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Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Completes The Construction of Unionville High School’s Rooftop Solar Array

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District (UCFSD) is one of the first in Pennsylvania to complete a solar energy system under the state’s new Solar for Schools (S4S) Grant Program. In addition to being a statewide milestone, the installation is now the second-largest rooftop solar energy system in Chester County. 

Established in 2024 by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the inaugural S4S Program awarded $22.5 million to 73 schools to help reduce the cost of implementing renewable energy.

Located on the roof of Unionville High School (UHS), the 650-kilowatt UCFSD system, built by local company Terra Sol Solar and designed by Spotts, Stevens and McCoy Group, features approximately 900 American-made solar panels. 

It is projected to produce 25 percent of UCFSD’s energy and save the District at least $75,000 annually in operating costs, a figure likely to grow as energy costs rise. 

“The solar array project is a perfect example of our district value of principled stewardship,” reflected UCFSD Superintendent Dr. Tim Hoffman. “Investing in solar ensures energy efficiency for our district. Efficiency with our resources is critical for our long-term financial health and decreases the overall burden on our tax base to keep up with rising costs.” 

State Representative Christina Sappey also emphasized the importance of this statewide initiative in protecting local communities. "Utility bills are one of the largest expenses for public schools. The 2024 Solar for Schools Grant Program was created to lower operating costs and protect local taxpayers," she added. "By completing this project, UCFSD demonstrates how state grants reduce overhead and keep district funds focused on our students."

Thanks to a combination of S4S funding, federal rebates, and PECO incentives, UCFSD’s net cost for the installation was reduced to roughly $450,000, bringing the system's return on investment to under seven years.

Other State leaders have praised the district's initiative for aligning local fiscal responsibility with broader state environmental and energy production goals.

“Using solar energy to power our schools and educational facilities is cleaner, cheaper, and it sends the message to students and families that we take sustainability seriously,” said State Senator Carolyn Comitta, Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. “UCFSD was one of three in my district to be awarded grant funding through the Pennsylvania Solar for Schools program. I’m excited to see these projects come online as we work together to reduce harmful emissions, meet our climate action goals, and save taxpayer dollars.”

“This solar array represents a forward‑looking investment in our students, our community, and our environment,” said State Senator John I. Kane. “Through the support of the Solar for Schools Grant Program, UCFSD is taking meaningful steps to reduce energy costs, model sustainability for future generations, and demonstrate what’s possible when schools have access to innovative clean‑energy funding. I am so proud to support a project that reflects such strong leadership in education and environmental stewardship.”

“For the past year, I have been sounding the alarm that our electricity supply is not keeping pace with rapidly growing demand. The answer is more generation, and Unionville-Chadds Ford is putting that principle into practice,” said State Representative Craig Williams. “This project adds 650 kilowatts of new generation right where the electricity will be consumed, reducing demand on the grid and lowering costs for district taxpayers. We need more electricity generation in Pennsylvania, and I am pleased to see UCFSD producing some of its own.”

Beyond those benefits, the system will serve as a living classroom. UCFSD will partner with high school staff this fall to integrate it into the curriculum, offering students hands-on STEM learning. 

“The panels on the roof are producing electricity for our school, but the most important thing they’ll produce is an opportunity for our students to learn about the energy systems of the future,” ended UCFSD Director of Facilities James Whitesel. 

The District will celebrate the completion of the system with a ribbon-cutting ceremony later this month. 

About the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District 

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is a high-performing public school system serving approximately 3,500 students in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The District consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and Unionville High School, consistently ranked among the top public schools in Pennsylvania.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District launches students to success through research-backed literacy instruction

At the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, the research-backed approach called the Science of Reading started playing a larger role in literacy learning during the 2025-26 school year. And, for UCFSD parents, it might look nothing like the education of their own youth. 

Cracking the Code

Gone are the days of memorizing whole words or guessing the ones they don’t know based on pictures. Instead, students are starting with phonemic awareness and phonics as a systematic approach to reading. By teaching them how to hear sounds and to connect them with specific letters or sequences of letters, Unionville educators are equipping students with a toolkit that can be used to decode almost anything. 

At the center of this work are UCFSD Reading Specialists like Melissa Huber from Pocopson Elementary School. Huber contends that literacy development extends far beyond the primary years, with foundational phonics evolving into more advanced word study as students mature. She views morphology as an essential toolkit for older learners: “When you understand a word’s building blocks—its roots, prefixes, and suffixes—you unlock a significantly deeper level of comprehension.”

Tools for Success

All Unionville, educators were trained in the Science of Reading during the 2024-25 school year. 

“It was important that we not only provide training, but also materials to help with the transition,” added Huber, who shared that a committee informed UCFSD’s decision to implement Heggerty and Fundations programs for use by students in Grades K-3 this year. The district remains committed to expanding its literacy curriculum, with plans to implement more advanced programs for intermediate students.

Huber and the district’s eight other Elementary Reading Specialists continue to provide expert support in literacy instruction for all full-day Kindergarten classrooms while also conducting a combination of whole class, small group, and individual intervention from first grade on. 

Seeing the Results

She and others say they have already observed significant differences in student outcomes. “For example, a huge adjustment for elementary classroom teachers, especially at the Kindergarten level, was a delay in teaching sight words. But the research says that children were just memorizing the shape of those letters,” she reflected. “A lot of us were skeptical that students would be behind. But, by delaying sight words, our children are actually memorizing them a lot faster because they're not just memorizing the shape, they're really thinking about their sounds.” 

Parents as Partners

UCFSD emphasizes that literacy is a partnership between school and home. Parents can jumpstart their child’s journey by: 

1. Reading aloud to model fluency and to foster a love of literacy, 
2. Playing games to sound out words they see, and 
3. Practicing recognition of letters. 

With science-backed instruction, world-class educators and supportive families, our community can ensure that, for every student, the future is an open book.

About the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District is a high-performing public school system serving approximately 4,000 students in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The District consists of four elementary schools, one middle school and Unionville High School, consistently ranked among the top public schools in Pennsylvania.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District celebrates fourteen retiring educators

As Unionville-Chadds Ford School District (UCFSD) students and staff start their summer, fourteen dedicated educators will step into a new adventure: retirement. 

Together, Chadds Ford Elementary School’s Emilie Conover and Charlotte Denenno, Hillendale Elementary School’s Joan Amstutz, Pocopson Elementary School’s Sharon Towber, Charles F. Patton Middle School’s Kevin Crossman, Shannon Freehart, Janelle Hadly, Brian Kelley, and John Walsh, and Unionville High School’s Patrisha Burt, Kathy DiFilippo, Pat Martin, Cheryl Press, and Patty Toole represent lifetimes of commitment to the District’s children.

Chadds Ford Elementary School (CFES)

• Emilie Conover is a 2nd Grade Teacher and Faculty Mentor at CFES. She has served the District for 25 years. 
• Charlotte Denenno is a 3rd Grade Teacher, the 3rd Grade Chair, and a member of the Sunshine Committee at CFES. She has served the District for 20.5 years.  

Hillendale Elementary School (HES)

• Joan Amstutz is the Office Manager at HES. She has served the District for 9 years. 

Pocopson Elementary School (PES) 

• Sharon Towber is the Head Custodian at PES. She has served the District for 36 years. 

Charles F. Patton Middle School (CFPMS)

• Kevin Crossman is a Social Studies Teacher at CFPMS. He has served the District for 29 years. 
• Shannon Freehart is a Social Studies Teacher, the Social Studies Chair, and a Faculty Mentor at CFPMS. She has served the District for 29 years.  
• Janelle Hadly is the Health & Physical Education Teacher at CFPMS. She has served the District for 34 years. 
• Brian Kelley is a Gifted Teacher and Faculty Mentor at CFPMS. He has served the District for 31 years. 
• John Walsh is a Computers & Computer Applications Teacher, the Communications Coordinator, Hawk TV Coordinator, a Faculty Mentor, and Volunteer Softball Coach at CFPMS. He has served the District for 29 years. 

Unionville High School (UHS)

• Patrisha Burt is a Chemistry Teacher at UHS. She has served the District for 33 years.
• Kathy DiFilippo is the Testing Center Paraprofessional at UHS. She has served the District for 33 years. 
• Pat Martin is a Paraprofessional at UHS. She has served the District for 37 years. 
• Cheryl Press is a Security Monitor at UHS. She has served the District for 20 years. 
• Patty Toole is a Food Service Assistant at UHS. She has served the District for 9 years. 

“This year’s retirees perfectly embody our shared philosophy of the Portrait of a Graduate. Whether in the classroom or across their communities, their influence has spanned every level and inspired countless lives,” said UCFSD Superintendent Tim Hoffman. “When they could have chosen to be anything and to go anywhere, I am so grateful that they chose to make a difference in our district.”  

About UCFSD’s Portrait of An Educator

The Portrait of an Educator serves as a north star for all Unionville-Chadds Ford School District educators. The series of guiding principles includes cultivating meaningful relationships, promoting achievement and wellness, contributing to a positive culture, inspiring a passion for learning, having high expectations that encourage growth, building a culture of belonging and being a person of high character. For more information, visit ucfsd.org/about/portrait-of-an-educator.