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FEELING LOST UNDERSTANDING YOUR FINANCIAL AID PACKAGE? NEED HELP NAVIGATING MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR FINANCIAL AID?

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

College-bound seniors and their parents/guardians are invited to attend this informational program, hosted by the College & Career Center in conjunction with the Woodland Hills Foundation.

Meet Your Financial Aid Expert: Ms. Asraiel Harewood, Woodland Hills, Class of 2011
Assistant Director of Admission and member of the Financial Aid and Staff Development teams at Carnegie Mellon University; Woodland Hills Foundation Board Member

Asraiel is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, where she received a Master of Science in Education. She is also an alumna of Duke Univeristy, where she received a Bachelors with Distinction in Cultural Anthropology and a minor in Education. Asraiel went on to serve as a Middle School Teacher for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina and later as an Educational Advisor at The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Currently she is an Assistant Director of Admission - Financial Aid & Staff Development at CMU and is a 2022 CMU Staff Council Nominee!

The Woodland Hills Foundation is proud to announce Asraiel Harewood as our newest member of our Board of Directors! She is already working to make a lasting difference in the lives of our students in Woodland Hills! Thank you, Asraiel!

WOODLAND HILLS HIGH SCHOOL CLIMATE ACTION TEAM MEETS WITH THE DOYLE ADMINISTRATION TO DISCUSS CLIMATE POLICY AFFECTING PA YOUTH

The Woodland Hills High School Climate Action Team, which is co-facilitated by Woodland Hills teacher Margeaux Everhart and Communitopia Youth Educator, Lauren Palamara, met with Congressman Mike Doyle’s staff on 4/6/2022 via zoom to share their vision for a climate-friendly PA. Congressman Doyle is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district based in Pittsburgh and includes most of Allegheny County.

Woodland Hills students Katie Green, Dove Hughey, Levi McGraw-Sapp,Tierra Bush and Grace Moon were able to share with the Congressman’s staffer, Dylan Leazes, policy they appreciate that Mr. Doyle has supported as well as policy they hope he advocates for moving forward.

“We know that you and your staff are working so hard for our country, and we are grateful for your service”, shared Levi McGraw-Sapp, an 11th grade Climate Action Team member. “We especially want to thank you for your support of The Build Back Better Act and most recently, for introducing the Reclaiming the Solar Supply Chain Act, which will bring solar manufacturing jobs back to the United States as we move toward a more clean-energy future.”

In addition to sharing what they appreciated, the students had some specific asks for the Congressman, including supporting H.Res 29 which provides guidelines for the state to incorporate climate change education into the curriculum. “We believe supporting the teaching of climate change in schools and facilitating youth activism are important ways to combat climate change on a community level, especially since policies put in place today will impact us the most in the future,” shared Katie Green, Woodland Hills junior. “Our school district has made the decision to implement climate change education in grades K-12. However, as a whole, the United States is failing to prepare students for a changing climate by providing a robust climate education. The National Center for Science Education studied how each state teaches climate change and gave each state a grade; six states have received an F, including Pennsylvania. We need your help to encourage school districts in Pennsylvania and across the country to remedy this issue and provide a robust climate education for their students. H.Res 29 provides strong guidelines for states as they look to revise their standards on climate education.”

Additionally, the young constituents advocated for bills to support the mental health of teens experiencing anxiety and depression due to the environmental injustices surrounding climate change. The students asked Congressman Doyle to commit to co-sponsoring H.Res 975, which acknowledges the disproportionate impact on youth’s mental health and was written word for word by youth climate activists. The students referenced 2021 research showing that 45% of youth have developed depression after a climate-related disaster, and 57% of youth suffer from climate anxiety. This is the first congressional resolution offering solutions including congressional action guided by the UN-IPCC reports, incorporating mental health into existing disaster preparation efforts, reducing cost, and increasing access for treatment through federally qualified health centers and mobile and virtual healthcare. This resolution has over 80 endorsements, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association and the students urged Congressman Doyle to commit to co-sponsoring it himself.

The Yellowstone's Bio Bus team has advanced to the state championship which will be held in May!

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR THE WOODLAND HILLS PRE-K COUNTS PROGRAM!

Woodland Hills School District provides a FULL DAY (Mon.– Fri. 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) PA Pre-K Counts Program (180 days) for the 2022-23 school year. This program is free to residents whose children are three (3) or four (4) years old by September 1, 2022 AND gross household income is within 300% of federal poverty level. See chart below.

Please keep in mind that parents must provide transportation to and from school. Please contact Renee Englert for enrollment information at (412) 731-1300 ext. 0155 or visit our website at www.whsd.net.

What to expect from Woodland Hills Pre-K Counts classroom?

• Woodland Hills Pre-K Counts classrooms will:
• have teachers with the education and expertise to teach young children;
• use a curriculum that will help your child grow academically and socially;
• regularly review your child’s progress and choose teaching and learning activities that are best for your child;
• help you and your child adjust to pre-kindergarten and smoothly move on to kindergarten; and •
• offer a small class size (18 students per one teacher and one half time aide) so that your child can have plenty of one-on-one time with the teachers.

By enrolling your child in the Woodland Hills Pre-K Counts Program, you can give your child a great start to a bright future.

2022 Federal Poverty Level Guidelines

Annual Gross Income

TAKING A STAND IN HARRISBURG AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE ADVOCACY DAY

PROJECT: On April 26, 2022, 30-50 Woodland Hills students will travel to Harrisburg for Taking a Stand in Harrisburg Against Gun Violence Advocacy Day

BENEFITS: Woodland Hills High School Students

BACKGROUND: Earlier this year, students had an opportunity to participate in field trip to Ohio, where they heard from Tamir Rice’s mother Samaria Rice about how his shooting has affected their family and learned about the efforts being made to develop healthy relationships with law enforcement.  This next  field trip for approximately 30-50 students, will allow the students to continue to be an advocate for change as they join CeaseFirePA and the Common Agenda to Prevent Gun Violence Coalition for a lobby day in Harrisburg! They will meet with legislators and demand action on gun safety reforms. Below is a rough schedule for the Advocacy Day:

• 9 AM: Arrive in Harrisburg
• 9:30 AM - 12 PM: Meetings with your legislators
• 12 PM - 1 PM: Rally on the Front Steps
• 1 PM - 3 PM: Legislative meetings, Lunch, and activities
• 3 PM Leave Harrisburg

DREAM REQUESTED: Transportation: $1500, T-shirts: $500, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner: $1000

DREAM AMOUNT: $3,000.00

The Almuni Cabaret is a gathering of alumni from the very successful high school musicals over the past 30 years. For the past 15 years, this fundraiser has grown with more performers and greater attendance. In fact, last year’s event, sponsored by The Kanaan-Yezovich Group of Hefren-Tillotson and The Stein Family Charitable Fund, was by far the most successful Alumni Cabaret to date, welcoming over 210 attendees and 25 performers.

A HUGE THANKS to The Kanaan-Yezovich Group and The Stein Family Charitable Fund for both sponsoring our Alumni Cabaret for the SECOND YEAR IN A ROW! 

Space is limited! Get your tickets today!