Kellen Stepler stories, Page 2
806-unit development approved in Collier
An 806-unit development between Fort Pitt and Scotts Run roads in Collier was approved by township commissioners despite public pushback and concerns. The Collier Ridge development was approved by commissioners in a 3-1 vote, with one abstention, on March 23. The development will be on 154 acres of the total...
New contract includes interior cameras, GPS tracking for West Mifflin school buses
West Mifflin Area School District’s new transportation contract calls for a new and modernized bus fleet with enhanced safety technology, district officials say. The district entered into a 5-year contract with Krise Transportation for student transportation, said Mireille Mobley, West Mifflin spokeswoman. Krise will replace Sun Coach Lines, West Mifflin’s...
Point Park University raises tuition
Point Park University students will pay about 3% more in tuition next academic year. Tuition for a full-time undergraduate student in Point Park’s schools of education, business, communication or arts and sciences will be $20,130 per semester, or $40,260 per year, in the 2026-27 school year. That’s an increase from...
Program between Chatham, West Allegheny to give students immersive reality college credits
West Allegheny High School students will trade the books for virtual reality headsets as part of a new collaboration with Chatham University. Chatham and West Allegheny will launch a dual enrollment program in virtual reality and immersive design fields next fall. The West Allegheny School District serves Findlay, North Fayette...
Seton Hill, Point Park, CCAC to bolster initiatives to help parents earn degrees
It’s difficult for someone with a child at home to enter or return to college. Tuition costs seemingly keep increasing. Reliable child care is tricky to lock down. And navigating a work-life-family-school balance is a challenging juggling act. “The burden has become on the side of the colleges — in...
Colleges attract nontraditional students given upcoming enrollment cliffVideo
Jessica Wheeler isn’t joking when she says she’s old enough to be the mother of her fellow students at Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus. Her daughter, Alivia, is also a student at PennWest California. Jessica, 43, graduates in May with a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education. Alivia, 20, is...
Pittsburgh students tour NFL Draft stage build, explore careers in trades
Pittsburgh-area high school students studying carpentry will get to learn more about the trade on the city’s biggest stage. Students from seven area high schools or career technology centers plan a visit Wednesday to the city’s North Shore to get a tour of the stage building and preparations for the...
Dating choices or draft picks — the cognitive science behind either is similar, CMU professors say
The human behavior and decision-making aspects behind a person’s dating life doesn’t stray too differently from the choices that coaches and general managers make when selecting a player in the NFL Draft. “You date someone and you make a choice to commit to this person, or keep looking,” said Cleotilde...
Brashear physical education class a learning opportunity for future teachers and students with special needsVideo
A new, collaborative physical education class at Brashear High School is proving beneficial to all students involved. Its first mission is giving Brashear students with intellectual disabilities a sense of belonging and inclusion through sport, said Brashear health teacher Christine Wolski. But the class is also a learning experience for...
Pitt students track Artemis II spacecraft in worldwide NASA test
A 4 a.m. test Thursday put University of Pittsburgh engineering students and the school’s ham radio club on a global stage. Pitt was one of eight educational institutions worldwide selected by NASA to study the Artemis II mission and track the Orion spacecraft. “The big win is the student experience,...
Pitt medical researchers get a ‘signing day’ to recognize their work in the marketplaceVideo
Rebecca Price, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pittsburgh, diagnosed a problem: Patients with depression were suffering too long until finding the right treatment. So she developed technology that helps them change habits and thinking patterns, working alongside traditional treatments like medication. Price published her findings — and her...
Greensburg native, IUP alum donates $100K to support STEM faculty
Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral C.J. Jaynes, a Greensburg native and Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate, has donated $100,000 to support the university’s college of natural sciences and mathematics endowed faculty fellowship program. The donation is part of IUP’s “Impact 150” capital campaign. As of December 2025, the campaign’s total...
Pitt selected to follow Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft journey
The University of Pittsburgh was one of eight universities worldwide chosen by NASA to track Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft. Pitt engineering students, faculty and the Panther Amateur Radio Club will use a mix of analog devices and artificial intelligence to track Orion in real time. Using instruments they built to...
Solar farm planned in Swisshelm Park would power 4 Pittsburgh Public schools
A brownfield in Pittsburgh’s Swisshelm Park neighborhood is set to become a solar array that would power four Pittsburgh Public Schools facilities. The Urban Redevelopment Authority plans to enter into a 25-year lease agreement with Capital Good Fund to develop a solar farm on a 15-acre site in Swisshelm Park,...
Passport Academy Charter School planning move to Uptown location
Passport Academy Charter School, a public charter school aimed to help high school students graduate and enter the workforce, is planning a move to the Uptown section of Pittsburgh. Passport Academy wants to operate at 1835 Forbes Ave., moving from its current location in Garfield. The school is asking the...
South Fayette to build a new $85M elementary school
A growing number of students, and their increasing needs, are part of the rationale behind a new, $85 million elementary school in the South Fayette Township School District. The school is set to be constructed by August 2028. It will be built on the district’s campus, 3680 Old Oakdale Road....
‘A busy, community neighborhood school’: Mt. Lebanon’s Lincoln Elementary turns 100
When Roberta McConnell Douds resigned from her position as the first principal of Mt. Lebanon’s Lincoln School, her supervisor, C. Herman Grose, regretfully accepted her resignation. “Have you ever written a letter against your will?” Grose wrote to McConnell on April 29, 1932, in response to her resignation. “I shall...
‘The need will always be there’: Pittsburgh-area high schools add cybersecurity classes to meet growing demandVideo
Fueled by an interest in technology, Baylee Blanton taught herself to code in middle school. She’d later join the robotics team but, outside of that, couldn’t find other outlets to pursue her passion. It wasn’t until high school that she was able to get practical experience, landing a cybersecurity internship...
Woodland Hills School Board changes course, will hold April meetings in person
Woodland Hills School Board leadership has decided to hold its April meetings in person, just days after announcing plans to hold the public meetings virtually. President Karen Lyons said board leadership made the switch back to in-person meetings “following a thorough review and the successful development and implementation of an...
Fundraiser, funeral services announced for Chartiers Valley junior Trinity Irwin
Trinity Irwin, a Chartiers Valley High School junior remembered as an exceptional student and deeply involved in the community, has died, the school district has announced. Members of the Chartiers Valley community have established a GoFundMe online fundraiser to support Irwin medical and funeral expenses. A viewing will be held...
Celebrate CV expo showcases student success at Chartiers Valley
Chartiers Valley School District held its interactive student expo, “Celebrate CV,” on Tuesday, March 31 at the high school. A districtwide showcase, members of the community could explore student projects, displays and performances highlighting talents and achievements of district students and staff. The event offered activities from student clubs, sports...
Sto-Rox changes school start times: later for middle and high School, earlier for elementary
Students in the Sto-Rox School District will report to school at different times next year. The school day at the Sto-Rox Primary Center will start at 8:10 a.m. and end at 2:40 p.m., about an hour earlier from this year’s school day. The Upper Elementary School will start at 8...
Penn State adds course to support students at closing branch campuses
Penn State has launched a new course to help guide students at its seven commonwealth campuses that will close in a year. The Degree Completion and Transition Support course will automatically appear on eligible students’ online dashboards, Penn State officials announced this week. According to Penn State, the course will...
IUP, Franklin Regional to assess video game English curriculum to improve students’ decision-making skills
Today’s teenagers and characters in classic literary texts have practically nothing in common — other than that they face a litany of decisions. “When Hamlet says ‘to be or not to be,’ that’s a choice,” said Mike Sell, an English professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “Having students think about...
Woodland Hills to hold April board meetings online after ‘disruptive behavior’ at in-person meetings
The Woodland Hills School Board’s April meetings will be held online-only. In a legal advertisement, the board said in a statement that, in recent weeks, “there have been instances of disruptive behavior during public meetings as well as verbal harassment directed toward board members and district administrators following adjournment. “We...
