A.W. Beattie students honored at Pirates CTE Signing Day

Congratulations to Avonworth’s Kohen Newcomer and Gennaro Santucci, Hampton Township’s Eden Mattiuz, and Shaler Area’s Ellery Kania and Carson Wolff who participated in the Career and Technical Education Night at PNC Park!

We would like to thank the Pirates organization and the many regional representatives that made this a special day which included a Signing Day ceremony and students being recognized on the field minutes before the game began.

A.W. Beattie and nine more CTCs in Western Pennsylvania each selected five seniors to be recognized at the game.

You can read stories on each of the students who represented A.W. Beattie below:

ELLERY KANIA – SHALER AREA

Shaler Area senior Ellery Kania will work full-time at Val-lerie’s Hair Designs following graduation!

Ellery is a third-year student in the Cosmetology program. She earned her state Cosmetology license in January, which enabled her to begin to take clients at the salon where she has assisted staff for three years. She also has worked at the salon through A.W. Beattie’s Co-Op program.

“It’s so exciting and relieving to not have to worry about what’s next because I have a plan,” Ellery said. “I feel completely ready to start the next chapter of my life especially because of where I’ll be working. Everyone there is always so welcoming and helpful. A lot of the staff there also went to Beattie and know the curriculum. Valerie (Bailey) also knows the terminology used at Beattie so that makes it that much easier to learn from her and everyone else.”

Ellery’s journey to Beattie began before her sophomore year when she transferred to Shaler Area.

“I was absolutely terrified because I had never attended a public school and then my mom found out about Beattie,” she said. “The Cosmetology program was something I was interested in so I shadowed Mrs. Cazin for a day in the summer. I’ve always loved be hands-on and creative and I knew (the Cosmetology program) has the environment I wanted to be in.”

Ellery's experience in the Cosmetology program and Val-lerie's Hair Designs shaped her career plans.

Her long-term goals include working in the film and theatre industries.

“I always looked forward to coming in and learning something new,” she said. “I loved learning from three instructors, listening to their ideas and seeing the way they do things. I loved knowing that every day I could learn something that I enjoy and that I would continue to do in the future. Being here was the best decision I could have made for myself.”

EDEN MATTIUZ – HAMPTON TOWNSHIP

Hampton Township senior Eden Mattiuz will attend Carlow University to become a Surgical Technologist. She also will work for UPMC through the UPMC School of Surgical Technology!

Carlow University offers a work-flex program that will allow her to work for UPMC, attend school with a full scholarship and be paid full-time with benefits. She also plans to continue her education to become a Surgical First Assistant.

"The opportunity Carlow offers is too good to pass up," Eden said. "I can pursue what I want to do and be debt free."

Eden is a third-year student in A.W. Beattie's Surgical Sciences program.

"When I think of Beattie, I think of the relationships you build," Eden said. "I think of my relationship with my instructor Mrs. Olszewski, the Dental instructor Mrs. Gibson, and Mr. Thayer, and so many instructors and staff who I've built relationships with because they are great teachers. I also think about all of the opportunities I've had because of Beattie like touring hospitals and different colleges and going to conferences and lectures with my instructor."

Eden is one of the first students to be enrolled for three years in A.W. Beattie's Surgical Sciences as it was founded in the 2021-22 school year. It was the first program of its kind at the high school level in Pennsylvania.

She was drawn to the Surgical Sciences program and the vision for it - an academic foundation for students wanting to pursue a career pathway in the surgical field coupled with lifelike, hands-on experiences that simulate procedures in an operating room.

"When I first toured the program our operating room bed and lab were inside the same classroom that we were learning in and it has grown so much," Eden said. "Now we have a completely separate room for our mock operating room and mock sterile processing center. Mr. Heasley has done a lot in helping us get that we equipment to enable us to have so many unique opportunities to learn."

Eden said graduation will be bittersweet because she will miss her instructor Mrs. Olszewski.

"I've loved Surgical Sciences so much because of her and how much she prepares us for life after high school," Eden said. "I've learned from my friends in college how much being in this program has helped them in post-secondary education and a lot of that is because of Mrs. Olszewski being a great teacher and mentor to us."

KOHEN NEWCOMER - AVONWORTH

Avonworth senior Kohen Newcomer will serve in the U.S. Navy following graduation!

He is committed to becoming an EOD Diver in the U.S. Navy.

He will follow in the footsteps of father and grandfather who also served in the military and be able to incorporate welding, which he enjoyed learning in the Automotive Collision Technology program, into his daily tasks.

He plans to serve in the U.S. Navy for 20 years.

"I just love the idea of serving my country, I love welding and I love the ocean," Kohen said. "I expect to have a lot of great experiences. Navy divers can do so many different things."

Kohen almost did not attend the Career Center but is glad he gave it a chance after learning more about it from friends in the program.

"The instructors are great here and taught me so much from being independent and everything there is to know about auto body to getting hands-on experiences and working at Elite Auto Collision through Co-op," Kohen said. "It's an incredible environment here. I loved it, and I'm going to miss it so much. It's always the highlight of my day.”

Kohen plans to pursue a welding career after serving in the military.

GENNARO SANTUCCI - AVONWORTH

Avonworth senior Gennaro Santucci will attend Duquesne University where he will major in Music Technology!

"I felt like Duquesne had the best Music Technology program in the area," Gennaro said. "It was important to me to stay local while getting the best education possible for what I want to do."

He hopes to be a music producer.

"For the longest time I've wanted to pursue a career in the music industry," he said. "That's where I've always been comfortable and what I'm good at doing. I'd also like to be able to open a music studio."

Gennaro is a third-year student in A.W. Beattie Advertising Design program and also participated in SkillsUSA.

He recently earned the SkillsUSA Pennsylvania Championship with fellow Avonworth senior Leonardo Pacione in the Audio/Radio Technology competition. He earned second place in the state in the same competition in his junior year. Gennaro and Leonardo will compete in SkillsUSA Nationals in Atlanta, GA.

Gennaro also has contributed to other students' projects by producing soundtracks and editing audio.

"In general, I've become the sound person that most people go to in the room when they need a sound check," he said. "It relates to the class and the work we do. I also know that a lot of what we do here is the visual aspect of video so I can build on that by learning more of the audio end of producing videos in college."

Gennaro said one of the most important things he has learned in the Advertising Design program is how to brand himself and his work.

"This class helped me learn how to brand beyond imagination," he said. "I've actually been able to create logos for my brand and music. I've created subheads, posters, and all of that type of stuff. One of my friends, who is at CCAC, and I also started our own company, because we can use everything we've learned and produced in this class. We're using that to network with clients."

Gennaro also is an independent artist on all platforms. 

He credited Mr. Dumbeck and Mrs. Brown, the Advertising Design program's instructors, with helping him build a foundation for his post-secondary education and career interests.

"If it weren't for Mr. Dumbeck, I wouldn't be able to use the software as well as I'm able to," Gennaro said. "If it weren't for Mrs. Brown, I wouldn't know what to do from a business perspective. They're both great."

CARSON WOLFF – SHALER AREA

Shaler Area senior Carson Wolff will attend Slippery Rock University where plans to earn his doctorate in athletic training or physical therapy!

"I've known for a long time that I've wanted to be in the healthcare field," he said. "With my love of sports, it pulled me toward this career path, because I've always wondered what happens when a player is injured and has to rehab. It made me want to help people heal faster after an injury."

Carson is a second-year student in A.W. Beattie's Sports Medicine program. His mom was an influence in him attending the Career Center as she had experienced CTE education while in high school.

"She knew how a school like this would be helpful in getting a head start on college and jobs, so she wanted me to take advantage of an opportunity here in Sports Medicine," Carson said. "A month went by in class, and I told her, 'thank you.' Every single day that I've been here has been a good day."

Mr. Vtipil and Mr. Cowger, the Sports Medicine instructors, have had a positive impact on Carson's experience in the program.

"I really like how they lead the program," he said. "They are really nice people, and I like how they push us and challenge us to go beyond the basics. They're also always there to help you. They made me feel like I am capable of doing anything I want to do in the field."

Learning Anatomy and Physiology in the program has made some classes at Shaler Area easier.

"I'm in Shaler's Honors Anatomy class, which I can earn a college credit in, and I'm ahead in everything in that class," he said. "A lot of the units we go over I already know. Being in Sports Medicine definitely gave me a head start for that class and for what I'll do in Slippery Rock's great program."