Recent Stories

Ellwood City Area School District

September 7, 2021

Ellwood City Fall Sports Q&A

This is part one of a two part series featuring area seniors in fall 2021 sports. The start of fall sports is upon us, so we took the opportunity catch up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries and to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future. Milo Sesti-Golf Grade: 12 How many years have you been playing? I have been playing golf for five years. How has the team prepared for its upcoming season, how has COVID impacted training/practices? The team has been getting…

September 2, 2021

ECASD to Enforce State’s Mask Mandate

Although the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors didn’t take any formal action Thursday evening regarding an announcement on August 31 from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf that masks are required in schools, the district does plan to enforce the mandate. Wolf announced the secretary of health’s order mandating masks in the state for all schools and licensed child care centers. The new requirement will take effect on Tuesday, September 7 and requires students, teachers and staff to wear masks when inside school buildings. The new mandate will not apply to school sports or outdoor activities. “The science is clear. The Delta variant…

August 13, 2021

ECASD Board Makes Masks in School Optional, Required on Buses

Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted Thursday night to leave the decision regarding wearing masks in school up to families. Masks will however be required on the buses. District Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley said he is encouraging families to do what they feel is best. “If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, we encourage it,” he said. Although the school will not be mandating masks (other than on the buses), Shipley reminded the board and visitors that should a mandate come down from the state or federal government, that could change. Masks on buses is based…

August 6, 2021

Masks or No Masks: ECASD Board to Vote Thursday

A plan to return to school mask free for Ellwood City Area School District students will be up for vote during next week’s Board of Directors meeting. There will be one caveat to the mask-free plan: Students will be required to wear masks while riding the bus to and from school. This is the proposed plan introduced by District Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley. Shipley asked the board during Thursday’s committee meeting to approve the plan. The reason for the consideration of masks on busses is based on a federal mandate where masks are required on mass transit. On January 29,…

July 30, 2021

Ellwood City Champion Returns to Basketball Court As Head Coach

Dena Noble has never been able to forget the feeling of being on a winning team. That adrenaline rush of hitting the basketball court is still a draw for Noble, who was recently named head coach of the Lincoln Girls Basketball Team. She wants to provide that feeling to a new generation of players. “I’m looking forward to getting the nostalgic feeling,” Noble said. “I love that feeling, that adrenaline rush especially on game day. I can’t wait to see the girls take what was taught to them and watch it play out.” Noble, the Ellwood native, is no stranger…

July 21, 2021

NOTICE: Ellwood City School Board of Directors Meeting Date Change

In a public meeting notice announcement, the Ellwood City Area School District and its Board of Directors have changed the meeting scheduled on Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. from a Committee Meeting to a combined Committee Meeting and General Purpose Meeting of the Board to fill the vacancy on the board and for any other general business purposes that may come before the Board. The meeting will be conducted in the Board Room located in the Lincoln Junior/Senior High School.  

July 20, 2021

Ellwood City Area School District Hires Law Firm To Collect Delinquent Real Estate Taxes

In an effort to maximize the collection of its unpaid school real estate taxes, Ellwood City Area School District has hired the law firm of Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd. to collect its delinquent accounts. Representing over 160 municipalities and school districts across Pennsylvania, Portnoff utilizes state law that allows for the costs of collection to be imposed upon the delinquent property owner, creating immediate incentive to make payment and reducing the burden of collection costs on the overall tax base. Each delinquent property owner will receive a notice setting forth the balance due. Attached to the notice will be a…

July 15, 2021

ECASD Board Director Resigns

Ellwood City Area School District Board Director Matt Morella has resigned from his board seat. In a letter to the board submitted on July 14, Morella stated, “I have relocated outside of the Ellwood City Area School District and no longer meet the residency requirement.” Morella said he relocated to be closer to his job at Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky Attorneys at Law in Pittsburgh. Morella joined the board on July 3, 2020 when he replaced former Director Leroy Cortez, who passed away in June of 2020. He also had served on the board from 2013 to 2017 and…

June 24, 2021

Ellwood City Area School District Students to Begin Fall Classes Mask-Free

Following more than a year of ups and downs, uncertainty, masks and social distancing, Ellwood City Area School District plans to begin the 2021-2022 school year on a normal note. During Thursday’s Special Meeting of the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors, District Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley announced that the district’s ARP ESSER Health and Safety plan will not include masks for back to school. He said that his administration believes that learning is a social activity and as such requires students to interact without masks or social distancing. “We have every plan to open full-time, mask-free, and…

June 11, 2021

Dan Parson Named Northside Primary School’s Principal

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted Thursday night to officially hire Dan Parson as Northside Primary School’s Principal at a salary of $88,000. All board members voted yes with Directors Jennifer Tomon and Kathleen McCommons absent from the vote. Parson was named interim principal during an August 4, 2020 special meeting of the board, where directors accepted the early retirement of then principal Christine Gibbons. Before his official appointment, Parson discussed some of the initiatives, activities, and plans for Northside. He said plans are being made to transition the school’s library into a Student Learning Center….