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As Beaver County’s newest charter school prepares to launch this fall, a $1.5 million grant from the Pennsylvania Charter Schools Program (PACSP) will help the new facility find its footing.
Provident Charter Schools announced it had received the large grant late last month, with officials saying the award is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania. Members of the PACSP noted the work the charter organization has done to help students with dyslexia and other reading-based challenges.
“We are honored to be the recipients of the Pennsylvania Charter Schools Program Grant,” said Maria Paluselli, CEO of Provident Charter Schools. “It will provide invaluable support in our efforts to establish Provident Charter School West and ensure students across the Beaver County area have access to an exceptional educational experience.”
More: Chalked Up: Specialty charter school coming to Baden; new leaders at Midland charter
The grant will assist in the launch of Provident Charter School West, which will open in the former Quigley Catholic High School building and begin instruction for Ambridge Area School District students during the fall. When discussing the award, officials said the wave of funding will assist in hiring specialty educators, technology and comprehensive student support services.
“We extend our deepest thanks to PCPCS for recognizing our vision and commitment to education,” Paluselli said. “With the support of this grant, we can create an innovative and transformative learning environment, which nurtures each student’s academic, social, and emotional growth and prepares students for success.”
In addition to the upcoming Beaver County campus, Provident Charter School has a location in the Troy Hill area of Pittsburgh, which currently serves over 300 students each year.
Riv-Ell students pitch business ideas to local leaders
Not every learning environment allows students to pitch their dream business to local leaders, but one group of eight high school seniors got the chance to have their pitches heard by potential investors.
Students from Lawrence County’s Riv-Ell Entrepreneurship Program presented their business ideas as a “real world” experience capstone project for their courses at the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) and the Butler County Community College (BC3) in April. The program, which has students participate in college-level courses and earn credits for free during high school, connected business leaders and young entrepreneurs to showcase their new business knowledge.
“Our hometown has stepped up to do this for all of you,” Nick Neupauer, president of BC3 and a 1985 graduate of Lincoln High School, told students. “You’re learning about entrepreneurship. Your generation isn’t afraid to be independent contractors and start your own businesses.”
Potential projects from the students focused on a variety of new industries, including ideas such as indoor sports complexes, commercial media companies and specialty bookstores. Throughout each presentation, the students showcased the benefits each business could have for the region and the ins and outs of operating costs associated with each concept.
“If you would have told me a couple of years ago that I would have the opportunity like this to be able to get out 16 college credits, and that I wouldn’t have to pay for it, and in a small town like Ellwood City, I never would have believed you,” Wearing said. “You just don’t hear about a program like this anywhere else. It was very, very shocking whenever I heard about it.”
According to program organizers, a total of 23 students from Riverside and Lincoln high schools have completed the entrepreneurship program so far.
Penn State-Beaver names interim chancellor for upcoming leadership transition
As the current chancellor begins the process of leaving Penn State-Beaver later this month, the university has named an interim chancellor to take the lead during the national search.
According to campus officials, chief academic officer Carey McDougall will begin her service as interim chancellor on July 1 until a permanent chancellor is selected. McDougall will fill the role that will be left by Chancellor Jenifer Cushman, who was recently named as the new president of the University of Maine at Augusta.
“I am honored and excited to be providing leadership as the interim chancellor at Penn State-Beaver to continue our exceptional focus on student success that distinguishes our campus,” McDougall said. “I look forward to fostering a strong sense of belonging and appreciation for all of our students, faculty and staff, as well as with our community partners, as we collectively advance our campus in supporting students to thrive.”
She joined the academics affairs team at Penn State-Beaver in 2014, helping pave the path to several new degrees being offered at the campus. In addition to these new offerings, she has also assisted the administration in strategic planning by offering methods that account for diversity, equity and inclusion for students and staff.
Outside of Penn State’s campus, McDougall also serves as vice chair for the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development and chair of the Beaver Borough Planning Commission.
Other education news to note:
- On May 6, the American Association of University Women’s (AAUW) Beaver Valley Branch awarded over $13,500 to local women pursuing higher education. According to a release from the organization, this year’s high school recipients include Central Valley’s Mallory Bible, Western Beaver’s Kennedie Koehler and Blackhawk’s Kate Trevelline and the CCBC Award recipient is Kayla Porupsky, previously a student at Beaver High School. Non-traditional scholarship recipients who are pursuing a degree later in life include Erica Keefer, of Beaver, and Saoirse Kelly, of Hopewell Township.
- During the Aliquippa Area School Board’s meeting on May 17, the district was recognized by The Efficiency Network (TEN) and received a Service of Excellence award for its efforts in creating a “sustainable learning environment for students and staff.” The award comes after TEN completed several sustainable energy projects inside of the district’s schools, which included improvements such as LED lighting upgrades, new HVAC controls, updated windows and adjustments to masonry.
- Members of the Ellwood City Wolves Club announced the recipients of the 2023 Wolves Club Scholarships on May 31, distributing over $18,000 to local students. According to the release, Lincoln High School senior Madilyn Galbreath and Riverside High School senior Samuel Kline both received $5,000 awards from the club. In addition to the two large awards, other students who received scholarship awards included Lucy Palmer, Hayden Slade, Grady Smith, Lauren Bush, Makenna Hamilton, Gianna Fotia, Landyn McClean and Jordan Vandervort.
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