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Education

May 29, 2020

Riverside School District’s 2020 Commencement Ceremony Details

Riverside School District commencement is scheduled for Monday, June 1 through Thursday, June 4, 2020, according to information made available on the district website. According to the district site: While this year’s ceremony may look and feel unique and different, we are proud of each student’s achievements, and we plan to celebrate this milestone with everyone who helped shape each student’s individuality, talents, and intelligence. Below will be the procedures we will follow for this program. All families will arrive at their assigned time and date.  No more than 8 members of the student’s family may attend this ceremony due to the…

May 28, 2020

Lincoln High School Top Four And Graduating Class Of 2020

The Lincoln High School graduating class of 2020 will receive their diplomas Thursday May 28th and Friday May 29th at the Sgt. Leslie H. Sabo Memorial Auditorium. Lincoln High School is graduating 78 students. William Bubb is an Honorary Lincoln Military Graduate.  The following students will serve in the military upon graduation: Alexander Sablan – United States Air Force and Jolene Smith – United States Air Force. High Honor Graduates Hannah Keally PARENTS/GUARDIAN: Katie and Frank Keally CAREER PLANS: Fashion Designer NAME OF COLLEGE/SCHOOL YOU PLAN TO ATTEND: Kent State University ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOL/CHURCH/COMMUNITY: NHS (president) Peer Leadership Art Club…

May 27, 2020

ECASD Board of Directors Passes Proposed Budget; Changes Likely

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors passed a proposed general fund budget of $30,472,335 for the fiscal year 2020-2021 in a 5-4 vote. Voting “No,” Director Barbara Wilson said she has numerous questions regarding the budget. Her main concern is how the board can possibly pass a budget that forecasts a $3 million defecit. Wilson wasn’t alone in her dissent. Directors Jean Biehls, Leroy Cortez, and Kathy McCommons joined her in rejecting the budget. Board President Renee Pitrelli and Directors Jennifer Tomon, Erica Gray, Norman Boots, and Gary Rozanski voted to pass the budget. The proposed budget…

May 20, 2020

Ellwood City Teen BC3’s Youngest Graduate In Class Of 2020

(Ellwood City, PA) A teenager from Ellwood City in 2019 became the youngest graduate in at least 20 years at Butler County Community College when 17-year-old Mikayla Beachem received a BC3 workplace certificate in entrepreneurship. A teenager from Ellwood City in 2020 has tied Beachem in age to the day. Saylee Grinnen completed the same Riv-Ell Entrepreneurship Program as did Beachem and became BC3’s youngest graduate in its Class of 2020. Both achieved certificates from BC3 on their 6,474th day in age. Like Beachem, Grinnen and her eight Lincoln or Riverside high school classmates in the Riv-Ell Entrepreneurship Program also…

May 19, 2020

ECASD Board of Directors Struggle to Balance Budget; Discussion Continues Tonight

Note: The following is a roundup of discussion items from Ellwood City Area School District Board of Directors Budget meetings held on April 28 and May 4, as well as public comments regarding the budget from the Board’s May 11 and May 14 agenda and voting meetings. As the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors meet this evening to continue discussion on a budget, they will have to grapple with reducing a more than $2.5 million deficit. During budget discussion meetings in April and early May, board directors urged school officials to “tighten the belt.” At the initial…

May 15, 2020

Principal Gives ECASD Commencement Update; Parents Planning Parade

Discussion regarding the Ellwood City Area School District’s plan for commencement ceremonies continued during the May 14 board of directors voting meeting. Louise McKinney, mom of a 2020 graduate said the parents are expecting more for their kids. She said if the county phases to green by June 2, she wants the administration to commit to the traditional in person commencement. High School Principal, Kirk Lape, was in agreement and said he hopes that is a possibility. “If we go green before June 2, I’m all for it,” he said. “That’s a no brainer.” Although Lape said such a decision…

May 14, 2020

ECASD Educators Planning Parade As Summer Send Off For Students

The educators in the Ellwood City School District wanted one last chance to see the faces of their beloved students before the end of the school year … even if it is at a safe social distance. Their solution: A parade. Organizers and ECASD Elementary Counselors Debbie Wiech and Chrissy Mendillo said so far 120 staff, faculty, and administrators have “signed up” to participate. “We hope this shows the love and dedication we have for our students,” Wiech said. According to Wiech, the mandated closing of the ECASD was a devastating situation for the students, but it was also a…

May 13, 2020

Riverside Class of 2020 Graduation Information

To the Parents/Guardians of the Graduates of the Class of 2020: We at Riverside would like to thank all parents and guardians for their continued support and flexibility during this unprecedented time in education.  While understanding that the teachers and administrators know that the solutions we have readily available for the upcoming senior activities are not ideal, the uncertainty of the ability to host several senior-oriented events still remains a priority of the district, and we are still within the tentative planning phases in the attempt to schedule the remaining high school activities.  Unfortunately, the decision to remove the restrictions…

May 12, 2020

ECASD Board of Directors Discuss Proposed Commencement Ceremony

Discussion at Monday’s Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Director’s meeting centered on a proposed Commencement ceremony to honor Lincoln High School’s Class of 2020. School administration, including high school Principal Kirk Lape, had previously announced a plan that they believe will be as close to the traditional ceremony as possible while safely staying within the legal guidelines of social distancing due to Covid-19. The proposed plan includes 10-minute time slots for each graduate to have the opportunity to take that coveted walk across the stage to receive their diploma. Graduates will be able to enter the auditorium front…

May 11, 2020

Lincoln High School Planning Commencement For Class of 2020

Despite the pandemic, the Ellwood City Area School District is working to give its class of 2020 graduates plenty of “pomp and circumstance.” Administrators, including High School Principal Kirk Lape, have been brainstorming and coordinating a ceremony that will be as close to the real thing as possible in a way to honor each graduating senior. “Our goal is to make commencement as close to normal as possible,” Lape said. With that goal in mind, administrators plan to coordinate 10-minute time slots for each graduate to have the opportunity to take that coveted walk across the stage to receive their…