Latrobe's Adelphoi to double capacity at charter school; expansion set for summer debut

Latrobe’s Adelphoi expects to debut an expansion of its Ketterer Charter School in June, more than doubling its capacity to provide instruction for area students who face emotional, behavioral or academic challenges.

Construction is underway on two additions to the 45,000-square-foot school that is chartered by the Greater Latrobe School District.

The new spaces will include a 7,600-square-foot gymnasium and a one-story addition of 10,900 square feet that will house eight new classrooms and offices.

The classroom addition will provide space for career-readiness programs, a student store and an area for creating student media productions.

Ketterer nearly reached its maximum capacity of 72 students at the start of the recent fall semester.

The expansion will increase the capacity to 168 students.

“The additions are going to seamlessly integrate with the current building,” said Karyn Pratt, vice president of marketing and strategy development for nonprofit Adelphoi. “This will allow us to decrease some of the pressure on the existing building, spread the kids out and increase our enrollment.”

In addition to Greater Latrobe, Ketterer accepts students from Ligonier Valley, Derry Area and Mt. Pleasant Area school districts.

“It’s not meant to be long term,” Pratt said of student enrollments at Ketterer. “The object is to get them back on track and get them back to their home districts.”

With the expansion, Pratt said, Ketterer may add a dozen employees to its existing staff of about 50.

The expansion project is benefiting from public and private funding.

Pratt said a $70,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will provide for enhanced safety features including lighting, doors and security cameras.

The local Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation is contributing $390,000 over two years that will cover costs for a variety of furnishings and equipment.

That includes placing whiteboards in the classrooms, fitting out the student store with shelving and providing gaming equipment for recreational programs.

“This grant allows us to provide life-changing educational opportunities for more students who need additional support to thrive in and beyond the classroom,” said Adelphoi CEO Nancy Kukovich.

Cavcon Construction of South Greensburg is the project’s general contractor.

In addition to the Ketterer Charter School, Adelphoi operates other programs for at-risk youth and their families, including foster homes and residential group homes.