Shaler Area schools focus on student connections, AI and a band built for Friday night lights
SHALER TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Dozens of school districts in western Pennsylvania welcomed students back Monday for the first day of a new school year, including Shaler Area School District.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 visited Shaler schools ahead of the first day to learn about the efforts of teachers to connect with students, how the district is utilizing AI, and to get a sneak peek of the band practicing for Friday night football games.
“It has either been hot and humid or pouring rain, so the biggest challenge this year has been getting through the weather,” Shaler Area High School band director George Tepshish said. “But the kids are great. They’re super resilient, and they’ve been pushing through every day.”
Known as “Mister T” to students, Tepshish is excited to kick off Friday night lights.
“It’s a very positive group this year,” he said. “They’re ambitious, they’re super positive, and they’re taking any challenges that we throw at them. Anything changes or anything that we’re giving them, they’re just taking, and they’re getting excited about it and they’re going with it, so it’s a fun group to work with.”
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Inside the school buildings, teachers are focusing on incorporating AI into their lessons.
“We’ve done some professional learning communities with staff. We’ve showed them some AI tools that they can use,” Assistant Superintendent Brian Brown said. “Some of our teachers are really moving at a good pace in incorporating AI in their classrooms. Others have taken a more cautious approach, and that’s fine. We really leave it up to the teachers and how they’re going to incorporate AI into their lessons.”
Brown also addressed concerns about students relying too heavily on AI for assignments.
“We’re teaching kids how to learn, how to think. We need to teach them how to use the tools safely and effectively while still protecting their own learning,” he said.
At Shaler Area Middle School, leaders are expanding on a program called “The Advisory Period” that began last year.
“It is a period that we do regularly throughout the school day that allows us to build the relationships with the students, for students to build relationships with each other, and for us to have that connection within the school,” Principal Shannon Howard said. “Middle school is a time of great change, and we want to have a place where kids can really learn to be themselves and also to build that relationship with a trusted adult.”
Howard said school leaders and staff across the district pride themselves on making connections with students, and they get regular feedback to make sure those efforts are successful.
“We are going to continue to watch attendance rates. Are students feeling better about coming to school? How are they behaving? How are their academics? It’s a whole-child approach, so we want to make sure that every kid is being their most successful selves,” Howard said.
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