By Patrick Varine

Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 9:01 p.m.
Updated: Friday, March 29, 2013

Students, parents and residents were able to take one last, loving look at the old Penn Hills High School on Valentine's Day.

Demolition began on the old senior high this morning, Thursday, and school district officials were able to make the most of the building's final days by holding an auction of older equipment, donating items to Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville and using the building as a training ground for local police and the county SWAT team.

Business director Richard Liberto said an equipment auction, held Feb. 9, brought in about $70,000.

“We had everything from old furniture to lockers to older yearbooks,” Liberto said. “People bought old letters that went on lettermen jackets, the old science-equipment frogs that students used to dissect, microscopes, old VCRs and TVs and a lot of other miscellaneous stuff.”

Liberto said proceeds from the auction will be put into the district's bond fund.

The district also donated more than 360 lockers and about 130 desks and chairs to Forbes Road Career and Technology Center, according to Forbes Administrative Director Paul Balint.

“Our lockers are getting older here and deteriorating. Kids use them and break them,” Balint said. “We're guessing that they run about $100 to $150 per locker, so you can imagine what that saved us in our budget.

“It's really helped us out a lot.”

Additionally, members of the Penn Hills Police Department and the Allegheny County SWAT team held training exercises Feb. 12 and 13.

Calendar

School board officials approved the 2013-14 school calendar at their Feb. 11 meeting. Some highlights include:

• Aug. 26: First day of school for students

• Nov. 28 to Dec. 2: Thanksgiving break

• Dec. 23 to Jan. 2: Holiday break

• Jan. 14: No school for students

• Jan. 20: Martin Luther King Day, no school

• Feb. 17: President's Day, no school (first possible make-up day)

• March 21: Professional education day, no school

• April 16 to 21: Easter break (April 16, 17 and 21 are all possible make-up days)

• May 23: Kennywood picnic day, no school

• May 26: Memorial Day, no school

• June 6: High school commencement, last day for students

Keystone exams

School board officials also approved a change in students' schedules during the administration of the 2013 Keystone exams:

• May 13: All junior and senior students proficient and advanced on the Algebra I Keystone will be excused from school.

• May 14: All freshman and senior students, in addition to juniors proficient and advanced on the Literature Keystone will be excused from school.

• May 15: All seniors will be excused to allow all other grade levels to take the Biology Keystone.

Patrick Varine is an editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7845 or pvarine@tribweb.com.

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