MIDLAND, Pa., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ground has
been broken and construction is underway on Western Pennsylvania's newest public high
school, the Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School (MITCS).
The facility will be housed in the Charles J. Betters Innovation
Center; a newly constructed cutting- edge career technical
education (CTE) high school on South 12th Street at Innovation Way
in Midland, Beaver County. The land on which it is being
built is a completely reclamated former brownfield site that has
been brought up to residential standards and generously donated by
prominent developer Charles J.
Betters, the owner of C. J. Betters Enterprises.
"I'm proud to be associated with this project, with this school,
and with the people from Midland
who are making it all happen," Betters told the crowd of
approximately 100 gathered for the event.
Set to open in the fall of 2022, MITCS will provide students in
grades 9 through 12 the chance to pursue areas of personal interest
and tackle real-life projects to prepare them for a world of
opportunity. MITCS will allow students to fulfill state
requirements for a high school diploma while also earning
certifications, licensing, apprenticeships, and even associates
degrees in trades, technology, and other fields of endeavor.
Students will graduate prepared to enter the workforce or continue
on through post-secondary education or training. As a public
charter school, MITCS will provide its services and programming
tuition-free to Pennsylvania
students.
"Reimagining how we provide current and future generations a
transformational education that is every bit as innovative,
inspiring, and impactful as the revitalization now reshaping our
physical landscape is crucial to effectively addressing a range of
public concerns," said Stephen
Catanzarite, chairman of the school's founders group.
"That's a role MITCS will seek to fulfill."
Courses of study at MITCS will include: Petrochemical Studies,
Gaming and Simulations, Safety Engineering, Transportation and
Logistics, American Enterprise and Global Studies, Aviation
Technology, Sustainable Water, and Healthcare Innovations. MITCS
will be organized through four interconnected and collaborative
academies which were introduced at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Included are the PGT Trucking Transportation + Logistics Academy
funded by a $500,000 gift from PGT
Trucking CEO and Founder Pat
Gallagher who, along with Mr. Betters, were leaders on the
MITCS Organizing Committee.
"I believe in this school, and PGT is supporting it, because I
believe in Chuck Betters and the
folks here in Midland who are
leading the effort," Gallagher said.
Another academy is the Dr. Cyril H. Wecht Forensic Science +
Justice Academy, named for the fabled Pittsburgh-based forensic scientist who gifted
his college-level curriculum to the new charter high
school.
"I am deeply honored that this academy dedicated to the study of
forensic science will bear my name, and I promise you all that I
will be involved and work hard in the coming years to make sure its
curriculum and instruction are of the highest quality," Wecht
said.
"This is a great day for Midland, for Beaver
County, and for the students of our region," said
Beaver County Board Commissioners
Chairman, Daniel Camp. "On behalf of
my fellow commissioners, we are happy to be able to support it, and
we know it will be a great success."
Two yet-to-be-named academies are the MITCS Community
Development + Sustainability Academy and the Skilled Trades +
Technical Careers Academy.
Research demonstrated a need for a modern full-day CTE high
school for girls and boys in grades 9 through 12 especially with
the region's first reindustrialization in more than a century. Over
the next decade, there is a projected growth of over 4.5 million
skilled manufacturing jobs. Deloitte and the Manufacturing
Institute estimate that over 2 million of these jobs may go
unfilled due a shortage of skilled workers. MITCS is being
developed as a response in our region.
For information, contact Chris
Shovlin via e-mail a chris.shovlin@mitcharterschool.org or
by phone at 412-952-1933.
Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School (MITCS) is a
new public high school set to open in September of 2022. Located in
Midland, PA (Beaver County) MITCS will provide students
with the opportunity to earn their high school diploma while also
pursuing certifications, licensing, and associate degrees in
high-tech fields and the skilled trades. As a tuition- free public
school, MITCS is open for enrollment to any student residing in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For
more information visit
www.mitcharterschool.org.
Contact: Chris Shovlin
MITCS Organizing Committee Spokesperson Phone: (412) 952-1933
Email: chris.shovlin@mitcharterschool.org
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SOURCE Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School