South Hills School opens Altoona campus building

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — South Hills School of Business and Technology held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday morning to introduce their new Altoona campus.

The school, which has its main campus in State College, has two buildings in Blair County. The 508 building on 58th St. had maintenance issues dealing with inadequate heating, venting and air conditioning along with water issues in the basement of the building.

The school also saw increasing enrollment numbers, causing space to become cramped. They ultimately decided to call the 541 building on 58th St. home after conversations with Leonard S. Fiore LLC. led to a renewal of the property lease.

"We wanted to make sure that we were occupying a building that matched the caliber of instruction that our students get," Paul Mazza, the president of South Hills School of Business and Technology said. "So that a senior high school can come here, can see this space and can envision themselves pursuing their degree in a place that would be welcoming and would be enjoyable for them to attend every day."

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment struggled for the vocational school. One option was to close their doors, but Mazza did not want to remove a vital part of the community.

"Given the way that this community has embraced us and helped us through the years, that was not an option for us," Mazza added. "We wanted to continue to serve this community, to serve Blair County, and to be a part of the community. So it was a very, very easy decision for us to just make that slight reduction in space to reduce our operating costs, but continue to serve and offer education to the students that are coming from Blair County."

Classes have started in the building for the Fall Term. The school still is accepting applications for those who would want a career change.