7 in the running for 5 spots on Penn Hills School Board
Editor’s note: The Penn Hills Progress is publishing election previews with candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. Previews for the mayoral and council races will run in upcoming issues. In the race for Penn Hills School Board, seven candidates are running for five open spots on...
All Penn Hills School District students to receive library cards
Penn Hills Library is now more accessible to local students. The Allegheny County Library Association teamed up with local school districts to expand library access to students with a free student library card program. The Library Association was able to upload school record information into the Penn Hills Library system...
Penn Hills Community Fridge program flourishing
The Penn Hills Public Library has been helping the community in more ways than one with the growth of its Community Fridge Program. This food pantry, which is inside the library on the second floor, is open and available to anyone in need and does not require a library card...
Penn Hills Elementary students participate in CalcuSolve competition
Eight Penn Hills Elementary students showed off their math skills when they attended the CalcuSolve competition at Duquesne University on Feb. 3. The event was sponsored by Allegheny Intermediate Unit, and the students competed on an individual and team basis to solve complex math word problems. The event was attended...
Penn Hills High School students watch open heart surgery
Twelve students from Penn Hills High School recently took an interesting visit to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh where they viewed a live open heart surgery as part of AGH’s Open Heart Surgery Observation Program. The students viewed the procedure from an atrium above the surgical room, which gave them...
Penn Hills School District police supervisor Keith Lazaron resigns
Penn Hills School Board accepted the resignation of school police supervisor Keith Lazaron at the Jan. 26 school board meeting. Lazaron was hired in October of 2022 on a five-year contract to run the safety programs at all of the districts schools. The district utilized a $323,000 grant through the...
Penn Hills High School expands college in high school offerings
Students at Penn Hills High School can get a taste of university life while also earning college credits for the future by participating in the school’s dual enrollment courses, also known as college in high school. The courses not only offer students credits towards their high school graduation, they also...
Verona students show their skills in making gingerbread houses
Third-grade students at Verner Elementary School in Verona recently took part in one of their most anticipated events of the holiday season when they put together a gingerbread house display. The display has been running for eight straight years at Verner, with the third-graders designing and creating their own houses...
Penn Hills High School students place in Carnegie Mellon University coding competition
Three students from Penn Hills High School recently earned a major honor competing against other students from around the globe. Seniors Eric Cronin and Matthew Kirby and junior Caleb Lohr recently all placed in the top three in their respective divisions at the bi-annual fall 20222 Carnegie Mellon University Creative...
Vecchio again voted Penn Hills School Board president
Although she recently threw her hat in the ring for the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s nomination for the late State Rep. Tony Deluca’s seat, Erin Vecchio was unanimously re-elected as Penn Hills School Board president for the seventh straight year. “I’m thankful for the board to believe in me still....
Oakmont Hometown Christmas celebration set for Nov. 19
Oakmont Borough is kicking off the holiday season on Nov. 19 with the annual Oakmont Hometown Christmas celebration along Allegheny River Boulevard, from 4 to 8 p.m. The event begins with entertainment on the main stage near the clock tower, but it really kicks into high gear with the holiday...
Oakmont shines with annual Fall Festival
Oakmont Borough celebrated the Halloween season with the annual Fall Festival that took place in the center of town. The most anticipated part was the Halloween parade, which kicked off the Oct. 29 festivities at 11 a.m. Led by the Riverview High School Marching Band, a group of costumed children...
‘It’s a huge turnout’: Organizers pleased with Verona’s Trunk or Treat
Verona kicked off the borough’s Halloween celebration with its second annual Trunk or Treat event, which took place Oct. 27 at Railroad Park alongside the Verona Farmers Market. Riverview School Board member Stefanie Garibay helped organize the event and said the goal was to help bring more awareness to the...
Penn Hills School District hires Lazaron as chief of school police force
The Penn Hills school board made a bold new change to the district’s safety capabilities on Oct. 27 when they approved the hire of new chief of school police/school resource officer Keith Lazaron. Lazaron comes to the district with 21 years of experience and was working as a School Resource...
Oakmont Paranormal Society partners with Munhall library for ghost hunt
This Halloween season, the Oakmont Paranormal Society again is partnering with the Carnegie Library of Homestead to offer something spooky, historical and fun. From 7 p.m. to midnight Oct. 29, visitors will be able to take a guided ghost tour of the reportedly haunted library location in Munhall. The library...
‘What Oakmont is all about’: Chamber organizes fall festival
The Oakmont Chamber of Commerce is coordinating a day of Halloween-themed activities for the whole family in presenting the Oakmont Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 29. “I have owned a business here for 22 years, and each and every year we do this, it’s such a...
Childhood friends get new lease on life thanks to directed kidney donation
Kate Shovel and Amber Sylvester have been friends for more than 35 years. They met going to school at Penn Hills in first grade and remained friends even after Shovel moved to Plum in high school. They played softball together as teenagers and became really close. Just a couple of...
Linton Middle School unveils STEM lab, New Directions room
Penn Hills School District’s Linton Middle School unveiled a recently completed STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lab, as well as a New Directions room. On Sept. 15, the school district also welcomed Sen. Jay Costa (D-Forest Hills) to tour and dedicate the upgraded spaces. First on the tour was...
New Verona signs installed
Verona Borough recently completed a beautification project with the installation of several new welcome signs at multiple entrances to the municipality. In the works for over a year, the new signs were placed at both ends of Allegheny River Boulevard, replacing old ones that no longer conformed to Pennsylvania Department...
Borough secretary, 2 council members resign in Verona
Verona is going through a transition period following the unexpected resignations this past week of three members of the borough’s management team and council. At its Aug. 30 meeting, Verona council accepted the resignation of borough secretary Christine DeRunk, effective Sept. 9. DeRunk came aboard in August 2021 and had...
Verona Community Day returns Sept. 24
On Sept. 24, the Verona Community Group will present the second annual Verona Community Picnic, to take place at Cribbs Field on Second Street from 2 to 6 p.m. The day will feature a wide array of family-friendly activities, but the cornerstone will be the food, with the community group...
‘New connections and new friends’: PTO event at Oakmont school welcomes back students, families
Many of Oakmont’s youngsters returned to school a bit early. The occasion was 10th Street Elementary School’s meet-and-greet event for returning and incoming students and their families, featuring free snow cones from Kona Ice’s truck and a menu of Mediterranean-style food for sale from Ash and Kris Kitchen. The festivities,...
Oakmont Boy Scouts celebrate 75th anniversary
Boy Scouts of America Troop 854 is holding its 75th-anniversary celebration on Sept. 3 at the place where the group has met since 1947, when it was known as Troop 84: Oakmont Presbyterian Church, 415 Pennsylvania Ave. The event will feature guest speakers including Jim Hamilton, an Eagle Scout from...
Back to school: Tenth Street Elementary in Oakmont welcomes large influx of kindergartners
Aug. 25 marks the return to the classroom for students in all three Riverview School District buildings, and one of the notable changes this year is an extra-large group of kindergartners at Tenth Street Elementary in Oakmont. The school will be inviting 70 kindergartners, and according to Principal David Zolkowski,...
Verona hosts wrestling Battle in the Borough 4
Professional wrestling returns to Verona on Aug. 20 when the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance will be in town for the Battle in the Borough 4. Taking place at Cribbs Field, 700 Second St., and hosted by the Lower Valley Athletic Foundation and Verona Parks and Recreation Board, the extravaganza will...
