Special education teacher Katie LaCava was inspired by her fourth-grade teacher.    

“Her name was Ms. Carson. I’ll never forget her. It was Concord Elementary School on Brownsville Road in Carrick,” LaCava said. “She used to flip her shoes off at us to get our attention.”

And so LaCava became hooked on the idea of teaching and helping others. 

“I can remember pretending I was my fourth-grade teacher in my playroom,” LaCava said. 

Her dreams would come true after graduating from Edinboro University. Now after 21 years of teaching, LaCava finds herself at Baldwin. 

LaCava has taught many subjects, but here at Baldwin, she’s teaching special education. 

“Talking to a special education student, or just in general, to someone who might look or speak a little differently than you, it’s so important to just talk to them and get to know them as teachers and as other students in the school,” she said.

LaCava promotes the inclusion of special education students. 

“Sometimes special education students can get lost in the shuffle. As a teacher, we are here to empower them and show them they can be successful,” she said. 

Although LaCava is excited to be part of the Baldwin community, adapting to the size of the high school was a bit of a struggle at first.

“The (New Kensington) school I came from was really small. This is huge here. It’s intimidating at first not only for the kids but for adults too. I didn’t know what hallway to turn down,” LaCava said.