Education category, Page 3
Solar project at Carlynton high school will power most of building
When complete, a solar panel system on the rooftop of Carlynton Jr.-Sr. High School will power the majority of the building’s annual electricity needs. District officials are moving forward with a 716-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system with Energy Independent Solutions, at a cost not to exceed $1.41 million. Assistant Superintendent Jeff...
Damar Hamlin starts scholarship initiative at alma mater Central Catholic
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Monday returned to his alma mater, Central Catholic High School in Oakland, to announce a scholarship initiative for students and those planning to go into building trades. Through Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, 10 scholarships — each worth $1,000 — will be given annually to...
Rising job opportunities in sports management attract students
Kaleb Tkacs became involved in sports management from the moment he stepped foot on Duquesne University’s campus in August 2023. Tkacs, of Scottdale, joined as a volunteer film crew member with the Duquesne football team that fall. In 2024, he was elevated as a student assistant, overseeing the film crew,...
College-in-high school programs offer ‘head start’ to aspiring educators
When aspiring teacher Ainsley Martin enrolls at Pitt-Greensburg in the fall, she will have six education credits under her belt with the help of a program launched by one of the university’s professors. Martin, a senior at Southmoreland High School, has known that she wants to become a teacher since...
Hampton superintendent retiring after 42 years in public education
Michael Loughead remembers having a positive experience when he was a student growing up in eastern Pennsylvania years ago. That curiosity inspired him to consider a career in public education — and that’s where he has been ever since. Loughead, 66, of Oakmont, will retire as Hampton Township School District’s...
Trump administration sues Harvard, saying it violated civil rights law and seeking to recover funds
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department filed a new lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, saying its leadership failed to address antisemitism on campus, creating grounds for the government to freeze existing grants and seek repayment for grants already paid. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, is another missive in...
Penn State faculty criticize administration’s unionization meetings
Penn State faculty trying to start a union are calling foul after university administration plans college-by-college meetings regarding unionization efforts. Members of the Penn State Faculty Alliance — a group of faculty pushing for unionization — say the meetings planned by administration are “anti-union.” On Tuesday, Penn State announced the...
Keystone Oaks junior wins statewide award for career readiness — 4 years after immigrating from Ukraine
One thing led to another for Kira Voichenko, a junior at Keystone Oaks High School. Voichenko immigrated to Pittsburgh from Ukraine in March 2022, one month after Russia’s full-scale invasion. In the fall of that year, she started at Keystone Oaks Middle School as an eighth-grade student. Toward the end...
Carlow University names Rhonda Maneval as provost
Carlow University has elevated Rhonda Maneval to the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs. Maneval joined Carlow in 2022 as dean of the College of Health and Wellness and began also serving as interim provost in fall 2023. Her appointment as provost was announced Wednesday. “Rhonda stands...
Women technology experts give advice to South Fayette students
High school can be like a buffet when it comes to career exploration, says Ethan Hudson, a sophomore at South Fayette High School. “You have to try a little bit of this and that, so you know what it’s like,” said Hudson, 15. That was part of the thought process...
How much energy does AI really need? Anthropic official weighs in at CMU Energy Week
It’s obvious that energy industry leaders have been talking about artificial intelligence a great deal late, said Benjamin Della Rocca, national security lead at Anthropic, a leading AI company. But it’s still uncertain, Della Rocca said, exactly what AI’s energy needs are going to be in the upcoming years. “AI’s...
Pitt’s ‘homegrown’ approach to training rural dental providers aims to make it easier to access care
This story first appeared in Talk of the Town — a free newsletter with the news that matters from the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA. Sign up for curated local stories and unique events at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. A new initiative from the University of Pittsburgh will train future dental...
Penn State Greater Allegheny social work program earns accreditation
Penn State Greater Allegheny’s bachelor’s of social work program has earned national accreditation. Greater Allegheny’s program earned accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation, the university announced this month. Located near McKeesport, Greater Allegheny is the only Penn State campus where students can complete an undergraduate...
Pittsburgh Public Schools plan online learning during NFL Draft
Students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools will learn remotely from April 22 to 24 as the city hosts the NFL Draft. PPS officials say shifting to asynchronous learning will reduce transportation challenges, minimize disruptions to the school day and ensure students learn safely and effectively. As many as 700,000 people...
Mt. Lebanon school district faces a $1.2M million shortfall next year
Mt. Lebanon school officials have a few weeks to make up a $1.169 million shortfall in the district’s budget for next year. Patricia Connolly, the district’s director of operations, told the school board this week she is projecting just above $130 million in expenses and $128.8 million in revenues next...
Keystone Oaks plans renovation projects at its 3 elementary schools
The Keystone Oaks School District is undergoing a multimillion-dollar project to renovate its three elementary schools. The district plans general maintenance upgrades like HVAC, electrical and window and door replacements at Fred L. Aiken, Dormont and Myrtle Avenue elementary schools over the next couple of years. “The schools have not...
Penn State police crack down on e-scooter use
Penn State police will be cracking down on students’ e-scooter use following spring break. In a Facebook post before spring break, Penn State University Police and public safety asked those who currently use an e-scooter on campus to “please take it and leave it at home when you return.” “Police...
College of 2nd chances: Professor who has taught at CCAC since it opened reflects on 60-year tenureVideo
Microbiology professor Francis Maxin has taught at Community College of Allegheny County since it opened its doors 60 years ago. He has no plans to retire anytime soon. “How can I retire? The college can’t afford my retirement present,” Maxin joked. “I want a BMW with a heated steering wheel.”...
With SATs optional for many colleges, are the tests still relevant?
Greater Latrobe senior Autumn Blozowich took the SAT three times before and during her junior year, yet when she applied to Pitt, Kent State and Penn State, she didn’t submit her scores once. “I wasn’t really happy with my scores,” she said of the standardized entrance exam. “If you don’t...
Students share thoughts on AI, mental health at Woodland Hills summit
A group of Pittsburgh-area high school students challenged each other Friday to think about the future of artificial intelligence. Students from 25 area high schools — from Belle Vernon Area to Aliquippa — discussed issues ranging from academic integrity to human loneliness and whether AI should replace human employees. “It’s...
When DOGE unleashed ChatGPT on the humanities
When the Trump administration went looking last spring for National Endowment for the Humanities grants to cut, it turned to a familiar scourge of professors: ChatGPT. Last March, two employees from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency arrived at the agency with the mandate of canceling previously approved grants that...
As future hangs in the balance, Duquesne City School District continues to adapt
Adapting to change has been Duquesne City School District’s story throughout the years. “We’re resilient,” said Jennifer Yocca, a 30-year employee of the district. “We always have intentional leadership, but it changes a lot.” Duquesne, working through financial struggles, is a district down to just one school, a K-8 building...
Westmoreland County schools invite public to view screening of documentary on career-based learning
After remaining stagnant for decades, K-12 education is due for a revamp, said Hempfield Area Deputy Superintendent Emily Sanders. “If you think about our schools, they haven’t changed much in the last 100 years, from the way they look to the way that they operate,” she said. That’s a problem...
Battle of the Books tests Pittsburgh middle school students on literary works
Reading was a team sport Thursday at Pittsburgh’s Brashear High School. Forty students from Pittsburgh Public’s CAPA, South Brook, Carmalt and Sterrett middle schools participated in the Youth Battle of the Books contest, which tested students’ knowledge from six books they were tasked with reading. The initiative returned after a...
Budget deficit leads Mt. Lebanon School District officials to consider tax hike, potential staff furloughs
A projected $4.2 million deficit in Mt. Lebanon School District’s budget next school year has officials considering a property tax increase and a plan that, they say, would enable them to furlough staff if needed. The school board Monday will consider a resolution that would allow administration to furlough up...
