close

School News: Oct. 6

5 min read
1 / 4

From left are Grace Gealey, Bill Kumer and Samantha Wolf.

2 / 4

Front, from left, are Xavier Gaefke and Hannah Gold; back, Brandon Janus, Nicholas Walker and Caleb Shook.

3 / 4

Becky Mack

4 / 4

St. Louise de Marillac student council members

Bethel Park

• Three Bethel Park High School musicians successfully auditioned and have been selected to perform in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s Honors Orchestra Concert, scheduled for 4 p.m. Nov. 17 at Fox Chapel Area High School.

Representing Bethel Park will be juniors Grace Gealey (viola) and Bill Kumer (cello), and freshman Samantha Wolf (violin).

The students are taught by Bethel Park High School orchestra director Stephanie Glover.

• Five Bethel Park High School seniors were named Commended Students by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in its 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Achieving Commended status were Xavier Gaefke, Hannah Gold, Brandon Janus, Caleb Shook and Nicholas Walker. They earned this designation by being among the top 50,000 scorers on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Qualifying Test, which they took last fall as juniors.

The students received Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise, and they may be candidates for special scholarships provided by National Merit corporate and business partners.

• Bethel Park High School sophomore Becky Mack was recognized for her excellent writing for the 2019 Literary Festival’s Essay Contest, sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English.

She received a certificate and a book for her 500-word reflective essay to the prompt “There’s no place like home,” as it applies to author Jack Gantos’ experience of home as he communicates it in his books.

Becky was presented her award at the WPCTE’s annual luncheon, which was held in September at Seton-La Salle High School. She is taught by Bethel Park High School English teacher Melinda Bouch.

• The Independence Middle School Student Council and the students who participate in the Bring A Smile To The Service Group are hosting a pancakes and sausage breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 8 in the school’s Library Commons, 2807 Bethel Church Road.

The event is for all veterans and active service members to thank them for their service. Veterans and active service members who are able to attend cand contact IMS Student Council sponsor Jennifer Makel at 724-344-3977 or makel.jennifer@bphawks.org and provide their name and address so the students can extend a personal invitation to them.

This will be the seventh year for the event. Last year, more than 125 veterans and active service members attended.

St. Louise de Marillac

• St. Louise de Marillac School in Upper St Clair, recently inducted its 2019-20 Student Council officers and representatives.

Serving are Tate Helms, president; Hunter Maher, vice president; Patrick Weldon, secretary; and Thomas Rodriguez, treasurer. Homeroom representatives for fifth through eighth grades are Julia Murdy, Carmen Petraglia, Bradley Gompers, Mickey Vaccarello, Max Cortes, Gabe Zych, Harry Marchewka and Luca Petraglia.

Led by teachers Elizabeth Hamilton and Molly Scherer, the STL student council strives to create a supportive school community and strong relationships among students. Annual projects include a Halloween candy collection for the Jubilee Soup Kitchen and Light of Life Ministries; Fall Fest; Mardi Gras; a Seven Springs ski trip; and student council vs. teachers volleyball game.

South Fayette

• The West Hills Hills Symphonic Band, featuring music director/principal conductor Clem Rolin, along with the South Fayette High School Wind Ensemble with director Eryn Carranza, will present the opening concert of the symphonic band’s 2019-20 season.

The concert is scheduled for 3 p.m. Oct. 20 in the South Fayette Township High School auditorium, 3640 Old Oakdale Road.

Upper St. Clair

• The Upper St. Clair School Board approved the appointment of Cassandra Doggrell as its director of student support services during its Sept. 23 meeting. Doggrell, who will join the leadership staff later this fall, takes over for Amy Pfender, who was promoted to assistant to the superintendent, effective July 1.

Doggrell currently serves as principal of Haine Middle School in Seneca Valley School District. Since 2010, she has also held the roles of assistant middle school principal and elementary autism and emotional support teacher at Seneca Valley. She previously worked as a long-term substitute teacher in Highlands School District. Doggrell also served as a part-time faculty member in the Graduate Education Program at Waynesburg University.

Upper St. Clair School District’s student support services department oversees a variety of areas that include school counseling, psychological services, health services, special education, English as a second language and homebound instruction.

• Nineteen Upper St. Clair High School seniors were recently recognized as Commended Students in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Carly Abraham, Vivek Babu, Sarah Besser, Claire Chen, Jason Choi, Jonathan Clark, Samuel Dvorin, Devan Ekbote, Gavin Genter, Eri Hayakawa, Katherine Hobart, Matthew Hornak, Dylan Jenny, Suemin Lee, Kathleen McCurrie, Benjamin Nelson, Benjamin Pribanic, Aleksa Rodic and Emmeline Wetzel scored in the top 3% of the more than 1.5 million students who completed the 2018 Preliminary SAT, the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test last October.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the program’s Semifinalists, which included six Upper St. Clair seniors. In total, 25 Upper St. Clair students earned recognition as a Semifinalist or Commended Student.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $/week.

Subscribe Today