Keystone Oaks junior Kira Voichenko is a finalist for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s Outstanding Registered Pre-Apprentice Achievement Award, which recognizes registered pre-apprentices who have completed a pre-apprenticeship program and have demonstrated exceptional qualities to achieve success.

You can vote for Kira (and other award finalists) now through Friday, January 9, 2026. You can vote more than once; it is required that you vote for a nominee in each category. 

Kira has a strong passion for engineering and innovation. At Keystone Oaks High School, she completed the Industrial Manufacturing Technician Pre-Apprenticeship through Catalyst Connection and is now enrolled in a Computer-Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) course to further strengthen her design and technical skills. A member of the Robotics and Science Clubs, she helped her teams earn 2nd place finishes in two regional competitions. She also attended a summer math camp for girls at the University of Pittsburgh and has completed hands-on robotics training at the Community College of Allegheny County. 

The Keystone Oaks Board of School Directors has appointed Colleen Frankel, Ed.D. to fill the position of principal at Fred L. Aiken Elementary School. 

She replaces Mr. Thomas, who resigned in August to take a position as principal at a private high school. 

Dr. Frankel holds a doctoral degree in administration and leadership from Point Park University, where she also received her Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility. She also holds a master’s degree in education, instruction, and learning, with a concentration in reading education, from the University of Pittsburgh. 

She currently serves as an assistant elementary principal in the North Hills School District and previously worked as an assistant principal in the Sto Rox School District and as a classroom teacher in the Hampton Township School District and Gateway School District.

Throughout her tenure with the North Hills School District, she championed the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program, focused on improving school attendance, and collaborated with others to develop the school’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to use data to drive interventions for students. 

Dr. Frankel will start at Aiken Elementary at the beginning of the second semester of the 2025-2026 school year.

Keystone Oaks’ Food Service Department received a Bronze Level Child Hunger Hero award from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The Child Hunger Hero award program recognizes school districts and community partners for making outstanding contributions to food security for kids within Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s service area.

In addition to providing free breakfast and lunch meals to Keystone Oaks students each day, the Food Service Department has operated a free Summer Lunch Program nearly every summer since 2015, as well as when school operations were impacted during the pandemic. In that time, the Food Service staff has served more than 135,700 meals for students in the Keystone Oaks School District and nearby communities.

In mid-November, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released Pennsylvania’s 2024-2025 State Assessment scores, the Future Ready Index, and Building Level Scores, allowing the public to review the results of various assessments as well as the metrics used to measure school and student success. Based upon this data, each public school building in Pennsylvania was issued a building level score out of a total of 100 points. 

For the Keystone Oaks School District, there are two notable achievements from the Building Level Scores for the 2024-2025 school year:

"I would like to congratulate the building principals, faculty and staff at these two elementary schools on these remarkable accomplishments," said William P. Stropkaj, Ed.D., Superintendent. "This is a true sign of their dedication and work to ensure that all students are growing in pursuit of academic excellence."

More information about the Future Ready Index and Building Level Scores is available on the District's website.

Get ready to journey into the unknown—because the students of Keystone Oaks Middle School are bringing the magic of Disney’s Frozen Jr. to life on stage!

 

The talented cast and crew of this year’s musical have been hard at work crafting a show filled with heart, humor, and unforgettable music. From Elsa’s icy powers to Olaf’s warm hugs, this year’s musical promises to be one of our most enchanting productions yet! 

Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased online in advance.

Performances will be held on the following dates and times: 

Mark your calendars and make plans to join us for Keystone Oaks' annual Middle & High School Chorus, Orchestra, and Band/Jazz Band Holiday Concerts.

Admission is free and all concerts will begin at 7 p.m. in the Michael A. Callara Auditorium. 

📆 Tuesday, December 16

🎻 Middle & High School Orchestra

📆 Wednesday, December 17

🎶 Middle & High School Chorus

📆 Thursday, December 18

🎷 Middle & High School Band & Jazz Band

One new and three incumbent school board directors were sworn in to serve on the Keystone Oaks Board of School Directors during the board's annual Reorganization Meeting on Thursday, December 4.

New school board member Chris Cratsley took the oath of office from Green Tree Mayor Ed Schenck.

Santo Raso was appointed to serve a two-year term to fill his previous seat, which was not filled during the election.

Mr. Raso was sworn in along with fellow board members Annie Shaw and Emily Snyder, who were both elected to four-year terms.

Emily Snyder and Annie Shaw were elected president and vice president, respectively.

The Board of School Directors' January meetings will be held on Tuesday, January 13, and Tuesday, January 20, 2026, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Board Room. Agendas will be posted online 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Honors String Orchestra Festival. Following successful auditions, four Keystone Oaks High School students became the first in school history to be selected to perform in the PMEA District 1 Honors String Orchestra festival! Congratulations to seniors Kada Lamonde and Eli Hubinski, junior Aura Petraitis, and freshman Roslyn Gruber on this outstanding accomplishment.

Honors Band Festival. Senior trombone player Cailyn Lockhart, junior horn player Andreh De La Torre, and sophomore trombone player Valeria Hernandez Perez were selected to perform as part of the PMEA District 1 Honors Band festival in late November. Held at North Hills Middle School, this year's festival was under the direction of Dr. Andrew Boysen, Jr., professor of music at the University of New Hampshire and an internationally renowned composer.

Congratulations to the Keystone Oaks Middle School robotics team members Alexa Alard Arcia, Lacey Brant, Molly Knight, and Penny Moorhouse for placing 1st in the VEX IQ Robotics Competition at North Allegheny Middle School, finishing with an impressive high score of 97 points!

Student leaders for the Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports (PBIS) programs at Dormont and Myrtle Avenue Elementary Schools had the opportunity to share their school's story during the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's Student Summit.

In addition to sharing information about their programs, students also participated in a gallery walk to learn about PBIS initiatives at other schools.