by Chauleaqua Washington

Teen Quest Ranch is a place for fun, relaxation and a miniature vacation located in Somerset, Pa.

It sits on 140-acres of land that serves as the grounds for summer and winter camps, and a mission base for ministry teams around the world.

“Teen Quest is a place for everyone to have fun and enjoy their time,” said Travis Rusko, camp director.

Weekend retreats for youth groups and churches are also held at the ranch. But the most popular camp they hold during the fall is XDayz.

Eight years ago, Propel started as a dream. The dream was to build an organization with the capacity to transform public education in Southwestern Pennsylvania so that all children have access to high performing public schools. Today, that dream is a reality.

Propel’s mission is to catalyze the transformation of public education in Southwestern Pennsylvania so that all children have access to high performing public schools.

STUDENTS AT WORK IN PROPEL

Propel has become one of the largest, fastest-expanding set of charter schools in Pennsylvania with the highest levels of student achievement among Pennsylvania public school districts serving high poverty areas.

There have been famous bells, Alexander Graham Bell, for one, surprisingly quiet bells, the Liberty Bell comes to mind, fashionable bells (love those bell bottoms, and of course, Southern belles, bell curves and bell peppers. But now, Urban Pathways has added school bells to the downtown soundscape.

This year Urban Pathways officially opened its new K-5 College Charter School building right in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Downtown Cultural District and right across the street from its 6-12 school.

With nearly 500 students, 60 full-time and adjunct teachers and 20 other staff, UPCS offers a well rounded, comprehensive curriculum emphasizing college readiness, Core Knowledge (K-5) and an entrepreneurship cohort.

We understand that as parents you want a program for your child that ignites a passion for learning in an environment that is safe and welcoming. We also recognize that each child learns differently. That’s why we are offering a wide range of educational options for families.

At the Pittsburgh Public Schools, we are committed to our vision of Excellence for All. This means preparing all children to achieve academic excellence and strength of character, so that they can pursue their passion and be prepared to receive scholarships through the Pittsburgh Promise. The Pittsburgh Promise is a community gift to help families plan, prepare and pay for education after high school. We are working hard to ensure that every school provides quality, academically rigorous and engaging programs so each student is Promise-Ready.

POSITIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS—From left: Nina Esposito-Visgitis, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers president; John Tarka, former president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers; Linda Lane, Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent; and Tim Stevens, chairman of The Black Political Empowerment Project announced a partnership to install learning environment specialists at seven high needs schools Aug. 29.