A.W. Beattie to host spring open house March 24

A fashion show, robotics and designs from the auto collision department will be just a few of the things featured at the upcoming A.W. Beattie Career Center Spring Open House in Allison Park, on March 24, from 5:15 to 8 p.m.

This year marks the return to an in-person format for the annual spring event, with last year’s open house by appointment only, according to Shawn Annarelli, public relations and admission coordinator at Beattie.

The school, located at 9600 Babcock Blvd., is a career educational school serving students in North Allegheny, Avonworth, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel Area, Hampton Township, Northgate, North Hills, Pine-Richland, and Shaler Area school districts.

Prospective students can visit the school with their families during the open house to learn more about the 20 different educational programs offered there.

A fall, in-person open house was held on a smaller scale, Annarelli said. The spring is usually better attended as students are ready to plan for their next school year.

Instructors, staff and current students will be on-hand to answer questions and show guests around, Annarelli said.

“It’s a great opportunity for students and family to truly learn about us and how Beattie could be a great fit for them,” he said.

Students will demonstrate the skills they’ve learned, and guests will have some hands-on opportunities, too, Annarelli said. The center aims to make students college- and career-ready after high school graduation, with real-world, hands-on experience.

The school offers 20 different programs. Some new additions include a newly built, state-of-the-art clinical health care nursing suite for students in the Health and Nursing Sciences, Annarelli said. Open house guests can see what’s offered in the Surgical Sciences program, which is just in its second year there.

Other displays will be presented from such departments as Advertising Design, Robotics, and Auto Collision Technology, which recently won the Summit Racing Peddle Car Challenge at World of Wheels Pittsburgh for the third consecutive year, Annarelli said.

The auto collision technology students won with the help of peers from the HVAC, carpentry, auto tech, and advertising departments.

The Cosmetology department will put on a fashion show at 7 p.m. in the conference room, Annarelli said.

About 144 students attend from North Allegheny’s ninth through 12th grade, according to NA High School counselor Kevin Thompson, the liaison to the career school. He said Beattie continues to be a popular choice among students.

Students can learn skills to be career-ready upon high school graduation or take advantage of the college credits for those pursuing education after senior high, he said.

Or someone may just want to learn life skills, such as carpentry, HVAC system installation and care, or car maintenance, Thompson said.

Beattie stays on top of what’s relevant in the job market.

“They’re trying to meet the needs of what we’re seeing globally,” Thompson said.

John Brown, an educator at Beattie’s building and construction department, plans to attend the open house to answer questions.

His department focuses on a variety of building and construction education including computer-aided design programs, foundation layout, framing, and drywalls. Students are currently building small camping sheds, but they also construct whole size modular houses that they sell at the end of the project.

No matter what the department, it’s all about hands-on experience at Beattie, Brown said.

For information, visit www.beattietech.com or call 412-847-1900.