Lampeter-Strasburg townlively.com
MARCH 6, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LX • NO 44
LEMA unveils alternative weather alert system BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
The conference will feature a presentation from guest speaker Ben Hartranft (far right), pictured with family members (from left) Dan, Glenn and Sandy Hartranft.
27th annual IU13 conference slated
T
he 27th annual Lancaster L ebanon Inter mediate Unit 13 (IU13) education conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, 1600 Book Road, Lancaster. Registration will remain available online until Thursday, May 30. Educators and school district personnel who sign up prior to Wednesday, May 1, will receive a discounted price. The theme of this year’s conference is “Game Changers ... Strengthening Your Playbook.” Throughout the day, attendees will hear from guest speakers and participate in breakout sessions, which will relate various educational topics to sports and
athletics. “Any educator can be a game changer in students lives,” said Linda Murr, program support liaison for IU13. “Every year, our committee chooses a new theme to promote a positive message. We decided to incorporate sports because of the 2024 Olympics.” Registration will begin at 7:45 a.m., and guests will be offered a continental breakfast and door prizes until 8:30 a.m. After a few opening remarks, keynote speaker Ben Hartranft will give a presentation from 8:40 to 9:40 a.m. Morning breakout sessions will occur from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by lunch and additional door prizes. Afternoon breakout sessions will be offered from 1 to 3 p.m., and the event will conclude with evaluations from 3 to 3:30 p.m.
Fourteen separate breakout sessions will take place during the morning and afternoon sessions. All guests are invited to attend the keynote presentation, but participants are encouraged to register for one breakout session in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each session will highlight a different topic to provide resources for educators and parents, such as artificial intelligence, what teachers should know about social media, and current substance abuse trends among students. Hartranft was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old, and he will discuss his experience navigating life and overcoming challenges as a now-25-year-old man. After becoming actively involved in fundraising efforts for
the Eagles Autism Foundation, a nonprofit created by the Philadelphia Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie, Hartranft was invited to be a guest on the “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to raise awareness for autism. Following his debut television appearance, Hartranft created Benergy1 Presentations to share his story and advocate for inclusion at schools and businesses across the country. “This conference is one of my favorite parts of my job,” said Murr, who has helped organized the event for the last 24 years. “This is after the school year, and it isnt mandatory for teachers; they attend because they want to be there. The atmosphere is always very upbeat.” For more information, visit www.iu13.org.
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BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
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The primar y goal of the Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) is to prepare local residents for emergencies, from severe weather conditions to man-made disasters. The organization seeks to accomplish this by identifying potential hazards, providing training resources, developing emergency action plans and working with other emergency management agencies at the federal and state levels. LEMA uses a notification system called L ANC-Aler t to send real-time updates to Lancaster County residents during emergencies. The alert system uses phone calls, text messaging and emails to keep people informed, and many other emergency management agencies utilize similar procedures. Unlike many other agencies, however, LEMA faces the added component of serving Amish and Mennonite communities that have limited access to electronic communication. To better serve Lancaster County’s unique communities, LEMA is in the process of creating a severe weather alert system for those who do not have access to LANC-Alert notifications. The idea was proposed by the National Weather Service, which receives thousands of calls every year from members of Plain communities who are concerned about severe forecasts and the threat that they pose to crops. The new system, which LEMA See Weather alerts pg 6
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