Apartment-style classroom to teach North Allegheny students how to live on their own

A new apartment at the North Allegheny Senior High School will be an important educational tool for any student wanting to increase their independent living skills.

The real-life living quarters will feature all of the elements of an actual apartment within the walls of the senior high school in McCandless.

Students will get experience cooking, cleaning and washing and drying clothes — basically many of the tasks required for healthy independent living, according to Amy DeLuca, director of student services at North Allegheny School District.

“We want to make this a space that allows our kids to really learn what it’s like to live on their own,” said DeLuca, who is in her third year at North Allegheny.

The apartment will feature a kitchen with functioning appliances, a dining table and dishes; a living room area complete with area rugs and a small television; and a washer and dryer.

The space is meant to feel home-like — even the flourescent lights were switched out for more residential ones, said Carrie Frohnapfel, director of special education for the district.

“When you walk through the door, it should feel like you’re coming home instead of walking into the door and feel like a classroom,” Frohnapfel said.

The apartment, which will be ready for the 2025-26 school year, was made possible by a donor who prefers to remain anonymous, DeLuca said.

The senior high already had a “pretend” or mock apartment, but, as Frohnapfel said, the revamped apartment is basically a real version and will give all students in the district the opportunity to find out what it’s like to live on their own.

According to Frohnapfel, students are accustomed to the ease at living at home, and the apartment space can help with the transition process as they make their way in the real world.

If a student wears a uniform for a job outside of school, they are encouraged to bring it to the apartment to wash and dry it, DeLuca said.

“It’s important for all of our students when they leave North Allegheny … to be productive, contributing citizens of our community. Focus on independent living skills is critical,” DeLuca said.

North Allegheny Intermediate High School also has a mock-like apartment within a classroom, a it’s great way to prep those students who use it for the senior-high version, Frohnapfel said.

DeLuca said they initially looked into renting an actual apartment to teach students skills but thought it would be easlier to have one within their own walls.

How it will fit into the curriculum is still a work in progress, but the first step is having it available, DeLuca said.

Stephanie Svilar, coordinator of gifted and special education, will be leading the effort at the intermediate and senior high schools on how it will be managed into students’ schedules. The room will be supervised by staff, DeLuca said.

“Some students struggle with those things that we often take for granted. They don’t have the opportunity to have really explicit instruction preparing for a guest or what it means to cook your own food,” said Frohnapfel, who has been with the district for more than a year.

Often, what is learned in one place doesn’t always easily transfer to another, she said. The apartment will help reinforce what is learned at home and other school classes, and it also could be part of the Family and Consumer Science curriculum, Frohnapfel said.

More importantly, the instruction for any student in the district. It is part of North Allegheny’s refocused drive to have students career-ready, DeLuca said.

“It doesn’t matter if students are going into trade or have a job. What matters is they are some how contributing to our community and bettering our community,” DeLuca said.

There’s a lot to navigate when leaving home, including managing the cost of living, she added.

In fact, personal financial literacy classes will be mandated for Pennsylvania school districts beginning in the 2026-27 school year for high school students. North Allegheny had been offering it as an elective before it became mandatory, according to a school board presentation in April.

Frohnapfel is thankful North Allegheny received a donation dedicated solely for the apartment space.

“The opportunity to purchase big-ticket items, do the construction and have this space built for us is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Frohnapfel said. “It’s incredibly exciting.”