The Hannah Penn school in York will open for the first time in 2 years, which is welcome news to the families of more than 600 kids. It’s opening because of overcrowding in other nearby schools and because of the closure of New Hope Academy. Hanna Penn originally closed due to a decline in enrollment. “This is a neighborhood school and a lot of the parents were kind of melancholy when the doors closed” said Hannah Penn’s principal Dr. Philip Livelsberger.
One of those parents is Linda Argunus. Her daughter graduated from Hannah Penn before it shut it’s doors. “She just felt at home at Hanna Penn going from class to class, especially eighth grade going into high school she really had that comfort of home and the comfort of people she could trust” said Argunus. Now she’s hoping her son Alexander, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, will get the chance to experience that same level of trust. “Being a special needs student he needs a little boost. everything is not bunched together like it was in the elementary schools. He can spread out a little bit, a bigger classroom so he has a bit more space to develop him as a person” said Argunus.
For teachers like Sue Raab, who’s spent months preparing, nurturing that development can now take priority. “We are ready, everything’s ready to go. The classrooms finished. All I need is twenty four kids sitting in those desks ready to learn” said Raab. Argunus trusts teachers like Raab and is excited to see her son grow, but nothing will stop her watchful eye. “They know me. They know me by face and they know I will be in that school periodically checking in on things” said Argunus. Hannah Penn will officially open for it’s first day of classes on Wednesday, August 20th.
