Shaler Area walking trail named for late teacher who went the extra mile for students

A walking trail in the Shaler Area School District has been named in honor of a beloved teacher who passed away earlier in the school year.

Kim Baysek-Young, a third grade teacher at Reserve Primary School, will be memorialized with a 0.2-mile path at the school along Lonsdale Street.

The district’s Extra Mile Award will also be renamed in her honor, Superintendent Sean Aiken said.

“Mrs. Baysek-Young was an amazing educator who cared deeply for her students and community,” Aiken said. “Honoring her by renaming the walking trail and district’s Extra Mile Award will be a way to memorialize her at the school and in the community that she loved as well as within the entire Shaler Area school community.”

The walking trail circles the baseball field and recreation area. It will be dedicated later this year in a ceremony that will include her students.

School leaders recalled Baysek-Young’s passion for teaching and making connections to the classroom through everyday activities.

These qualities will be showcased through the creation of informational markers that will be placed along the trail to educate visitors about local facts and history.

The annual Extra Mile Award recognizes district employees who have gone above and beyond for their students or school community. It will now be called the “Kim Baysek-Young Extra Mile Award.”

The late teacher received the award in 2019 for her unwavering support of students, Aiken said.

During her 22 year-career with Shaler Area, Baysek-Young was an integral part of multiple schoolwide programs and community events and always strived to provide students with educational opportunities and experiences, he said.

Baysek-Young took a leadership role in the school’s partnership with the Highmark Caring Place program, and through the creation of the Reserve Primary Caring Program, the school raised thousands of dollars to support grieving children.

She also helped facilitate Reserve Primary’s partnership with many Pittsburgh organizations to provide assemblies and field trips to the entire student body. For the third grade in particular, she helped students prepare for their transition to fourth grade and organized an annual field trip to Lutherlyn, an outdoor recreation camp. She secured donations so every Reserve Primary third grade student could participate at no cost.

Her focus on fostering partnerships between the school and community also led to the creation of the Lend An Ear and Tail Waggin’ Readers programs at Reserve Primary, which encouraged community members’ involvement in the school.

“Kim Baysek-Young lived her professional life and personal life by going the extra mile for the Reserve students, families, staff and community,” Aiken said.