How Pottsgrove Has Changed

Things can change a lot over time, especially an entire school district and community. Students today at Pottsgrove have definitely had a different experience than students 30 years ago had. To figure out exactly how the school has changed I asked Mr. Shantz and Ms. Carroll a couple of questions about their experiences as they were once students here at Pottsgrove and are now amazing teachers here. 

Mr. John Shantz graduated from Pottsgrove in the year 1987, and has lived in the area for almost his entire life besides the years when he attended Millersville University. I asked Mr. Shantz a couple of questions about his experience here at Pottsgrove, and when asked what his favorite thing about Pottsgrove was when he was a student here he answered, “The whole experience honestly. The togetherness, the school spirit, the activities, the teachers, and … the 80’s in general!!!!!” This response seemed a little foreign, as the students here don’t really seem to have that mindset anymore. Before the pandemic hit in 2020, everybody seemed to be pretty content and happy here, but these past two years of school have felt like the opposite of Mr. Shantz’s response. Even he realizes the change in the student life here. When asked what differences he notices between Pottsgrove in the 80’s and Pottsgrove today, he answered, “Sadly, the students themselves have changed the most. It’s a different world. The advent of technology has destroyed the social skills of people in my opinion.” This response makes a lot of sense, as the biggest difference at Pottsgrove is definitely the change in technology for learning. 

I also had the honor of getting to ask Ms. Patricia Carroll those same questions about her Pottsgrove experience. Ms. Carroll graduated from Pottsgrove in 1984 and has lived in the area almost her entire life with the exception of a couple years after college. When asked about what her favorite thing about Pottsgrove was as a student here, she responded, “The rich array of activities—there was just so much to get involved in from class council, sports, language clubs, history club, science club, theater, music.” Even today everyone here really seems to enjoy the extra-curricular activities that they are involved in, especially sports and theater! When asked what has changed the most here at Pottsgrove for Ms. Carroll, she responded with, “The biggest change is the current emphasis on AP classes. When I was here, there were only two AP classes. I think the limited AP courses gave us more freedom to be involved and not be overwhelmed. When I think about the clubs we had, I realize that there were field trips with each of them. Now, with the pressure of AP pacing, it’s hard for kids to miss class, even if it is for something enriching. I think that’s sad. On the plus side, technology has enhanced communication and access to learning opportunities.” This response is one that definitely will resonate with students here, as the hard workers in AP level classes definitely would agree that going to the older ways of limited AP classes would be very beneficial when it comes to all the other things students are involved in. 

Something that both teachers could agree that stays the same is the great feeling everyone gets when we have special connections between students and even between staff. One of those great feelings includes color day, which is something every Pottsgrove student remembers and loves, even the staff love to see the great connections that the classes make with each other. Though much has changed over the years here, the great connections and memories people make will always stay the same and will never be forgotten.