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PHASE 4 Learning
Center, Inc.
In October 2012,
PHASE 4 received a
generous donation from
the Northwest Charita-
ble Foundation. This
donation was made pos-
sible through the Pleas-
ant Hills branch of
Northwest Savings
Bank. The purpose of
the grant is to “help
PHASE 4 with the costs
involved in providing
academic, behavioral,
and social training for
at-risk youth.” Every-
one at PHASE 4 would
like to thank the North-
west Charitable Foun-
dation for this donation
and the opportunity that
it provides to PHASE 4
to continue to serve to-
day’s youth.
Charitable Foundation of Northwest Bank Donates to PHASE 4
MARCH 2013
PHASE 4 Beaver & Chick-fil-A’s
Student of the Month
PHASE 4 Beaver has en-
tered into a partnership
with Chick-fil-A, located
in the Beaver Valley mall,
to name a student from
the site as “Student of
the Month” during the
2012-2013 school year.
The student is chosen
based on academic perfor-
mance, attendance, and
behavior. The chosen
student receives a prize
package from Chick-fil-A,
which includes a free
meal and lots of Chick–
fil-A goodies. The
PHASE 4 Beaver student
chosen as January’s
“Student of the Month” is
Miss Brittani Clingen-
smith. Brittani is a tenth
grade student from
Ellwood City School Dis-
trict. In the month of
January, she completed
over 50 academic lessons,
attended several school
activities such as presen-
tations from Kaplan Ca-
reer Institute and Adagio
Health, demonstrated
excellent behavior, and
had good attendance.
Brittani was very excited
to be the first student
chosen for this award. “I
am very proud to get the
Northwest Bank Donation 1
Chick-Fil-A Student of the
Month
1
PHASE 4 Beaver 2
Spotlight Student:
Kendarius Durant
2
PHASE 4 Brentwood 2
Spotlight Staff: Mr. David
Cohen
3
PHASE 4 Liberty Plaza 3
Inside this issue:
Contact Information:
Corporate Office:
121 Towne Square Way
Brentwood, PA 15227
Phone: 412.650.9004
Fax: 412.650.0304
Visit us on-line at: www.phase4learningcenter.org
Chick-fil-A award. I have
been working hard and it
is nice to have that recog-
nized.” Brittani hopes to
earn her high school diplo-
ma and is considering a
career in respiratory ther-
apy.
PHASE 4 Southwest 3
PHASE 4 Sto-Rox 4
Spotlight Student: Kyle Smith 4
PHASE 4 Harrisburg 4
Mrs. Terrie Suica-Reed, CEO of PHASE 4, and Mrs. Bonny Donovan-Marie, Office Manager of Northwest Savings Bank
based out of Pittsburgh, PA. He has
performed and recorded several sin-
gles and music videos that can be
seen on You Tube and is preparing
his first official release of the single
“No More Talk’n” this May. Ken-
darius started in the music business
five years ago. He has always loved
music and had the desire to perform
and entertain. This love of music
has led him to design and create his
own music studio at home. The mu-
sic he produces has been inspired by
life, other artists, and family. He
loves how music gives you a voice
that can be heard by all. Upon
graduating from high school, Ken-
darius plans on attending the Com-
munity College of Allegheny Coun-
ty; then, transferring to a larger
college where he can study business
and music production/engineering.
Kendarius Durant is a senior from
West Mifflin High School who at-
tends the PHASE 4 Brentwood loca-
tion. Besides completing his high
school credits, Kendarius is also
busy aspiring to be a Hip Hop and
Rap artist. Kendarius, known in
the music world as “City Litez,” per-
forms for the Major League Brand
is the Director of Academics and
Compliance at PHASE 4 Learning
Center. He made his famous meat-
balls and pasta for the students as a
special reward and holiday treat.
The students were very apprecia-
tive. In January, PHASE 4 Brent-
wood welcomed Penn Commercial to
the site. Penn Commercial spoke to
our students about vocational ca-
reer training and the opportunities
that are available in fields such as
HVAC and cosmetology. Adagio
Health began the “Focus on Kids”
program with our Brentwood stu-
There have been several special
events and visitors at PHASE 4
Brentwood in the last several
months. In late November, PHASE
4 Brentwood welcomed Mr. Josh
Comer. Mr. Comer is a representa-
tive for the Job Corps program and
The Community College of Alleghe-
ny County. He presented infor-
mation to the students on how the
Job Corps program could assist
them financially at CCAC. In De-
cember, the PHASE 4 Brentwood
students were served lunch by Dr.
William Dickinson. Dr. Dickinson
dents in March of this year. This
eight-week program covers various
teen issues which include violence
prevention, teen pregnancy, and
drug/alcohol abuse. The PHASE 4
Brentwood students have enjoyed all
the special happenings so far and
look forward to more special events
and visitors in the future.
PHASE 4 Beaver
PHASE 4 Brentwood
MARCH 2013 PHASE 4 LEARNING
adding other items to make the sce-
ne as realistic as possible. While
working on the diorama, students
are learning about various bat-
tles of the Civil War and the im-
pact of the war on the country.
Students can earn academic cred-
it for participating in the hands-
on project. When complete, the
diorama will be transferred to
Gettysburg to be displayed at the
150th anniversary of the Battle of
Gettysburg.
The PHASE 4 Beaver students are
currently involved in an ambitious
Civil War project led by the site’s
counselor, Mr. Michael Martin.
Besides being a certified therapist,
Mr. Martin is also a Civil War en-
thusiast. Mr. Martin and the stu-
dents are creating a large diorama
which will depict the Civil War bat-
tle known as “Pickett’s Charge.”
This battle was the final Confeder-
ate assault on the Union line at the
Battle of Gettysburg. The students
are painting figurines of soldiers,
weaponry, and horses; along with
PAGE 2
PHASE 4 Brentwood Spotlight Student:
Kendarius Durant
Mr. Comer from Job Corps presents to students
Mr. David Cohen currently serves
as PHASE 4 Philadelphia’s Region-
al Director. He oversees both the
Southwest and Northeast Philadel-
phia locations, which collectively
serve over 300 students. With over
ten years of experience, Mr. Cohen
prides himself on public school edu-
cation and his formative education-
al experience in the William Penn
School District and The School Dis-
trict of Philadelphia. Before his
current role, Mr. Cohen served as
Principal for PHASE 4 Learning
Center for two years. David, a for-
mer elementary school teacher,
dean of students, and standardized
testing coordinator, is a graduate of
West Chester University, where he
received his Bachelor of Science
degree in Elementary Education.
He later received his Masters in
Educational Leadership from
Gwynedd Mercy College. He holds
a principal’s certification as well as
his Instructional II in education.
David is proud of the meaningful
connections he makes with all
stakeholders within a school setting
and his ability to inspire teachers.
He has a proven track record of
raising standardized test scores at
all of the institutions in which he
has served while also fostering a
challenging curriculum. Mr. Cohen
plans to pursue a doctoral degree
in the near
future.
Mr. Cohen
works
hard eve-
ryday to
ensure
that the
time spent
at PHASE
4 is truly
the best
part of each student’s day. The
students of Mr. Cohen frequently
hear him state a founding belief of
PHASE 4, “At PHASE 4, we roll out
the red carpet for our students
everyday!”
eral colleges and universities such
as Lincoln Tech, CCP, ATC-
Automotive Training Center, and
Penn State University. Students
who are interested in attending the-
se or other colleges/universities will
also have the opportunity to partici-
pate in Financial Aid workshops
and SAT Prep sessions. Students
who have expressed an interest in
transitioning into the workforce are
currently working on resume writ-
ing, interviewing techniques, and
identifying career options. PHASE
4 Southwest students are now eligi-
PHASE 4 Southwest is currently
serving 200 students from all over
the city of Philadelphia. PHASE 4
Southwest students are working
with the staff to make the necessary
preparations for their futures. The
students have had exposure to sev-
ble to receive services through the
Center for Family Intervention Sci-
ence at the Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia. They have partnered
with PHASE 4 Philadelphia to pro-
vide professional development for the
staff to identify depression and sui-
cide in at-risk youth. Dunbar Com-
munity Counseling Services will be
providing behavioral health services
for PHASE 4 students and families.
Through these partnerships, PHASE
4 Southwest hopes to meet the needs
of all the students.
PHASE 4 Liberty Plaza
PHASE 4 Spotlight Staff: Mr. David Cohen
PHASE 4 Southwest
staff have also created a direct
line to local army recruiters,
labor union officers, and our
local community college director
of admissions. These visits and
relationships allow the PHASE
4 Liberty Plaza students to have
access to various opportunities
when they graduate from high
school. All students are expected to
have an established post-graduation
plan and remain in contact with the
PHASE 4 staff. We want our stu-
dents to be successful, not only at the
Liberty Plaza site, but in their lives
following this experience.
At the Liberty Plaza location in Phila-
delphia, PHASE 4 serves over 100
students throughout the school year.
With a 100% graduation rate, the
students are consistently earning
credits and achieving their high
school diplomas. PHASE 4 Liberty
Plaza is investing a large portion of
the day in creating post graduation
plans with ALL of our students. Lib-
erty Plaza has weekly visits from col-
leges, universities, and tech-
nical/trade schools. The PHASE 4
PAGE 3 PHASE 4 LEARNING MARCH 2013
Kyle stated, “I like the work envi-
ronment. The staff have it where all
the kids have a respect for each oth-
er. The teachers help you when you
need it. They make you feel re-
spected and that they care about
how you are doing. They even pro-
vide a snack for students. This
helps if you didn’t get breakfast
that morning. I also like the expo-
sure to music through the new mu-
PHASE 4 Harrisburg Spotlight Student:
Kyle Smith
PHASE 4 McKees Rocks
MARCH 2013 PHASE 4 LEARNING CENTER, INC. PAGE 4
sic studio.” With the help of the
PHASE 4 Harrisburg staff, Kyle has
developed both short-term and long-
term goals. His short-term goals are
to graduate from high school with de-
cent grades and find employment to
help his family. His long-term goals
include working for an airline so that
he has the opportunity to travel the
United States and visit new places.
He would also like to do something in
the music industry.
PHASE 4 Harrisburg
There are many fun and education-
al activities happening at PHASE
4 Harrisburg! A music studio has
been established at the site. The
students can work on FL studio,
guitar, and keyboard/piano skills.
They can also create and record
their own music. Many students
are currently working on music in
the new studio. Our students have
also had the opportunity to listen to
and participate in many presenta-
tions from outside organizations
and agencies such as the RASE
project and the American Lung As-
sociation. The students will partic-
ipate in several field trips this
spring, including trips to visit area
colleges such as HACC, Messiah,
and Elizabethtown. They will also
visit the Giant food store where
they will take part in cooking clas-
ses. PHASE 4 Harrisburg contin-
ues it’s partnership with Jump
Street, a community based art pro-
gram. Every other Friday, stu-
dents travel to the facility and help
with service projects. One project
has several students working as
intricate parts of “And” magazine.
Khayman, a PHASE 4 Harrisburg
student, is working on the cover of
the Spring issue of the magazine,
while two other students, Kyle and
Trent, are working on articles that
will be published in the magazine.
Kyle Smith is a
student from Central Dauphin
School District who attends the
PHASE 4 Harrisburg site. Kyle has
experienced success while complet-
ing his high school credits at
PHASE 4. He has also built many
positive relationships with the
PHASE 4 Harrisburg staff and his
fellow students. When asked to
describe his experience at PHASE 4
PHASE 4 McKees Rocks has en-
tered into many exciting community
partnerships this school year. One
partnership is with the Focus on
Renewal (FOR) project established
more than forty years ago by Father
Ryan. The main goal of FOR is to
revitalize the McKees Rocks area.
FOR provides extended family ser-
vices to many area residents which
can include health, dental and em-
ployment services. In conjunction
with the program, PHASE 4 has
selected students from the area and
is providing academic and work-
readiness services to those students
at the Father Ryan Art Center, lo-
cated in McKees Rocks. PHASE 4
McKees Rocks is also partnering
with the Youth Works organization.
This organization helps the youth of
Pittsburgh and the surrounding
areas find employment in the com-
munity. Through this partnership,
the students are able to participate
in job-shadowing experiences
in any career in
which they are in-
terested. Many
students have job-
shadowed in local
businesses and mil-
itary offices. The
exposure to so
many jobs and careers allows the
PHASE 4 students to see the limit-
less opportunities that are available
to them when they graduate from
high school.