Spring 2001: Does Capital Punishment Have a Future? Participants Oliver High School - Pittsburgh, PA Class: Law and Public Service 2 The following is a compilation of school, city and regional profiles written by 10th grade students in the Law and Public Service Magnet at Oliver High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh is the second largest urban area in Pennsylvania and is located in the southwestern PA close to Ohio and West Virginia. The topography of our city is distinguished by many hills and three major rivers. The Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers meet at what Pittsburghers call the Point. These two rivers form the source of the Ohio River. There is a large state park at the Point with a very large fountain that is lighted in the evening, creating a spectacular view of the city. Often there are free concerts in the Park and every year Pittsburgh holds a three day Regatta, which is attended by almost one million visitors. The Regatta is a social event where friends and family gather to see boat races, air shows, eat tasty foods, listen to music and watch fireworks. Along the Monongahela River is a place called Station Square, which is a renovated train station that has lots of restaurants, clubs, a hotel and upscale shops. Along the Allegheny River were three sports stadiums until February 11, 2001, when Three Rivers Stadium was imploded and reduced to rubble in 19 seconds. Three Rivers Stadium was the home of 4 time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers football team and 2 time World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team for the last thirty years. Now, Pittsburgh has PNC Park, which is scheduled to open in April, 2001 and a football stadium which is yet to be named. Pittsburgh also has a professional hockey team called the Penguins and they play at the Mellon Arena. The team is owned by Hall of Fame Superstar Mario Lemieux. Lemieux recently came out of retirement after three years. The Penguins also have Jaromir Jagr, probably the best hockey player currently in the NHL. There are a lot of other things to do in Pittsburgh. If you like plays, ballet or orchestra music, you can go to places like Heinz Hall, the Benedum Center and the O'Reilly Theater. Heinz Hall was named after the late Senator John Heinz, whose family owns the H.J. Heinz Corporation. Heinz Foods is best known for its ketchup and pickles. Other attractions include the world famous Pittsburgh Zoo, the National Aviary, Carnegie Science Center, the Children's Museum and of course, every kid's favorite (adults, too!) - Kennywood Amusement Park. Kennywood is home to rides like the Phantom's Revenge, Sky Coaster and the Exterminator. Education in Pittsburgh is first class. We have major Universities such as the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie-Mellon University, Duquesne University, Carlow College, Chatham College, Robert Morris College, Point Park College and the Community College of Allegheny County. Oliver High School is one of 12 high schools in the Pittsburgh School District. We are lucky to attend Oliver because of a special magnet program called Law and Public Service. (see our sign, courtroom and building facade at our website: oliverhs.pghboe.net/library/library.html Click on Law and Public Service Magnet to see images). Our school has a mix of races and ethnic backgrounds. The average size of a class is about 20 students and the total enrollment is approximately 1200 students. We are very proud of the volunteer projects that we participate in as a part of the Public Service component. The past four years, students have planted three flower gardens on the school grounds, which makes our campus beautiful in the spring and fall. If you come to visit our city, be sure to take a ride on the Incline. It is a type of cable car that travels up and down Mt. Washington and the view of the city while on it is incredible. Although we are still called the Steel City, Pittsburgh has moved forward into the 21st Century and is a great place to live.     Back to Participants Spring 2001 Summit Home | Learning Links & Readings Student Activities| Participants | Transcripts National Online Youth Summit Home