Natalie Beneviat stories, Page 18
New North Allegheny hire to join line of superintendents stretching to 1948
In the North Allegheny School District’s 75-year history, it’s had nine superintendents and at least two acting superintendents, or about one every seven years — better than average, according to numbers from an official of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. “The average term of a PA superintendent is 3.73...
McCandless church serves those in need with Love Local Day
A local church took its ministry outside its doors last month to help others. Memorial Park Church, located in McCandless, holds its annual Love Local Day where its members go to places that may need help in any way, according to Kevin Steele, local outreach coordinator at the church. This...
North Allegheny students create bus driver job search campaign
A tiger in the tank? How about a tiger behind the wheel? Students at North Allegheny Senior High School participated in a recent marketing and social media campaign called the Drivers 4 Tigers Bus project to help the district find school bus drivers for next school year. The project, or...
North Allegheny school board candidates differ on superintendent search process
The search is underway for a new superintendent for the North Allegheny School District, however differences have emerged among school board candidates whether a new superintendent should be hired prior to the school year beginning in August or after a new school board is elected in November. Terms for the...
Two NA students collect used glasses for Lions Club
Two sixth-graders from North Allegheny are helping others see their world in a better way, thanks to an eyeglass donation collection program through the Northern Allegheny Lions Club. Srinika Dasari and her friend and classmate Aarya Shamkuwar, both of Franklin Park, have collected more than 1,463 used eyeglasses to date....
Cemetery cleanup in McCandless uncovers forgotten past
Hidden beneath brush and dirt was the gravestone of Capt. Moses M. Warrick, 1884 to 1932, a fire marshal of Engine 38 in the City of Pittsburgh who was also a veteran of WWI and lived with his family in the Hill District. Another grave was that of a baby,...
North Allegheny School Board Safety gets update about security and safety measures
With 12 schools, plus athletic facilities and other district buildings, there’s a lot to keep safe in the North Allegheny School District, said Dan Stack, NA’s manager of school safety. “I really kind of looked at the district on where we were with things and how we could improve,” said...
Peebles Volunteer Fire Company wins state award as top rescue service of the year
Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company Station 188 Chief Matthew Williams invited his volunteer crew to the station on May 10 for what they thought was just a night to recognize their achievements. What a surprise they got. The crew learned that Peebles was named the 2023 Rescue Service of the...
North Allegheny to enhance security procedures with ALICE
In an emergency, a North Allegheny student’s best friend may be ALICE. The North Allegheny School Board voted unanimously May 10 to beef up security procedures and safety training by using the ALICE Training program. School board Vice President Marcie Crow is a middle school teacher in the Gateway School...
Former North Allegheny Senior High School principal to sub as superintendent as search goes on to fill the post
Retired North Allegheny Senior High School Principal Dr. Lawrence Butterini has been named substitute NA superintendent to replace Dr. Melissa Friez, who announced suddenly this month she was going to the Mt. Lebanon School District as superintendent. In her May 1 announcement, Friez said she gave the NA board a...
McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority holds open house
The McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority EMS will hold an open house on May 21 from 1-3 p.m. at its main station on 9925 Grubbs Road. Visitors can see the what their local EMS is all about, said ambulance authority Chief Chris Dell. “The goal of the event is to educate...
Students at North Allegheny explore rocket modeling while alum explores space
In the North Allegheny School District, it is rocket science. Sixth graders throughout the district do model rocketry as part of the annual science curriculum, said Science Department Chair Christopher Omasits. “The rocketry project helps students see topics like chemical reactions, energy, and Newton’s Laws all in action in a...
Final proposed North Allegheny budget ready for public inspection
The proposed final draft of the North Allegheny’s 2023-24 budget is available for public viewing and feedback, as required by the state. Total revenue is estimated at $194 million and expenses at $193 million, with no increase in property taxes which are currently set at 19.74 mills. The preliminary budget...
North Allegheny School Board begins process of replacing school superintendent
With little discussion, the North Allegheny School Board on May 3 unanimously approved the resignation of school Superintendent Dr. Melissa Friez, who announced the day before that she had accepted a position as superintendent of the Mt. Lebanon School District. The hunt for North Allegheny’s new school superintendent comes as...
North Allegheny school superintendent resigns to take Mt. Lebanon post
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct that Friez’s resignation announcement was made May 1. The North Allegheny school superintendent announced May 1 that she is resigning to become school superintendent for the Mt. Lebanon School District. Dr. Melissa Friez announced in a districtwide email sent to North...
Seventh grader at Ingomar Middle School publishes first book
Hybrid humans, outer space travel and a deadly virus are some of the elements in “The Existence,” a book authored by Nia Sharath, a seventh-grader at Ingomar Middle School at North Allegheny. Set in the 2200s, the tale incorporates science fiction, fantasy, friendship, family and a fight between good and...
2 vying for party nominations for district judge’s seat that covers Bradford Woods, Marshall McCandless, Pine
The pending retirement of Magisterial District Judge William K. Wagner has created a wide-open vacancy in Magisterial District 05-02-12, which covers Bradford Woods, Marshall, McCandless, and Pine, and two McCandless attorneys are seeking nominations to fill the post. Matthew J. Brungo and Eric Fischer are each seeking the Republican and...
North Allegheny students get a world of information from NA astronaut Woody Hoburg
Where do astronauts sleep? NASA astronaut and North Allegheny grad Dr. Warren “Woody” Hoburg has the answer, and told NA students that astronauts get their rest while floating in a sleeping bag attached to a wall inside their spacecraft. Hoburg, who is part of the space station’s Expedition 69 crew,...
10 candidates seek nominations for North Allegheny School Board
Editor’s note: The North Allegheny Journal is publishing election previews with candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. Ten candidates are competing for Democratic and Republican nominations for five seats on the North Allegheny School Board, with the primary election scheduled for May 16. The 10 candidates,...
Contested races are few in primaries in the North Allegheny area
Editor’s note: The North Allegheny Journal is publishing election previews with candidate interviews for contested municipal and school board races only. The preview for the contested North Allegheny School Board race and two town council races in McCandless are running in the April 27 edition. Stories about contested races for...
State Rep. Arvind Venkat conducts 1st town hall meeting
Funding for public education, gun violence and healthcare were some of the topics discussed April 17 during a town hall meeting conducted by State Rep. Dr. Arvind Venkat at the A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless. More than 50 people attended, with Venkat answering their questions and sharing news and...
McCandless to see GOP contests for Ward 1 and Ward 5 council nominations
The only contested council races in McCandless in the upcoming May 16 primary are for the Republican nominations for seats in Ward 1 and Ward 5. Each race features one incumbent and one challenger. There are no declared Democratic candidates seeking party nominations for Ward 1 and Ward 5 seats,...
Beloved Hosack Elementary custodian from O’Hara Township died from viral encephalitis, medical examiner says
Kevin Cavlovich, the late head custodian at Hosack Elementary School, passed away from viral encephalitis, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office announced Thursday, April 13. Viral encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus. The medical examiner ruled that the death was natural. Cavlovich died Jan. 5...
McCandless museum to host first-ever drive-in movie
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the inflatable screen will be coming from the McCandless Community Association. The McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center is going movie retro. The center’s first-ever showing of a drive-in movie will be June 17 in the center parking lot at...
Field trips become learning tools for North Allegheny autistic support and life skills support students
Community field trips are real-life learning tools for middle and high school students in the autistic support and life skills support classes at North Allegheny. The trips enable students to take what they’ve learned in the classroom out into the community. They learn about stores, restaurants or other businesses in...

