February 23, 2022 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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WHO SHOULD INVEST IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PA.’S SCHOOL FUNDING TRIAL

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FEB. 23-MARCH 2, 2022

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A man takes a smoke break in the Cultural District, Downtown on Sun., Feb. 20.

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FEB. 23-MARCH 2, 2022 VOLUME 31 + ISSUE 8 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Director of Advertising JASMINE HUGHES Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD A&E Editor AMANDA WALTZ News Reporter JORDANA ROSENFELD Arts & Culture Writer DANI JANAE Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Editorial Designer LUCY CHEN Graphic Designer JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Digital Editorial Coordinator HANNAH KINNEY-KOBRE Sales Representatives ZACK DURKIN, OWEN GABBEY Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, MIKE CANTON, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA Interns TIA BAILEY, PAM SMITH National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

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COVER ILLUSTRATION: LUCY CHEN READ THE STORY ON PAGE 4

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EDUCATION

FUNDING OUR FUTURE What you need to know about Pennsylvania’s school funding trial BY JORDANA ROSENFELD // JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

“

EFUSING TO FUND EDUCATION equitably does not save us money,” said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf earlier this month during his final budget address of his two-term career serving the commonwealth. “It just means we wind up spending more on social services, remedial programs, even prisons,” Wolf added, as well as “the opportunity costs of failing to invest in our kids: the skills our workforce doesn’t develop, the products and services that never become reality, the business growth and tax revenues that vanish.” WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Wolf’s newest proposed budget, which he revealed on Feb. 8, features what he calls a “generational investment” of almost $2 billion in K-12 education, which he and other education advocates say is badly needed. Wolf has been outspoken in his advocacy for increased investment in public schools, and his view that Pennsylvania funds its schools inequitably. He is also one in a group of state leaders currently being sued in a trial that could have a major impact on how the state funds public education. Petitioning school districts, parents, and advocates argue that the state has failed to maintain a constitutionally required system of public education because of huge gaps in spending between rich and poor districts. The school funding trial, which began in Harrisburg on Nov. 12, 2021 and is still in progress, considers whether Pennsylvania’s current method of allocating funds to public school districts violates the state constitution, which mandates a “thorough and efficient” system of public education. Inside of that deceptively simple question lurk many others about whose experts you believe, whether and to what extent school funding determines

student success, and what the state of Pennsylvania owes its residents. And while the Pittsburgh Public School District isn’t one of the petitioners in this trial, many argue that the outcome of this case will affect the future of public school education throughout Pennsylvania. THE CASE The petitioners — six Pennsylvania school districts, the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, the NAACP-PA State Conference, and a group of public school parents — first filed suit in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court in 2014 against state legislative leaders, state education officials, and the governor arguing that Pennsylvania inequitably allocates state funding among its school districts. The suit does not ask for a specific amount of money to be allocated towards education, but asks the court to rule Pa.’s school funding system unconstitutional and appoint the General Assembly to create a more equitable funding scheme. The districts — William Penn , Greater Johnstown, Lancaster, Panther Valley, Shenandoah Valley, and WilkesBarre Area — and other petitioners are

represented by the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania, the Public Interest Law Center — both nonprofit education advocacy groups — and O’Melveny & Myers, a national litigation firm. The case was initially dismissed in 2015 by a Commonwealth Court judge’s determination that the courts should not be involved in school funding issues. The petitioners appealed this decision, and, in 2017, the state Supreme Court sent the case back to the Commonwealth Court, deciding that the petitioners’ claims about school funding are subject to consideration by the courts. Pennsylvania is not the first or only state to have its education advocates sue the state for more funding. According to a 1999 anthology on school finance, “school finance litigation has flourished in state courts” since education advocates began filing suits in the 1960s. Similar lawsuits have been filed in 48 states over the last 50 years. In 2018, petitioner counsel Education Law Center, which calls itself “the nation’s legal defense fund for public education rights,” cited a dozen states with active school funding lawsuits or outstanding court orders.

RESOURCE GUIDE

WHY SHOULD PITTSBURGHERS PAY ATTENTION TO THIS TRIAL? BY JORDANA ROSENFELD JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM Pittsburgh City Paper reached out to education leaders across Allegheny County to find out why they feel Pittsburghers should pay attention to the funding trial. This is what they said: “Pittsburghers should be paying close attention to the school funding trial. While funding for Pittsburgh Public Schools currently meets the definition of adequacy that is being used in this trial, we know that the inequities in our state’s system of funding harm children right here in Allegheny County. We need a fairer system. One where your zip code does not determine your access to educational opportunities, and the plaintiffs in the case are making a forceful argument for change.” James Fogarty, Executive Director of A+ Schools “Almost 70% of our students are economically disadvantaged and need greater resources than our beleaguered taxpayers can provide. Our kids are fighters and when finally given the same resources as our neighboring school districts, nothing will stop them. This lawsuit will give them a fighting chance.” Mark Holtzman, Superintendent of McKeesport Area School District

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Pa. public school districts Source: Department of Education, education.pa.gov

CP ILLUSTRATION: LUCY CHEN

“Pittsburghers and all residents of Pennsylvania should care about this trial because the outcome affects all of us. A robust economy is necessary to support everyone in the commonwealth and that economy depends on a skilled workforce. We need every child to have the opportunity to be successful, no matter where they live and no matter what their socio-economic background. Districts with fewer resources need supports that enable them to fully prepare all kids and, overall, we need an educational system that has the resources necessary to prepare all of our youth for jobs in construction, health care, information technology, manufacturing, finance, and so many other industries on which our region depends.” Mary Kay Babyak, Executive Director of the Consortium for Public Education

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THE ARGUMENTS Pennsylvania’s constitution states that the General Assembly must “provide a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.” Petitioners say that duty, paired with the Equal Protection Clause of the state constitution, means the state legislature has an obligation to ensure that all students across the state have the basic resources they need to meet the state’s academic standards, an obligation petitioners say the state has failed to meet. Specifically, they argue that the method the state uses to allocate funding to public schools is inadequate and inequitable, creating a system of “haves and have nots.” The people being sued, or the respondents, are the leaders of the state House and Senate, the state Secretary of Education and Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and the Governor. Respondents contend that that state does, indeed, meet the requirements of the constitution’s education clause. “The question in this case is not whether Pennsylvania’s system of public education could be better,” argued Senate

President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Centre) in a pre-trial statement. “Any system can be improved. Every year, in fact, the General Assembly passes bills that are aimed at improving the system of public education. But imperfect is not unconstitutional.” ti“It’s a very slippery slope the petitioners want to take you down,” said ouse Patrick Northen, an attorney for House r) Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster). “Smaller class sizes, expanded preschool programs, more school counselors, reading specialists, ESL support, school psychologists, etc. There’s a lot of things schools would like to have, but they aren’t mentioned anywhere in the constitution.” Only the legislative respondents, Cutler and Corman, have chosen to argue against increased funding for public education, contending that the state’s schools are adequately funded, that more money does not necessarily mean better student outcomes, and that the state cannot be held responsible for mitigating outside factors that make it difficult for some children to succeed in school.

RESOURCE GUIDE

HOW DOES PENNSYLVANIA CURRENTLY ALLOCATE SCHOOL FUNDING? BY JORDANA ROSENFELD // JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM Currently, the state allocates funding to its school districts according to two different logics. Pa. education funding has long operated on a principle known as “hold harmless,” which ensures a district will never get less money from the state than it did the year before. Sounds good, right? The problem is public school enrollment statewide is drastically different now than it was in the early 1990s, when hold harmless was adopted. Under this funding plan, districts that increased enrollment did not see a corresponding increase in their state funding. Districts that have lost students in the last 30 years can afford to spend more money per student than districts that have gained students. (Over the last 50 years, the state has also steadily reduced its share of public education funding, leaving it to individual districts to pick up the slack.)

In an attempt to make state education funding responsive to changes in enrollment and to send more money to districts with more need, in 2016, Pa. adopted a Fair Funding Formula. The Fair Funding Formula allocates money to districts according to enrollment, but includes weighted measures for things like poverty levels and English Language Learners so that student populations facing structural obstacles to success draw more resources. Sounds good, right? The catch is the Fair Funding Formula only applies to new investments. For example, according to Gov. Wolf’s office, in 2020, only 11% of state education funding went through the Fair Funding Formula, while 89% was allocated the same way it’s been done since the 1990s. •

In 2020, only 11% of state education funding went through the Fair Funding Formula, while 89% was allocated the same way it’s been done since the 1990s. S THE STRATEGIES he petitioners called Over nine weeks, the a variety of witnesses, including teachers and administrators in the petitioning districts, experts on education economics and policy, and former state education officials. Petitioners’ counsel’s main strategies have been establishing how cash-strapped the petitioning districts are, highlighting the difference in funding in low-wealth and high-wealth districts, and arguing that more money will provide better outcomes. Panther Valley fifth grade teacher Tara Yuricheck testified that she teaches history out of a textbook so old it lists Bill Clinton as the current president. William Penn kindergarten teacher Nicole Miller lamented that her district can only afford to give her class of 25 kindergarteners 15 minutes of recess a day. Penn State University professor Matthew Kelly shared his financial analysis, which shows, he argued, that on average, the poorest 20% of school districts in the state have $7,866 less per student than the wealthiest 20%. This is based on a calculation adjusted to reflect extra costs needed to educate a larger percentage of low-income students and to account for the districts’ taxing ability. (Without adjustment, the gap was $4,847, according to Kelly’s report.) Economists from the University of California at Berkeley and Queens College argued that increased school funding can lead to better learning outcomes if funding is predictable, recurring, sustained, and targeted, and that a greater investment in K-12 education would also yield less spending on things like welfare and prisons.

Lawyers for the respondents began calling witnesses the first week of February, and their roster has included private, cyber, and charter school leaders and education policy and economics researchers. Respondents’ main strategies have been to argue that school funding is not necessarily a predictor of student achievement and to question whether the districts suing the state are as resource-deficient as they claim. Rev. Aaron Anderson, CEO and head of Logos Academy in York, was one of several religious, charter, and/or cyber school leaders called by the defense who claimed their students succeed despite high poverty levels and lower per-pupil spending than some public districts. But Anderson acknowledged that Logos, like many other alternative schools, is not able to support students with more complex needs, as public schools are required to. Regarding the petitioner districts’ claim that they are drastically underresourced, respondent counsel Northen said in his opening statement, “I’m not going to stand here and argue that all of the school buildings in all of the school districts are the Taj Mahal. But the evidence will show kids in petitioner districts have the basic instrumentalities of an adequate education, with chairs to sit in, desks or tables to write at, walls and roofs, working plumbing.” Jason Willis, a school f inance researcher and program director for the firm WestEd, claimed that Pennsylvania spends a relatively high amount on education, and that the state has made progress towards more equitable school funding. He prepared an analysis that CONTINUES ON PG. 8

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compared petitioner school districts in the case to “peer districts” he selected through statistical analysis, which he used to claim that petitioner districts are less efficient than similar districts in the state. These claims were challenged on cross examination. The defense also argued that uneven education spending may be in Pennsylvania’s best interest. Attorney John Krill, representing Corman, asked in his cross examination of a district superintendent if someone on the “McDonald’s career track” needs to be proficient in biology. “The Commonwealth has many, many needs,” Krill said. “I think there is a need for retail workers, people who know how to flip pizza crust. My point is, do these proficiency standards actually in any way imaginable serve the needs of the Commonwealth such as they should be mandatory across the board? I think the answer is no.” WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? Each side has called its own set of expert witnesses, people with extensive educaer tion, experience, or training in a matter relevant to the case, to offer evidence in n support of that side’s argument. But when you have experts with conflicting opin-ions and data, which ones do you believe?? One of this trial’s many such conflicts involved Penn State assistant professor Kelly’s research on funding disparities that calculates Pa. school districts are underfunded by $4.6 billion. To determine this, Kelly looked at the gap in each district between available funding and the funding target that a state benchmark has set for what is needed to meet state standards. The state stopped calculating that benchmark in 2010 and no longer attempts to determine how much funding is needed to meet state academic standards, according to a summary of Kelly’s report by petitioner counsel. According to his analysis, the 20% of districts educating the most students of color have a collective shortfall that is $1.4 billion larger than the shortfall faced by the 20% of districts educating the fewest students of color. Kelly said achievement disparities correlate with the resource gaps he identified. Although his report identified extensive funding shortfalls throughout Pennsylvania, not all school districts statewide are underfunded, according to Kelly. For example, he determined that

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Panther Valley fifth grade teacher Tara Yuricheck testified that she teaches history out of a textbook so old it lists Bill ent. Clinton as the current president.

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Arsenal Elementary Public School

RESOURCE GUIDE

WHAT IS AN EXPERT WITNESS? BY JORDANA ROSENFELD // JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM According to the leading U.S. case on expert evidence, an expert witness is someone who has expert-level knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education in a subject relevant to the litigation who must base their testimony on “sufficient facts or data,” using “reliable principles and methods.” Juries have been hearing cases since the Middle Ages, but the use of expert witness testimony at trial is a relatively new practice. By contrast, historians trace the origin of expert testimony to an English case decided by Lord Mansfield in 1782. The

case had to do with whether a particular artificial embankment was responsible for silting up the harbor in a Norfolk town. Mansfield ultimately decided to admit testimony by a scientist who had never even been to the town in question, based on his expert knowledge of harbor construction. Critics of the practice of admitting “opinion evidence” (the legal term for expert witness testimony) argue that expert witnesses are generally biased toward the side that calls them and that “opposite opinions of persons professing to be experts may be obtained to any amount.” •

Source: The 1993 Supreme Court case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals

Pittsburgh Public Schools are adequately funded. Last week, GOP lawyers called their own expert witness, Willis, who took issue with Kelly’s study. Willis said he didn’t agree with how Kelly divided and compared the state’s 500 districts, instead offering his own analysis of petitioner spending. Willis compared spending in the Lancaster School District, one of the petitioners in the case, to spending in 20 districts he identified as Lancaster’s peers, arguing that some school districts are more “efficient and effective” at using their resources than others. During cross-examination, Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, a lawyer for the petitioners, challenged Willis’ methodology, including his selection of peer districts by which to compare Lancaster. “You found it fair to compare one of the biggest, poorest districts in the commonwealth with one of the smallest, wealthiest districts,” Urevick-Ackelsberg said. Willis said looking at the full peer groups provided a “reasonable and fair comparison.” Urevick-Acklesberg also questioned Willis on other calculations, arguing that Willis included each district’s funding for charter schools in his funding calculations but not the number of charter school students, leading Willis to “significantly and systematically inflate the funding total reported for low-wealth districts,” according to a recap by petitioner counsel. Willis said he didn’t know whether he included charter school students in his calculations. Earlier that same week, GOP lawyers withdrew one of their expert witnesses, Mark Ornstein, a former Michigan charter network CEO and school district administrator, after petitioners’ lawyers questioned Ornstein about several instances of apparent plagiarism in his expert report. Dan Cantor, petitioner attorney, compared multiple sections of Ornstein’s report to “identical or virtually identical” writings by education professors and one Penn State sophomore, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Regarding a passage that appeared nearly indistinguishable from one written by the Penn State student, Ornstein said: “I don’t know. I don’t remember. There were lots of articles, lots of citations, and I can’t answer exactly what I pulled what from what.”

Much of the trial so far has focused on determining the relationship between school funding and student performance. Do schools with more funding produce better outcomes? Can schools in lowwealth districts successfully support their students at current funding levels? Each side’s experts have also made conflicting claims on this topic.

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Pennsylvania ranks 44th nationwide in state share of public education funding Source: Pennsylvania School Boards Association, psba.org

The defense called Eric Hanushek, a fellow at conservative think tank Hoover Institution at Stanford University and frequent witness at school funding trials across the country, who has argued for years that there is not a strong relationship between school spending and student achievement. Research scientist Abel Koury also testified for the respondents that he analyzed district spending and test scores for English language arts, math, science, and writing exams for several grades between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 school years and found no meaningful relationship between spending and student growth. Petitioners’ experts presented evidence claiming that increased funding accelerates student growth and stressed the importance of long-term, sustained funding boosts. “When we don’t do sustained investments, we see evidence of fade out,” Rucker Johnson of UC-Berkeley testified. Occasional bumps in funding “don’t translate to significantly improved outcomes.” Whether or not she believes more money helps struggling students, the judge who decides this case, Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer, will have to determine the extent of the state’s obligation to its students. Petitioners argue that state education funding currently discriminates against

students in low-wealth districts, and so the state owes such districts more money to ensure that all students receive a high quality public education. The legislative respondents say that it would be unreasonable to require the state to address all the out-of-school factors that can impede learning. “Education clauses in state constitutions cannot be construed to make public school systems constitutionally required to cure every societal ill or to overcome every family or personal disadvantage that students bring with them to school, which undoubtedly hinder the academic achievement of those students,” said Northen. “To conclude otherwise would convert the education clause into a constitutional obligation that the state must eliminate all personal, social and economic impediments to learning.” “That’s asking far too much of the 26 words in Article 3, Section 14 [of the state constitution],” Northen continued. LOOKING AHEAD Respondents called their final witness last week. This week, petitioners will recall Kelly to the stand as a rebuttal witness, presumably to address the defense’s critique of his research. Petitioners may also call “limited additional rebuttal witnesses,” according to a blog post by petitioner counsel. Regardless of how Judge Jubelirer rules, it is widely expected that the losing side will appeal to the state Supreme Court. Even if the petitioners are successful, they will still be a long way from their vision of a more equitable funding system.“The verdict is only as good as the legislators’ commitment to implementation,” Ethan Hutt, an education professor at the University of North Carolina told the Wall Street Journal. “That’s the hard p part.”

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Follow news reporter Jordana Rosenfeld on Twitter @rosenfeldjb

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

ADVERTORIAL SECTION

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Education Guide

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WCoNA receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania

ADVERTORIAL

UPMC SCHOOL OF NURSING 200 LOTHROP STREET, PITTSBURGH, PA 15213 www.upmc.com • 1-412-623-4069 Over the last several years, through the chaos and upheaval of the pandemic, many people have begun to think about their long term career goals and consider entering a new field of employment. The medical crisis of COVID-19 in particular has shown society just how valuable our medical professionals are. Pittsburgh has long been a center of medical intervention, which makes a career in the medical field a perfect choice. Employment options are endless once you graduate with a diploma in nursing from one of the UPMC Schools of Nursing. Wherever you are in the Pittsburgh region, UPMC has a thriving nursing school nearby. Enrollment in their programs grew by more than 30% in 2021. This isn’t surprising, though. This growth is due to the flexibility they offer through programs of varying length and intensity. UPMC nursing programs vary in length. Their current options are either 16, 24, or 32 months long– and if you’re already an LPN, they have a fast track to advance your career. The 16 month track is a full-time program during weekday daylight hours, and is completed over four semesters. The 24 month program is at a more gradual pace– also during daylight hours, courses are spread over six semesters. For nontraditional students, the 32 month program consists of eight semesters of evening and weekend classes, making it a great fit for students working another job or with young kids at home.

For prospective students who are worried about the cost of a nursing program, you might be surprised by just how much more affordable nursing school is than a college degree from a four-year university. In addition, UPMC’s financial aid coordinator can help each prospective student find a way to fund the program. Options include federal student loans and grants, private loans, scholarships, as well as assistance from Veterans Administration and the Office for Vocational Rehab. Finances should not be a hurdle for anyone who wants to become a nurse, and the team at UPMC will help you find a way. Those loans will be easier to pay back, too. The average salary of a nurse in Pittsburgh is between $50,000 and $80,000, offering students financial stability immediately after graduation. In 2022, UPMC added a new nursing school to their five established programs.Three are within the Pittsburgh metro region– Shadyside, St. Margaret, and Mercy. Three additional programs are available for students in Erie, New Castle, and Harrisburg. No matter which location, students benefit from being part of the UPMC system of education and all the resources that go along with that. With well over 100 years of experience in training nurses, UPMC gets students into hands-on experience from the very beginning. Unlike many nursing programs based at universities, all of their programs are hospital-based. What does that mean? Students start out during their very first semester interacting with patients, working alongside

nurses, and developing their skills outside of the four walls of a typical classroom. Small student-to-teacher ratios mean everyone gets personalized attention while training for their career. From Level 1 trauma centers to primary stroke centers, students have the opportunity to experience a wide range of specialities to find their niche. UPMC nursing programs use a holistic approach, training nursing students to see each patient as a whole person, rather than just their disease or illness. These hospitals are more than just centers for medical treatment. They are integral parts of the communities they are located in, and nursing students will learn first-hand what it means to be part of a team committed to community-wide wellbeing. If you’re frustrated by the job market and overwhelmed by online job posting boards, your experience as a student at a UPMC School of Nursing will be much different than any job hunting you’ve done in the past. As students near the end of their nursing program, the UPMC Human Resources team assists every new nurse with finding a job in the field. Their placement rate is nearly 100 percent, and most students end up working at a UPMC facility. For nurses that do choose to stay within the UPMC system, they can earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at no additional cost. UPMC Schools of Nursing have a commitment to the education and development of the next generation of nurse professionals. They prepare their graduates to become leaders in the healthcare field and to be advocates for their patients. If you’re interested in exploring the UPMC Schools of Nursing visit UPMC.com/son for more infortmation.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

ADVERTORIAL

CITY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL 201 STANWIX STREET SUITE 100, PITTSBURGH, PA 15222 CITYHIGH.ORG • 412.690.2489 City Charter High School Celebrates 20 Years, Still a Top Option in Pittsburgh Education Over the last 20 years, the Pittsburgh educational landscape has shifted dramatically, with more and more options for parents and students alike. Through it all, however, City Charter High School has been a standard for quality and excellence, and that has only continued as they celebrate their 20th Anniversary in 2022. The answer to how City High has maintained such a model of consistency is simple: academics and relationships. The school’s goals are simple, and those are to get students the best education possible, and to foster the relationships and experiences necessary to set them up for success after high school. City High enables student success in many ways. Their project-based learning educational model is designed to help students not only learn information, but

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think about it critically. Most classes at the school are team-taught, and utilize teaching associates and learning support teachers in the room. It is a full-inclusion, mixed learning school, with students from all learning levels encouraged to collaborate. And the school is even furthering its commitment to student readiness in this 20th anniversary year, with their LEAP program, a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University. In its pilot year, the program allows City High students to learn from CMU experts on their campus, being exposed to college-level disciplines, structure, and expertise. According to City High social studies teacher Mr. Mark Barga, whose collaboration with CMU faculty led to the program, LEAP can really “help my students reach their highest potential.”. This dedication to preparing students for life after high school doesn’t just manifest itself in the classroom, however. One of the tenets of City High’s foundation is their internship program.

The program requires every student at the school to complete a mentored internship by the end of their time there. City High students have been placed in over 130 with the ability to pick from over 130 businesses and programs across the region. According to Internship Managers Keiha Drummond and Patti Kretschman, “the real value of the program is that every student s is afforded the opportunity to see a working or business environment from the inside out to help them solidify their post- high school plans with real life knowledge”. City High has been able to stay ahead of the curve during the past several years of uncertainty by continuing to prepare students with the technology they need as a tool for learning. All City High students receive a laptop to use for their four years of high school which is an essential part of their education and curriculum. A four year Technology Curriculum ensures that all of our students are prepared for 21st careers. Selecting a high school is one of the

most important choices families make. City High understands that, and has constantly been fine-tuning its program to figure out the absolute best way to serve the students and parents of Pittsburgh. As a recent award winners of a $1.3 million grant from the PA State Coalition of Public Charter Schools a, City High has demonstrated that even into its 20th year it continues to be committed to providing an excellent education to their students.

ONE DEGREE. Start local and go global with a Penn State degree earned close to home. Penn State Greater Allegheny psuga@psu.edu greaterallegheny.psu.edu/city-paper

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

Discover

Chatham University

SHADYSIDE CAMPUS

“As soon as I visited, I loved that it was a little green oasis in the middle of a huge city.”

Chatham students live and study at some of Pittsburgh’s most remarkable campuses: Shadyside Campus in the heart of the city, and the sustainability-focused Eden Hall Campus in the North Hills. But don’t take our word for it, register to visit us in-person or learn more at chatham.edu/visit-chatham.

EDEN HALL CAMPUS

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“Even if you’re a city person, you should experience living at Eden Hall Campus at least once.”

Only 75 miles from Pittsburgh, West Virginia University combines excellent academics (as a land-grant, space-grant, R1 research university) and a balanced student life (500+ clubs) with outstanding value (giving more out-of-state scholarships). We know what it means to dream big — and you are closer than you think to achieving your dreams. Visit HP XWV FEV DMPTFS@DJUZ to learn more.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

ADVERTORIAL

THE PENNSYLVANIA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL 652 MIDLAND AVENUE, MIDLAND, PA 15059 www.pacyber.org • 1-888-722-9237

A LEADER IN CYBER ACADEMICS As Chief Academic Officer (CAO), Francie Spigelmyer ensures that PA Cyber implements best practices in online education and meets the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s standards. PA Cyber, short for the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, educates more than 11,500 students in grades K-12 from nearly every school district throughout the Commonwealth. Spigelmyer, who holds a doctorate in instructional management and leadership, oversees thirteen departments that comprise the school’s academic staff. “My greatest joy at PA Cyber is working with a very talented group of people who are clearly driven to commend and improve the teaching and learning environment for all students,” she says. She works directly with the principals, attendance directors, school nurses, teacher evaluators, the guidance director, and the data and assessment director.

A Teacher to the Core Spigelmyer wanted to be a teacher since she was in third grade. “My neighborhood friends would avoid me at times because I always wanted to play school in the summer,” she laughs. Through all high school, she never lost interest in becoming a teacher. In her early career, she taught high school in both Pennsylvania and New York, covering subjects like history, global studies, civics, practical law, psychology, sociology, and English. Her first teaching job was at Dubois Central Catholic High School, her alma mater.

“Education is and always will be a deep passion for me,” she says. “It is the bridge that opens doors for our students’ future success.” Over her teaching career, Spigelmyer has worked with diverse groups of students. She taught Seneca Nation students in Silver Creek, New York. She taught at a private girl’s school in Buffalo, New York. She taught inmates at the Greensburg Correctional Institute as part of her adjunct faculty role at Westmoreland County Community College. (While there, she could press the big red button behind her desk if a problem arose with the inmates. She never needed to press it.) She taught for the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) in Washington, DC, where Spigelmyer, a self-proclaimed country bumpkin, found herself teaching students from all over the nation, using the Supreme Court, White House, and foreign embassies as her classroom. She took on her first administrative role for the NYLC.

In 2000, she was one of BCCC’s original faculty members who created and taught the first online classes for the college, back when the technology was new. She worked extensively with Blackboard and created five online courses for BCCC. Spigelmyer carries a torch for pedagogy. She believes that teaching methods are just as important as (if not more than) what is taught, in both K-12 and higher education. This principle continues to guide her decisions as PA Cyber’s CAO.

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Leading with Heart Spigelmyer is an academic for life—and she has a basement full of books to prove it. She collects all types of books, but she is especially interested in nonfiction and educational research. She leans on research and her extensive experience as an educator and administrator to make informed decisions and to advise and support colleagues. She is the kind of person you want to write a research paper or join a committee with because she is just as nice to be around as she is knowledgeable. Mark Iannini, PA Cyber’s Director of Special Education, says of Spigelmyer: “I have been continually impressed with her impactful leadership and positive attitude. She brings her heart to every conversation that she has with teachers, staff, parents, as well as the students we serve. Her commitment and passion for the PA Cyber community is incredible. She ensures that what we are doing as a school today will help us get closer to the school we want to be tomorrow!”

Spigelmyer acknowledges that educators and administrators at PA Cyber hold unique positions because they make every decision looking through a cyber lens. They pay close attention to evolving technologies that are aligned with the school’s dynamic pedagogical strategies to ensure students succeed in the classroom and in life. Prior to joining PA Cyber in 2018 as CAO, she held several positions at Butler County Community College (BCCC) over two decades, notably Vice President for Academic Affairs. In this role, she served as chief advisor to the college’s president and guided nearly 270 employees. Previously, she held the roles of Interim Vice President for Student Services, full-time assistant professor, and coordinator for the College in High School program.

he was doing. He now holds a position on the Court of Judicial Discipline in Pennsylvania. Spigelmyer didn’t believe she could have had a big impact in her first year of teaching, but Foradora proved otherwise.

Teachers have a ripple effect. One of Spigelmyer’s former teachers sparked her passion for social studies, history, and political science, and she has no doubt had that effect on her own students as well. She tells a story of a student named John Foradora from her first year of teaching, which happened to be at her high school alma mater. Foradora was very interested in political science, the subject Spigelmyer was teaching. She saw him years later in her hometown’s Fourth of July celebration in Brockway, Pennsylvania. She was watching the parade with her family when she saw her former student in the parade—Foradora was riding in a convertible to promote his candidacy for judge! He jumped out of the car and then gave her a big hug. He told her that she was the reason why he was doing what

In 2020, she received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Penn State DuBois in recognition for her professional success and for supporting the campus by way of a scholarship that she and her husband, Dave, created to memorialize her sister, Janice Erickson, a tragic victim of domestic violence. The annual scholarship goes to a graduate of Brockway Area High School. Ten scholarships have been awarded so far.

She lives in a Pittsburgh suburb with her husband and her many books. She has a daughter and son, both of whom are grown. She enjoys the outdoors, and her favorite place to kayak is in Montana. She brings her Pomeranian-sheltie mix named CJ everywhere—even when kayaking! Spigelmyer is a prime example of the drive that the PA Cyber faculty and staff bring to making the classroom an enriching experience for its students. She notes that PA Cyber is deeply rooted in resilience. “The 20-year ride as a cyber charter, however bumpy, has been and will continue to be successful since the teachers and staff are anchored with the formidable goal of student accomplishment.” To learn more about PA Cyber, visit pacyber.org.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

ADVERTORIAL

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE 60 SOUTH LINCOLN STREET, WASHINGTON, PA 15301 www.washjeff.edu • 1-888-926-3529 Washington & Jefferson College: Your Future Is Founded Here From the moment a W&J student sets foot on campus until they cross the College seal at commencement they are in control of their student experience, selecting the classes, professional pathways, activities and interactions that meet their interests. W&J graduates are prepared to succeed throughout their careers because of W&J’s foundational student experience.

Customized Student Journeys: How W&J Guides and Supports Incoming Students Starting at orientation, students learn about academic expectations, diversity of the college, and ways to contribute to the campus community. First-year students are paired with faculty advisors and student success consultants, and the Center for Professional Pathways provides additional support. W&J’s alumni regularly mentor current students and share stories about their own leadership journeys. No matter what program or path a student chooses, they will have help along the way. Throughout their four years, they’ll have a network of support guiding and connecting them to the programs, people, and opportunities that maximize their time at W&J. Advising integrates academic, co-curricular, and career development support assuring personal and professional success.

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The W&J experience is both broad and practical, emphasizing the development of ethically committed leaders and continuous professional preparation. Students are required to select a double major or major/minor combination by the third semester of their academic career. The College’s comprehensive liberal arts curriculum has always provided a top-tier education that prepares students to lead. Our renewed commitment to this mission is highlighted by W&J’s new Center for Ethical Leadership, which ensures that students develop the ability to lead ethically—both personally and professionally—in a complex and rapidly changing world. Additionally, faculty and Professional Pathway advisors will guide students to the practicum that most aligns with their professional aspirations. Research projects, internships, and Magellan Projects are just some of the ways our students become professionally ready during their time at W&J. Regardless of a student’s area of interest, they will leave campus with the intellectual acumen and hands-on knowledge that employers and graduate schools are seeking.

Professional Readiness: Leading in An Ever-Changing World The College’s commitment to developing professionally ready graduates empowers them to not only pursu further education at the graduate school of their choice or land their dream job, but also to thrive as a lifelong learner and accomplished professional. Every aspect of the student experience at W&J, from academics to co-curricular activities to the residential community on campus, provides teaching moments to develop people of uncommon integrity and gives Presidents a strong start on their journey to becoming ethical leaders. Living a life of uncommon integrity isn’t just the goal of a W&J education—it is embedded in our institution’s DNA. A liberal arts education and the development of ethical leaders defines W&J’s educational philosophy and residential student experience. This fundamental pillar empowers W&J graduates to succeed in all facets of their lives and contribute substantially to the ever-changing world in which we live.

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PROJECT OUR CHILDREN’S SUCCESS IS BIGGER THAN ANY ONE OF US. High performing schools and equitable access to learning are critical to the advancement of our region. Through the Pittsburgh Learning Collaborative, A+ Schools has joined forces with over 60 organizations to build a network that supports EVERY child to have what they need to succeed. There’s no mystery to better serving our children in the region. It will take a vision for our entire community that better is possible, and believing that we have everything we need to achieve it. We are connecting and coordinating the many organizations working to support student learning and helping our city’s children on a path towards success. We have established bold goals and are designing and implementing a holistic response to achieving them—goals that are indisputable and hard to attain, but worth the effort.

This is Project +Us.

There is plenty of room at the table. You can help play a role in making real, community-driven change! LEARN MORE AT PROJECTPLUSUS.ORG

Need help navigating Pittsburgh’s public school system? We’re here to help! Download the 2021 Report to the Community for information on all city schools + education resources for kids of all ages! ourschoolspittsburgh.org/report-to-the-community

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WESTMORELAND MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Declaration & Resistance artist Stephen Towns

ART

LABOR INTENSIVE BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HE SUBJECTS OF Stephen Towns: Declaration & Resistance, the latest exhibition at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, range from barbers to military workers to nurses, all to highlight the role African Americans have played in the United States economy throughout history. On view through May 8, the solo exhibition features 35 new figurative paintings and story quilts by Towns, a Baltimore-based artist whose body of work is described as expanding the “historical narratives of enslaved and free people who toiled under the most extreme hardships yet persevered through acts

of rebellion, skillful guile, and self-willed determination.” This particular show, which spans from the late 18th century to present day, explores industries such as coal mining, agriculture, domestic labor, and others. The Westmoreland says the show will be grounded with several existing works, including Towns’ installation quilt “Birth of a Nation,” to “provide the foundation for the creation of Town’s new series of quilts that give voice to textile, culinary, and agricultural workers.” In a statement, Towns says Declaration & Resistance began when he was quarantining in spring 2020.

“I thought about how I had the privilege to take a step away from my work,” says Towns. “When I returned to my studio, I reflected on how I had gained a deeper appreciation for essential workers risking their lives in the midst of a global health crisis.” His appreciation led to the show’s focus on nursing, a theme that connects to how the COVID-19 pandemic “highlighted the racial disparities that continue to plague the country.” Towns, who was born in 1980 in Lincolnville, S.C., adds that he came from a long line of laborers in Georgia and South Carolina, and prior to being CONTINUES ON PG. 22

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

LABOR INTENSIVE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 20

a full-time artist, worked many “laborious jobs.” “This show is a testament to my ancestors and also the coworkers I have befriended along the way,” he says. The show’s themes are no stranger to Pittsburgh, where the early steel industry was notorious for exploiting Black laborers, often employing them to replace striking white workers, and then firing them once the strike ended and the white workers returned. Also related to the city is Towns’ focus on Elsie Henderson, a Black cook who worked for several wealthy Pittsburgh families, including the Kaufmanns of the famous department store. The examination of racial disparities in American labor continues with The Coal Miners, a series of six mixed-media paintings that feature “Black miners of West Virginia who were relegated to the most difficult, underpaid, most dangerous and insecure jobs.” The collection of all-new work was organized by guest curator Kilolo Luckett in collaboration with Towns. Luckett, who serves as founding executive director and chief curator of Alma|Lewis, an arts platform dedicated to Black culture, says she has always been “very committed to questions around American patriotism, exceptionalism, and labor.” “I’m also interested in querying the foundations of belonging and access, and unsetting some of the assumptions we have,” says Luckett. “Through his beautifully imposing quilts and mixed-media paintings, Stephen offers viewers sobering truths and tender stories of Black life that break away from dominant narratives that continue to plague society in the United States of America.” Declaration & Resistance also expands on Towns’ practice as a textile artist and self-taught quilter, skills previously showcased in his first museum exhibition Stephen Towns: Rumination and a Reckoning. Exhibited in 2018 at The Baltimore Museum of Art, the show was described by Baltmore magazine as using a series of quilts to “explore how slavery has impacted modern life.” The unpaid labor of enslaved Africans in the U.S. appears in Declaration & Resistance as well in a portrait of Ona Judge. Once enslaved by President George Washington, Judge served as a seamstress to the first president’s wife,

Martha. As a teenager, Judge, according to records, fled to New Hampshire and lived as a free woman, later being interviewed about life on Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation. Coincidentally, the theme of quilts appears in another current solo exhibition at the Westmoreland, Cultivation: Journey of the Work. The show features Tina Williams Brewer, an AfricanAmerican, Pittsburgh-based artist whose quilts are described as being “embellished with symbols and articulated with rich colors and patterns that have personal and cultural meanings, acting as a reminder of the often-obscured African-American story.”

STEPHEN TOWNS: DECLARATION & RESISTANCE Continues through May 8. Westmoreland Museum of American Art. 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. Free. thewestmoreland.org

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WESTMORELAND MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

“Two Roses” by Stephen Towns, part of Declaration & Resistance at Westmoreland Museum of American Art

“WHEN I RETURNED TO MY STUDIO, I REFLECTED ON HOW I HAD GAINED A DEEPER APPRECIATION FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS RISKING THEIR LIVES IN THE MIDST OF A GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS.”

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Follow a&e editor Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

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In addition to the exhibition, a short documentary film on Towns is being produced by Eleven Stanley Productions, a company founded by Pittsburgh-based photographer, filmmaker, and multimedia producer Njaimeh Njie. Guests can also participate in a number of events organized by The Westmoreland to enhance Declaration & Resistance, including an evening with Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author of Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge. Overall, Anne Kraybill, the Richard M. Scaife Director and CEO of the Westmoreland, believes Declaration & Resistance provides a new perspective, as well as context to many of the museum’s existing pieces. “At the core of our permanent collection are scenes of industry, highlighting the labor of this region during the big steel era,” says Kraybill. “This exhibition centers the lived experiences and contributions of Black Americans, whose labor built this nation, through beautifully rendered multi-media and textile works. With a shared focus on labor, Stephen’s art connects well to our collection, but more importantly, his works reveal stories that have been largely left untold in American history and in American art.”

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

CP PHOTO: PAM SMITH

Musician Elizabeth “fig” Harris in Frick Park

MUSIC

BODY WORK BY DANI JANAE // DANIJANAE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

OR PITTSBURGH-BASED musician Elizabeth Harris, who performs under the name fig, music is a tool for healing and understanding the self. Harris’ new album, Soft Animal, which dropped on Feb. 18, follows that direction, with a dreamy, cascading look into reclaiming the body after trauma. Harris, who is from Mt. Lebanon, says she grew up in a musically inclined family. “My uncle was my piano teacher, my pap was a wedding singer who also played guitar, which is why I wanted to get into guitar,” Harris says. “So I started getting into all that, playing piano when I was really little and then guitar when I was, like, 12.”

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After living in Pittsburgh for most of her life and attending Duquesne University to study music therapy, she moved to Cleveland to finish her degree, where she stayed for four years before moving back to the Steel City. For the uninitiated, the phrase “Soft Animal” is a reference to the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver’s poem “Wild Geese,” where Oliver writes: “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Oliver passed away in 2019. “I don’t want to say this poet was tethering me to reality,’ but in a lot of ways she was, and a lot of her work made me feel better about being alive,” Harris says.

“To have to reconcile with her dying was really difficult because this person was helping me feel okay with being alive, but now they’re not alive.” Soft Animal, the album, is close to “Soft Animal,” the poem, in its lyricism and in its mercy for the body. It begins with “Pomegranate,” a sweet, meditative song that employs strings and minimal drums as Harris sings about a prior relationship that she went through that was “very, very traumatic.” The lyrics “you told me they were sweet and I believed what I heard, so I swallowed them whole just like I swallowed your every word” come at a climax in the song, and speak to the control and

deception often common in traumatic relationships. Harris says this song serves as the perfect entry to the album because it establishes what the project is all about. Throughout the album, Harris’ voice emerges as strong and confident, and, on some tracks, ethereal. She not only is a singer and music therapist, but also teaches voice lessons, which is easy to imagine when you hear her voice. The title track is as much an ode to the body as it is a champion for being gentle with oneself, especially after experiencing trauma. Harris sings “my body is a soft animal, I feed her, I hold her, I love her, I heal her, I lay her down.”

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Soft Animal Album

... HARRIS IS SOPHISTICATED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE WAYS PEOPLE HEAL. SHE ALSO WRITES IN A POETIC VOICE THAT IS SHARP AND PRECISE. Harris says that most of the songs for the album were written between 20142019, and while some of the songs have been released as demos over the years, Soft Animal is her first full-length project. “There’s a thread that goes through all the songs of healing and trauma work, and coming into myself and my identity, which can also be traumatizing, and the question of, ‘How do you orient yourself to the world and your relationships after you’ve experienced trauma?’” says Harris. In “Body Study I,” Harris muses, “I’m tired of being a testament, I’m tired of trying harder, I’m tired of selling myself short for people who refuse to barter,” which, as a listener, one can imagine is about these relationships and traumatic experiences that haunt the body. The refrain in that song, “I’ve forgotten my own body,” furthers the conversation Harris is starting about how the body communicates when it is under duress. From a songwriting standpoint, Harris is sophisticated and knowledgeable about the ways people heal. She also writes in a poetic voice that is sharp and precise.

And while many of the songs deal with the topic of trauma, there are also love songs on the album like “Lover, Lover” and “Baby.” As the album nears its end, we get those sweeter songs, ending on “Baby,” which Harris says was intentional. The saccharine piano ballad ends the album on a tender note, while also meditating on identity and accepting yourself when you are queer.

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“Having gone through trauma therapy and many other therapies, [I’m] still coming to this battle with myself of feeling shame for queerness and feeling shame for being myself, even when I’m trying to heal and move on,” Harrisy says, “so I wanted to end it with something that was a little hopeful but not all happy rainbows.”

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Follow arts & culture writer Dani Janae on Twitter @figwidow PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022

DRAG

KINGS OF HEARTS BY DADE LEMANSKI INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

RAG CULTURE has a rich history in Pittsburgh, going back as far back as the 1940s when legendary Black photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris documented gender impersonators in the Hill District. But the majority of Pittsburgh shows in the drag community are by and for queens, according to local drag kings, and they hope a new monthly performance series will help make themselves more visible, and the scene more inclusive.

Info box: Heart Throb. 10 p.m. Sun., Feb. 27. Blue Moon Bar, 5115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. facebook. com/TheBlueMoonBar

HEART THROB 10 p.m. Sun., Feb. 27. Blue Moon Bar, 5115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. facebook.com/TheBlueMoonBar

“To be honest, I would describe Pittsburgh’s drag scene as pretty intimidating at first,” says Mx. Softboy, a Pittsburgh drag king who first came into the scene last summer after COVID-19 vaccines became widely available, and before the surge of the Delta variant. Softboy began by performing at open stages at Lawrenceville’s Blue Moon, and they found that the gay bar where RuPaul’s Drag Race-famous queens Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 and Sharon Needles kickstarted their careers offered not only the competitiveness which the show is known for, but a welcoming space where more experienced performers mentored and invited them to participate. But the welcome, while crucial, didn’t totally satisfy. They say the Blue Moon Bar, and drag culture more broadly, focuses on queens. For drag kings, “bookings are slim and it can be challenging” to find venues in which to perform and audiences interested in what they have to offer. Softboy is “hoping that a monthly show can change that.” Softboy, a nonbinary transfem, is the organizer and host of Heart Throb, a new monthly show at Blue Moon which will launch on Sun., Feb. 27, featuring exclusive performances by drag kings with an emphasis on racial diversity in what they say is an often overwhelmingly white

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CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Drag kings Softboy and Eddie Alabaster pose for portraits at the Blue Moon bar in Lawrenceville.

performance scene, as well as a commitment to paying performers. “There’s a misconception that drag kings are aesthetically inferior to queens,” says Eddie Alabaster, a Pittsburgh drag king who will be performing at the first Heart Throb. Both Softboy and Alabaster emphasized that monetary compensation for drag kings is much more rare than it should be, and that the performance of masculinity is particularly undervalued because popular culture expects it to be natural, and for its performance not to take effort or work. “Every drag king I know,” Alabaster says, “is consistently self-taught.” When

describing their own king persona, Alabaster says, “I want to look like I don’t exist, like I’m not real but like I’m verifiably male.” Alabaster cites influences including Bert from Mary Poppins, the movie Fight Club, and actor Clint Eastwood. “Just guys that are caricatures of a particular style that’s a little fantastical, I’ve always loved that.” Softboy’s drag persona, with pink makeup behind their mustache and the occasional pointy goblin ears, they are quick to say, is more than just an act. “My gender and my drag are really kind of hand in hand,” they say. “They are really dependent and independent of one another.”

It was as “a little alien in pink makeup,” Softboy says, that they first really “felt power in my identity, a unified energetic feeling.” “So many of the best kings you see,” Alabaster adds, “they look insane. You have to stand out so much from the crowd to be recognized as a drag king.” Softboy hopes that Heart Throb will be “a safe space for any person to come in and find themself entertained by something they don’t normally see on stage at a drag show” and will give them a chance to question what masculinity and femininity even mean.” An all-king show at Blue Moon, Alabaster adds, is especially important

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Drag kings Eddie Alabaster and Softboy put on makeup.

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“KINGS HAVEN’T REALLY BEEN TAKEN SERIOUSLY FOR A LONG TIME, BUT [DRAG] DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIMITED TO BIG PAGEANT GOWNS AND CIS MEN IMPERSONATING WOMEN.” because “Blue Moon is very sacred to Pittsburgh drag, Blue Moon is what Pittsburgh drag is.” Alabaster, who has been doing king drag since 2018, is one of the longest-performing kings who will be on stage at the Blue Moon on Heart Throb’s opening night. But drag in general, including king drags, has a much longer history in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s first drag king troupe, the Distinguished Iron City Kings (DICK), formed in 2002, though they are no longer active. Currently, there’s no shortage of in-person drag queen events in the city, and the gender performance troupe Hot Metal Hardware has been doing once-monthly online drag shows during the pandemic. In addition to Softboy and Alabaster, drag kings performing at Heart Throb’s

launch on Feb. 27 will be West Virginia’s King Perka $exxx and Pittsburgh-based Mars. “All of us kings,” Softboy says, “we kind of keep tabs on each other, support each other endlessly.” The COVID-19 pandemic, both Softboy and Alabaster suggest, is part of what made drag more accessible and Heart Throb possible. The kings both note that the rise of online drag performances has made the process of drag more visible to newcomers, and has lowered barriers to entry. “Drag can be so much more than what we see on a typical Saturday night. It can really take you places,” says Softboy. “Kings haven’t really been taken seriously for a long time, but [drag] doesn’t have to be limited to big pageant gowns and cis men impersonating women.”

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SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH IRL / IN REAL LIFE EVENT VIRTUAL / STREAMING OR ONLINE-ONLY EVENT HYBRID / MIX OF IN REAL LIFE AND ONLINE EVENT

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JANUS FILMS

^ Black Orpheus

THU., FEB. 24 FILM • VIRTUAL Still in time for your Black History Month celebrations, City of Asylum will present an online screening of director Marcel Camus’ 1959 film, Black Orpheus. The Academy Award winner for best foreignlanguage film retells the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and sets it in Brazil during Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval. It’s described as having “eye-popping photography and a ravishing soundtrack,” and is known as a landmark work of Black cinema. 7-9 p.m. Free. cityofasylum.org

EVENT • IRL Spirit will once again host Nerd Nite, an evening of speakers described as a “mix between a TED Talk, a comedy show, and a networking mixer.” This month’s 21-andover event is “Bass Nite,” with various 15-minute nerdy lectures related to lowtoned instruments, including one titled “The Euphemistic Euphonius Euphonium and Friends” from Abby Lannan, a

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freelance artist and musician with the River City Brass Band. Before the speakers take the stage, connect with other attendees during an optional speed-dating-esque networking game. 6:30-10:30 p.m. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $7. spiritpgh.com/events

FRI., FEB. 25 MUSIC • IRL Dust off that Yoda, Leia, or Storm Trooper costume when the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents Star Wars: Return of the Jedi at Heinz Hall. Classical music and blockbuster cinema collide as the hit 1983 sci-fi adventure film plays on a big screen as PSO performs a live rendition of the score by celebrated composer John Williams. Bring the whole family to this one-of-a-kind event. 7 p.m. Continues on Sat., Feb. 26. 600 Penn Ave., Downtown. $40-105. trustarts.org

ART • IRL Progeny of Change: Contemporary Art by Pittsburgh’s Women of Color at the Brew

House Association is a 40th anniversary exhibition presented in partnership with the Women of Visions collective, a group formed in 1981 with a mission to “promote the arts, culture, and history of women of African descent.” The show features 20 accomplished Black women artists from Pittsburgh, including Naomi Chambers, LaVerne Kemp, Christine McCray-Bethea, Jessica Gaynelle Moss, and Jameelah Platt. See it before it closes in early spring. Continues through March 12. 711 S. 21st St., South Side. Free. brewhousearts.org

SAT., FEB. 26 ANIMALS • IRL Fly over to the North Side for Flamingo Fest at the National Aviary. The event will allow guests to celebrate the pink water fowl with family-friendly activities, including a story time, a colorful craft kit that guests can take home, and a talk. Dress up in your best rosy-hued outfit and plan for a day devoted to these vibrant

birds. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Continues on Sun., Feb. 27. 700 Arch St., North Side. Included with regular admission. aviary.org

EVENT • IRL Pittsburgh is a far cry from the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but that doesn’t mean the city can’t enjoy the lavish, pre-Lenten celebration. Head to Casa Brasil for their annual Carnaval Party, an evening filled with live Carnaval music, dancing, food, and other fun. Prizes will be given to the best Carnaval costume and most energetic guest, so come ready to show off. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. 5904 Bryant St., Highland Park. $20 advance, $40 at the door. casa-brasil.com/events

SUN., FEB. 27 DRAG • IRL S&S Productions is hosting a Drag Brunch at New Amsterdam, and this time, it’s Disney themed. Think Disney movies, Disney Channel, Disney theme parks — everything

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^ Spotlights at Cattivo

Disney. The show will feature performers Indi Skies, Calipso, Lady Inferno Diamond, Alysin Wonderland, Rose Winters Wonderland, and Miss Demeanor. A ticket gets you access to the brunch buffet and table or bar seats, depending on the size of your party. 12 p.m. 4421 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $25. facebook.com/ssprodutionspgh

MON., FEB. 28 KIDS • IRL The Carnegie Science Center will welcome little scientists for Munchkin Mondays, featuring themed activities for early learners 2-6 years old. Expect live science shows, story times, and more to entertain and educate your little ones. Stick around and spend the day at the museum after, because Munchkin Mondays is included in general admission. A schedule of showtimes for demonstrations will be provided upon entry, so plan for lots of science and fun. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 1 Allegheny Ave., North Side. Included with regular admission. carnegiesciencecenter.org

TUE., MARCH 1 EVENT • IRL It’s Mardi Gras season, and if you’re looking for a place to celebrate, Allegheny Elks Lodge #339 has just the event for you. The Pittsburgh’s Fat Tuesday Party offers New Orleans-style food, live music by Dixie Doc and the Pittsburgh Dixieland All-Stars, a

50/50 raffle, and much more. There will also be the ceremonial crowning of a Mardi Gras King. This event is 21 and over so leave the kiddies at home. 7-10:30 p.m. 400 Cedar Ave., North Side. $15 cash only. facebook.com/alleghenyelks

WED., MARCH 2 MUSIC • IRL Start off March with a performance by Brooklyn-based, doom-gaze band Spotlights at Cattivo. The trio, which consists of husband-and-wife duo Sarah and Mario Quintero, and Chris Enriquez on drums, is described by Ipecac Recordings as producing “dense distortion, spacey soundscapes, and unnervingly serene vocal transmissions directly from the heart.” They will be joined by Pittsburgh rock band Shiner. 7 p.m. 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. $12-15. cattivopgh.com

MUSIC • IRL Fans of the Fab Four, and just classic rock in general, won’t want to miss It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute to The Beatles, a star-studded show taking place at the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. The allages concert will feature famed singersongwriter Todd Rundgren, soft rock icon Christopher Cross, former Chicago vocalist/ bassist Jason Scheff, and others performing some of The Beatles’ biggest hits, including selections from the albums Rubber Soul and Revolver. 7 p.m. 510 E. Tenth Ave., Munhall. $59.75-89.75. librarymusichall.com

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 2, 2022