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(First of two parts.)

Plenty of McKeesporters past and present were distressed to see the demolition of Cornell Middle School, once known as McKeesport Technical High School. The reduction to rubble of the "White Castle on the Hill" also was bittersweet for former Cornell teacher Tim Gabauer.

Gabauer, 41, the new McKeesport Area superintendent of schools, began his full-time teaching career at Cornell in 1994, and like many others, he had "an emotional tie" to old Tech High.

But the demolition of the school, which opened in 1916, also clears the way for a new building that he said will make a tremendous difference in the way students learn and work together.

. . .

"The days of the teacher standing up at the lectern have really come to an end," Gabauer said. "Our students wake up every day and their entire world is surrounded by technology. The last thing we want them to do is come to school and make them slow down."

A 1986 South Allegheny High School graduate and life-long Mon-Yough area resident, Gabauer said the construction of two new schools and the expansion of White Oak's Francis McClure positions the district for "the next 60 years" in a way that renovating Cornell couldn't.

"As one of our board members said, 'If we renovate that building, in 25 years, we'll have a 125-year-old building,'" Gabauer said. "In terms of technology, electrical systems, heating systems, it was simply not a building that was conducive to another renovation."

Gabauer earned bachelor's and master's degrees from California University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in education at the University of Pittsburgh.

Named superintendent in September, he's taken over a district that's trying to transform itself in ways beyond new school construction. In 2009, the district was placed on "corrective action" after students failed to meet goals set by state standardized tests; it's now listed as "making progress."

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McKeesport Area, which includes the city and neighboring Dravosburg, Versailles and White Oak boroughs and South Versailles Township, has also changed rapidly in another way --- leadership.

Gabauer is McKeesport Area's fourth superintendent in a four-year span. Previous superintendent Michael Brinkos lasted only 13 months before resigning to take a job paying less money at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Brinkos had spent most of his professional career at McKeesport Area, and his surprise resignation "for professional growth" reasons raised eyebrows locally.

"It's something you think about when you take this job," said Gabauer, who started with the district in 1994, teaching middle school and high school social studies.

"But I couldn't let that deter me," said Gabauer, who has also served McKeesport Area as a dean of students, principal and associate principal, also coached baseball in South Allegheny and McKeesport. "You have to take that out of the equation, and ask yourself, do you think you can make a contribution? Do you think you're an appropriate fit? Do you understand the needs of the community?

"People know who I am and what I stand for," he said.

And Gabauer has no intention of leaving McKeesport or looking for another job any time soon, he said. "Once you're here, there's a draw here that compels you to stay here," he said. "McKeesport becomes a part of you. As far as I'm concerned, if all things remain as they are, this is where I'd like to finish my career."

. . .

In some ways, the McKeesport Area district mirrors the larger Pittsburgh Public School district.

Both welcome students from a mix of struggling urban neighborhoods and better off enclaves; both also serve a large proportion of African-American students. Nearly 1,900 of McKeesport Area's almost 4,000 students identify as black or multi-ethnic. (By comparison, in the neighboring Norwin school system, only 70 students out of nearly 5,100 report being black or multi-ethnic.)

And in both the McKeesport Area and Pittsburgh districts, about 65 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, because their families are near or below the poverty line.

The mix of students is not a disadvantage, Gabauer said. In fact, it's a strong positive in McKeesport Area's favor, he argued.

. . .

"We have students experiencing everything across the spectrum," Gabauer said. "Not only are they getting an education, they're getting a terrific life experience. Some students come from very well-off families, and some are really struggling. And here they are, walking down the halls together. It's a powerful thing to witness first-hand."

He called McKeesport Area students "resilient and welcoming." "These students support one another regardless of race, ability, income --- they band together," Gabauer said.

Although Gabauer said he's not blind to community perceptions that urban school districts, including McKeesport Area, are troubled, he argued that many of perceived "problems" exist only in the minds of people who don't have any contact with the school district.

"There are perceptions, and then there are realities," Gabauer said. "One of the things I encourage people to do is actually come into the buildings and take a look."

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Next: Identifying McKeesport Area's strengths and weaknesses

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