STEEL VALLEY STORIES

To help illustrate the role that critical programs and initiatives play in making Steel Valley a special place, please take the time to read some of the individual stories below. These stories showcase why people choose Steel Valley. From cases of parents deciding to give their home district an opportunity to alumni finding ways to give back, each person recognized the benefits that Steel Valley offered and made a conscious choice to be part of our community.

How a transfer brought a smile back to Keita Hemphill's face

The first day of kindergarten couldn’t come soon enough for Keita Hemphill.

“From Day One, she was like, “I want to go to school!” her mother, Charlestina Hemphill, recalled. “Even from 2-years-old, she was like, ‘I want to go to school.”

Now a junior at Steel Valley High School, Keita’s precocious nature placed her in pre-kindergarten and the Head Start program earlier than most children. When it came time for kindergarten, the Hemphills decided on Propel Homestead, even though it required a wait list. 

“When they finally got her in there, it was easy because it was right up the street. I was able to take her to school,” Charlestina said. “The school was basically a convenience. I thought it was a good school at the time, but over the years, it was hard because the school wasn’t what it was supposed to be.”

As Keita wound her way through elementary school, Charlestina was disappointed by what she considered a lack of attention from certain teachers. If Keita was stuck on an assignment or struggled with a particular concept, the Hemphills felt she wasn’t getting enough assistance. Still, they stuck with it as Keita began to prepare to make the transition from eighth grade at Propel Homestead to ninth grade at Propel Andrew Street High School

Before her freshman year, however, Keita and her mother discussed the possibility of transferring to Steel Valley. To learn more about Keita's decision to transfer to Steel Valley, read more of her story here.

Austin Riley fulfills promise by returning to Steel Valley as a teacher

As he sat through his first business classes as a freshman at California University of Pennsylvania, Austin Riley had a realization.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is boring. I can't do this,” Riley recalled. “I have to put my passions to the forefront.”

Riley wanted to teach. The 2016 Steel Valley graduate heard all of the concerns: The jobs weren’t there, the market was ultracompetitive, it was too difficult of a challenge. He took that advice seriously, which was how he found himself in business classes that threatened to lull him to sleep. Riley changed his major. He had to give education a shot.

Five years later, Riley has returned to his alma mater as a special education teacher. It is a fulfillment of a pledge he made during his senior year while applying for the Bill Campbell Scholarship. In his application, Riley wrote that he wanted to find a way to give back to his community. To learn more about the impact Steel Valley has had on Austin and to see the initiatives he wants to introduce to the special education curriculum, read the full story here.

Kennedy Smith embraces work with Best of the Batch Foundation

Christmas 2020 marked a milestone for Kennedy Smith.

For the first time since he could remember, the Steel Valley graduate wasn’t on a bus traveling to a high school or college gymnasium for a basketball game. This time, he was home with his family without any worries about getting to practice or finding a court to get in a workout.

“My whole life was kind of centered around sports, from when I was six all the way up until 22, when I finally finished playing,” Smith said. “Last year was one of the first years that I just stayed home and didn’t have to worry about anything…and that was a great feeling.”

Basketball was Kennedy Smith’s ticket to college. The 2016 Steel Valley graduate shined on the court for the Ironmen. But college basketball provided a rude awakening. He wasn’t the star anymore, and it became clear that basketball was not in his future. 

In search of a new purpose, Smith found himself on a path of community service. He’s now the community and social outreach manager at the Best of the Batch Foundation in Munhall, where he’s able to give back to the community that played an integral role in his childhood. To learn more about his role with the Batch Foundation, read more.