Milton Hershey School Celebrates Success, Recommits to Raising the Bar in 2025
Milton Hershey School students, faculty, and staff kicked off the second half of the school year by reflecting on past successes and focusing on how they will Raise the Bar in 2025.
The week began by celebrating students’ 2024 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and Keystone Exams accomplishments.
- PSSA English Language Arts (Grades 3-8) – Top 4%
- PSSA Math (Grades 3-8) – Top 4%
- PSSA Science (Grades 4 & 8) – 22.1% points increase
- Keystone Literature – Top 2% of Districts
- Keystone Algebra 1 – Top 5% of Districts
- Keystone Biology – Top 7% of Districts
Student homes and Transitional Living buildings received custom-wrapped Raise the Bar chocolate bars to celebrate their achievements. The students also received Raise the Bar pennants to help them focus on their goals for the new year. Students wrote their pledges on the pennants, including improving reading skills, earning good grades, and modeling the MHS Sacred Values.
The week closed with assemblies in all divisions. Senior Division Principal Jen McConnell commended students for their efforts and reminded them to appreciate those who helped them.
“Every success we have is thanks to people who support us and help us get there,” McConnell said.
At MHS, students, staff, houseparents, and alumni take pride in building long-lasting, meaningful relationships with students. Through a video message, MHS alumnus and Broadway star Marcus Paul James ’99 shared his excitement for the students’ performance. James hosted the MHS Opening of School Assembly in August, where the school year theme, Raise the Bar, was introduced.
The MHS community was encouraged to Raise the Bar by working together and following in the footsteps of school founder Milton S. Hershey to model character and well-being, innovate career-focused education, and strengthen community alignment and engagement.
“Remember, when you Raise the Bar, you set an example for our entire town and make Mr. and Mrs. Hershey proud,” James said.