PHOTO PROVIDED
Members of the newly approved girls’ wrestling team at Jersey Shore Area High School and coaches are pictured following the sport’s approval at a recent school board meeting.

Jersey Shore Area School District Now Offers Girls’ Wrestling Team

Jersey Shore Area School District has joined the growing number of districts to offer a wrestling program specifically for girls following a unanimous vote by the school board.

Girls Only Team Created

Until now, there were girls who wrestled on the boys team, but according to William Mincer, the district’s athletic director, the girls would like to be on a girls-only team. The six girls currently involved in the wrestling program would move to the new team.

Rules and Regulations

“Once we create the girls team and they’re on the girls team, they’re on the girls team for the year,” Mincer responded to a question from a board member on whether they could go back and forth between the two.

“PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) says girls can wrestle for the boys but they have to declare it. Once they do, they can’t switch. They are (on the boys team) all year,” confirmed Crock Herman, head varsity wrestling coach.

It was noted that PIAA rules also state that if a boy moves to a girls team, then that becomes a boys team.

Board Approvals

Other items approved by the board included the following:

• A donation of seed packets from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds to the Jersey Shore Elementary community garden, butterfly garden, and all elementary classrooms in the district
• A donation of $2,219 for the Max Engle Memorial Fund from various donors
• Permission for the 2023-24 prom to be held at the Castanea Fire Company Social Center on April 20
• Amended Keep Safe Transportation Services agreement for the current school year
• Placing a pallet of miscellaneous Mac equipment on Municibid
• An agreement between the district and Brynn Porter for virtual speech therapy services

Budget Transfers

Three requests for budget transfers were approved:

• $6,500 for travel, training, and conferences
• $10,000 for computer equipment repair
• $10,000 for Promethean boards

The funds were shifted within departments so that they could be used for something else.

Personnel

The board approved the retention of the following sports’ head coaches:

• Tyler Henry, boys and girls cross country
• Ann-Marie Dincher, girls tennis
• Michael Schall, boys and girls golf
• Mitch Cornelius and Sarah Luprek, high school boys and girls soccer
• Chris Lorson, girls middle school softball
• Tom Gravish, boys varsity football

Other personnel items approved were:

• Appointment of Jocelyn McCracken as business office department intern at $12.00 per hour
• Ashley Lomax and Kenneth Wachter, aids for Susquehanna Transit Co.
• Donald Aungst, bus driver with Susquehanna Transit Co.
• Appointment of Monica Richards as head girls varsity track and field coach at a stipend of $4,797
• Wally Spotts as a volunteer wrestling coach

Letters of resignation were accepted from Delores Herman, food service substitute, and Lydia Sparks, special education learning support K-5 paraprofessional.

“Wake Up and Learn” Presentation

Prior to the business portion of the meeting, the board heard a presentation on “Wake Up and Learn,” a program emphasizing the importance of sleep and learning, which is being considered for implementation in the district.

Next Board Meeting

The next board meeting will be at 7 p.m. on January 22 at the district administration office board room, 175 A&P Drive, Jersey Shore.