Why is this program called “Jasper”?
Naming this initiative was the hardest thing of all for the core team of teachers and leaders.  We did not want an acronym or jargon related to education. We wanted a name meant something in our local community and had symbolism for our program's beliefs.

Our local history
Our school district is home to some of the oldest jasper mines in North America.  Native Americans were mining jasper for thousands of years.  The Lenni Lenape lived here until the mid 1700's and used the jasper found in Vera Cruz to trade with others that came from hundreds of miles away.  The jasper was what connected the Lenni Lenape to others in the Lehigh Valley and Mid-Atlantic regions.

In nearby Vera Cruz, you will find Jasper Park, which was founded under the Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act, enacted on June 22, 1964. The act "permits the state to issue bonds for the purchase of lands for public parks…and historical preservation purposes, and to coordinate those purchases with local governments."

Geological background
Jasper is a type of microcrystalline quartz, which is made up of silicon and oxygen (SiO2).  It is unique because it can have different colors and distinct patterns.  The beauty and variety that we see on the outside can be attributed to the impurities that were picked up along the way as the silica-rich water flowed through and over volcanic rock.  During the crystallization process, the impurities provided color and block light from passing through.  

Jasper (and quartz) is a hard mineral and is a 7/10 on the Moh's Hardness Scale.  This means it is a hard, but workable mineral and especially valued when it came to making jewelry or sharp objects, like arrowheads, knives, and other tools.