Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy
Location
107 Thackeray Street Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 United States
Information
Type	Public - Magnet
Motto	Dream. Discover. Design.
Established	2009
School district	Pittsburgh Public Schools
Staff	66
Grades	6–12
Enrollment	616 (as of October 1, 2022)
Color(s)	White and blue
Mascot	Sci-Tech Thundersharks
Newspaper	The Byte (retired), The Sextant (Future)
Affiliation	OSU (Obama, SciTech, U-Prep) Sports
Website	Pittsburgh Science and Technology
Henry Clay Frick Training School for Teachers
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
View from S Bouquet Street
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1927
Architect	Ingham & Boyd
Architectural style	Classical Revival
MPS	Pittsburgh Public Schools TR
NRHP reference No.	86002668
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 30, 1986

The Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, often called SciTech, is a public school in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It's part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools system. This school is for students in grades 6 through 12. The first group of seniors graduated from SciTech in 2013. The building where SciTech is located was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 30, 1986.

History of SciTech's Building

The building that is now home to SciTech has a long history. It was first built in 1927. Back then, it was known as the Henry Clay Frick Training School for Teachers. This school was created by Henry Clay Frick to train new teachers.

Later, in 1986, the building became home to the Pittsburgh Frick 6–8 Middle School. In June 2009, the team working on the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy took over the building. SciTech officially opened its doors to students in September 2009. This happened after a test project by students from Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College.

How Classes Work at SciTech

Pittsburgh SciTech uses a special way of scheduling classes called a block schedule. This means that classes are longer, lasting about 80 minutes each. This gives students more time to dive deep into their subjects.

Students at SciTech also get to go on many field trips. These trips often explore places in the Oakland area. They visit local libraries, museums, and universities. They also enjoy seasonal attractions.

There's also a special time called "Activity Period." For 42 minutes each day, students can choose from different activities. These activities are not related to schoolwork. This fun time was paused for a bit during the 2021-2022 school year because of COVID-19. But don't worry, it was brought back later!

Focus Areas: Concentrations

Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy lets students pick a special area of science to focus on. These areas are called "Concentrations." There are four main categories:

• Computers and connections
• Body and behavior
• Form and function
• Environment and energy

These concentrations help students explore many different careers. They also give students early experience in subjects they might not study otherwise. Students choose their concentration at the end of their ninth-grade year. The choices are made using a special system. It considers their grades, how they behave, and how often they attend school.

Computers and Connections

The Computers and Connections concentration teaches students about computational thinking. This means learning how to break down big, tough problems into smaller, easier steps. It's all about how computers think and solve problems.

Body and Behavior

In the Body and Behavior concentration, students learn about health and science. They get advanced lessons about different jobs and careers in healthcare. This helps them understand how the human body works and why we behave the way we do.

Form and Function

The Form and Function concentration is all about engineering. Students learn about how things are designed and built. They explore the many different parts of engineering.

Environment and Energy

The Environment and Energy concentration teaches students about our planet and how we get power. Students do hands-on activities, like exploring Panther Hollow creek. They learn about different aspects of the environment and energy sources.

Student Enrollment

Here's a look at how many students were at SciTech in 2022: