Leslie Savisky stories

Kassandra Poliziani started organizing school Earth Day projects before she began teaching at Gateway. “This is my sixth year doing the project at Gateway and I previously started it at Blairsville school district,” Poliziani said. The kindergarten teacher begins by picking up paper bags — which are donated by Giant...

Property owners in the Gateway School District will pay more in real estate taxes if the tentative 2025-26 budget is approved. School directors Monday voted to move forward with a $98.6 million spending plan for next school year, a 4.8% increase over this year’s budget. The tentative budget includes a...

On the first Thursday of every month, Monroeville Rotary showcases different nonprofits. Rotary’s meeting on April 3 at the Monroeville Public Library hosted Kevin Bode, founder of Knead Community Café in New Kensington. Bode is a financial advisor who spent time overseas doing mission work. He was raised in New...

Spectrum Charter School has been holding its annual talent show since before special education teacher Lori Yurkovich started working there in 2005. Every year, students showcase their skills by singing, dancing, telling jokes or reading poetry. Some students have unique talents, such as spinning balls, while others will use the...

Gateway High School teacher Shawn Whelan highlighted the district’s collaboration with the United Way’s Champion School Initiative, as well as the backpack program and monthly drive-thru food distribution when she addressed the school board last week. Many of the student volunteers for these activities are InterAct Club and National Honor...

Karen Junge Luce’s “Challenge Accepted” quilt exhibit will be on display in the Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space from March 28 to April 22. The public is invited to a free opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. March 29. Many of Luce’s quilts will be available for purchase. The...

Andrew Szczerba became interested in building with Lego after “The Lego Movie” was released in 2014. “I bought my first kit at Toys “R” Us,” Szczerba recalled. “It was a trash compactor from ‘The Lego Movie’ set.” A little more than a decade later, the 20-year-old Monroeville resident has about...

In his eighth and final year as mayor of Monroeville, Nick Gresock is optimistic about the changes in store for the community’s retail corridor. Gresock discussed some of the recent developments at March’s Monroeville Rotary meeting, held at the community library. Community members praised Gresock for helping to save the...

Monroeville’s Gateway School Board unanimously approved two property assessment settlement agreements this week. The first was for One Monroeville Center, 3824 Northern Pike. The 10-story building was built in 1984 and has about 101,665 square feet of space. The property owner initiated an assessment appeal for the 2025 tax year,...

Keegan Parady, a member of Lackawanna District’s Troop 220, earned his Eagle Scout rank in January. For his project, the Pitcairn resident purchased and installed shelving for Gateway High School’s food pantry. The Eagle Scout award is the highest honor available to Boy Scouts of America youth members. Only about...

Gateway School Board members voted unanimously to replace the surface of the batter’s box and pitching area at the high school athletic field for a total of $11,937. The vote was 9-0 this week to approve the proposal from Shaw Turf. Continuing the discussion that began at a recent study...

Bryan Kiger has been eyeing Monroeville Mall’s former Ulta Beauty store space for a few years now. “This corner anchor location is highly visible with ample free parking,” Kiger said of the 10,000 square-foot space. “It is an ideal location for indoor pickleball courts.” The Monroeville resident, along with co-owner...

National School Counseling Week was Feb. 3 - 7, and this year’s theme was “Helping Students Thrive.” Promoted by the American School Counselor Association, the week highlights the important role counselors play in helping students succeed in school and plan for life after graduation. To mark the week, the Gateway...

Gateway school board will vote next week on a proposal to replace the batter’s box and pitching areas at the high school baseball and softball field at a cost of $11,937. Director Jack Bova voiced concerns that the district recently installed new turf at the field. Bova wanted to know...

Monroeville Public Library is holding a three-part children’s series on space, where participants learn fun facts about the sun, planets, stars and asteroid belt. The first session this month was conducted by the newest staff member of the children’s department, Allyson Wetherhold, who joined the library in October. Children made...

Parishioners at the 60-year-old Monroeville Church of the Brethren have a new pastor, Oyango Burney. The Philadelphia native accepted the position starting in January. “I’m simply excited to be the new pastor of Monroeville Church of the Brethren,” Burney said. “Everyone has been so hospitable and helpful.” The pastor brings...

Monroeville’s Divine Mercy Academy kicks of Catholic Schools Week each year with a Mass at St. Bernadette Church on Sunday, followed by an open house for current and potential families. The remainder of the week is filled with activities for the students, such as dress up days, treats, games and...

Gateway school board members voted unanimously Monday to approve a $50,000 settlement in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by an alum who claims she was not hired as the district’s athletic director because she is in an interracial marriage. The vote for the settlement was 8-0; board President Leslie McBride...

Gateway school board last voted unanimously to approve the hire of Kevin Bringe as the human resources director at a salary of $120,000. The vote was 8-0, with Jack Bova absent. The board’s Jan. 27 took place after this issue went to press. Visit TribLive.com for more coverage. At the...

A variety of unique pieces, all created in the Monroeville Public Library’s MakerLab, will be featured during an exhibit next month. “Library MakerLab Creations” runs from Feb. 1-25 in the library’s Gallery Space. The show will feature a variety of unique pieces, all created in the MakerLab by local artisans...

Traditional folk dance and music from a variety of Old and New World cultures comes to Monroeville in the new Tamburitzans show, “Legacy.” For the second year in a row, the event is being sponsored by Erin and Frank Bozicevic – both Tamburitzans and Duquesne University alumni. The show begins...

Jim Meehan’s love of photography began in the 1990s. He got his first film camera so he could participate in a school photography contest, and the Pittsburgh native discovered a passion for capturing the world around him. Meehan started out photographing landscapes and events, as his passion for travel, art...

A new, inventive makerspace dubbed Gator Commons at Gateway High School’s Library Media Center is becoming “a hub of creativity and innovation,” according to teacher Dawn Nicolazzo. Equipped with a button maker, Cricut design space computer, sublimation station and printer, heat and die presses and other supplies and tools, students...

Gateway High School theater will perform “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the Robert A. Read Performing Arts Center this month. The winter play returns after a three year hiatus. “I had some students come to me last spring asking me to help make the winter play happen,” producer Mary...

People celebrated the new year early at a noon ball drop on New Year’s Eve at Monroeville Mall. The free, all ages event marked its third year. It is hosted by Monroeville Public Library. Festivities started at 11:30 a.m., when families mingled, learned about the library and put their names...