- Keystone Oaks welcomes more than two dozen new employees 💛
- Phase One of the elementary schools renovation project is slated to begin in 2026 🏫
- Elementary schools implement Math Fact Finders program to build students' math fact fluency 🔢
- Aiken Elementary School earns PBIS Fidelity across all three tiers 👏🏻
- Keystone Oaks hires alumnus to support athletic communications 📸
- Keystone Oaks Foundation for Educational Excellence awards $11,000 in grant funding 🦅
- Keystone Oaks Board of School Directors update and upcoming meetings ✅
- Highlighting Excellence: Celebrating the recent successes of Keystone Oaks students and staff 🎉
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We are excited to welcome more than two dozen new faces to the Keystone Oaks School District family this year! From classroom teachers and technology support staff to paraprofessionals, food service employees, long-term substitutes, and even a new Supervisor of Special Education, these dedicated professionals are ready to support and inspire our students. Please join us in giving a warm Golden Eagle welcome to our newest staff members!
District-Wide
- Hollie Farren - Supervisor of Special Education
- Michael Crovak - Help Desk Technician, Technology Department
- Loren Luft - Behavior Specialist
- Sydney May - Music teacher
- Gretchen Suding - Art teacher
Dormont Elementary School
- Julia Hornick - Fifth Grade teacher
- Megan Bliss - Fifth Grade, long-term substitute teacher
- Kara Trant - Special Education teacher
- Bryan Frankenfield - School Police Officer
- Naomi Fanelli - Paraprofessional
- Jamie Krober - Paraprofessional
- Joan Leach - Paraprofessional
- Gabriella Harris - STEAM, long-term substitute teacher
Fred L. Aiken Elementary School
- Carrie Munkittrick - Paraprofessional
- Gabriella Harris - STEAM, long-term substitute teacher
Myrtle Avenue Elementary School
- Julie Brooks - Special Education teacher
- Sarah Reick - Personal Care Assistant
- Makenna Sansotta - Paraprofessional
- Tabitha Warman - Paraprofessional
Keystone Oaks Middle School
- Amanda Adams - Paraprofessional
- Jami Conn - Paraprofessional
Keystone Oaks High School
- Rachel Willig - Special Education teacher
- Amanda Weinheimer - Life Skills teacher
- Lisa Kolarac - School Police Officer
- Matthew Schweitzer - Paraprofessional
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The Keystone Oaks School District is moving forward with the first phase of a major renovation project for all three elementary schools, with work expected to begin in late spring or early summer 2026. Estimated at $15 million, this phase will include HVAC system upgrades to improve comfort and air quality, roof repairs and new windows to ensure safe and efficient learning environments, and new playground equipment and surfaces at Dormont and Fred L. Aiken Elementary Schools. Myrtle Avenue Elementary’s playground will be renovated at a later date, as that building is expected to undergo additional significant changes to the outside grounds.
This summer, District administrators met with HHSDR Architects/Engineers to begin planning for the upcoming renovations, and members of the Board of School Directors toured each building to better understand students’ and teachers’ daily needs.
These projects build on the work HHSDR began in spring 2024, when the firm conducted a full study of the District’s elementary schools. That process included input from families, staff, and community members, as well as a detailed review of each facility. The final report, shared with the District in February, is now serving as the roadmap for improvements that will support safe, welcoming, and modern learning spaces for every child.
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This year, all three elementary schools are launching an exciting new program to help students build confidence and speed with their math facts! The KO Math Fact Finders initiative will run from September through March, but students are encouraged to keep practicing math facts all year long.
Students will practice daily with the XtraMath program, working on addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division facts depending on their grade level. Everyone begins at the 6-second level, and as they master each stage, they’ll move on to quicker levels and earn a special wristband to celebrate their achievement.
In March, students who have mastered the 2-second level or faster will take part in a fun, bracket-style Math Madness Challenge. Students will go head-to-head with their classmates, with homeroom winners advancing to a final assembly. The top student in each grade will be crowned champion, receive a medal, and earn their final wristband!
Progress will be tracked and displayed in each school’s lobby so students can see how far they’ve come. The goal is for every student to reach math fact proficiency at the 3-second level—and have fun along the way!
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Keystone Oaks School District is proud to recognize Aiken Elementary School for once again earning PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) Fidelity across all three tiers.
Aiken’s PBIS journey began in 2018, when staff were first trained in Tier 1 practices. By the 2019–2020 school year, Aiken achieved Fidelity in Tier 1—and has proudly sustained it for five consecutive years. In 2022, staff expanded their training to include advanced tiers, and by the 2022–2023 school year, Aiken had achieved Fidelity across all three tiers of PBIS. This year marks the second consecutive year sustaining that recognition.
According to the Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network:
- Last year, Aiken was one of just 115 schools in Pennsylvania to achieve Fidelity across all three tiers—out of nearly 3,000 schools statewide.
- Within Allegheny County, Aiken was one of only 15 schools to reach this milestone, out of 276 public schools.
This achievement highlights the dedication of Aiken’s teachers, staff, students, and families in building a positive school culture that supports the success and well-being of every child.
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The Keystone Oaks School District is excited to announce a partnership with alumnus and professional photographer Dylan Kickler to support communications for middle and high school athletics. Dylan will capture professional photographs at athletic events and will manage the district’s new Instagram account dedicated to Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles Athletics: @ko_goldeneagles.
This initiative will allow families, students, alumni, and community members to follow the accomplishments of Keystone Oaks student-athletes, enjoy high-quality photos from athletic events, and celebrate Golden Eagle pride throughout the school year.
Dylan is a 2022 graduate of Keystone Oaks High School and Parkway West Career & Technology Center, where he completed the Graphic Arts & Production Technology program. He is an award-winning professional photographer who has captured photos for a variety of sports teams, both locally and nationally.
Through this partnership, Keystone Oaks is proud to showcase the hard work, talent, and achievements of its student-athletes while also celebrating the success of a graduate who has turned his passion into a profession.
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The Keystone Oaks Foundation for Educational Excellence has awarded $11,000 in grants to seven innovative classroom projects for the 2025–2026 school year:
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DS4Success – High School students explore real-world data in the K–12 STEAM curriculum.
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7th Grade Restaurant Project – Middle School students combine cooking, branding, marketing, and web design.
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PBIS Mobile School Store – Aiken Elementary promotes positive behavior and student engagement.
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Middle School Rock Band – Students gain hands-on experience performing in a real rock band.
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Sensory Tools and Flexible Seating – Supports self-regulation and coping strategies for students with disabilities.
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PBIS Store Prizes and Incentives – Middle School students receive rewards for positive behavior.
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“Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Dream” – Students design and construct scale models of Usonian houses, integrating geometry, physics, and history.
These grants support programs that foster creativity, real-world skills, and student engagement across all grade levels.
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The Board of School Directors will hold its September Work Session Meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, and its Business/Legislative Meeting on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m. Agendas are posted online 24 hours prior to the meeting.
The Keystone Oaks Board of School Directors took the following noteworthy actions during their August meeting:
- The Board approved the retirement of Barbara Routh, a food service employee who worked as a district employee for 11 years; prior to that, she worked at Keystone Oaks through a private food service company. Thank you for your dedication to Keystone Oaks!
- The Board approved several new hires and appointments to a variety of positions, including coaches and club and activity sponsors.
- The Board approved the replacement of automatic transfer switches at Dormont Elementary and Myrtle Avenue Elementary Schools. In the case of a power outage, this will ensure that electricity for critical systems and equipment is switched to a backup power source.
The following Board Committee meetings are scheduled in September:
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Education Committee - Thursday, September 25 | 6 p.m. | Professional Development Center
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Policy Committee - Tuesday, September 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Board Room
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Buildings, Grounds & Transportation and Finance Committees | Thursday, October 2 | 6 p.m. | Board Room
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STEAM in the Park. Gifted support teacher Mrs. Emily Milbert spent part of her summer at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Recreational Area for the STEAM in the Park program—her second year attending this immersive experience for educators. As an ambassador, she even led a session on pollination. This year’s training focused on storytelling, which Mrs. Milbert plans to incorporate into her seminars. She shared that the program has inspired lessons that blend subjects, encourage critical thinking, and connect students to real-world problem-solving. |
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Educators Rising. In its first year at KOHS, the Educators Rising program sent two Class of 2025 graduates to the National Conference in Orlando. Genevieve Bogdan competed in the EdRising Moment speech competition, while Caroline Burns presented a Creative Lecture on “The Double-Edged Sword of AI.” Congratulations to Mrs. Emily Brill and her students on a successful first year! |
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D.A.R.E. International. Keystone Oaks School Police Officer Shane McGrath, who serves as the District’s D.A.R.E. instructor at all three elementary schools, attended the annual D.A.R.E. International Conference in Indianapolis, IN. He received training on the updated D.A.R.E. curriculum, which will be available in 2026, and also participated in sessions on autism safety and human trafficking—learning how to recognize signs and symptoms and to better understand dangerous social media trends. |
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AP Scholars. Fifty Keystone Oaks High School graduates and current students who were named AP Scholars, based on their achievement on AP exams during the 2024-2025 school year.
Seventeen students were recognized as AP Scholars with Distinction, twelve students were recognized as AP Scholars with Honor, and twenty-one students were recognized as AP Scholars. Find more details on our website. |
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Remodeled Gymnasiums. This summer, both the Keystone Oaks Middle School and Keystone Oaks High School gymnasiums were refurbished. The $500,000 project included resurfacing the hardwood floors, installing new bleachers, and replacing the curtain dividers in both gymnasiums. The gymnasiums were last renovated in 1996. |
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