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- West Chester Weekly News Roundup: Apr. 25, 2025
West Chester Weekly News Roundup: Apr. 25, 2025
Traffic concerns, teacher pushback, and West Chester filmakers make their festival debut š„
Cara Corridoni
April 25, 2025
The easiest way to be in the know.
Itās Friday, Apr. 25, 2025: TGIF! Amiright? I hope everyone was able to squeeze in at least a little bit of a spring break. Rest is nice, but itās good to be back - and just in time. Lots going on this week. West Chester teachers push back against proposed changes to the high school schedule. Unsupervised Lunch and Learns and the loss of instructional time among top concerns. Superintendent Dr. Christopher, says heās not worried, yet. We look at whatās going on and whatās next for high school students. Also, are cars moving through West Chester too fast and without regard to traffic laws? Many residents say, yes. We discuss. Plus, park clean-ups, a new smoothie place, and the West Chester Film Festival returns tonight. I talk to two local filmmakers excited to make their festival debut.
Ok, get comfortable - and letās catch up.
Exciting news! Hello, West Chester was just accepted as a Spotlight PA Partnership Publication! Under this new relationship, I now have access to their independent reporting and will, from time to time, share relevant state-level news! If you would like to learn more about this statehouse watchdog or sign up for their updates, you can do that here.
While I was away:
A shooting closed S. Church St. A West Chester officer shot into a S. Church St. row home apartment after the man opened fire on police. Officers were at the residence for a well check at the request of the Valley Creek Crisis Center, which believed the man to be a danger to himself and others. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the encounter. The incident is now under investigation by the Chester County Detective Division, as is protocol.
Two PECO transformers caught on fire, causing Bier Haul Townhouse to evacuate and Walnut St. to close for several hours last Wednesday evening. The situation was cleared within hours and, Bier Haul up and running again three days later.
Barclay Friends opened their new Goshen Memory Care Residences. The project, which began in June 2024, adds 24 state-of-the-art apartments designed to better meet the needs of individuals suffering from dementia, Alzheimer's, and other neurogenerative conditions. Also, opening over the break, Station 142, the new E. Market St. performance venue (fittingly in the same location that once housed the Note). Live music kicked off last Thursday evening with Elise Acoustic and continued all weekend. So far I havenāt heard much about how it went. If youāve had a chance to check it out, do tell - [email protected].
Also, West Chester University went bananas, Trader Joeās is getting closer, and the West Goshen Shopping Center freshened up with a touch of red.
Ok, now on to this week.
Community Conversation: How Do We Get Drivers to Slow Down?
A car swerves around a mom and her baby as they walk to Marshall Square Park along N. Matlack. Image: Joe Baker
West Chester Borough, we are frequently reminded, is just 1.8 sq. miles, a tight space that manages to encompass a vibrant University, a nationally ranked hospital, and at least 65 different dining destinations.
Unfortunately, all this action seems to be putting a strain on our small town community feels. (West Chesterās population hovers at a very manageable 18,671 residents, per the last census).
āThere has been a noticeable increase in speeding, aggressive driving, and drivers disregarding stop signs throughout the northeast quadrant of the Borough. While this is not a new issue, it has gotten worse over the past 12 to 18 months,ā said West Chester resident Joe Baker, who took up the cause after a near miss between a motorist and his scootering four-year-old.
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Design Series: Make the Most of the Home You Love
April showers bring mud, so our thoughts turn toā¦ mudrooms. Here at Spring Creek Design, we love mudrooms because theyāre made to be used, messed up, and quickly returned to order. If youāre thinking about adding a mudroom, here are some tips weāve learned along the way:
Make it functional. Use vertical cabinets to hold coats, add a bench, and incorporate a ādrop-offā shelf to keep things organized.
Make it easy to clean. A mudroom is only as good as its floor. Tile, stone, or vinyl are great choices.
Make it useful. A small sink comes in handy. Weāve also installed washers and dryers, ice makers, wine fridges, pantries, and even dog-washing stations.
Make it beautiful. Some of the nicest work weāve done ā like the mudroom above ā is reflected in the cabinetry, moldings, hardware, and overall design.
Ready to make the most of the home you love? Give us a call at 610-273-9194.
***This is a sponsored post***
The Warnings.
Move it, coming through. Last week, West Chester Borough Council approved a new set of Rules and Regulations for the Gay Street Closure. New this year, closure rules are included as part of a larger Outdoor Dining policy, which regulates all downtown outdoor dining options, but the gist is the same. All tables, chairs, and fencing must be removed on Sunday, smoking is prohibited, outdoor service ends at 11 p.m., and 54 inches of unobstructed pedestrian space must be maintained next to the building. This last one was often disregarded last summer but with construction on the Hotel Indigo now complete and the Boroughās Building and Housing Department fully staffed, I am hopeful sidewalk space will be respected this year - and penalized if not.
We know what you did last week. Part 1. West Goshen Police are seeking community help in identifying an āelderly white female with white hairā driving a blue Honda Civic through the Wawa parking lot on West Chester Pike on Apr. 15. It is believed she struck another vehicle while backing out of her convenience store parking space, causing minor damage. She was last seen driving south of 5 Points Rd. If you have any information about the incident, contact West Goshen officer Daniel Boyle at [email protected].
We know what you did last week. Part 2. (Technically, this was two weeks ago, but that header is not nearly as catchy.) West Chester Police are looking for two individuals wanted in connection with a broken window at a property on the 50 block of S. High St. And yes, there were security cameras. (Hit the right arrow to see both suspects.) If you have any information about the men or the situation, contact WCPD at 610-696-2700.
This is a drill. This is only a drill. This week, the West Chester Police Department, West Chester Fire Department, and Good Fellowship ambulance were at Henderson High School for their annual pre-prom Mock Crash Event. The event, which took place in the tennis court parking lot, served as a reminder of the dangers of drunk and reckless driving ahead of prom season.
The internet is forever. Last week, a Chester County jury awarded an East Goshen man $1.7 million in damages after unanimously agreeing a contractor had defamed him by falsely accusing him of ābizarre and humiliatingā behavior on the popular HomeAdvisor website.
You canāt turn there. West Goshen recently updated their Vehicle and Traffic Ordinance to ban the following left turns.
At the intersection of Airport Road and Goshen Parkway when going south
At the intersection of Paoli Pike and Prospect Avenue when going east
Both changes are effective now.
The Accolades.
 āRIP Kevin, the Man,ā a short from West Chester director Michael Zolomij will show on Sunday |  Henderson sophomore Alexis Wills will be at the West Chester Film Festival with her documentary short about the schoolās marching band. |
Innovation in film. Over the next three days, you will have the opportunity to see hundreds of films from all over the world, each clocking in at 30 minutes or less. The West Chester Film Festival returns tonight, drawing directors from all over for a weekend of panels, workshops, and viewings. Things kick off at 5:30 p.m. with the Opening Night Party, followed by the first two-hour film block, both at Uptown.
In addition to early Oscar short contenders, you will see plenty of films from up-and-coming filmmakers, two of whom call West Chester home.
Michael Zolomij is a long-time producer and director of photography at QVC, the West Chester-based home shopping network. Making films since he was a kid, he is more than comfortable behind a lens, but usually itās on behalf of someone else.
āThis is really the first thing I wrote for myself,ā said Michael. He is entering this yearās festival with a super short, just a two-minute 45-second run time, comedy set at Hop Fidelity on Market St. The idea for āRIP Kevin, the Manā was born from a Record Store Day discussion and an idea from who else, but Hop Fidelityās Kevin āthe Manā Suplee.
āI built on Kevinās great idea. Wrote it in one night and tweaked it for another three weeks. Then we shot it in an afternoon,ā said Michael. He was inspired by Hop Fidelity regulars and cast them along with his friends in his ābrief moment in a record shop.ā
āItās nice to have people believe in what you are doing, then to deliver something they are proud to be in,ā said Michael.
With cast and crew on board, itās time to bring it to the West Chester community. āWest Chester Film Festival was always the goal,ā said Michael. āRIP Kevin The Manā will air on Sunday during the 3:30 p.m. film block at Uptown.
For Henderson sophomore Alexis Wills, first timeās the charm. She started making films in 2024 after deciding to take the schoolās Video Production class. āSo you could say Iām pretty new to all this,ā she said.
She is entering this yearās festival with āHenderson Marching Warriors,ā a short documentary about the bandās inspiring 2024 season.
āHendersonās marching band isnāt talked about much at our school, despite our talent[ed] and amazing director, Ms. Kendra Woywod. I wanted to make something to show that the band isnāt just a halftime show, but a community of talented and passionate musicians,ā Alexis said.
So she began documenting their 2024 season, their first as a competitive team.
āBoth competitions we performed at, we landed first place in our class. I would consider that to be inspiring!ā she said. āIt is commonly known that high school can be a scary and confusing time in a teenās life. I hope that people, specifically teenagers, after watching, realize that there is a place in high school for them that they will enjoy. They just have to find it.ā
āHenderson Marching Warriorsā is showing on Saturday during the Young Filmmaker Block at 11 a.m. at Uptown.
Other things we are celebrating this week:
Youāre the best around. This week, The Daily Local News announced its All Area Girlsā and Boysā Swimming and Diving Teams. Representing the girls were Hendersonās Paige Fisher and Rustinās Claire Roussakis. Both girls won two individual medals at this yearās state championships. Paige took sixth in the 200 m free and eighth in the 100 m breaststroke. Claire finished sixth in the 100 m backstroke, fourth in the 100 m fly, and was the leadoff swimmer in the fifth-place 200 m medley relay. Paige, who was also named Ches-Mont Swimmer of the Year, will swim at Colgate next year. Claire, who is only a sophomore, will be back.
On the boysā side, Henderson had two swimmers named to the All-area first team, with senior Edward Stoltz named Swimmer of the Year, and Coach Jeff Bott named Coach of the Year. Senior Finn Lukens was recognized for posting the Ches-Mont Leagueās fastest time in the 100 m breaststroke and the third fastest time in the 100 m free. While senior Bailey Steimel contributed with a top-three time in the 100 m butterfly. Eddie, who was also the Ches-Mont Swimmer of the year, took gold in the 100 m butterfly at the District 1 3A Championships, and second in the 100 m fly at states. Eddie will continue his swimming career at the University of Minnesota next year. Coach Bott was applauded for his leadership as the Warriors finished first in the Ches-Mont National Division and fifth at the District 1 3A Championships.
Up and running. Shout out to the following West Chester runners who managed to nab blue ribbons despite windy conditions at last weekās Rustin Invitational. Rustin sophomore Aoife Speer-Gibson, first in high jump; Rustin senior Andrew Black, first in javelin; Rustin senior Brady Bley, first in the 200 m; Rustin sophomore Nora Reese, first in the 300 m hurdles; and Westtown School sophomore Laila Atkins, first in the discus. Rustin boys also took first in the 4x800 m relay and the 4x400 m relay.
Thinking outside the T cells. Three West Chester University biomedical engineering undergraduates took first place at the 13th Annual WCU Business Idea Competition for a business concept that works to commercialize a groundbreaking cell therapy platform from Swiss biotech startup Encelta. Using the emerging technology, the students hope to improve treatment options for immunocompromised cancer patients. āThis has been an amazing opportunity to be able to take both the research and understanding of the science, and then try to find a way to translate that into a business pitch, especially for people who may not have that science background,ā said WCU junior Nathan Barker. With their WCU win in hand, Nathan and fellow Cell-U Therapeutics co-founders Joshua Pitts, and Chris Needham will now pitch their concept at the Life Science Innovation (LSI) Shark Tank Event hosted by the Wistar Institute.
Going for the gold. Also, a shout-out this week to Hendersonās Alyssa Nichter. Alyssa recently learned she has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious honor in Girl Scouting. Alyssaās award journey began last year, when she approached West Goshen Township with a proposal to improve resident safety by reducing emergency response times - her simple solution? Make house numbers more visible. She achieved this by painting the house numbers on the curb in front of the homes in her neighborhood. Her efforts will be recognized next month at a Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Gold Award Ceremony.
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Hello.
Everhart Park, Hoopes Park, and Marshall Square Park are all holding spring clean ups tomorrow.
Hello, spring cleaning. Yep, itās that time of year again when we dig out the Lysol and the rags and get to work. Well, West Chester is no different and this weekend - not coincidentally the weekend following Earth Day - a variety of West Chester groups and leaders are banding together and quietly chanting, āclean-up, clean-up, everybody, everywhereā in hopes youāll be pick up a trash bag or a pair of gloves and do your share.
Marshall Square Park, Hoopes Park, and Everhart Park are all hosting their annual spruce-up events tomorrow. Tasks range from spreading mulch to picking up sticks and sweeping sidewalks. If you have gloves, rakes or other useful supplies, bring them along. In many cases, coffee and donuts will be provided. Consider it payment for your efforts.
West Chester Borough is holding its annual Community Cleanup on Sunday. Volunteers are asked to select a section of the borough to clean and then meet between noon and 12:30 p.m. at Borough Hall (401 E. Gay Street) to grab your gear. Planning note: The event is being held in conjunction with West Chester University this year, and the students have already claimed the southeast quadrant.
Speaking of cleaning up, West Chesterās Garbage, Rubbish, and Refuse ordinance will have a second public hearing on May 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Borough Hall. The goal here was to update the code to reflect the Boroughās growing number of apartment complexes and rentals and limit the amount of trash swirling around the streets. Changes include caps on the number of toters, or large wheeled trash cans, an apartment complex can use before moving to a shielded dumpster, and a requirement that homeowners with alley pick-up shield their cans from view. You can find the full code update here, and the Cliff Notes version here.
Finally, hello, Oola Bowls. The Lancaster go-to for acai bowls is expanding operations with stores planned up and down the East Coast including at 16 E. Gay St. - yep, the former home of West Chester Diner is set to be filled again. This time itāll be a smoothie place (and bowls, and coffee). I canāt claim to be an acai aficionado but they claim you can taste the difference. If someone goes, let me know. Oola Bowls opens tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Goodbye.
Proposed changes to the high school schedule are raising concerns among area teachers.
Last month, West Chester Area School District introduced a new high school schedule that would significantly shake up the districtās decades-old class schedule. As you may or may not recall, the administration would like to move to a Drop 2 schedule with a rotation for all West Chester High Schools starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
Under the new schedule, students would operate on a four-day cycle, meaning all classes are attended at least once every four days. Currently, high school students operate on a five-day cycle. In addition, class length will increase from 42 minutes to 53 minutes, the order of classes will change daily helping to ensure the same class is not missed repeatedly, and students will have a mandatory one-hour Lunch & Learn (two 30-minute periods) every day. However, overall instructional time will be cut by an equivalent of two weeks a year for every class, meaning curricula will need to change to accommodate quicker pacing but doing this would free up more professional development time for teachers, a priority for district administrators.
If that seems like a lot, it is. Changes also have the potential to touch many other areas of high school life, all of which has left teachers feeling uneasy about the change.
Teacher reaction:
A survey of high school teachers conducted by the West Chester Area Education Association, the districtās teachersā union, reveals that teachers have, letās say, some reservations with the proposed schedule.
Of the teachers surveyed:
65% said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the schedule in general;
77% are concerned or very concerned about classes with unique course structures (i.e. science labs, music classes, child development, etc.)
64% are worried about the rotation.
They have also raised concerns around nonconforming class structures, the schedule rotation, loss of class time, and the proposed Lunch and Learn period.
One Rustin teacher I spoke with voiced specific concerns about extending the Lunch & Learn Period, which is an unstructured and largely unsupervised block of time students are supposed to use to catch up on homework, attend a club, ask a teacher a question, or grab lunch, if they havenāt already.
āRustin teachers have been frustrated by the lack of structure and supervision of students since the Lunch & Learn period was first introduced,ā she said. āThe fact that the district wants to disrupt the entire schedule in order to take a component of our schedule that is not effective and make it longer does not make any sense to me.ā She also points out that to extend the Lunch and Learn period, the district has to take instructional time. āThe new schedule results in far less time in classes but far more time in an unsupervised Lunch and Learn block,ā she said. (She also mentions more half days in the schedule - ugh. Not getting into that today, but all these half days have to go.)
According to an internal communication shared with union members, union leaders requested more detail from the district in the way of planning and execution including a comprehensive plan outlining the implications to facilities, credit requirements, course structure, and staffing, as well as build-level committees to review and improve Lunch & Learn operations before it is expanded to a full hour.
They also reportedly requested a one-year implementation delay.
āIf we think this wonāt work, weāre absolutely not going to do it.ā
The Districtās response:
West Chester Superintendent Dr. David Christopher is aware some teachers have concerns, although he would not comment on the survey directly, noting questions over methodology and scope. Still, he said, he is working with the Union to address concerns.
āIāve probably had ten meetings with teachers since the survey came in,ā he said. And the discussions are already starting to have an effect. Dr. Christopher says concerns about classes with unique course structures, like science labs and Family and Consumer Science courses, have largely been worked out. Rotation is still a challenge, but could easily be solved by moving back to a seven rather than an eight-period day. A change Dr. Christopher is not ready to make, but an option nonetheless.
The Lunch and Learns, he admits, are a challenge.
āWhen we implemented the 30-minute Lunch and Learn, we didnāt do it well,ā he said. āWe clearly have to improve what that looks like.ā
He is confident that it will happen, citing staff expertise and plenty of local examples to learn from (Unionville, Downingtown, and Lower Merion have all been utilizing Lunch & Learn periods for years.) This week at the School Board Finance Committee meeting, the Board approved a $400,000 request for Lunch and Learn furniture and equipment. Dr. Christopher said he hopes to have the first round of improvements implemented for the fall.
Still, he admits, there is much work to do.
āIām going to acknowledge, we are not where we want to be,ā he said, adding,āI think weāve learned a lot from people since we made the [schedule] announcement.ā
That said, heās not ready to step on the brakes just yet either.
āWeāve made some really rapid progress,ā he said. He is also working with Union leadership to nail down benchmarks and guidelines for potential implementation.
āI am shooting to have most of these things nailed down by October,ā he said. If by then, benchmarks on things like cost and staffing are not met, the district may consider a pause.
āIf we think this wonāt work, weāre absolutely not going to do it. Guess whoās going to clean up? Me.ā he said but noted the time to make that decision is next fall. āItās not April.ā
Next steps:
The District is going to continue to work with teachers and the Union to address concerns. Members of the staff may also take their pleas for a delay to the School Board next week. However, Union President Michele Curay Cramer said she would not be one of them.
āAs the official spokesperson for the Association, I will not be making any comments at Mondayās meeting,ā she said in an email.
Finding this all more confusing than insightful? The District is planning to hold a parent town hall before the end of the school year. āWe are just trying to address staff concerns first,ā said Dr. Christopher.
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Pay it Forward.
On Earth Day, the Chester County Commissioners joined others for the groundbreaking of a new pollinator garden in front of the Chester County Justice Center.
The Chester County Justice Center is getting ready to embrace a new pollinator garden, thanks in part to West Chesterās Green Team.
āMembers of the West Chester Green Team approached us to consider creating a pollinator garden in front of the Justice Center, and it is wonderful to see their idea come to fruition,ā Chester County Commissioners said in a statement. The garden will feature over 400 native perennials, trees, and shrubs and will be maintained by the County Facilities Department and members of Keep Chester County Beautiful with guidance from the Green Team.
āThe collaboration between the West Chester Green Team and Chester County on the Justice Center garden is a wonderful opportunity to transform a barren lawn into a dynamic pollinator garden,ā said Chris Pugliese, a landscape architect and Vice President of the West Chester Green Team. āWe could not ask for a more prominent location than the Justice Center to create such a garden.ā
The finished garden will help provide a much-needed boost to the local bee and butterfly populations.
To help get those 400 plants in the ground, Keep Chester County Beautiful will be holding a Pollinator Planting Day on May 3. They are looking for 50 volunteers to commit to one of two, two-hour planting slots. If you are able to help, grab your gardening gloves and sign up here.
Take the āGlitter is Litterā pledge. This year, West Chester University is encouraging graduates to take a glitter-free pledge. That means photos and celebrations without little pieces of paper glittering in the background. According to the West Chester Department of Sustainability, glitter takes hundreds of years to decompose, and animals can mistake it for food. Paper confetti can contain harmful chemicals and dyes, and both end up in streams and waterways (and letās face it, both have enough to worry about already.)
Students ready to swap the glitter for say a, ribbon wand, or bubbles, can take the Green Grad Pledge. Sign by April 30 and youāll be entered to win a free photo session with a professional photographer.
The Freakinā Weekend.
Get out. Explore. Itās beautiful out there right now.
What are you up to this weekend? That little spring break I took last week, well, letās just say, itās over. Itās a full weekend of youth sports for us. Plus, weāre attending the West Chester Green Teamās Earth Day Program on Saturday night. This year they are hosting a Middle Eastern cultural celebration catered by the Mediterranean. Should be fun. Then I am moderating a Q&A at the West Chester Film Festival. If you are at the Saturday evening film block, have your questions ready.
If you are around this weekend, there are many opportunities to get out. Besides the clean-ups, the film festival, and alumni weekend, the SPCA is hosting its annual Walk for Paws event at West Goshen Community Park on Saturday. The day-long celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. with the popular color run. Like the colors, not so much the running? A little further down the road at East Goshen Park, Chester County Families is hosting its annual Festival of Colors. Also, Skate Chesco, in collaboration with West Chester Borough, is hosting its second Skateboarding 101 Pop-up event. This time at Bayard Rustin Park. This is a free event, but registration is required.
If you prefer just to wander downtown, All the Dogs Love is celebrating lucky number seven with dog cookies and a wheel of fun. Stop in and cheer them on. On Saturday, Matlack Florist is hosting a free kids potting workshop. Planting starts at 10 a.m. and will continue as supplies last. Saturday is also Independent Bookstore Day. And guess what? After years of nothing, West Chester now has two(!) reasons to celebrate.
And this week a very special thank you to this week's Community Sponsor align.Space. align.Space is a gorgeous shared work and event space right in the middle of downtown West Chester. If you havenāt been in to check out yet, go now. Those third-floor views? Stunning.
 | A 24/7 professional clubhouse for Chester Countyās business leaders, align.Space is a unique shared workspace for members to work, meet, collaborate, network and socialize. Located in the historic F&M building in the heart of vibrant downtown West Chester, members enjoy three floors of beautiful workspace and meeting rooms, as well as a roster of convenient and enjoyable amenities. Schedule a tour today! |
View a list of all our amazing Community Sponsors here.
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Thatās it. Stay safe, stay happy, and thanks to everyone who helped make this weekās issue possible. Iāll see you next week!
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