PHASE 4 Learning Center, Inc. › wp-content › uploads › ... · PHASE 4 Sto-Rox 4 Spotlight Student: Kyle Smith 4 PHASE 4 Harrisburg 4 ... This battle was the final Confeder-ate

PHASE 4 Learning

Center, Inc.

In October 2012,

PHASE 4 received a

generous donation from

the Northwest Charita-

ble Foundation. This

donation was made pos-

sible through the Pleas-

ant Hills branch of

Northwest Savings

Bank. The purpose of

the grant is to “help

PHASE 4 with the costs

involved in providing

academic, behavioral,

and social training for

at-risk youth.” Every-

one at PHASE 4 would

like to thank the North-

west Charitable Foun-

dation for this donation

and the opportunity that

it provides to PHASE 4

to continue to serve to-

day’s youth.

Charitable Foundation of Northwest Bank Donates to PHASE 4

MARCH 2013

PHASE 4 Beaver & Chick-fil-A’s

Student of the Month

PHASE 4 Beaver has en-

tered into a partnership

with Chick-fil-A, located

in the Beaver Valley mall,

to name a student from

the site as “Student of

the Month” during the

2012-2013 school year.

The student is chosen

based on academic perfor-

mance, attendance, and

behavior. The chosen

student receives a prize

package from Chick-fil-A,

which includes a free

meal and lots of Chick–

fil-A goodies. The

PHASE 4 Beaver student

chosen as January’s

“Student of the Month” is

Miss Brittani Clingen-

smith. Brittani is a tenth

grade student from

Ellwood City School Dis-

trict. In the month of

January, she completed

over 50 academic lessons,

attended several school

activities such as presen-

tations from Kaplan Ca-

reer Institute and Adagio

Health, demonstrated

excellent behavior, and

had good attendance.

Brittani was very excited

to be the first student

chosen for this award. “I

am very proud to get the

Northwest Bank Donation 1

Chick-Fil-A Student of the

Month

1

PHASE 4 Beaver 2

Spotlight Student:

Kendarius Durant

2

PHASE 4 Brentwood 2

Spotlight Staff: Mr. David

Cohen

3

PHASE 4 Liberty Plaza 3

Inside this issue:

Contact Information:

Corporate Office:

121 Towne Square Way

Brentwood, PA 15227

Phone: 412.650.9004

Fax: 412.650.0304

Visit us on-line at: www.phase4learningcenter.org

Chick-fil-A award. I have

been working hard and it

is nice to have that recog-

nized.” Brittani hopes to

earn her high school diplo-

ma and is considering a

career in respiratory ther-

apy.

PHASE 4 Southwest 3

PHASE 4 Sto-Rox 4

Spotlight Student: Kyle Smith 4

PHASE 4 Harrisburg 4

Mrs. Terrie Suica-Reed, CEO of PHASE 4, and Mrs. Bonny Donovan-Marie, Office Manager of Northwest Savings Bank

based out of Pittsburgh, PA. He has

performed and recorded several sin-

gles and music videos that can be

seen on You Tube and is preparing

his first official release of the single

“No More Talk’n” this May. Ken-

darius started in the music business

five years ago. He has always loved

music and had the desire to perform

and entertain. This love of music

has led him to design and create his

own music studio at home. The mu-

sic he produces has been inspired by

life, other artists, and family. He

loves how music gives you a voice

that can be heard by all. Upon

graduating from high school, Ken-

darius plans on attending the Com-

munity College of Allegheny Coun-

ty; then, transferring to a larger

college where he can study business

and music production/engineering.

Kendarius Durant is a senior from

West Mifflin High School who at-

tends the PHASE 4 Brentwood loca-

tion. Besides completing his high

school credits, Kendarius is also

busy aspiring to be a Hip Hop and

Rap artist. Kendarius, known in

the music world as “City Litez,” per-

forms for the Major League Brand

is the Director of Academics and

Compliance at PHASE 4 Learning

Center. He made his famous meat-

balls and pasta for the students as a

special reward and holiday treat.

The students were very apprecia-

tive. In January, PHASE 4 Brent-

wood welcomed Penn Commercial to

the site. Penn Commercial spoke to

our students about vocational ca-

reer training and the opportunities

that are available in fields such as

HVAC and cosmetology. Adagio

Health began the “Focus on Kids”

program with our Brentwood stu-

There have been several special

events and visitors at PHASE 4

Brentwood in the last several

months. In late November, PHASE

4 Brentwood welcomed Mr. Josh

Comer. Mr. Comer is a representa-

tive for the Job Corps program and

The Community College of Alleghe-

ny County. He presented infor-

mation to the students on how the

Job Corps program could assist

them financially at CCAC. In De-

cember, the PHASE 4 Brentwood

students were served lunch by Dr.

William Dickinson. Dr. Dickinson

dents in March of this year. This

eight-week program covers various

teen issues which include violence

prevention, teen pregnancy, and

drug/alcohol abuse. The PHASE 4

Brentwood students have enjoyed all

the special happenings so far and

look forward to more special events

and visitors in the future.

PHASE 4 Beaver

PHASE 4 Brentwood

MARCH 2013 PHASE 4 LEARNING

adding other items to make the sce-

ne as realistic as possible. While

working on the diorama, students

are learning about various bat-

tles of the Civil War and the im-

pact of the war on the country.

Students can earn academic cred-

it for participating in the hands-

on project. When complete, the

diorama will be transferred to

Gettysburg to be displayed at the

150th anniversary of the Battle of

Gettysburg.

The PHASE 4 Beaver students are

currently involved in an ambitious

Civil War project led by the site’s

counselor, Mr. Michael Martin.

Besides being a certified therapist,

Mr. Martin is also a Civil War en-

thusiast. Mr. Martin and the stu-

dents are creating a large diorama

which will depict the Civil War bat-

tle known as “Pickett’s Charge.”

This battle was the final Confeder-

ate assault on the Union line at the

Battle of Gettysburg. The students

are painting figurines of soldiers,

weaponry, and horses; along with

PAGE 2

PHASE 4 Brentwood Spotlight Student:

Kendarius Durant

Mr. Comer from Job Corps presents to students

Mr. David Cohen currently serves

as PHASE 4 Philadelphia’s Region-

al Director. He oversees both the

Southwest and Northeast Philadel-

phia locations, which collectively

serve over 300 students. With over

ten years of experience, Mr. Cohen

prides himself on public school edu-

cation and his formative education-

al experience in the William Penn

School District and The School Dis-

trict of Philadelphia. Before his

current role, Mr. Cohen served as

Principal for PHASE 4 Learning

Center for two years. David, a for-

mer elementary school teacher,

dean of students, and standardized

testing coordinator, is a graduate of

West Chester University, where he

received his Bachelor of Science

degree in Elementary Education.

He later received his Masters in

Educational Leadership from

Gwynedd Mercy College. He holds

a principal’s certification as well as

his Instructional II in education.

David is proud of the meaningful

connections he makes with all

stakeholders within a school setting

and his ability to inspire teachers.

He has a proven track record of

raising standardized test scores at

all of the institutions in which he

has served while also fostering a

challenging curriculum. Mr. Cohen

plans to pursue a doctoral degree

in the near

future.

Mr. Cohen

works

hard eve-

ryday to

ensure

that the

time spent

at PHASE

4 is truly

the best

part of each student’s day. The

students of Mr. Cohen frequently

hear him state a founding belief of

PHASE 4, “At PHASE 4, we roll out

the red carpet for our students

everyday!”

eral colleges and universities such

as Lincoln Tech, CCP, ATC-

Automotive Training Center, and

Penn State University. Students

who are interested in attending the-

se or other colleges/universities will

also have the opportunity to partici-

pate in Financial Aid workshops

and SAT Prep sessions. Students

who have expressed an interest in

transitioning into the workforce are

currently working on resume writ-

ing, interviewing techniques, and

identifying career options. PHASE

4 Southwest students are now eligi-

PHASE 4 Southwest is currently

serving 200 students from all over

the city of Philadelphia. PHASE 4

Southwest students are working

with the staff to make the necessary

preparations for their futures. The

students have had exposure to sev-

ble to receive services through the

Center for Family Intervention Sci-

ence at the Children’s Hospital of

Philadelphia. They have partnered

with PHASE 4 Philadelphia to pro-

vide professional development for the

staff to identify depression and sui-

cide in at-risk youth. Dunbar Com-

munity Counseling Services will be

providing behavioral health services

for PHASE 4 students and families.

Through these partnerships, PHASE

4 Southwest hopes to meet the needs

of all the students.

PHASE 4 Liberty Plaza

PHASE 4 Spotlight Staff: Mr. David Cohen

PHASE 4 Southwest

staff have also created a direct

line to local army recruiters,

labor union officers, and our

local community college director

of admissions. These visits and

relationships allow the PHASE

4 Liberty Plaza students to have

access to various opportunities

when they graduate from high

school. All students are expected to

have an established post-graduation

plan and remain in contact with the

PHASE 4 staff. We want our stu-

dents to be successful, not only at the

Liberty Plaza site, but in their lives

following this experience.

At the Liberty Plaza location in Phila-

delphia, PHASE 4 serves over 100

students throughout the school year.

With a 100% graduation rate, the

students are consistently earning

credits and achieving their high

school diplomas. PHASE 4 Liberty

Plaza is investing a large portion of

the day in creating post graduation

plans with ALL of our students. Lib-

erty Plaza has weekly visits from col-

leges, universities, and tech-

nical/trade schools. The PHASE 4

PAGE 3 PHASE 4 LEARNING MARCH 2013

Kyle stated, “I like the work envi-

ronment. The staff have it where all

the kids have a respect for each oth-

er. The teachers help you when you

need it. They make you feel re-

spected and that they care about

how you are doing. They even pro-

vide a snack for students. This

helps if you didn’t get breakfast

that morning. I also like the expo-

sure to music through the new mu-

PHASE 4 Harrisburg Spotlight Student:

Kyle Smith

PHASE 4 McKees Rocks

MARCH 2013 PHASE 4 LEARNING CENTER, INC. PAGE 4

sic studio.” With the help of the

PHASE 4 Harrisburg staff, Kyle has

developed both short-term and long-

term goals. His short-term goals are

to graduate from high school with de-

cent grades and find employment to

help his family. His long-term goals

include working for an airline so that

he has the opportunity to travel the

United States and visit new places.

He would also like to do something in

the music industry.

PHASE 4 Harrisburg

There are many fun and education-

al activities happening at PHASE

4 Harrisburg! A music studio has

been established at the site. The

students can work on FL studio,

guitar, and keyboard/piano skills.

They can also create and record

their own music. Many students

are currently working on music in

the new studio. Our students have

also had the opportunity to listen to

and participate in many presenta-

tions from outside organizations

and agencies such as the RASE

project and the American Lung As-

sociation. The students will partic-

ipate in several field trips this

spring, including trips to visit area

colleges such as HACC, Messiah,

and Elizabethtown. They will also

visit the Giant food store where

they will take part in cooking clas-

ses. PHASE 4 Harrisburg contin-

ues it’s partnership with Jump

Street, a community based art pro-

gram. Every other Friday, stu-

dents travel to the facility and help

with service projects. One project

has several students working as

intricate parts of “And” magazine.

Khayman, a PHASE 4 Harrisburg

student, is working on the cover of

the Spring issue of the magazine,

while two other students, Kyle and

Trent, are working on articles that

will be published in the magazine.

Kyle Smith is a

student from Central Dauphin

School District who attends the

PHASE 4 Harrisburg site. Kyle has

experienced success while complet-

ing his high school credits at

PHASE 4. He has also built many

positive relationships with the

PHASE 4 Harrisburg staff and his

fellow students. When asked to

describe his experience at PHASE 4

PHASE 4 McKees Rocks has en-

tered into many exciting community

partnerships this school year. One

partnership is with the Focus on

Renewal (FOR) project established

more than forty years ago by Father

Ryan. The main goal of FOR is to

revitalize the McKees Rocks area.

FOR provides extended family ser-

vices to many area residents which

can include health, dental and em-

ployment services. In conjunction

with the program, PHASE 4 has

selected students from the area and

is providing academic and work-

readiness services to those students

at the Father Ryan Art Center, lo-

cated in McKees Rocks. PHASE 4

McKees Rocks is also partnering

with the Youth Works organization.

This organization helps the youth of

Pittsburgh and the surrounding

areas find employment in the com-

munity. Through this partnership,

the students are able to participate

in job-shadowing experiences

in any career in

which they are in-

terested. Many

students have job-

shadowed in local

businesses and mil-

itary offices. The

exposure to so

many jobs and careers allows the

PHASE 4 students to see the limit-

less opportunities that are available

to them when they graduate from

high school.