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Education

August 28, 2026

Rotary Club Hosts Youth Leadership Academy Students

On Thursday August 20th, the Rotary Club of Ellwood City hosted the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy Students (RYLA) to share their experience and this week long conference held at Westminster College in Mid June. RYLA is an international leadership program eveloped by Rotary Interanational in 1971. This program is designed to demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth; provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders, encourage leadership of youth by youth and to recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities. Students who are completed their junior year are selected by the school…

August 18, 2026

Riverside School District To Host Series of Back-To-School Events

With back to school in focus this month, Riverside Beaver County School District is hosting a handful of events to help get students acquainted with their upcoming classes. Riverside High School will hold the annual Open House and 9th Grade Orientation on Tuesday, August 25th in the High School Auditorium. High school students and parent(s)/guardian(s) are encouraged to attend beginning at 5:30 p.m. Middle school ‘Meet Your Teacher’ will take place on Wednesday, August 26th in the Middle School Gymnasium GRADE 7 & 8 MEET THE TEACHER 9:00 AM – 10:20 AM GRADE 6 MEET THE TEACHER 11:00 AM –…

August 17, 2026

Ellwood City Among Eight School Districts Receiving $1.9M In School Safety Grants

Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Lawrence) announced eight school districts in the 8th Legislative District will be receiving nearly $1.9 million combined in School Safety and Mental Health Grants through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) School Safety and Security Committee. The funding will help local school districts strengthen physical security, address safety concerns, and provide behavioral health support for students and staff. “Our schools need the resources to address safety and security challenges while also supporting the mental health and well-being of their students and staff,” said Bernstine. “These grants give our local schools the resources they need to…

August 11, 2026

ECASD Board of Directors Denies Proposal for Charter Student Recruitment

Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted against a proposal from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit to assist the district with implementation of charter student recruitment. The proposal included a basic $2,995 package to assist with implementation of charter student recruitment; opposition research for production of marketing documents, phone scripts, and talking points; graphics support for design of digital and physical marketing documents (Documents included brochures, postcards, and website content, with materials not included in cost of agreement); and coordinate and assist district administration with one day of door-to-door visits. Four board directors voted “Yes,” including Jean Biehls, Jennifer…

August 11, 2026

Ellwood City Area School District Approves New Student Cell Phone Policy

In a statement release by the school district this week, the Ellwood City Area School District has approved a new student cell phone policy. Superintendent Amy Anderson provided the following statement on behalf of the district: The Ellwood City Area School District has approved a new student cell phone policy designed to create a more supportive learning environment with fewer distractions and greater opportunities for students to engage with their teachers, classmates, and school community. We recognize that technology plays an important role in students’ lives, and we believe schools have a responsibility to help students find a healthy balance…

August 4, 2026

ECASD Board of Directors Appoints Joyce Cirelli to Fill Vacant Board Seat

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to appoint Joyce Cirelli to fill the vacant seat on the board during Monday night’s agenda meeting. Cirelli’s appointment follows the July 31, 2026, resignation from the board of former Board Director Kevin Boariu. Cirelli was one of four potential replacements that were publicly interviewed during Monday night’s meeting. Joyce Cirelli Cirelli said she has more than 30 years of experience in Education in healthcare and played an integral part in moving schools at Heritage Valley Health System to the Community College of Beaver County. “I created five academies…

July 30, 2026

BC3 @ Lawrence Early College Pioneers program to debut in August

Butler County Community College’s newest location is guaranteeing to Lawrence County high school seniors two chances to pocket one dozen free and transferrable credits to help them earn a degree more quickly and enter the job market faster. The first yearlong BC3 @ Lawrence Early College Pioneers dual-enrollment program starts Aug. 24 with three 8 a.m. general education courses at BC3 @ Lawrence in Shenango Township, which opened in August 2025. Seniors this fall can take on Mondays and Wednesdays a three-credit course in speech; and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a three-credit course in college writing or in general psychology,…

July 23, 2026

ECASD Board of Directors Reject Suggested Amendment to LCCTC Supplemental Articles of Agreement by Neighboring District

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted to reject a request from a neighboring district to make an amendment to the 1966 Supplemental Articles of Agreement of the Lawrence County Career and Technology Center. Director Jean Biehls was the lone “yes” vote. Ultimately the request for amendment, suggested by Sherry Patton, Mohawk School District’s Board President and LCCTC Joint Operating Committee Representative, would force Ellwood City School District to give up a seat on the LCCTC Executive Committee. The current articles give New Castle four representatives, Ellwood City two representatives, and the other six districts have one…

July 16, 2026

Fifth County School Approves LCCTC Budget

Union Area joined Laurel and Ellwood City in voting unanimously to approve the third proposed Lawrence County Career and Technical Center budget. Union Area’s 7-0 vote came Wednesday while Laurel and Ellwood City each voted 7-0 during their respective meetings on July 8th. Shenango voted 8-1 in approval on Monday and Mohawk voted 8-0 in approval on Tuesday of this week. The votes tally the required minimum out of the 72 individual board members needed to approve the budget before it can be adopted. Union also makes the minimum fifth of the eight county schools required to approve the budget….

July 8, 2026

Pennsylvania Launches New Initiative to Expand Workforce in the Heavy Highway Industry & Expand Opportunity for Young People

Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT) and Education (PDE) announced that a new grant program is now available to educational institutions to help grow Pennsylvania’s workforce and expand career pathways for young people in the Heavy Highway Industry (HHI). The new competitive grant program will accept applications from July 7 through September 1 to support career pathway education, technical training, industry certification, and on-the-job learning in the highway industry for elementary, middle, high school, and college students. Eligible educational institutions will be able to use this funding to create or expand new education programs geared toward many skilled jobs in…