Who is Cortney Steiner?

  Contrary to popular belief, it’s a boy! That’s right: Cortney Steiner, who is heard on the announcements most mornings, is male! In an interview with Cortney, I learned about his time before Allderdice, his experience with the yearbook, and how he hopes to revive the yearbook before his time at Allderdice comes to an end.   Have you been confused as a girl a lot?   On a few occasions people have thought I was a girl. It’s not a problem once people know…

Alumni Interview: Jonathan Rapping

Jonathan Rapping, class of 1984, is the founder and president of the Southern Public Defender Training Center, an organization committed to raising the standard of public defense in the South. After graduating from Allderdice, Rapping pursued a degree in Economics from the University of Chicago and later received a Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University. In 1995, he completed a degree in law from George Washington University and accepted a position with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS), eventually rising…

Advice By the J.E.M. in your Life

Dear Emily and Janny, There is this boy I’ve had my eye on for a while now. But he doesn’t have the faintest idea how much I like him. He’s smart, mysterious, and not too painful to look at…If you know what I mean. I smile at him every day in the hallway, and say, “Hey,” but all I get in return is the occasional head nod. It’s so frustrating! I mean, I’m pretty interesting and promise ready…a perfect catch. How do I get him…

New Assistant Principal

Michael Dobies, The New Assistant Principal and head of the sophomore class, has joined the Allderdice administrative team this year. His career began teaching CAS and PSP English levels 1 and 2 at Oliver. In 2004, he started administrative work for Allderdice. A native Pittsburgher, he grew up in Oakland and attended Schenley high school. Dobies is very fond of the culture of the city. Surprisingly, his favorite part of Pittsburgh is the weather. “Every time I say it, people think I’m crazy. But I…

Art in Mellon Park

Every year in early September, a tent city springs up overnight in Mellon Park. These tents are not for camping, though. In fact, they are only inhabited during the daylight. These unique tents serve as temporary storefronts for the massive gathering of artists known as “A Fair in the Park.” September 7, 8 and 9 of this year marked the annual convocation of “A Fair in the Park.” Since 1969, the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh has sponsored this event, and it has grown rapidly. For…

After School With Levenson

The face of World Languages department Mina Levenson is familiar to students and staff alike. Not so familiar are Levenson’s clubs, despite their records as some of the most successful in the school. Levenson currently sponsors two knowledge-based clubs, Academic WorldQuest and Euro Challenge, as well as the Leadership Program. Throughout her thirty-five year tenure at Allderdice, she has also coached the girls volleyball and swim teams. Of the three clubs that Levenson presently heads, the first she became involved with is the Leadership Program….

Don’t Worry! Summer is on the Way!

Ah, the summer. When days are long, times are memorable, and when teenagers spend their days beneath the hot sun with a lackadaisical attitude. With AP exams, SAT tests, and finals going on, most people are counting the days until the 2012 school year is over. Students at Allderdice have a variety of plans for the summer. From traveling, to sports clubs, to being back at home with friends, there’s no end to the possibilities. When asked how he would describe his favorite season, freshman…

Hometown High Q Update

On April 21, Seniors Guthrie Gintzler, Chareeni Kurukulasuriya and Ben Schwartz represented Allderdice in the semifinals of Hometown High Q, a local television game show that tests high school students on their knowledge in subjects such as math, art history, sciences, and literature.

Alumni Interview: Nathan Franzen

Nathan Franzen is an Allderdice Alumni from the class of 1984. After graduating from Allderdice, he continued his education at Harvard. He currently works as the Senior Software Engineer at M* Modal, a software development company. His son, sophomore James “August” Franzen, currently attends Allderdice.

Science Olympiad Team Has Success

Science Olympiad is a competition designed to test students’ knowledge of various scientific concepts and the ways in which students are able to apply that knowledge through written tests, building events or hands-on activities such as laboratory experiments. Some event topics encompass material covered in school such as biology and chemistry, while others require a bit of outside research into fields like astronomy and epidemiology.