PA Cyber Charter School to graduate 1,500

PITTSBURGH, June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School will graduate 1,500 members of the Class of 2013, its 13^th and largest graduating class ever, announced CEO Dr. Michael J. Conti.

Western commencement ceremonies are planned for 11 a.m. this Saturday, June 8, at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh. Eastern commencement is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, June 22, in The Forum at the State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg.

"We congratulate members of the PA Cyber Class of 2013," said Dr. Conti. "They are the pioneers who chose a new kind of school and a new way of learning through online information technology. The independent spirit, discipline and self-motivation required to earn a high school diploma from cyber school will serve them well as they begin careers in work, service or family life, or go on to higher education."

Speaking for his fellow graduates at the Pittsburgh graduation will be Gianfranco Trovato of Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh. Valerie Lookingbill of York, Pa., has been chosen student speaker for the Harrisburg commencement.

Trovato, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Trovato and a PA Cyber student since sixth grade, is in the PA Cyber gifted-talented program and National Honor Society. He will graduate with a 4.0 grade average.

He has been fencing competitively since the age of 7, and has consistently been named to the All-American Academic Team in his sport. 

Trovato has been admitted to the Cleveland State University and its honors program, and will major in physics. His career goal is to earn a doctorate, and do research and teaching at the university level.  

Valerie Lookingbill is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Lookingbill. She has been a PA Cyber student for the past three years, enrolling because the school offered a wider curriculum and more opportunities for independent learning - a theme she plans to visit in her commencement address.

She plays piano, is a member of the National Honor Society, and is an avid writer. She authors a teenage column for the print and blog editions of her local newspaper, The York Daily Record.

Lookingbill has been accepted at the Savannah College of Art & Design in Atlanta, Ga., where she will major in writing. After undergraduate studies, she plans to earn a master's degree in library science and pursue a career as a librarian.

The first statewide K-12 online public school in Pennsylvania, PA Cyber graduated 16 seniors in its first class in 2001. It is Pennsylvania's largest and most successful cyber charter school, with an enrollment of 11,500.

Contact Jill Valentine, 724.624.0473

SOURCE PA Cyber Charter School