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Wesley Education Center thriving after one semester

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GROVE CITY — Wesley Education Center, located inside of Hillview Elementary School, is thriving after one semester of operation.

Wesley Education Center, a branch of Wesley Family Services, opened Sept. 2, 2025. They are now at half-capacity with 12 students, Center Director Shawda McGroarty said.

“Our goal is to be at 24 by the end of the year,” she said.

She said among the 12 who currently attend are students from Wilmington Area School District, Sharon City School District, Laurel School District in New Castle, Crawford Central School District, Moniteau School District, Mercer Area School District, Reynolds School District and Grove City Area School District.

McGroarty said the center currently serves kindergarten through third grades, but their goal is to expand.

“For students that aren’t ready to integrate to their regular school by fourth grade, our goal is to, at some point, be a K through 8th school,” she said.

McGroarty said the students being in a public school setting like Hillview benefits the students.

“While our classrooms are inclusive, because we have regular students, they are able to use the library, they are able to go out to the playground with Grove City students, they’re able to see them in hallways,” she said. “It’s providing an environment where they’re in a specialized program but not completely isolated in a separate building. They’re able to use the same gym as well for physical education and will attend assemblies with Grove City students.”

She said Wesley Education Center students also get lunch with Hillview students. McGroarty said the non-profit school provides a variety of services that help prepare students for integration including small class sizes, a high staff to student ratio, educational therapeutic specialists in each classroom, a behavioral consultant for the program and a master’s level mental health therapist. She added they service a variety of students including students with autism, emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, other health impairments and even regular students.

“Our teachers use the Pennsylvania standards to guide their lesson plans but they differentiate instruction because we do have up to three grade levels in a classroom so, not only do we have three grade levels but those students are not always working at their grade level so the teachers do modify the curriculum and provide accommodations,” she said.

She said they also teach students things such as coping skills and social skills through group therapy, social emotional learning and a second-step curriculum.

In addition to services the center provides, they started an ongoing class cupboard for students in need that attend class at the center. McGroarty said the cupboard was started by Wesley Education Center Therapeutic Specialist Ashley Amsler.

She said they are accepting non-perishable foods such as canned goods, rice, beans and dry or powdered milk. She added they are also accepting hygiene items such as deodorant, shampoo and toothpaste as well as monetary donations.

“They’re basic needs have to be met in order for them to be able to learn — when kids are cold, when they don’t have a full stomach in the morning, when they aren’t able to take care of themselves and their hygiene,” McGroarty said. “Not only does it help them learn, but it also gives them a sense of safety at school because they know they can get these things at school.”

Click here to read the full article on Allied News.

26th annual Unity Breakfast channels King’s message of being ‘a catalyst for change’

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Gathering at La Roche University inspires attendees to take action

Don’t be complacent but take action was the message from Dr. Paul Spradley, keynote speaker of the 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast on Jan. 19 at La Roche University.

Spradley, the executive director of the university’s Ketteler Center for Peace, Justice and Inclusion, shared King’s message as well as his own life experiences.

King’s work was mostly directed “to those sitting silent from a space of apathy to action,” Spradley said.

“There are a lot of folks who will say, ‘I’m a good person … I want peace,’ but they’re not doing anything about it,” he said.

He referred to The King Center’s six-step approach, based on King’s philosophies, for nonviolence, asking the audience to “be a catalyst for change.”

Spradley has hope for the future with the current generation.

“I’m more optimistic than I’ve ever been in my life,” said Spradley, referencing Generation Z. “I believe they will be more socially conscious than any other generation.”

He also is impressed by the number and diverse group of attendees at the event.

“I’m optimistic because change is going to happen with the people in this room,” he said. “Do the small things. These small things add up.”

Spradley invited Faith Mudd, a senior at La Roche, to read a poem at the conclusion of his talk.

While the event registered 180, nearly 200 people ended up attending the breakfast at the university in McCandless, said Geil Wesley Williams of North Hills Ebony Women Inc. Williams helped coordinate the event with Sarah White, La Roche’s dean of students.

“It’s important to celebrate Dr. King and his commitment to equality and human rights, especially in these times. We try to make it diverse to the community,” said Williams of McCandless, who was taking registrations alongside Janice Peischl of the American Association of University Women.

The event also featured a morning prayer by the Rev. Kelli Brownlee of Story Collective Church in Pittsburgh and a performance by vocalists Chloe and Cheyenne Rudder, twin sisters and students at La Roche.

Students from high schools north of Downtown Pittsburgh were invited to participate in the essay contest, which included all the northern suburbs in Allegheny County and the city schools on the North Side, according to White.

First place went to Abdul Kabir Babakar Khel of Northgate Senior High School, second to Naomi Rapp of Avonworth High School and third to Mollie Matous, also of Northgate.

The students were asked to write a 300-word essay to answer the question: “How have you or could you actively work against violence to positively influence your community?”

Tom Baker, chief executive officer of Variety, the Children’s Charity, kicked off a list of nonprofit representatives present at the breakfast, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, Glade Run Foundation, Wesley Family Services, North Hills Community Outreach and more.

The day also included service projects, such as creating cards of encouragement and celebration to families and a local nursing home courtesy of the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, creating a unity banner through handprint art for La Roche University and stuffing teddy bears for the nonprofit Olive Branch to give to children at local hospitals, to name a few.

The event ended with reading of King’s quotes by Sister Carol Stenger of the Sisters of Divine Providence in McCandless, a closing prayer by senior Rabbi Aaron Bisno of Temple Ohav Shalom in McCandless and a song.

Click here for the full article.

Wesley Family Services Opens New Private School in Grove City

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The Wesley Education Center is now open inside Hillview Elementary School in Grove City, and has welcomed its first group of students this year.

GROVE CITY, Pa. – Wesley Family Services, a Pennsylvania-based behavioral health service, has announced a new private school in Grove City.

The Wesley Education Center is now open inside Hillview Elementary School in Grove City, and has welcomed its first group of students this year.

The school serves students in kindergarten through third grade who require a more structured and supportive class environment.

According to a press release, the school was developed over nearly two years of collaboration with local school districts to meet the need for an inclusive, specialized learning setting in Mercer County.

“Opening Wesley Education Center has been one of our organization’s long-term goals because we recognize the critical need in this area to provide students with a more specialized educational setting focused on emotional and behavioral development, which will ultimately lead to their academic progress,” said Wesley Family Services Director of Special Education Shawnda McGroarty.

Key features of the Wesley Education Center include a social-emotional learning curriculum, social skills instruction, a specialized sensory room for relaxation and regulation, small-group and individual therapy sessions within a therapeutic framework, a curriculum aligned with Pennsylvania academic standards, ongoing collaboration with families and teachers to review student progress and focused preparation for successful reintegration into public school settings.

Enrollment requires a referral from a student’s home school district.

Wesley Family Services Opens New School for Special Needs

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GROVE CITY – Wesley Family Services has opened the Wesley Education Center, a new private school located inside Grove City Area School District’s Hillview Elementary School.

Wesley Family Services provides behavioral health services, therapeutic programs and supportive educational services to students from kindergarten to third grade who require a more-structured, supportive classroom environment. The center welcomed its first students this school year, opening on Sept. 2.

The program was developed over roughly two years of collaboration with area school districts to meet the growing need for an inclusive, specialized learning setting in Mercer County and surrounding areas.

Enrollment in the center requires a referral from a student’s home school district.

“We are beyond thrilled to be a part of the local community and serve students across the region,” Wesley special education Director Shawnda McGroarty said. “Opening Wesley Education Center has been one our organization’s long-term goals because we recognize the critical need in this area to provide students with a more specialized educational setting focused on emotional and behavioral development, which will ultimately lead to their academic progress.”

The school’s staff are certified and highly-trained in special education and therapeutic support services, the organization says. The school provides a master’s level counselor and an on-site behavioral consultant to assist students navigating behavioral challenges, emotional and mental health needs and learning disabilities.

Key features of the center are a social-emotional learning curriculum, social skills instruction, a specialized sensory room for relaxation and regulation, small group and individual therapy sessions, a curriculum aligned with Pennsylvania academic standards, ongoing collaboration with families and educators to review student progress and focused preparation for successful reintegration into public school settings.

In May, the Grove City school board approved a one-year lease with Wesley to rent three classrooms in the Hillview school. When the new school was first announced last fall, Wesley had planned to locate in a building that would have been built for them in Pine Township.

Read the full article on Allied News.

Wesley Family Services and Transitional Services, Inc. Agree to Affiliation

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Wesley Family Services and Transitional Services have announced an official affiliation aimed at expanding access to transitional housing and behavioral health support for Western PA residents.

The agreement, approved unanimously by the boards of both organizations, is effective immediately/

This allows the two nonprofits to share resources, staff expertise, and improve coordination of services while maintaining their existing governance and operational structures.

“We are thrilled to welcome TSI as an affiliate organization and begin collaborating with their devoted staff members,” said Doug Muetzel, CEO of Wesley Family Services. “We want to continue to evolve by harnessing our innovative approach to services. Simply put, our organizations will be far more effective and efficient together and we’ll be able to reach more individuals that need our support.”

TSI, founded in 1969 specializes in housing and support services for adults navigating mental health diagnoses or intellectual disabilities, often following incarceration or homelessness.

Wesley Family Services, with nearly a century of service, operates more than 50 healthcare and therapeutic programs across Western Pennsylvania.

Its reach includes outpatient centers, autism services, educational support, and residential housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

TSI supports over 250 individuals each year with a staff of 50. Wesley Family Services serves more than 20,000 annually and employs more than 900 staff members.

The two organizations say the affiliation strengthens their mission to serve vulnerable populations more effectively through innovation and collaboration.

Read the full article on WICU-TV.