Students Attend Summer Academy

Story & Photo by Kimberly Marcott Weinberg
Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing

Forty-two high school students from McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter counties are getting a taste of college this week at the Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 Summer Academy at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

Now in its 24th year, Summer Academy is co-sponsored by the IU and Pitt-Bradford and is free for students.

Students were able to choose one of three tracks: drama and communications, entrepreneurial science and technology or -- new this year -- criminal justice and forensics.

Students in drama and communications are taught by Dr. Kevin Ewert, associate professor of theater, and Jeff Guterman, associate professor of communications. Students study drama and the basics of radio and television production, creating commercials and newscasts. They will also take a field trip to visit WNED public broadcasting and Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Those in entrepreneurial science and technology are working with Diana Maguire, associate project director of the Pitt-Bradford entrepreneurship program, and Greg Miller, coordinator of residential networking services. Students are also taking a field trip to Olean Wholesale Grocery Cooperative Inc. and Dresser-Rand in Olean, N.Y.

Debuting as an area of study this year is criminal justice and forensics, taught by Dr. Tony Gaskew, assistant professor of criminal justice. In addition to classroom studies, students will be using Pitt-Bradford’s state-of-the-art Crime Scene Investigation House (including a nighttime crime scene) and taking a field trip to the United Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville.

The criminal justice track was very popular in its first year, said James Hoffman of the IU9, with more applications for that track than there were spaces. Students, he said, were accepted into either their first or second choices of tracks.

When not in class, all of the Summer Academy students played games, sang in a choir, learned about the history of the Kinzua Bridge, swam, had a talent show, learned from Pitt-Bradford’s Science in Motion mobile educators, watched movies and had a dance.

Funding for the academy comes from a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, private funding and tuition paid by participating school districts.

Students who took part in the drama and communications track were Amanda Evan, Mahita Gajanan, Isabella Gleason, Heather Kloss, Jennifer Leposa and Angela Steel, all of Bradford; Zach Chandler, Kelsey McElwee and Kerri McVinney, all of Eldred; Courtney Gorrell and Daniel Robinson, both of Gifford; Kyle Lightner of Smethport; Tori Menendez of Cyclone; Mary Reinsburrow of Johnsonburg; Emily Zapel of Duke Center; and Carly Stuart of Emporium.

Those who took part in entrepreneurial science and technology were Rachel Avey, Kyle Crumrine, Kaylee Hollister, Kathryn Kornacki, Samantha McCormick and Jeffrey Warner, all of Bradford; Trevor Clark and Victoria Foutz, both of Emporium; Caleb Cooper and Jonathan Markert, both of Smethport; Nicole Bailey of Custer City; Brook Budinger of Eldred; and Amanda Straight of Duke Center.

Those taking part in criminal justice were Kaitlin Barton, Lauren Bauschard, Tahlisa Brougham, Andrew Eliason, Hope Laroche, Ryan Mackey, Stephanie O’Neil, Sara Peterson and Michelle Ransom, all of Bradford; Chelsea Plant, Emily Purdy and Adriana Ramadhan, all of Austin; and Matt Melott of Emporium.

Pictured, students performing movement exercises with Dr. Kevin Ewert, associate professor of theater, at Seneca Highlands Summer Academy. Among those pictured are, front row, closest to camera, Emily Zapel of Duke Center and Zach Chandler of Eldred.