When she was in eighth grade, Kaylee Smolko got to speak with a Holocaust survivor as part of a program organized by gifted support teacher Daniel Shaner.

“It is emotional because you can read books…

By the time Kendrick Lamar released his fourth album, Damn., it seemed like he had accomplished everything a musical artist could.

He won a Pulitzer Prize for his work on that album, becoming the only…

Class of 2009 alum Jon Shanahan was voted Class Clown and later ran a half marathon in a suit for his YouTube channel. He now uses his creative mind as a business mogul, and in his latest adventure, he…

Many people like to post their opinions about sports and entertainment on social media, with Will Smith’s “Oscar slap” of Chris Rock and the 3,000th hit by Detroit Tiger Miguel Cabrera dominating…

Freshman Delaney Howard and junior Evelyn Wright made their mark on the new PIHL Girls Hockey League from the first game, with Howard scoring the first goal in league history and Wright taking the first…

This story was originally published on Purbalite on April 21, 2022.

In 1972, only one in 27 female students participated in high school sports, according to an article in History.com. Now, due in large part to Title IX, the federal legislation that has required equal sports…

Chris Mack, a Baldwin graduate who now co-hosts the morning sports talk radio show on 93.7 The Fan, joins the Purb Take sports podcast to talk about about Penguins trades and Steeler free agent signings.

This…

Baldwin Class of 2017 alum Jake Mysliwczyk has been interested in cameras and filming since he was little. Now he owns a business that brings live Baldwin football and basketball broadcasts to Highlander…

Baldwin alum Sean Kealey has been a substitute teacher at the high school for the past few months, but over the summer he was on the pitching mound in Wisconsin, getting his first shot as a reliever in…

The Purb Take sports podcast team returns for a fourth and final week of coverage of the NFL playoffs.

This week the focus is on Super Bowl LVI, which features the Bengals vs. the Rams.

Listen…

Disney is revising its plans for a live-action remake of the classic animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs following actor Peter Dinklage’s criticism.

In recent years, diversity within film…

Baldwin Class of 2010 alum Alyssa Thorne never imagined that she would go from watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer to sitting across the table from the people who wrote it as part of her job as a TV writer. 
…

While Class of 2017 Baldwin alum Jack Hillgrove shares a last name with his grandfather – legendary Pittsburgh sports broadcaster Bill Hillgrove – he owes much of his success to his own ambition and…

Gabriel Ajang faced many life-threatening struggles when he was 9 years old and was forced to flee his village as one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, but one of the more terrifying was his encounter with a…

This story was originally published on Purbalite on December 2, 2021.

Security Chief Loran Skinkis, who is also a cartoonist, recently has had his artwork reach a new level of recognition in the comics world. Ironically, two of his biggest works involve tree-related characters. 
…

This story was originally published on Purbalite on October 25, 2021.

This story was originally published on Purbalite on October 11, 2021.

Schools across the country are facing food shortages for their lunch programs, and that trend has reached Baldwin-Whitehall.

Food suppliers nationwide are dealing with staff shortages and Covid outbreaks,…

Baldwin students know Roderick Wilson as the security guard who greets everyone with positivity in the morning. 

But before his employment as a security guard, Wilson was a bishop in several different…

Senior Dylan Belak was at a team dinner in a Green Bay, Wis., hotel after the last day of a USA Hockey tournament when his dad came into the room yelling. Dylan and his Pittsburgh Predators teammates thought…

It’s hard to get Taylor Swift and Kanye West to agree on much of anything — other than the importance of owning their masters. 

In 2019, Swift’s label, Big Machine Records, sold its catalog –…

This story was originally published on Purbalite on April 9, 2021.

This story was originally published on Purbalite on April 9, 2021.

For the high school seniors who aspire to attend one of the country’s more selective universities, the application process was hard enough. Now comes decision time.

With most universities going test-optional…

According to Biden adviser Cedric Richmond, the White House is “going to start acting now” on reparations. In layman’s terms, reparations are payments meant to compensate the victims of crimes. In…

Dreamy, melancholic sounds discussing self-worth, isolation, and romance are staples of any Lana Del Rey album. In her latest studio album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, Del Rey conveys her growth…

More than 50 students walked out of class today to protest Baldwin’s response to sexual assault allegations, a topic that had spread widely on social media over the weekend.

Students gathered in front…

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a successful recut of the 2017 addition to the DC extended film universe. The original Justice League movie, which received mixed reviews, focused on the DC Comics characters…

Coaching a high school sports team with title aspirations is a huge commitment, but girls basketball Coach Jamal Woodson is taking on the challenge — while also handling his other responsibilities, including…

Students and teachers reacted in shock to the attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, and wondered how long it would take for the country to recover.

Social studies…

On Wednesday night in Congress, senators voted 93-6 to reject the challenge to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory after immense pressure from President Donald Trump to sway the election. House members…

Back on her 2013 hit album, Red, Taylor Swift mocked her ex-boyfriend’s “indie record that was much cooler than (hers).” But now with the surprise release of her ninth studio album, Evermore, it’s…

In a year marked by smaller classes, emptier hallways, and countless Google Meets, a group of Spanish class students are bringing a little excitement back to their wearisome days.

Every day for…

Fans of President-elect Joe Biden may be in for a rude awakening after he is sworn in, since he might not be able to accomplish many of his legislative goals without controlling the Senate, Baldwin history…

Like many people across the United States, senior Layne Dunsey has been regularly checking her phone today for updates on the presidential election. 

“I was checking my phone pretty constantly, especially…

Born during the Holocaust, Shulamit Bastacky was given up to a convent by her parents to guarantee her safety. Seven years later, her parents recognized her in an orphanage by a birthmark on her neck.
…

This story was originally published on Purbalite on October 14, 2020.

Reactions today from athletes and their parents ranged from anger and frustration through understanding to Thursday’s court decision that at least temporarily reinstates crowd limits at sports events.
…

Allegheny County’s decision to lift strict limits on crowd size at sports events will not only make most athletes and parents happy, but also may lead to better performances at games, Baldwin students…

In the first four days of hybrid learning, the district has seen three positive coronavirus cases, with two at the high school level that also have disrupted the seasons of two sports teams.

A second-grader…

I am not black. I am not black, I never will be black, and I can only imagine what the African-American community has had to endure for so long. With that being said, I am more than sympathetic for what…

It can be hard to put the legacy of Michael Jordan into words.

He looms large for the diehard fans who watched every Bulls game in the ’80s and ’90s. And for the younger generation of fans who watch…

Baldwin has now settled into mandatory online learning for the fourth quarter, with a pass/fail grading system, “Flex Fridays” with no new work, and an earlier end to the school year. 

Students,…

Students and teachers alike are being forced to adjust to the new formats of this year’s Advanced Placement tests.

This year, due to schools being closed nationwide, the exams will occur online. All…

Senior Angela Jesionowski never thought that something as simple as going to school would be something she would yearn to do.

“I definitely have realized that I miss regular school — the social interactions…

In the craziness that has become the self-quarantine state of stopping the spread of the coronavirus, Netflix has released the docu-series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, which has showcased crazy…

Senior Gavin Wieckowski’s parents made him quit his job at the Brentwood Giant Eagle grocery store because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I was really worried whenever the virus became a bigger threat…

Many people have a sense that the coronavirus may soon impact their families, but mine is already facing the effects of this frightening global pandemic. 

My father, who works in international business,…