Mill Hall Elementary highlighted for culture, quick response to sprinkler incident

Mill Hall Elementary was presented as Keystone Central’s School of the Month on Feb. 12, with Principal Becky Michaels highlighting a school culture the staff describes as "seen, heard, and loved." Michaels described student‑to‑student (S2S) mentoring, PBIS partnerships and kindness‑month activities; multiple students and teachers spoke on how the programs build student confidence.

Michaels recounted a recent sprinkler pipe failure that flooded classrooms and praised custodial, maintenance and IT staff for an immediate and coordinated response. "They were responsive... we got kids back in their classrooms that afternoon," Michaels said, crediting custodial staff and IT for rapid clean‑up and device replacement. Janelle Kraut, a kindergarten teacher at Mill Hall, told the board she had “never witnessed anyone handle a situation like Mrs. White's” and described staff shampooing carpets, relocating students and manually recording more than 300 lunches to keep operations running.

Students who took part in the S2S mentoring described how older students check in with kindergarten and first‑grade buddies each morning, saying the program makes their school days "brighter" and helps younger children feel supported. The board and audience members praised staff and students for the culture and emergency response.