Kellen Stepler stories, Page 2
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...
Collier teen named Miss Smiling Irish Eyes court maiden
Kennedy Kuntz, a Chartiers Valley High School senior, was named a court maiden for this year’s Miss Smiling Irish Eyes contest. The Miss Smiling Irish Eyes contest recognizes young women who exemplify Irish pride, leadership and community involvement. Candidates must have outstanding moral character, ethical ideals and poise, and actively...
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...
Bridgeville mulls off-street rules for large equipment
Bridgeville officials are considering rules to prohibit on-street parking and storage of large equipment. Council is considering a proposal that would prohibit on-street parking and storage of cargo trailers, boats, box trailers and storage containers, said Manager Joe Kauer. The rules, as drafted, would still allow for short-term parking of...
High winds knock out power for more than 260,000 in Pittsburgh region; a slew of roads closed
About 260,000 West Penn Power and Duquesne Light customers in the Pittsburgh region were without power Friday night after high winds blew through the area Friday afternoon. As of 9 p.m., Duquesne Light reported about 151,000 outages in Allegheny County and 16,000 in Beaver County. West Penn Power reported roughly...
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...
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...
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...
Chartiers Valley unified bocce captures state title
Chartiers Valley High School’s unified bocce team is now a state champion. The team was one of eight to qualify for the state championship, held Thursday, March 19, at the Giant Center in Hershey. It was Chartiers Valley’s second trip to the state playoffs in the past four years. CV...
East Deer native gifts $1 million to IUP’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine
Terry A. Serafini, an East Deer native and Pittsburgh businessman, has donated $1 million to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine as the university plans a fall 2027 opening for the new school. “I have a soft spot in my heart for IUP, and I appreciate...
Carnegie Elementary cereal drive nets 727 boxes for school’s free store
Alaia Tuapante admits she was a little bit nervous when she stepped up before a formidable domino line of 727 cereal boxes at Carnegie Elementary School’s gymnasium. “There was a big crowd,” said Alaia, a second grader at Carnegie. But once she tapped over the first box of Honeycomb cereal,...
Butler County Community College to launch radiologic technology program
Butler County Community College officials say a new radiologic technology program will prepare students for a high-demand career. The college plans to launch a radiologic technology program in August 2027. “We saw, across the board, a need for radiological technologists,” said Julia Carney, Butler County Community College’s dean of nursing...
Chartiers Valley to start athletic hall of fame
Chartiers Valley School District will honor its best student-athletes with a hall of fame in the near future. The district is moving forward with creating an athletic hall of fame, and is forming a committee to develop and implement the plan. “There is a rich history of athletics at Chartiers...
Pittsburgh colleges expand their footprint to meet demand
Ted Black admits the former YWCA on Wood Street — right in the thick of Point Park University’s campus — is “quite frankly a bit of an eyesore.” But Black, Point Park’s senior vice president of institutional advancement and strategy, also notes the opportunity the property represents. The Downtown school...
State studying future of Duquesne City School District
The state’s Department of Education is studying the future of the Duquesne City School District, which could include a consolidation with a nearby district. Duquesne schools spokesman Jeremy Tepper said the district is “actively cooperating” in the study. “The district remains committed to providing a high-quality educational experience for its...
Western Pa. colleges get boost to combat students’ food insecurity
Food insecurity among college students is often overlooked by the general public, but it is a real issue. “College is expensive, and people don’t realize that students — especially at private schools — can struggle to afford basic necessities,” said Heather Starr Fiedler, managing director of Point Park University’s center...
New literacy program at Pittsburgh Weil targets economically disadvantaged students
Educators at Pittsburgh Weil PreK-5 say a new literacy initiative will improve academics at the Hill District school. Weil teachers have implemented the enhanced core reading instruction program for students in kindergarten through second grades. “It takes a curriculum and enhances it,” said Principal Kira Henderson. “It provides teachers with...
Woodland Hills places superintendent on unpaid leave
Woodland Hills Superintendent Joe Maluchnik was placed on unpaid leave Wednesday following an internal district investigation, the latest in ongoing controversy in the district. The decision comes as the district has faced allegations of misuse of funds and questions surrounding Maluchnik’s leave. School board members Karen Lyons, Melanie Timbers, Laura...
‘Brilliant, bold and unapologetically proud’: Senior at Pittsburgh Obama leads, gives back to community
Zaire Howze-Jetter had previously told people he’d study veterinary sciences upon his graduation this spring from Pittsburgh’s Obama Academy. “That was just something I told people, because I didn’t really know,” said Howze-Jetter, 17. But as he progressed at the East Liberty magnet school, excelling in academics, he began to...
Chartiers Valley teacher Jill Chan wins World Affairs Council award
Chartiers Valley High School teacher Jill Chan won the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh’s Oehmler Award, an honor that recognizes a teacher who exemplifies outstanding dedication to elevating youth voice and leadership. “I was very surprised when I heard that I received the award because I didn’t even know that...
Georgia man charged in connection to Carrick homicide
A Georgia man has been charged with homicide after police say he caused his brother-in-law’s death and hid the body under an 18-wheeler in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood. Steven Thomas, 52, of Statesboro, Ga., is charged with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. At 8:29 p.m. Monday,...
Carlynton’s Julie Lewis earns Scouting America award
A longtime Carlynton School District educator has been recognized by the Laurel Highlands Council of Scouting America. Julie Lewis, a fourthgrade teacher at Carnegie Elementary, received this year’s Fretwell Outstanding Educator award. “I was truly surprised and honored to receive the Fretwell Outstanding Educator award — I didn’t even know...
South Side bar speaks out following images of rat under beer tap
A South Side bar says it has conducted a full investigation with the Allegheny County Health Department and brought in additional pest control services after a rat was found on its beer taps. In a statement, Urban Tap said there is a video circulating of a rat under beer taps...
