MIDLAND, Pa., June 5 PA-Senator-Pippy-TV
MIDLAND, Pa., June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- While Lincoln Park Performing Arts
Charter School (http://www.lppacs.org/about.html) sophomore Katelyn Pippy acts
in the "Army Wives" TV series, her father plays a real-life role in helping
Pennsylvania military families obtain a quality education for their children
no matter where they are stationed.
The 15-year-old Pittsburgh area resident (Moon Township) returns to her
role as a general's daughter in the award-winning television series "Army
Wives" as it begins its new season this month on the Lifetime Network. Katelyn
plays Emmalin, the daughter of Gen. Michael Holden (Brian McNamara) and
Claudia Joy Holden (Kim Delaney). Her character in the ABC Studios series has
only a couple of lines in the premiere, but the role is expanded in subsequent
episodes.
In real life, Katelyn is the daughter of Pennsylvania State Senator John
Pippy (R-37) and businesswoman Katherine Pippy. She's a perfect fit for the
role because her father also is a major in the National Guard whose service
includes a tour of duty in the Middle East.
This isn't Miss Pippy's first television show. She has appeared on "Monk"
and "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," as well as in the film "The Haunting
Hour: Don't Think About It" and the pilot "Winters with Famke Janssen."
When she's not going to classes at Lincoln Park, Katelyn excels in playing
for Team Pittsburgh in a youth hockey league. She was one of a dozen goalies
in her age group from around the country selected for USA Hockey's National
Select Camp in July.
This will also be her sixth summer at a prestigious New York acting camp,
Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center, whose alumni include Natalie Portman,
Zach Braff and Mandy Moore.
"Miss Pippy has blossomed into quite an actress," said Becky Manning, CEO
of the 400-student performing arts high school, which opened two years ago in
this small western Pennsylvania steel town. A public charter school, Lincoln
Park draws students from 42 surrounding districts to study voice, dance,
theater, media and writing. Like Katelyn Pippy, a number of Lincoln Park
graduates and students have already stated working professionally, said
Manning.
Manning said Sen. Pippy has been a strong proponent of the charter school
system which fostered creation of Lincoln Park. His most recent effort is
sponsorship in the Pennsylvania General Assembly of Senate Bill 1281 to allow
children of active military families who maintain a residence in the
commonwealth to enroll their children in a Pennsylvania public cyber charter
school when they are stationed out of state. Sen. Pippy states many other
states already provide this benefit to provide educational continuity for
their students as military families move from base to base.
At its 2008 annual conference in April, the Pennsylvania Charter School
Coalition honored Sen. Pippy with its "Legislator of the Year" Award. The
award was presented by Dr. Nick Trombetta
(http://www.pacyber.org/about/trombettaBio.aspx), CEO of the Pennsylvania
Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber).
Manning said it is an interesting coincidence that the television
character Katelyn Pippy portrays in "Army Wives" is exactly the type of young
person her real father's legislation intends.
SOURCE Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School
