the almanac S E P T E M B E R 13, 2026
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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EMOTIONAL OPENING Bethel Park marks first day at new elementary center By Eleanor Bailey ebailey@thealmanac.net
Mandi Figlioli’s eyes moistened as the first school buses wheeled up to the curb transporting the 1,800 students to the new Bethel Park Elementary School. “It feels like Christmas,” she said, wiping away tears. “I just can’t wait to see the kids’ faces.” Those faces on the students in grades kindergarten through five expressed a range of emotions. There was joy, apprehension, awe, and yes, even tears, but dissimilar to Figliol’s. Laurie Dressler embraced
PHOTOS BY ELEANOR BAILEY/THE ALMANAC
A welcome sign greeted students as they arrived at the new Bethel Park Elementary School.
one of those anxious youngsters. An educator for 34 years, Dressler currently serves as a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Math Specialist in the district. “Some people are excited
and some people are scared,” she said. “It’s anxiety to change for the kids,” Dressler explained. “We’re ready for it. I mean, everyone’s very caring, helpful and loving here. So it’s all going to be good. He’s gonna
make best friends, and by the end of the day, he’s going to be happy. I know he will.” Dr. Matthew Patterson shared the same sentiments. He arrived in April as the new superintendent of schools in the district.
Bethel Park Elementary School is a $133 million facility with state-of-the-art features and three separate floors for grades K through 5.
“Some have big smiles on their faces and some have tears. We see that any given year. We see a lot of tears from parents on that first day, too,” he added. “There’s obviously some nerves, separation anxiety, but we’re going to be OK. All the children are in a great place here in this school.” The 280,000-square-foot facility arose following a 2021 demographic analysis and facilities master plan that found it more feasible to construct a new elementary center and renovate the middle school as opposed to modernize the decades-old schools such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Ben Franklin, Memorial and William Penn elementaries as well as Neil Armstrong Middle School. Groundbreaking on the three-story design with two gymnasiums, two playgrounds, three STEAM labs, and two libraries began in 2024. The doors to the new school, which features layout and design features customized to the needs of primary (K-2) and intermediate (3-5) students, opened on Sept. 3, 2026. Figlioli has seen the $133 million project from infancy to finish. She has served the district for five years in the capacity as assistant superintendent for elementary education. A West Virginia resident, Figlioli worked previously in the Burgettstown School District. SEE SCHOOL PAGE A2
TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY Peters Township native reflects on life-altering events of Sept. 11
By Eleanor Bailey ebailey@thealmanac.net
Although he now lives in San Diego, Kevin Shaeffer is a proud member of Steelers Nation. He and his wife, Blanca, will be in attendance when Pittsburgh kicks off the 2026 NFL season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13 at Acrisure Stadium. “We bleed black and gold,” Shaeffer said. Shaeffer added that he’s excited about Eli Heidenreich’s debut. The Mt. Lebanon High School product is a fellow Navy graduate. “For him to make the 53-man roster is an accomplishment. A point of pride for the entire Navy and the Naval Academy,” Shaeffer added. “It’s an honor, and I hope we put him to work.” For Shaeffer, he will have the day off after a busy week of travel from the West Coast. In fact, two days before the Steelers game, Shaeffer took part in somber Sept. 11 ceremonies in remembrance of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that nearly claimed
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Kevin Shaeffer is pictured with John Lopus during a recent visit to McMurray. The two played on Peters Township’s high school soccer team that won WPIAL and PIAA championships during their playing careers.
COMMUNITY A Hall of Fame Hero PAGE A3
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his life. Shaeffer, 54, was working in the Pentagon watching the events in New York City unfold on television sets from the Navy Command Center. “I knew right away our country was under attack,” he said at the time when the first airliner struck the World Trade Center, “but I was in the safest place on earth.” So he thought. At 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 struck the west side of the Pentagon, and Shaeffer’s life changed forever. Instantly, 125 of his friends lost their lives, but, although he was on fire, the Peters Township native survived. “I was 29 at the time,” Shaeffer recalled. “I felt invincible. As a young naval officer, Navy lieutenant,” he said, “I had the world by the tail. The brutal awakening of what happened on the morning of 9/11 was a heavy dose of reality.” He was “forced” to focus inward and fight for survival. After clawing his way through a booby-trapped maze of tangled electrical wires and broken water pipes, he saw a glimpse of daylight. Once he crawled through the opening, Army
Sgt. 1st Class Steve Workman rescued him, placed him on a cart and commandeered the first ambulance that rushed him to Walter Reed Army Hospital. Shaeffer was burned over 47% of his body. He suffered severe internal injuries, particularly to his lungs after inhaling jet fuel fumes, and gall bladder, which was removed. He suffered two cardiac arrests. “It was a defining moment in the chapters of my life,” Shaeffer said. “I’ve embraced it and endured it and overcome aspects of it to get to the other side. When something that traumatic happens where you really are hitting rock bottom, that forces one to focus on what’s vital in life. “That was my health, the loved ones around me, my wife, my family. I’ve always sought to be an optimist and see the good and make good out of the most difficult situations and experiences. So I’ve carried that spirit forward and focused on key priorities and learned lessons that oftentimes only are learned through many decades of life’s experiences. I was able to take on board something positive in the midst of a lot of tragedy.” After his secKevin and Blanca ond cardiac arrest, Shaeffer during their Shaeffer was medtime at the Naval ically retired from Academy. the Navy on Oct.
SPORTS USC prepares for another brawl PAGE B1 Classifieds, B4
SEE TRIUMPH PAGE A2
Sloan solves problem of transporting 1,800 students By Eleanor Bailey ebailey@thealmanac.net
Dan Sloan faced a tall task. As the supervisor of facilities and operations at Bethel Park School District, he and his team had to design new bus routes to transport 1,800 students to the new elementary school. On Sept. 3, the district opened its $133 million elementary center. The stateof-the-art facility replaced five grade schools and one middle school. Students from K through 5 now attend the centralized building, which replaced neighborhood schools such as Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, William Penn, George Washington and Memorial elementaries as well as Neil Armstrong Middle School, which now serves as the district’s administrative offices. “My staff and I at the bus garage had to basically reroute the district in certain ways,” said Sloan. “While we have programs that helped us, it required a lot of manpower. “(While) 1,800 kids coming to one building in the geography of Bethel Park has definitely caused some struggles, but I think it’s going to be all right.” Sloan, 42, has worked in facilities and operations for four years. Previously, he spent 10 years in the athletic department, serving seven years as athletic director. Before coming to Bethel Park, Sloan worked as the program director at the South YMCA, when it was located on McMurray Road. A Chartiers Valley graduate, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Robert Morris University in 2007. Hence, Sloan has managed his share of challenges and adopted a flexible approach to his management style. He noted that the transportation department is still working out kinks in the routes, particularly those that are overlapping and seem to cause a little bit of confusion for riders. “There’s reasons to do so for efficiency, but we’ll be adjusting routes for the next couple weeks to see what works and doesn’t work.” Sloan added that he hasn’t talked to a transportation department that didn’t have complaints. “We’ll always have them, but they’ll work themselves out.” The school district worked out a plan for those who live within the neighborhood of the new elementary school, which is located off Kings School Road. “We have procedures for walkers,” he noted. Regardless of the headaches caused by the new bus routes, Sloan is “excited” about the new facility. “The building is fantastic,” he said. “The logistics and procedures that come into it will all work themselves out. It’s going to be a great thing for the district,” he said.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Palace Theater celebrates 100 PAGE B3 Real estate transactions, A5