Chalked Up: Beaver commended for education innovation; CCBC named on list of top colleges

As school districts look to innovate techniques used inside the classroom, a national organization has named Beaver Area School District a "lighthouse" system for other educators to follow.

Officials from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) named the local district as one of their Fall 2023 Lighthouse Demonstration Systems on Nov. 2. According to the group, lighthouse districts are those that "stand as beacons of positive transformation in public education" and have a focus on developing education methods in public schools.

“It is an exciting opportunity for the Beaver Area School District," said Mark Holtzman, district superintendent. "We can use the designation to continue to promote innovation and student excellence in our schools and our communities. The backbone of BASD is the teaching and learning process that flourishes because of our outstanding educators and support staff. Our membership in the AASA Learning 2025 Network is essential to my professional learning, as it provides experiences that challenge my thinking, which is essential for future growth.”

Last year, Beaver's schools were recognized by the AASA as a "district to watch" for several education innovations made for students. The school mentioned several strategic plans leading to recent successes, including a new STEAM curriculum, higher education partnerships, expanded teacher training opportunities and local partnerships for career or professional development.

Extracurricular developments at Beaver Area School District, such as the SHOUT Club, drone piloting and several new e-sports teams, have also expanded students' education opportunities.

Administrators from Beaver will be recognized for their distinction as a lighthouse education system with three other districts at the AASA's annual luncheon on Feb. 14, 2024. Each superintendent will recieve a crystal lighthouse and banner to commemorate the honor.

CCBC recognized in a list of the best community colleges in Pennsylvania

Another center for education in Beaver County is also making headlines and is being noted as a great option for those seeking higher education options.

The Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) was recently included in Intelligent's Top 16 Community Colleges in Pennsylvania in 2024, which compared schools across the state on various metrics to find the best schools for local students. The local school was placed as the fourth top community college on the list and the list authors say that CCBC is the best option for financial aid in the state.

“CCBC provides financial aid to students from federal, state, and institutional programs and offers scholarships for honors, athletics, and more through the CCBC Foundation," Janet Davidson, executive director of the school's financial aid office, commented on the announcement. "Our affordable tuition rates, extensive financial aid offerings, and wide range of programs allow students to pursue their careers with confidence.”

Intelligent's list was compiled using a ranking system that gave a number score to every community college in Pennsylvania, placing them at points between 0 and 100. The number was calculated using six categories, which included tuition costs, admissions, retention and graduation rates, faculty, reputation and the student resources provided for online students. CCBC received a final score of 98.38.

According to CCBC, they have awarded over $7.2 million in financial aid to students this academic year and an additional $225,285 has been awarded to students through institutional funds or the CCBC Foundation.

“I always tell our students, staff, and faculty that the ‘best is yet to come,’ and now it is here,” said Roger Davis, president of CCBC. “As the community’s college, we are so proud to receive this recognition and are committed to offering all residents real learning for real life at a realistic cost.”

Cornell School District selected for News Literacy Project fellowship

A new fellowship is coming to Cornell School District that will assist teachers in designing a curriculum focused on media literacy and identifying misinformation.

The program will connect the district with crews from the News Literacy Project nonprofit to identify educators' need for media literacy lessons and help gather evidence-based instructional resources for students. With a grant of $20,000 over two years, the first phase of the program will be the creation of an education plan to propose to the district that can be implemented for students from kindergarten to their senior year in high school.

“As teachers who are trying to make sure students are ready to be active, engaged members of society, it is important that they have the skills needed to understand information and to identify misinformation,” said Amy Palo, a social studies teacher with the district. “With the emergence of deep fake videos and AI-generated text, the skills needed to engage with technology are even more important.”

Cornell is one of three districts selected for this year's program, with Michigan's Bloomfield Hills Schools and Colorado's Gunnison Watershed School District also receiving grants and support from the nonprofit. Five other districts are in the second year of the fellowship, but Cornell will be the first district in Pennsylvania to enter the program.

More education news to note:

• Beaver Area High School alumni Zane Atkins was named as a second cohort in Point Park University's Bonner Leader program, a community service-based scholarship service offered to 11 students annually. As a leader in the program, Atkins will be awarded $3,000 annually and will work closely with the local nonprofit Abiding Missions to develop leadership skills. According to the university, Atkins is currently a member of the School of Arts and Sciences and pursuing a degree in political science.

• Robert Morris University's chapter of the Society for Collegiate Journalists held its annual induction ceremony on Oct. 23. The professional student organization inducted nine new students this year, drawing from various concentrations involved with media production.

• On Oct. 24, officials from Geneva College and the Iowa-based Dordt University announced that they will have a new partnership that allows students pursuing degrees in social services to earn their master's degrees quicker. According to a release from Dordt University, their program will begin to acknowledge the fellow Christian college's credits in their Master of Social Work Degree, allowing Geneva alumni to skip certain classes they may have already completed in their undergraduate program.

• Sewickley Academy elected a new chair of its board of trustees on Oct. 25, naming Dennis Zeitler as the new leader. According to the academy, Zeitler serves as a member of the board of the Municipal Authority of Edgeworth and sits on the board for the publicly traded Fuel Tech Inc. in addition to his obligations to the school. Three trustees were also added to the board, with Jane Kirkland, Roberto Ortiz and Stephanie Sciullo named as new members.

• On Nov. 7, officials from Point Park and the Myron Cope family announced they have teamed up to offer a $1,000 scholarship to recipients of the Myron Cope High School Athletic Communication Awards. The annual competition evaluates the high school sports reporting from several counties in western Pennsylvania, honoring up to three schools per category and offering several individual awards to aspiring journalists and broadcasters. Submissions for this year's awards will be accepted until April 15, 2024.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Chalked Up: Local schools noted for educational opportunities, Cornell joins media literacy fellowship