‘A rare gem.’ Former teachers, students share memories of Miles Township Elementary
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- Miles Township Elementary closed permanently in August.
- Former students, teachers and staff wrote in to share memories of the Rebesburg school.
- In their own words, Penns Valley residents said the school had a special community.
After a historic Penns Valley-area school closed its doors, community members are reflecting on its storied history.
The Penns Valley Area School District’s board of directors permanently closed Miles Township Elementary School following a mid-August vote just two weeks before the first day of school. The district said it would retain all Miles Township Elementary staff and sent the school’s remaining students to Penns Valley Elementary and Intermediate School or Centre Hall-Potter Elementary School. District officials have not finalized plans for the future purpose of the school building, but Penns Valley’s school board is expected to discuss it during public work sessions and regular meetings in September.
Miles Township Elementary’s history dates back to a Rebersburg schoolhouse originally constructed in 1927. Over the years, the rural school taught countless Penns Valley students while serving as the longtime home for many faculty and staff.
The Centre Daily Times recently asked Penns Valley residents to share their favorite stories, memories and photos of Miles Township Elementary to celebrate the school’s legacy. Here are a few of the highlights we received.
Reading in Rebersburg
Mary Conner-Righter visited Miles Township Elementary weekly while working as a reading specialist within Penns Valley’s district for 17 years. She said the school, known then as Rebersburg Elementary School, provided many lasting memories and experiences.
“My favorite memories are related to the students, the caring and talented people who worked in the building during those years, and the unique setting of our school in the town of Rebersburg,” she wrote. “The small school community was a rare gem in the age of consolidation.”
Some of Conner-Righter’s stand-out memories include annual Halloween parades, Christmas concerts, field trips, spirit days and a wide range of all-school assemblies featuring puppet shows, Abraham Lincoln reenactors and live animal presentations.
One key initiative, Rebersburg Reads, provided school families with a copy of a book selected as a school-wide reading experience. It was funded through a district grant that Conner-Righter wrote.
“There are so many other memories ... maybe best shared amongst those who lived the experience of working there!” she wrote.
Supportive staff
Lorie Claar began volunteering at Rebersburg Elementary while her son studied there. She later became an employee and said the school created long-lasting impacts on her life.
“From day one, this building and everyone there felt like my family,” Claar wrote. “The bonds that were formed at Rebersburg Elementary, I hope to have for the rest of my life. This school, students and staff will forever be in my heart.”
Another former employee, Denise Zettle, worked in the school as a paraeducator for 21 years. She moved to Penns Valley Elementary in 2024 alongside Miles Township Elementary’s nine-student kindergarten class.
“I want to thank all of the families that enabled me to spend treasured days with their children,” Zettle wrote. “I will always hope that I helped to provide a positive difference in each of their days of learning at Rebersburg!”
Student smiles
Emily Wolfe, a former Miles Township Elementary student, wrote in to say she simply missed all her old teachers. She provided a picture of her much younger self heading to Rebersburg for Pre-K classes.
Another former student, Matthew Dunlap, said he had many great memories of “the ‘Berg.”
“We were all a close-knit family there and looked out for one another,” he wrote. “The lunch ladies, Debbie and Kathy, would always ‘doctor up’ the food with their own special touch. The teachers truly cared about the students and thought of us as their own.”
Dunlap recalled a wide range of seasonal activities for students, including Halloween parades, Christmas decorations throughout the school and a discount holiday shop to find gifts for family and friends. He enjoyed field days in the spring and said his class also worked to create a mural honoring the United States following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“We will never get the old Rebersburg Elementary School back, but what we had there is a cherished memory thanks to those who made it that way,” Dunlap wrote.
Teachers reflect
Angela Homan taught fourth grade at Miles Township Elementary for eight years. She reflected on some school traditions that helped create “the sense of belonging” much like a family.
“On Apple Crunch Day, students learned how apples are grown from a local orchard and sampled delicious varieties,” Homan wrote. “The annual Halloween parade through town was always supported and cheered on by the community. The fourth graders also had the opportunity to walk to and tour the Gramley Schoolhouse Museum, connecting them with local history. At the end of each school year, the Roger Bierly family sponsored a special award to honor students who consistently demonstrated the values of being ready, responsible and respectful.”
Jacki Hettinger spent the majority of her teaching career at Miles Township Elementary. She started and ended her 34-year career at the school and spent 23 years instructing students in Rebersburg.
She said it’s hard to know where to start with so many fond memories to share.
“I fondly remember the school Christmas program organized by the staff to benefit the local fire company, the Christmas cookie exchange, planting the trees on the edge of the playground for Arbor Day, track and field days held on the grounds, the Halloween parade around town and the countless students and families that made the school a home,” Hettinger wrote. “Even though I am retired and it no longer affects me as a teacher, I am just so sad to know that no more students will grace its halls. It’s an experience that can’t be replicated at any other school.”
Do you have a favorite Miles Township Elementary story or photo to share? Fill out our Google Form or email reporter Matt DiSanto at mdisanto@centredaily.com to potentially have your submission featured in an update to this article.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 5:32 AM.
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