math, technology and engineering and available jobs in the region related to these opportunities.

High school principal Michael

Loughren recently took part in a week-long conference in Washington, D. C. at Georgetown University. Orchestrated by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, the mission of the conference was to study and better comprehend a balanced, multisystem approach to support positive development and outcomes for youth at risk. Loughren will continue to work with representatives from the Allegheny County court system to strengthen the connection between school, the juvenile system and child welfare agencies.

On October 21st, Classrooms without Borders brought a live performance of Ann Kirschner’ s Letters to Sala to the Carlynton High School stage. An adaptation of Kirschner’ s novel Sala’ s Gift, the performance was a touching story of a young woman’ s bravery during the Holocaust. Professional actors and actresses portrayed the story under the direction of Jenna Oberg. Students in grades 7-12 were able to make connections to lessons related to World War II and the Holocaust as they watched the story unfold. They were also given the unique opportunity to view an extraordinary art exhibit correlating with the play. The display was comprised of letters from the actual collection of those sent to and from Sala when she was forced to work as a slave in over 15 different Nazi work camps. Carlynton’ s connection with Classrooms without Borders began last year when Superintendent Dr. Gary Peiffer facilitated an invitation for students to attend a performance of The

Diary of Anne Frank at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. Dr. Peiffer corroborated an insightful study of the Holocaust by traveling to Poland last summer with Classrooms without Borders to gain first-hand experience by touring concentration camp sites and meeting survivors. The travel has impacted the development of a multifaceted Holocaust curriculum to be offered as an elective course to students next year.

The high school student government opened and operated Grimm’ s Ghostly Golf at the Crafton Park miniature golf course for several weeks in October, adding a kid-friendly element to the Halloween season. Students worked to clean the course and added a few additional obstacles to reflect the holiday, making the course more challenging. The money raised will be used to purchase tables for the new senior patio located outside the cafeteria.

The Back Packs for Kids program facilitated within the district provides a back pack filled with food and personal care items to students in need. The program is conducted confidentially, sending the back pack home with students on Friday. Recipients are asked to return the bag on Monday so it can filled for the following weekend. The district has extended the back pack program to the elementary schools thanks to a partnership with local churches, Student Transportation of America( the district bus company) and other organizations who provide monetary donations and assist with shopping. Information about Back Packs for Kids is sent home with students at the beginning of the school year. Individuals wishing to receive a weekly back pack can contact any building principal.

High school English teachers Kristen Fischer and Wendy Steiner dedicated time this past summer to attend the Fluency Project through the Create Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. The CMU Create Lab teaches skills in digital mapmaking using data. Digital mapmaking is the process by which a collection of data is compiled

In Mrs. Steiner’ s English class, senior Darryl Porter used an Audiovista to observe a 360-degree virtual view of the interior of a castle while studying the medieval era, triggering data-prompted inquiry among students.

and formatted into a virtual image.“ There is a lot of raw data available online pertaining to a myriad of subjects, from environmental issues to human migration, and we’ ve learned how and where to access that,” said Fischer. Fischer and Steiner, as they engage students, want to inspire them to become creators of data, rather than simply consumers. As an example, teens are learning to use data to tell stories, creating an argument to defend the story, and enacting social change. During time at the Create Lab, Fischer and Steiner were presented with various examples, both local and national, of student-led projects that accomplish this goal of advocacy. The support with CMU is ongoing. Fischer and Steiner believe the continued contact and support will further propel and strengthen learning in the classroom.

Crafton Elementary is the 2016-

2017 recipient of a Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway Partner, a program collaborated through the Carnegie Science Center to provide professional development for teachers and learning opportunities for students. As a Pathway Partner, students at Crafton will be treated to an educational assembly and receive online tools to augment STEM learning.

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CARLYNTON SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS