The superintendent was lauded for his role in the success of QCSD’s athletics program and school clubs.
By Gary Weckselblatt
On a night when the School Board recognized the excellence of academics, arts and athletics in the Quakertown Community School District, several speakers praised the efforts of retiring Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner for his role in helping to pave the way for the success of students and programs.
“Your vision and leadership to instill pride in Quakertown has been phenomenal over the last decade,” Board President Glenn Iosue said. “As you can see from the students here, you’ve accomplished greatness and I applaud you for everything that you’ve done.”
Winter sports teams, including wrestling, cheer, bowling, swimming, basketball and track, received recognition, along with the Future Business Leaders of America, the Robotics Club, and the Technology Student Association.
“To have a superintendent make a wrestling match was pretty awesome,” Coach Kurt Handel said. “To have a superintendent behind the bench yelling with the guys and the girls at officials and everything else was quite amazing. To have a superintendent come to the state tournament and be behind our bench supporting us was absolutely amazing. … Thank you for making our program better.”
Dr. Harner thanked the speakers but gave credit to the coaches. “The greatness was brought out by the coaches,” he said. “We have some phenomenal coaches, teachers that give up their time.” He also repeated a point he has made several times. “Students who participate in sports have a (GPA) half a grade higher on average in season.”
Athletic Director Sylvia Kalazs said QCSD “is a better place for athletes and coaches to compete now than it was nine years ago. Thanks to Dr. Harner’s vision and support we can now compete on even ground with any school in the state. On behalf of all the current and former athletes and coaches and athletic department personnel, a huge thank you to Dr. Harner for everything he’s done and we wish you the best in retirement.”
Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD Director of Communications, writes about the people and the programs that impact the Quakertown Community School District. He can be reached at 215-529-2028 or [email protected].