Education category, Page 27
Forbes Road students take cybersecurity presentation to national business competition
This time last year, Forbes Road Career & Technology Center teacher George Karnbauer was keeping an eye on three of his students as they gave a cybersecurity presentation, making sure to jump in if he felt like something needed clarified or explained. Last month, Karnbauer sat in the audience as...
New PennWest University president called right pick at a pivotal time
Jon Anderson, provost and vice president for academic affairs and a professor at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, is Pennsylvania Western University’s new president. The State System of Higher Education board of governors chose Anderson Wednesday during a special meeting held by Zoom to find a permanent leader for...
New Hempfield Area architect approaching high school project from the ground up
Hempfield Area School District’s new architect is beginning at square one as it takes over the district’s proposed multimillion-dollar high school renovation project. “While … being respectful of all the work that’s been done, we are still asking all the questions as if we’re starting from scratch, to make sure...
Penn State trustees approve $700M renovation of Beaver Stadium
Penn State University trustees approved a $700 million renovation to Beaver Stadium on Tuesday after a sometimes heated debate about the athletic and economic benefits versus financial risks. The 26-2 vote during a special meeting followed a 90-minute presentation and discussion. There were three abstentions. Earlier Tuesday, the project passed...
PennWest students on whirlwind storm-chasing trip
PennWest California student Jared Riley says he’s an adrenaline junkie who keeps a close eye on the weather. When he clambered out of the van he was sharing with classmates last week and saw a supercell thunderstorm up close, his excitement was palpable. Once he and his group drove close...
Heat forces 39 Pittsburgh public schools to move to remote learning
Pittsburgh Public Schools announced it will transition students and staff to remote learning Tuesday and Wednesday at more than half its schools because of hot weather. Thirty-nine facilities that lack air conditioning will be closed as the district triggers its extreme heat protocol. Teachers will conduct classes over Microsoft Teams....
Penn State trustee opposes $700M stadium renovation on eve of vote
Penn State University trustees are expected to vote Tuesday on whether an institution that is both a football powerhouse and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt should spend $700 million for a stadium renovation. One trustee has made it quite clear publicly how he feels. On his website, trustee...
Franklin Regional Intermediate School named among Discovery Education Schools of the Year
During the 2017-18 school year, Franklin Regional administrators and staff opted to partner with Discovery Education, which helps educators integrate modern technology into their lesson plans, and provides academic support through multimedia content and other classroom tools. During the same time period, district officials were working to put a Google...
Greensburg Salem preliminary budget contains nearly $2.4M shortfall
Greensburg Salem School District is facing a nearly $2.4 million shortfall in its preliminary budget for next school year. The school board has until the end of June to pass a balanced budget for 2024-2025. That can be achieved by cutting expenses, increasing revenue through a tax hike or other...
Hempfield Area School Board approves district’s next superintendent
Incoming Hempfield Area School District Superintendent Mark Holtzman is keenly aware of the stalled high school renovation project. “The large construction project that’s been kind of looming over the last couple of years really needs to take shape,” he said. “I think kind of orchestrating and getting those things tied...
70 years ago, school integration was a dream many believed could actually happen. It hasn’t
WASHINGTON — Seventy years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools by race was unconstitutional. On paper, that decision — the fabled Brown v. Board of Education, taught in most every American classroom — still stands. But for decades, American schools have been re-segregating. The...
Beaver Area School District head recommended as Hempfield Area’s new superintendent
Former McKeesport Area and current Beaver Area Superintendent Mark Holtzman is set to become Hempfield’s top school official. Holtzman will be recommended for appointment as superintendent of Hempfield Area School District at a special board meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to a letter sent to parents Tuesday from the...
IUP prepares for academic overhaul with proposed college name changes
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is poised to undergo an academic restructuring that would include name changes for three of its five colleges, discontinuing low-enrolled programs and identifying areas for future growth. Those moves and others will be reviewed by the State System of Higher Education in Harrisburg in the coming...
As low attendance persists, school districts weigh the role of the magistrate
Students who habitually log unexcused absences could be in for more than a trip to the district judge. Instead, they might get a teacher-mentor, access to a licensed therapist or a home visit from a social worker — all steps that school leaders are taking in hopes of reversing a...
From fossil fuels to Israel, university divestment debates can be lengthy struggles
Protesters yelling “divest” outside the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning had a bullhorn, a well-honed message and a chest-high yellow banner that read: “We’re Still Here.” But their focus wasn’t the Israel-Hamas war. On that day in January 2020, they were demanding that Pitt rid its multibillion-dollar endowment of...
‘I put five years of my life into this’: Seton Hill graduates first class of doctor of physical therapy students amid open job market
As Morgan Simkovic watched her brother receive treatment following a brain tumor diagnosis in 2010, she knew she wanted to be a physical therapist one day. Simkovic sat in on some of her brother’s physical therapy treatments at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. He completed seven months of...
University of Pittsburgh faculty ratifies 1st union contract
About 3,500 University of Pittsburgh faculty represented by the United Steelworkers have ratified their first contract with Pitt, and it includes a $60,000 salary floor for full-time professors, yearly raises and enhanced job protections. The union Saturday announced results from weeklong voting on the main Oakland campus and branches at...
Area organizations offer creative and performing arts summer programs for kids of all ages
For kids with a creative streak, the summer can be a great chance to expand their horizons and learn new skills. In the Southwestern Pennsylvania region, many arts organizations are offering programs for the summer of 2024 that will entice and engage students, from 2-year-olds all the way up to...
Duquesne student’s journey from a cracked violin to master’s degree, fellowship
At age 9, Jesse Thompson heard a violin for the first time and was mesmerized by it during a student assembly as a public school student in Williamsport, Pa. There was one problem. There were not enough violins in school for him to study it in class. “I was bawling...
Some residents shocked by news of potential closing of Stewart Elementary
Sharon Nealer’s jaw dropped Thursday when she heard the news that Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell might close. “I’m shocked. I think it looks perfect the way it is,” said Nealer, who was shopping along Leechburg Road just a few blocks from the school. Burrell School District officials have...
Penn State branch campuses will offer faculty, staff buyouts
Penn State University is offering eligible faculty, staff and administrators on its 20 Commonwealth campuses the option to leave their jobs with a lump sum payment and benefits. The move comes as Pennsylvania’s flagship public university works to shrink a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. A number of its Commonwealth campuses, including...
Hempfield Area Project 18 students share civics lesson at West Point Elementary
Students of Hempfield Area High School’s Project 18 class visited with fourth graders at West Point Elementary on Wednesday. Project 18 is a state and local government class that originally was spearheaded by the state of Pennsylvania in response to 18-year-olds being given the right to vote. The elective class...
From the Newsroom podcast: A look at the student protests at Pitt
Over the past few weeks, universities and colleges across the country have seen unrest tied to the growing public sympathy for Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war. The University of Pittsburgh also saw a version of this national protest with its own Schenley Plaza as the site of students’ pro-Palestine encampment....
PennWest trustees recommend 2 presidential candidates
PennWest University trustees on Monday forwarded the names of two presidential hopefuls – one from Utah and the other from Tennessee – to the State System of Higher Education, which will pick the institution’s next president later this month. They are:Jon Anderson, provost and vice president for academic affairs/professor at...
Striking deals to end campus protests, some colleges invite discussion of their investments
NEW YORK — Anti-war demonstrations ceased this week at a small number of U.S. universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus...
