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Lorane Elementary

Grades K-4 | 610-582-8608

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Directory

LORANE ELEMENTARY

699 Rittenhouse Drive | Reading, PA 19606
(610) 582-8608

Click Here For A Searchable Directory
  • Office

    x4002 Jennifer Cooke, Principal
    x4001 Jen Hemstreet, Secretary
    x4000 Adele Reilly, Attendance Secretary

  • Counselor & Psychologist

    x4006 Kaley Ryan, School Counselor
    x4101 Lisa Jacobson, Psychologist

  • Nurse

    x4004 Jessica Pinkasavage

  • Technology Support

    x4130 Cathy Bittinger

Note: Faculty phone numbers go to voice mail during school hours

  • Kindergarten

    x4110 Lynne DeCamillo
    x4114 Mary Firestone
    x4116 Nicola Kline
    x4113 Kaleigh Stein
    x4112 Chris Young

  • Grade 1

    x4115 Katie Hebel
    x4121 Adam Ousley
    x4117 Emily Zientek

  • Grade 2

    x4120 Patricia Cupitt
    x4123 Ashley Defiore
    x4119 David Fick
    x4122 Sarah Herchelroth

  • Grade 3

    x4146 Taylor Fasig
    x4147 Kelly Learn
    x4148 Sherilyn Reidinger-Smith
    x4149 Josie Whitney

  • Grade 4

    x4137 Shannon Deiuliis
    x4139 Derek Denunzio
    x4133 Danielle Hernandez
    x4138 Jessie Marburger

  • English as a Second Language

    x4127 Kellee Fries

  • Reading & Intervention Specialists

    x4127 Kellee Fries, English as a Second Language
    x4144 Katie Macrina, Reading Specialist
    x4147 Jodi Moyer, Intervention Specialist
    x4144 Monica Weisser, Reading Specialist

  • Special Education

    x4145 Nicole Angstadt, Learning Support
    x4109 Elizabeth Kennedy, Emotional Support 
    x4143 Kaitlyn McMenamin, Learning Support
    x4142 Lisa Nugent, Learning Support
    x4134 Kathy Walker, Gifted

  • Specials

    x4131 Tia Cosgrave, Art
    x4103 Nina Delewski, Music
    x4179 Taylor Kerling, Physical Education
    x4104 Emily Reppert, Instrumental Music
    x4176 Devon Tarewicz, Library

  • Therapist

    x4141 Tara Koch, Speech Therapist

Home » Mrs. Whitney Collects 10,000 Cans of Play-Doh to Honor Student She Never Taught
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Mrs. Whitney's 3rd grade class poses with the 2,000 cans of Play-Doh they've collected so far this year.

For nearly a decade, Lorane Elementary’s third-grade teacher Josie Whitney has spent the month of March honoring a little boy who she never knew and never had a chance to attend the school where she teaches.

When school started in the fall of 2012, she found out that Jason Heckman, the 3-year-old brother of her third-grade student, Sherry Heckman, was diagnosed with cancer. Then, just a few months later, Mrs. Whitney lost her own father when he passed away in January of 2013. Heartbreakingly, Jason then passed away from his illness in May–coincidentally, on Mrs. Whitney’s father’s birthday. “Having just lost my dad a few months before we lost Jason, I was a mess. I immediately reached out to his parents and walked over to their house during my planning period and asked what I could do to help. Jason’s mom mentioned that Jason loved fishing–and so did my dad, so my connection to his family felt even stronger–and that he loved playing with Play-Doh when he was receiving treatment at CHOP.” Jason’s mom explained that the children’s hospital was always in need of new cans of Play-Doh since the toy cannot be sanitized in between uses and has to be tossed after a single use. “That’s when I decided to have a Play-Doh drive to honor Jason and keep his name alive for his family,” said Mrs. Whitney.

In the following school year of 2014, Mrs. Whitney began organizing a school-wide Play-Doh collection annually every March to honor and remember Jason. To date, she’s collected over 10,000 cans of Play-Doh to donate to CHOP, even when she had to pause the collection in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. She hopes her collection this year may prove to be the best year yet–she said she’s collected just over 2,000 cans since the month-long drive began on March 1st. 

Although the drive was borne out of an excruciatingly sad event, Mrs. Whitney said that she sees joy in the students who choose to participate and her own students who get excited when the donations roll in by helping her count the donated cans each day as a math exercise. “Students love seeing me in the hallways at school and shouting, ‘I have Play-Doh for you, Mrs. Whitney!’” She also said her heart’s filled with gratitude when she sees her social media posts shared and donations come in from beyond the Lorane Elementary community, too. “The parents of a student this year have also promised to match the Play-Doh donations that their son receives. It’s truly blossomed into a community event.”

Mrs. Whitney also feels fortunate to continue to be connected to the Heckman family, even though it’s been a long time since Sherry, who’s now a senior, has walked the halls of Lorane Elementary. “I currently have their son Neo in my class,” she says, also mentioning that she also taught Brody, who’s now in 8th grade. “This drive is all about Jason and what donations can do for children in need. Even small donations add up to help,” she says, “And it all helps their families, too.” 

If you’d be interested in contributing to Mrs. Whitney’s Play-Doh drive, you can drop donations of new cans of Play-Doh off at Lorane Elementary between the hours of 9AM to 4PM or deliver new cans of Play-Doh through Amazon, WalMart, Target or other online retailers to the school:  

Lorane Elementary
Attention: Josie Whitney
699 Rittenhouse Drive
Reading, PA 19606

Lorane Elementary’s Play-Doh drive runs through the end of March, just in time to celebrate Jason’s birthday; he would have turned 13 on April 10, 2022. 

Lorane Elementary School

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Address & Contact Info

  • 699 Rittenhouse Drive
    Reading, PA 19606

  • Phone:
    610-582-8608

  • Fax:
    610-249-0173

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Our Schools

Exeter Township Senior High

Exeter Township Junior High

Reiffton School

Jacksonwald Elementary

Lorane Elementary

Owatin Creek Elementary