Education

ECASD Board of Directors Pass Preliminary Budget with Tax Increase; Consider Financing Plan for Budget Shortfall

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors passed a preliminary budget—which calls for a 4.9 percent tax increase—and authorized administration to work with PFM Financial Advisors LLC, as Municipal Advisor on a financing plan as the district faces a more than $1 million budget shortfall. (view the preliminary budget here) Board directors and school officials have a big financial job ahead of them in the coming months as they seek to increase revenues while decreasing spending to work toward a more structurally balanced budget. Melissa Maze of PFM said this financing plan is strictly a strategy for cash…


Ellwood City Area Historical Society Presents 2026 Scholarships

Four local high school seniors were awarded scholarships by the Ellwood City Area Historical Society on Monday evening. Erica Barlow (Lincoln High School), Christina Valencia (Riverside High School), Kiley LeViere (Lincoln High School), and Lucas Bleakney (Lincoln High School) each received $1,500 scholarships to assist with their continuing education. Barlow and Valencia were awarded Marlene Painter Scholarships for their essays titled, “Why I Want to Be a Teacher.” LeViere and Bleakney received the Robert and Janice Barensfeld Scholarships after submitting essays on “The History of Schools in Ellwood City.” The Robert and Janice Barensfeld Scholarships are endowed by the Barensfeld…


Lincoln Jr/Sr High School Visual Arts Teacher Nominee for ‘America’s Favorite Teacher’

Let’s get out the vote … For Amanda Hatkevich, Lincoln Jr/Sr High School visual arts teacher to be named “America’s Favorite Teacher.” Vote here! (Be sure to cast your vote by April 23) At stake is not only the title, but $25,000 that Hatkevich says she will use part of to help educate the future. “I would invest in diverse art materials, digital tools, and photography equipment,” she said. “Funds would support classroom upgrades like storage, equipment, and outdoor seating for open-air creating. I would also fund visiting artists, field trips to museums, and student exhibitions to connect learning to…


Riverside High School Honor High Honor Rolls For 3rd Quarter 2025-26

The Riverside Beaver County School District announced the honor and high honor rolls for its 3rd Quarter of the 2025-26 school year. View more school news and info at www.riverside.k12.pa.us HIGH HONOR ROLL 12th Grade: TONI L. BAKER JACKSON C. BARBER SUSANN A. BISHOP KELSEY A. BUSH RYLEIGH M. CLYDE ABIGAIL M. COOK JOCILENE A. CUMMINGS CORRINA N. FREED NATHANIEL W. GOFF LUKE T. GRODSON ELLIOT I. HARDY HANNAH J. HART KIERSTEN A. KANZLEITER MOLLY E. LINVILLE SEAN LOVE EYAN B. MCCLEAN JOSEPH MCCORMISH EMMA I. MONTES LUKE W. NELSON BELLA S. ROMANIO ABEL S. RYAN BRAEDEN R. SCHRECENGOST CHEYENNE M….


ECASD Board of Directors Consider Employee Furlough

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors considered a move to study the staffing needs of the district for a possible employee furlough during Monday night’s combined meeting of the board. Ultimately the motion was defeated in a 4/4 vote. “No” votes came from Board President Kathy Galbreath, Board Vice President Norman Boots, and Board Directors Kathy Tillia and Nick Mancini. “Yes” votes came from Board Directors Jean Biehls, Claire Fauzey, Erica Gray, and Kevin Boariu. Board Director Jennifer Tomon was not present at the meeting. The consideration came to the table as the district is facing a…


Lincoln High School Honor & High Honor Rolls For 3rd Quarter 2025-26

The Ellwood City Area School District has announced its Honor Roll and High Honor Roll for 2025-26 school year quarter three (3rd nine weeks) at Lincoln High School. The district would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of the students. View more news and information at www.ecasdk12.org. HIGH HONORS ROLL: 12th Grade: Devyn Adkins Chelsea Baker Erica Barlow Kyree Beachem Olivia Beebe Gunnar Bennett Jacob Biskup Lucas Bleakney Geordan Bokor Luke Carusone Caden Charmo Paxton Christofferson Gabrielle Cioffi Peyton Confer Izabella Contino Ava Dausman Drake Davis Nicklas DePaoli Kennedy Eichler Braden Freed Aubrey Hewitt Chloe Hineman Natalie Jones Jordan…


Lincoln Grad Covert, BC3 Golf Team Set To Defend Region 20 Crown

(Butler, PA) All-American Taylor Voloch, and Mitchell Covert, Jaxon Salata and Parker Worsley return to a spring Butler County Community College golf team that seeks to defend its 2025 regional title and its automatic berth to the national championship tournament. The Pioneers open their spring season at 10 a.m. April 10 against the Community College of Allegheny County, and Pennsylvania Highlands and Westmoreland County community colleges at North Park Golf Course in Allison Park. BC3 in May advanced to 8-0 by capturing its seventh National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 crown and qualified for the national championship…


ECASD Warning Public About Annual Tradition Game Called “Assassins.”

In what may be an annual tradition, senior students at Lincoln High School play the game where the goal is to “eliminate” each other using water guns or similar toy items in a tradition called “Assassins.” The district would like to advise that this activity is not a school sponsored, school endorsed, or school created activity. “It is an activity that is initiated by the students, usually the senior class, and occurs in schools across the country,” says superintendent Amy Anderson. The Ellwood City Area School District Police Department is warning the public about the game. During the game, students…


PART THREE: Lincoln High School’s Production of Little Shop of Horrors A Bloody Delight

“Suddenly, Seymour…” something extraordinary is blooming on the LHS stage this spring! Lincoln Jr./Sr. High School students will present the wildly entertaining musical Little Shop of Horrors on March 27, 28, and 29 in the Lincoln High School Auditorium. A talented cast and crew of students from grades 7–12 have been hard at work bringing this exciting production to life. Under the direction of Alexis Reisinger, students have dedicated countless hours to rehearsals, choreography, and technical preparation to create a production that blends humor, heart, and a touch of dark comedy. Today’s review is part three in a three-part series about Little Shop…


PART TWO: Lincoln High School’s Production of Little Shop of Horrors Cast Q&A

“Suddenly, Seymour…” something extraordinary is blooming on the LHS stage this spring! Lincoln Jr./Sr. High School students will present the wildly entertaining musical Little Shop of Horrors on March 27, 28, and 29 in the Lincoln High School Auditorium. A talented cast and crew of students from grades 7–12 have been hard at work bringing this exciting production to life. Under the direction of Alexis Reisinger, students have dedicated countless hours to rehearsals, choreography, and technical preparation to create a production that blends humor, heart, and a touch of dark comedy. We caught up with some of the leads in the show for…