBlue

• November 7: Act 80 half-day
• November 14th: Inservice (no school)
• November 26, 27, 28: Thanksgiving Break
• December 1: Act 80 Full Day (no school)

In a move made to accommodate teacher professional development, the school calendar was revised, and the November Act 80 half-day will now be on November 7 and the full in-service day (no school for students) will be November 14th. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR.

Students in Spanish class brought culture and creativity to life as they celebrated Día de los Muertos! They crafted bright orange cempasúchil (marigolds), decorated colorful sugar skulls, and enjoyed a festive fiesta filled with sweet treats. The classroom was bursting with color, laughter, and learning as students explored the meaning behind this beautiful tradition honoring loved ones and celebrating life.

Burgettstown Middle/High School faculty and staff brought the fun and creativity this Halloween! From dinosaurs and coaches to classic costumes and clever themes, our team showed that school spirit doesn’t stop at the classroom door.

Their enthusiasm and sense of humor made for a festive and memorable day for students—proving that learning and laughter go hand in hand in Blue Devil Country! 💙🦇

Students in Mr. R. Vigliotti’s class got into the Halloween spirit with a lively lip-syncing contest, complete with costumes, props, and plenty of school spirit! Participants took the stage to “perform” some classic spooky hits—including Michael Jackson’s Thriller—bringing smiles and laughter to everyone in attendance.

The creative event was the perfect mix of fun and friendly competition, showcasing the talent, confidence, and energy of our Blue Devil students. What a “thrilling” way to celebrate the season! 💙🎶

The annual Book-Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest at the Burgettstown Area Elementary Center was a smashing success! With exactly 100 creative entries, our students transformed ordinary pumpkins into extraordinary works of art inspired by their favorite storybook characters.

Faculty and staff had the tough task of voting among the colorful and clever creations—each one showcasing imagination, craftsmanship, and a love of reading.

Congratulations to this year’s winners! 🏆

1st Place:

• Layne Dougherty — “The Wild Robot” (3rd–5th Grade)

• Laurel Maxwell — “Harry Potter Potions Room” (K–2nd Grade)

2nd Place:

• Caden Robinson — “Stay Puft from Ghostbusters” (3rd–5th Grade)

• Kylie Turner — “Evil Queen from Snow White” (K–2nd Grade)

3rd Place:

• Oaklei Martin — “Candy Apple” (3rd–5th Grade)

• Miles Carlini — “TJ Watt” (K–2nd Grade)

A big thank-you to Mrs. Koratich for organizing this festive event and to all students who participated—your creativity lit up the library! 📚✨

The Burgettstown Area Elementary Center was filled with festive energy as faculty, staff, and students celebrated Halloween in true Blue Devil style! Teachers and staff showed their creative side by dressing up in fun and spirited costumes, adding plenty of laughter and excitement to the day.

The celebration continued outside with the annual student costume parade, where families and friends gathered around the parking lot to cheer on our students as they proudly showcased their amazing costumes. From superheroes to storybook characters, the creativity was on full display—making it a Halloween to remember in Blue Devil Country! 💙🕸️

Congratulations to third grader Matthew Vergenes for earning 3rd place in the Halloween STEM Challenge held at McGuffey! Matthew teamed up with two students from Trinity to tackle a variety of hands-on, strategic challenges that tested their creativity and problem-solving skills.

Together, the trio built an impressive tower, solved a spooky escape room, and completed several “brain buster” puzzles—showing collaboration, persistence, and plenty of ingenuity along the way.

Way to go, Matthew! We’re so proud of your accomplishment and your outstanding representation of Burgettstown! 💙⚙️🎃

There was no mistaking the positivity and humor in the halls this Halloween as Dr. Cooke and Mrs. Shaffer brought a little Ted Lasso magic to Burgettstown! Dressed as Coach Lasso and Coach Beard, the duo reminded everyone that leadership can be equal parts heart, humor, and teamwork.

Their costumes were a hit with students and staff alike—proving once again that a good laugh and a great attitude are always in season at Burgettstown! ⚽🍪 #Believe #BlueDevilPride

Burgettstown High School students gathered this week for the Challenge Program Kickoff Assembly, where they learned about the exciting opportunities to be recognized for achievement in STEM, community service, academic excellence, attendance, and improvement.

A representative from Coen Oil Company, the proud sponsor of the Challenge Program at Burgettstown, joined the event to help launch this year’s initiatives and cheer on students as they participated in fun, interactive games on stage.

The Challenge Program connects business and education, inspiring students to set goals, stay motivated, and challenge themselves to reach their full potential. Thank you to Coen and to all who made this engaging kickoff event a success! 💙

It’s that time of year again! Our Child Development preschoolers brought smiles and Halloween spirit to the halls of Burgettstown as they paraded through the school in costume. Students and staff lined the hallways to cheer on our littlest learners, who proudly showed off their festive attire and bright orange treat bags.

This fun annual tradition gives preschoolers the chance to interact with older students while spreading a little seasonal joy—and it’s safe to say, the smiles were contagious!

A big thank-you to our Child Development students and staff for organizing this sweet celebration! 🍬💙

Math came to life in Mrs. Nardone’s kindergarten classroom this week as students took part in a hands-on activity called the Wind-Up Number Walk!

Using wind-up toys and number mats, students practiced number recognition, sequencing, and simple addition—all while giggling their way through math play. The creative lesson combined movement, teamwork, and curiosity, showing that learning numbers can be both educational and fun.

Way to go, kindergarten mathematicians! 💙✨

Burgettstown’s eighth graders got an up-close look at modern manufacturing and technology when BotsIQ visited this week. The session blended hands-on learning with high-tech exploration, as students experimented with coding and laser engraving to bring their digital designs to life.

Guided by BotsIQ staff, students saw firsthand how creativity, precision, and technology intersect—skills that power the future of engineering and industry. The experience was equal parts engaging and inspiring, leaving many students eager to learn more about the world of robotics and advanced manufacturing.

A big thank-you to BotsIQ for continuing to invest in Burgettstown’s future innovators! 💙

The halls of the Elementary Center were bursting with excitement on Thursday morning as our Burgettstown cheerleaders, football players, Devilettes, marching band members made a special visit to celebrate the B-Town Lions Division 2 team, who are headed to the youth league Super Bowl!

In true Blue Devil fashion, the high school students formed a spirited tunnel of cheers, music, and encouragement to send the young athletes off in style. The celebration served as a powerful reminder of the pride and unity that runs throughout Blue Devil Country—from our youngest Lions to our seasoned Devils.

Good luck to the B-Town Lions in the Super Bowl—your Blue Devil family is cheering you on! 💙🏈🎺

On Thursday afternoon, the excitement about the Lions continued as the Lions organization hosted a pep rally at the Burgettstown Area Elementary Center to celebrate the Division 2 team’s Super Bowl appearance and recognize all Lions players and cheerleaders!

The gym was packed with energy as players, cheerleaders, families, and staff came together to show their pride and support. The Lions cheerleaders kicked things off with spirited performances, while players were recognized for their hard work, dedication, and outstanding season.

The event highlighted not only the team’s athletic achievements but also the incredible sense of community that connects our youth programs with Blue Devil Nation. Congratulations to the Lions and their coaches—your hard work, teamwork, and heart make us all proud! 🏈💙

There was no shortage of school spirit Thursday afternoon, as the halls of Burgettstown came alive to celebrate our outstanding boys and girls cross country teams! After a phenomenal season filled with grit, teamwork, and Blue Devil pride, our runners took a well-deserved victory lap through the Middle/High School—escorted by cheers, music, and high-fives from their classmates.

The celebration culminated in a special send-off for senior standout Max Maltony, who will represent Burgettstown at the PIAA State Championships in Hershey. Our Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Junior High runners proudly carried their trophies and medals, while the marching band and students lined the hallways in a spirited show of support.

Even the Slovan Volunteer Fire Department and Smith Twp. police joined the celebration, leading Max and Coach Maltony out with lights flashing in an unforgettable show of community pride.

Congratulations to all of our cross country athletes and coaches on an amazing season!

This year, the Burgettstown Athletic Department is introducing digital ticketing for regular season football, volleyball, girls and boys basketball, and wrestling. Though all fans may still purchase a ticket "at the gate," but those who wish to avoid lines and pre-purchase an electronic ticket may do so by accessing the digital ticketing feature on the Hudl Fan page. Single game regular season tickets for both students and adults are available. Also, for those who know that will likely attend all games in a particular season, a season pass can be purchased. Please note: there is a processing fee, per ticket. This fee does not go to the school district, it is a vendor fee in support of the electronic ticketing feature. Scan the QR code or the button below to access the Hudl Fan page.

We remind students, employees, parents, guardians, and community members that smoking, the possession or use of alcohol or other drugs, and the possession of weapons on school grounds, including outdoor athletic areas, by any individual, is prohibited. These acts are subject to police action and must also be reported to the Department of Education.

Our school community has embraced the uniqueness of conducting commencement exercises at Star Lake for decades. The various management groups throughout the years have supported this by donating the use of the facility and we are most appreciative. While it is early in the school year, we want to make note that in order to hold graduation at Star Lake, flexibility in planning is necessary. Believe it or not, the planning for the next year begins shortly after the school year ends. We notify Star Lake management of our desired date and it is recorded as a preferred date. There are no guarantees, and in the past several years, we have not been able to finalize the date until some point in April. We know this causes a bit of anxiousness on the part of our seniors and their families, but if we want to continue this fine tradition, we must remain flexible. After last year's Commencement, we informed the management at Star Lake that our preferred date for this year's Commencement is June 5, 2026. While this is our preferred date, there is no guarantee that we will get it. As the months go by this year, the District will remain in contact with Star Lake management. When we know the confirmed date, we will communicate it to our students and families. Though graduation may be the last thing on anyone's mind this early in the school year, we wanted to communicate this information so there are no misunderstandings.

Student and employee safety is extremely important to us. We are constantly looking for ways to make our schools, school grounds, and property safe for all. Recently, we ordered signage that will be placed on all of our school busses, warning that unauthorized boarding will be subject to criminal prosecution. This is not something new, it is simply something we are creating a greater awareness of.

According to the Pennsylvania Crimes Code:

§ 5517. Unauthorized school bus entry. (a) Offense defined.--A person who enters a school bus without prior authorization of the driver or a school official with intent to commit a crime or disrupt or interfere with the driver or a person who enters a school bus without prior authorization of the driver or a school official who refuses to disembark after being ordered to do so by the driver commits a misdemeanor of the third degree. (b) Notice.--A school district may place a notice at the entrance of the school bus that warns against unauthorized entry.

Our school district prides itself on providing the best possible learning environment for our students, and school buildings and other facilities that can be a source of pride for the community. We are constantly monitoring the conditions of our schools, athletic complexes and other district-owned property but sometimes we miss things. You can help us by completing this form when you notice something that you think needs our attention. It can be something as basic as noticing that there is a light out in our parking areas, or that the trash receptacles at the baseball field need emptied. Just like you have for your home, we have a running list of items that need our attention. These items get prioritized and acted upon. We may already know about the issue you raise, but if we don't, we can't prioritize it until we do. We are all in this together and your input is greatly appreciated. Please click her to access this form: HERE

We know our families and our communities enjoy seeing the various photographs and related information about our students and their activities through the various social media platforms and other methods of communication from our school district. If a parent or guardian objects to the use of their child's image and related information, they must notify the school district. Please see the following document for more details.