City Charter High School
Michelle Fossum
Director of Enrollment and Strategic Communications
As an accomplished educator and school leader, Michelle Fossum brings a wealth of experience from her many experiences in innovative, urban educational environments. Her career at City Charter High School has spanned almost 20 years. During that time, she has worked as an Information Literacy teacher, been in leadership roles as an Educational Leader and a grade-level team leader, and also served as a mentor to many of her fellow staff members. Currently, Michelle works as the Director of Enrollment and Strategic Communication, using a nuanced and strategic approach to coordinate all of the school’s recruitment and marketing efforts as well as internal and external communications to students, staff, families, and the community through newsletters, announcements, and social media. She is also the proud City High parent of a Class of 2025 student!
Michelle holds a K-12 Administration certificate, an M.S. in Educational Leadership and Administration, and a Master of Library Science, complemented by teaching certificates in English and Library Science. Michelle earned her bachelor's degree from Penn State in English, with a focus on creative writing and a minor in Architectural History. Before her tenure at City High, Michelle's career path showcased her versatility, including stints as a graphic artist for a meteorologic company, a museum library archivist, and a high school librarian.
City High is selected as one of three PA charter schools to be awarded a federal grant by the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools (PCPCS) chose City Charter High School as one of three brick-and-mortar public charter school subgrantees to receive as much as $1.5 million each of federal funding through the PACharter School Program (PACSP) Grant. Read more
2020 City High Grads Earn Recognition as Pittsburgh Promise Scholars
Class of 2020 graduates Jeremiah Davis and Katelin Kostelnik earn honors as Pittsburgh Promise Executive Scholars. Read more
City High hosts the PA Coalition of Public Charter Schools for virtual press conference about charter reform budget proposal
Dr. Dara Ware Allen, City High CEO, joined the panel of charter leaders from around the state to talk about charter schools' impact on the education of students in our state. Read more
City High teacher highlights the power of building relationships
Business and Technology Teacher Nathan Budziszewski talks about how the past year's health crisis has impacted his teaching. "Our school has been really thoughtful in our approach," says Budziszewski, noting the holistic approach City Charter's administration has taken in addressing the needs of a Read more
City High Senior shares her story of navigating college visits over the past year
Senior Ebennie Davis shares her experiences with distance learning and the college planning process over the past year. Read more
City Charter High School: Balancing Structure and Flexibility for Students with Disabilities
A school that runs on student-teacher relationships seeks a balance between strong structures and flexible student support to sustain instruction during closures. Read more
Ten days of culturally immersed service learning not only teaches students about Costa Rica, but themselves.
Ten days of culturally immersed service learning not only teaches students about Costa Rica, but themselves. City High Service Learning Students team up with teachers and local residence to pave an alleyway, paint a water tank and dig up a pipeline for repair. Read more