Kellen Stepler stories, Page 17
Burrell secretaries get raises under new 5-year contract
Educational secretaries in the Burrell School District will see a 3% pay increase annually over the next five years. School directors approved an agreement with the district’s 11 educational secretaries for the 3% salary raises for a period beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2030, said Superintendent Shannon...
New Kensington-Arnold program improves attendance by 17%
Josiah Primus had a quick and simple answer when asked why it’s important to have excellent attendance. “You’ll do good in school,” said the 10-year-old, who is wrapping up fourth grade at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School. Josiah was one of 135 students from Hunt and H.D. Berkey schools in...
Burrell students teach, mentor younger generation on environment
Chad Clair wants to make science fun. By the looks of students from Stewart Elementary and Burrell High schools at K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park in Lower Burrell last week, mission accomplished. Students in Clair’s new Environmental Field Study course at Burrell, and members of the Environmental Club taught...
Future of PSNK property uncertain after college closes in 2027
Area leaders hope the future of the soon-to-be-shuttered Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell is one that will benefit the community’s long-term needs. “I think it’s important that we continue to engage the community that lives there, and how and what they’d like to see,” said state Rep....
Experts say Penn State’s campus closures the harsh reality
Decades ago, the good times rolled at Penn State. In the 1990s, the state’s flagship was one of the most popular institutions nationwide, claiming to receive more SAT scores from high-school seniors than any other college, according to reports at the time. Pennsylvania was expecting its college-going population to swell,...
Penn State closing vote draws harsh reactions
Over the past two years, Darcy Holtzman worked with her fellow teachers at Burrell High School to provide more hands-on, real-world career experience for her students. Part of that included visits to the Penn State New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell. “Penn State New Kensington has been a huge help...
Penn State to close New Kensington and Fayette campuses
Penn State’s New Kensington and Fayette campuses — as well as five other branch campuses statewide — will cease to exist in two years. The university’s board of trustees voted, 25-8, on Thursday evening in a virtual meeting to close the New Kensington, Fayette, DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and...
Burrell advances heating, cooling project at high school; budget plan with 3.8% tax hike OK’d
The Burrell School Board has taken the first step to undergo a heating and cooling project at Burrell High School. Superintendent Shannon Wagner said the board voted Tuesday to advertise construction project bids for HVAC improvements at the high school. The school does not have air conditioning. The heating and...
Health department: Allegheny County resident linked to multi-state outbreak of salmonella
An Allegheny County resident has contracted salmonella linked to a multi-state outbreak of the illness, according to the county’s health department. The health department said in a statement that the most people associated with this current outbreak have reported contact with backyard poultry. Public health officials are working to get...
Nonprofit would boost children’s literacy in Pittsburgh area
Ryan Scarola has a vision to serve children in the Beltzhoover and Mount Oliver neighborhoods with free books, after-school programming and creative writing workshops through a new nonprofit, The Reading Room. A fundraiser May 15 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall helped launch that mission. There, about...
Bridgeville area primary roundup: Montani, Trainor top vote-getters in Chartiers Valley; Bigham wins in Carnegie
Primary election results narrowed down the Chartiers Valley School Board race from nine candidates to six. The candidates included incumbents Mitch Montani, Herb Ohliger, Megan Sexton and Lisa Trainor; and newcomers Mark Dodson, Mark Fiorilli, Nancy Herzing, Erin Rodgers and Patrick Tardio for four seats on the school board. All...
Toney, DiCarolis win New Kensington Democratic council primary
Unofficial results from a three-person race for two Democratic Party nominations on New Kensington Council showed Phillip Toney and Nicholas DiCarolis coming out on top. With 100% of precincts reporting results and most write-in votes tallied, Toney had collected 36.8% of the votes counted, DiCarolis had 33.6% and challenger Randi...
Stoltz, Logan win Lower Burrell Council primary
David Stoltz and Carley Logan appeared to be the top two vote-getters in a three-person race for the Republican nomination for seats on Lower Burrell Council. With 100% of precincts reporting results and most write-in votes tallied, Stoltz had collected 38.2% of the GOP votes counted, Logan had 36% and...
Recipes sought for Bridgeville anniversary cookbook
Bridgeville is cooking up 125 years of memories with a community cookbook. The borough’s 125th anniversary committee is seeking recipes for the cookbook. It’s part of the committee’s plans to celebrate Bridgeville’s 125th year as a borough next summer. “This has been something we’ve done in the past for other...
Chartiers Valley boys lacrosse alumni game aims to connect current, former players
Things came full circle when Kyle Kelsch, who played lacrosse at Chartiers Valley from 2008 to 2011, became the assistant varsity coach of the team this year. Now, he’s asking other alumni to get together and give back to the boys lacrosse program with its first-ever alumni game at 3...
‘Gallop of the Graduates’ takes Chartiers Valley seniors down memory lane
Stacie Vaughan joined her students and colleagues lining the hallways of Chartiers Valley Intermediate School ready to welcome and celebrate this year’s graduating class. She had with her a green piece of paper. That paper had a printed book cover of Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.” It’s a book Stacie’s...
New Huston Middle School courses to be hands-on, engaging for students
Music production, baking and hospitality, and an exercise dance are some of the courses seventh and eighth grade students at Huston Middle School in Lower Burrell may be able to take next year. The school will be rolling out its new “studio” model of elective courses next year, said Principal...
Burrell teacher among few headed to U.S. Supreme Court training
A Burrell High School teacher is one of 60 nationwide who will get firsthand training to help teach students about the United States judicial system. Amanda Pagnotta will travel to Washington, D.C., in June to attend the Supreme Court Summer Institute, which aims to give teachers the opportunity to study...
‘Something we value’: Community beautifies Bridgeville’s butterfly pollinator garden
A love for the community and gardening made a perfect Saturday morning for Alison Thomas and her family. The Thomases, of Bridgeville — Justin, Alison and their children Hannah, 6, and Max, 4 — were among about 25 Bridgeville-area residents beautifying the new Baldwin Street butterfly pollinator garden May 17....
No tax increase anticipated at Carlynton
Property owners in the Carlynton School District likely will not see an increase in their taxes next school year. The district’s proposed budget for 2025-26 totals $37.1 million and maintains the current millage rate of 28.5083 mills. “This budget allows us to continue supporting our outstanding academic programs, extracurricular activities...
Penn State clashes with its land-grant mission as it mulls branch campus closures
As the discussion continues over Penn State’s recommendation to shutter seven branch campuses, much of the debate has turned to whether the closures would allow Penn State to continue to fulfill its mission as a land-grant university. But what exactly is a land-grant university? In 1863, Penn State was designated...
Stewart School’s final history to be told by one of its last students
The beginnings and the ends of Stewart Elementary School are coming together for Teddy Heberling’s project about the nearly century-old Lower Burrell institution. “I knew it was old, but I didn’t know it was 90 years old,” said Teddy, 10 and a fifth grader at Stewart. “It’s cool to me...
‘Linda Louise Foundation’ to promote New Kensington youths, basketball with tournament
An upcoming event in New Kensington aims to showcase the positive in the city through basketball and provide a boost to city organizations. On June 1, the newly-founded Linda Louise Foundation and Kings & Queens of the Court will host the “Battle on Barnes,” a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and event...
Burrell schools budget would raise taxes 3.8%
The Burrell School Board next week will consider moving forward with a proposed budget that would raise taxes 3.8%. The proposed budget totals close to $37.7 million, which is a 3% increase from this school year’s budget, Business Manager Jennifer Callahan said. The real estate tax increase included in the...
Possible PSNK closure a blow to area school districts, but they’ll continue to promote the option
Nine students from last year’s graduating class from Kiski Area High School intended to attend Penn State New Kensington. But, so far, only two students from this year’s graduating class plan to do so. And Superintendent Jason Lohr can’t help but think that press coverage surrounding Penn State’s announcement of...
