New initiative has Cornell School District “reimagining” 12th grade

Senior year could look a little different in the future, as the Cornell School District works with school leaders from five other western Pennsylvania districts to reimagine 12^th grade.

In the first of three initiatives aimed at preparing students for the future, Cornell is participating in a cohort, sponsored through the University of Pittsburgh and funded by a grant through the Heinz Foundation, with school leaders from Peters, Avonworth, Burrell, Butler and Jeannette.

The plan is to come up with some actionable items by April 2026 that can be implemented for next school year.

Aaron Thomas, Cornell’s superintendent, said the Cornell district was chosen because of all the work it has accomplished – and it’s not looking to rest on its laurels.

“We want actual items,” Thomas said. “We just don’t want to talk about it; we want terms to follow through on.”

Thomas said the district will examine the way it approaches many aspects of its educational program.

“I’ll look at current classes we offer,” he said. “Do we need to eliminate any or add some? We’re going to look at the concept of study halls. Do we need to have these study halls? We have eight class periods in our school day at the high school. I wonder, should we have seven?”

The district also will look at an internship model that would allow students to take their core academic classes during the day, then get their foot in the door through a paid internship somewhere else.

In a second initiative, Cornell was asked by the West Allegheny School District to participate in a project called “Human-Centered AI as a Pathway to Re-envisioning K-12 Education.” South Fayette and Peters high schools will be joining Cornell.

Five seniors from each district will work together to utilize AI and human-centered design principles to reimagine kindergarten through 12^th grade and present their findings in a “Shark Tank” style presentation, tentatively scheduled for late April.

The $25,000 project is being guided by Chris McComb, a Carnegie Mellon University School of Engineering professor.

The third initiative involves internal work being done at Cornell High School, where a group of teachers is working with administrators to examine current practices and come up with recommendations to the school board on possible reform ideas. There are also plans to visit other school districts in the region, as well as in Cleveland and Hershey.

“I don’t want to limit ourselves,” Thomas said. “Something might spark an interest when we see it. I’m excited and I’m excited for our kids to be part of it.”