The Burrell School District is one of many school districts under the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...

. The Burrell School District is located 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

. The school district serves the City of Lower Burrell

Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania

Lower Burrell is a city in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located approximately 18 miles northeast of Downtown Pittsburgh, Lower Burrell is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area...

 and Upper Burrell Township. The district operates Burrell High School (9th-12th), Charles A. Huston Middle School (6th-8th), Bon Air School (K-5th) and Stewart School (K-5th).

Administration and officials

District-wide administration in the school district consists of a Superintendent and an Assistant Superintendent. The Administrative Complex of Burrell High School contains both levels of district-wide administration.

• Superintendent
  Superintendent (education)
  In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
  
  - Mrs. Shannon Wagner
• Administrative Assistant- Dr. Michael Loughead

The psychologist normally resides in Huston Middle School.

• Psychologist
  Psychologist
  Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
  
  - Mrs. Kristen Serluco

Bon Air Elementary School

Bon Air Elementary was newly remodeled in 1997 in the Burrell School District. Construction of the building was completed in time for the beginning of the 1997 school year. A photo of the building on Google Maps can be found here.

History

Dating back into at least the 1950s, Bon Air Elementary was a small building that originally housed grades one through six. Kindergarten was later added. Eventually, other small schools (Gladeview, Upper Burrell, and Wills in Kinloch) in the Burrell School District closed, eventually forcing the district to renovate Bon Air. Small parts (mainly the second-grade hall) of the old building can still be found in the new architecture.

Present

The new building, completed in time for the 1997-1998 school year, was built for new technological applications. Phone and network jacks are in place in each of the rooms, including the cafeteria and "multi-purpose room", which is a gym/auditorium. The building currently houses grades Kindergarten through Fifth, and is the main elementary school. Recently, proposals have been made to the school board to make it the only elementary school. These, however, have failed due to the wishes of the public to retain "neighborhood schools".

Administration

Both elementary schools have only one level of building administration, the principal. Bon Air's principal
is Mr. Gregory Egnor.

Stewart Elementary

Stewart Elementary School is the oldest of the schools in Burrell. The building's exterior has stayed mostly unchanged in the long amount of time it has been open, as can be seen on a Google Maps picture
here.

History

Stewart School was built on the property of the Stewart Family farm in the 1930s. There are certain rumors that the land is still owned by the Stewarts, but rented by the district. The building was once the flagship building, but is now the lesser of two elementary schools.

Present

Stewart Elementary School is the oldest of the four buildings, and has undergone renovations from time to time to keep it "current". The inside has changed drastically, especially with the addition of computers and network jacks in virtually every room. Stewart, like Bon Air, once housed Kindergarten-Sixth, but now houses Kindergarten through Fifth grades. It has been proposed that Stewart should consolidate with Bon Air, forming one large elementary school. These proposals have been largely unpopular with the residents who live within Stewart's student radius, and no further action has been taken.

Administration

Much like Bon Air, Stewart has only a principal, who is in charge of all duties in the building. The school's principal is Ms. Amy Lenart.

Charles A. Huston Middle School

Charles A. Huston Middle School (more commonly known as Huston Middle School or HMS) is the second oldest building in the district, completed in 1964. A Google Maps picture of the building during construction can be seen here.

In 2009, the 8th grade was ranked 30th out of 141 western Pennsylvania middle schools based on three years of student academic achievement in PSSA

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills...

s in: reading, math writing and one year of science. (Includes schools in: Allegheny County

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...

, Beaver County

Beaver County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...

, Butler County

Butler County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile...

, Fayette County

Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the2010 census, the population was 136,606. The county is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, Westmoreland County

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...

, and Washington County

Washington County, Pennsylvania

-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...

History

Originally, the building was named Burrell Junior High School and housed grades seven through nine. The 1980s marked change in the school, when the building was renamed to honor the former principal and then-superintendent Charles A. Huston, and to reflect the change to a sixth through eighth grade building. Huston Middle School has been remodeled and was finished in 2008. Charles Huston attended a final renovation ceremony for the official ending of the renovations. Charles Huston died soon afterward.

Renovations

Renovation work to the building was started on June 1, 2006 with a ground-breaking ceremony (an article describing the renovation and ground-breaking can be found on the Burrell website).

Administration

Building administration includes both a principal and an assistant principal. The principal's duties mainly focus on administration and academic quality. The assistant principal is focused mainly on discipline. Mr. Matthew Conner is principal for the Middle School. The assistant principal position belongs to Mr. Brian Ferra.

Burrell High School

Burrell High School is the second newest building in the district. The picture from Google Maps shows the track/football field (black, bottom right) and the tennis courts (red, middle left).

History

Burrell Senior High School was completed in the mid-1960s. Grades ten through twelve were housed in the building, and later changed to grades nine through twelve (the name also changed from Senior High to High).

Present

The district's administration, tennis court, swimming pool, athletic offices, and the track/football field are in the high school grounds. The school currently is home to grades nine through twelve.

Administration

Administration at the high school is similar to that of the middle school. The principal is Mr. John Boylan and the assistant principal is Mr. James Croushore.

Academic Achievement

Graduation Rate:

2009 - 94%

2008 - 96%

PSSA Results

11th Grade Reading

2009 - 68% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.

2008 - 75%, State - 65%

11th Grade Math:

2009 - 57% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.

2008 - 64%, State - 56%

11th Grade Science:

2009 - 34% on grade level. State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.

2008 - 34%

College Remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pennsylvania Department of Education

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

 study released in January 2009, 16% of Burrell School District graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large public university system in the United States. It is the tenth-largest university system in the United States and 43rd largest in the world...

or community colleges.

Dual Enrollment

The high school offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.

For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $26,878 for the program.

Extracurricular activities

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those home schooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.