WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (SEPTEMBER 30, 2025) — The Williamsport Area School District Education Foundation (WASDEF) held its third annual Cherry + White Appreciation Night, an evening dedicated to honoring the invaluable contributions of WASD educators.
Held at the Michael Ross Event Center on Sept. 25, the event was marked by the induction of this year’s Williamsport Area High School Distinguished Alumni and a presentation by keynote speaker Joyce Abbott.
“On behalf of the education foundation board of directors, I want to express our appreciation to the educators in this room and for recognizing us as a vehicle by which to help enhance the educational experience,” said WASDEF Executive Director Greg Hayes.
Hayes reported the Foundation provided over $200,000 in grant support to district programs in the 2024-25 school year, benefiting more than 4,000 students. Additionally, WASDEF received nearly $360,000 in contributions from more than 400 donors.
Over the past five years, Hayes said, the Foundation has granted over $1 million to programs and scholarships, while also securing over $1.5 million in donations.
“Your dedication shapes the lives of thousands of graduates who go on to achieve remarkable success,” Hayes said, “like the individuals we’re about to honor.”
WASDEF President Mallory Weymer presented this year’s cohort of Distinguished Alumni: James “Jim” Burget ’68, Lee ’58 and Joanne (Moore) Fisher ’62, and Brigadier General Clarence Barry Hartman ’57.
Burget received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for his decades of service as an educator, coach and community volunteer. A longtime social studies teacher and cross country and track coach at WAHS, he guided student-athletes to district, state and national success. In retirement, Burget has remained active in the community through volunteer work with the James V. Brown Library, Lycoming College, Pine Street United Methodist Church and other organizations.
The Fishers were honored with the Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award for their decades of service in education and community leadership in Oneonta, N.Y. The couple co-founded the Oneonta branch of the NAACP in the early 1990s and have provided steady leadership through the organization’s Legal Redress Committee and other civic efforts for more than 30 years. In 2022, they were further recognized with a portrait unveiling in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Hartman earned the Distinguished Alumni Service Award in recognition of his decorated military career and lifelong commitment to public service. A West Point graduate, he served two combat tours in Vietnam and held command positions in Germany before retiring from active duty in 1992. He later retired from the New York Guard as deputy commander and has remained active through leadership roles with the Friends of the New York State Military Museum and West Point alumni organizations.
Abbott delivered her keynote under the theme of “Set the Bar Higher.” Abbott, a longtime educator and mentor best known as the inspiration behind the hit television show “Abbott Elementary,” shared insights drawn from her distinguished career in leadership and school climate. Since retiring in 2022 as Climate Manager at Andrew Hamilton School, where she guided the school to districtwide recognition for strides in culture, Abbott has become a celebrated voice in education, featured nationally across major media outlets and honored with both “Joyce Abbott Way” and “Joyce Abbott Day” in her native Philadelphia. She continues to champion positive, student-centered change and is the author of “Teaching, the Ms. Abbott Way: Lessons in Learning, Leadership & Life” (2024).
Among the evening’s highlights was the announcement of the recipient of the Founders Grant for Educational Excellence, a one-time, competitive grant opportunity created last year to commemorate the Foundation’s 20th anniversary.
“This competitive $40,000 grant — made possible by $20,000 from WASDEF and a generous matching contribution from the school district — was designed to fund an innovative, collaborative project that aligns with our shared mission of educational excellence.”
Patricia Miller, a math teacher at WAHS, was awarded the grant to support her vision for the Collaborative Corner in C-Pod, a pilot initiative that will transform an underutilized area of the school into a hub for collaboration and innovation.
The Foundation also gave away $3,000 in unrestricted classroom grants as prizes.
WASDEF is a recognized nonprofit affiliate of the Williamsport Area School District. The education foundation facilitates charitable giving and permanent legacies based on individual areas of interest in educational innovation, the arts, athletics and scholarships. For more information, visit www.wasdeducationfoundation.org.
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