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Unionville High School Introduces New Instructional Interventionist

For many students, Algebra I is more than just a class—it’s a crossroads. 

In Pennsylvania, passing the Algebra I Keystone is a graduation milestone every student must reach. More important than that, it is also the moment where math shifts from the concrete world of counting objects to the abstract world of what-ifs.

According to new UHS Math Instructional Interventionist Evan Marabella, Algebra is the essential foundation for anyone planning to enroll in a more advanced math course. "My own AP Calculus teacher used to say that only 10% of the work is actually Calculus. The other 90% is the Algebra behind it,” he reflected. 

Unionville High School Math Department Chair Kevin Long added that Algebra skills aren’t just for the classroom. They’re used by every adult who calculates discounts, compound interest or mortgage costs. 

No matter their goals, Mr. Marabella is now working hand-in-hand with fellow faculty members like Mr. Long to ensure that every student has more support than ever to master this shift.

Marabella dedicates his time to meeting students where they are with hands-on coaching, whether in a class, small group or one-on-one. “A lot of it is behind-the-scenes work looking at data and understanding trends,” he reflected. “For example, if the majority of a class doesn’t score well in a standard, it’s likely something we need to address with our teaching and through some extra practice.” 

The innovation isn't just in how faculty teach, but what they use. The department has recently adopted Delta Math, an online platform that provides real-time data. Instead of waiting for a test, teachers can see which concepts students have already mastered and where they might need more help.

During Lunch & Learn, the team also offers optional sessions on the types of problems specifically expected to be on the Keystone Exams. 
“If an individual student who has historically underperformed grows by even 5%, we celebrate that,” shared Marabella. “Not all students are going to be high-achieving in every subject. You have to recognize the small wins!” 

“Having Mr. Marabella as our Instructional Interventionist allows us to focus on the 'small wins' that lead to major milestones,” agreed UHS Principal Pat Crater. “Evan’s work alongside our math department allows us to be incredibly responsive to the needs of our students, and we are celebrating growth at every level.” 

At the end of the day, Mr. Marabella says it’s less about the content and more about the connection. “I always say that you might not use Algebra in your career, but you can be sure you will work in groups to communicate, collaborate, and think critically,” stated Marabella. “You will need to solve a problem and to persevere through it. These are the skills I try to teach to kids and how I teach them is through math.” 

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Marabella and his colleagues, UHS students will be more successful than ever when they eventually walk across the graduation stage. They’ll carry with them a passing score, the resilience to face any problem and the confidence to solve it.

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 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.