School Movers & Shakers - April

Mars Area

Mars Area School Board voted 7-2 in favor of hiring Zachary Benedek as the next head coach of Mars Area High School Fightin’ Planets Varsity Football Team.

Mars Area Centennial School was named a Common Sense School; and Christopher Churilla, the school’s library/media specialist and STEAM teacher, was selected as a Common Sense Educator.

Mars Area High School freshman Rhythm Srivastava received a 2026 Pittsburgh Arts Region Scholastic Art Award. She was bestowed a Silver Key for her piece “Aletheia.” Srivastava’s work was featured as part of the annual Pittsburgh Arts Region Scholastic Art Exhibit held at the Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts’ Hall of Arts on March 7. 

Mars Area Middle School seventh-grader Kristin Sadhu was selected as a winner in the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Kushkushkee Trail Chapter’s 2025-2026 American History Essay Contest. Sadhu’s essay on Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Founding Father of the United States, will be forwarded to the Pennsylvania State Society DAR American History Essay Contest. If selected, the essay will advance to the Eastern Division level of the competition.

Mars Area Centennial School sixth-graders Jackson Nuttall, Jonah Snyder, Mya Vernon, Asher Detore, Landon Lewis and Jack Baumgartel achieved the school’s Top 6 scores in the 2025-2026 Pennsylvania Mathematics League Contest.

Fox Chapel

A group of Fox Chapel Area High School and Dorseyville Middle School students raised $30,881 in the 2026 Cool Schools Polar Plunge. For the fourth consecutive year, the total raised by Fox Chapel Area’s team was the highest amount by a team in Pennsylvania. The money raised will support Fox Chapel Area School District Special Olympics Unified Sports teams and Unified Sports teams across Pennsylvania, which promote inclusion through competitive experiences. Over the past four years, the Fox Chapel Area Polar Plunge team has raised $152,888.

Eight Fox Chapel Area High School seniors have been designated as National Merit Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.  The Finalists from Fox Chapel Area High School are Michael Costello, Riley Hemingray, Alan Jiang, Eloise Johnson, Joanna Li, Gavin Lynch, Rodrigo Silva, and Helen Xu. 

Four Fox Chapel Area High School students placed at the annual Hampton Talbot Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament. Paulomi Goel and Ottilie Happold won fourth place in Duo Interpretation, and Aiden Drucker and Noelle Fouron were awarded fifth place in Public Forum Debate. 

Three Fox Chapel Area High School students placed at the Mars Spring Pre-Qualifier Speech and Debate Tournament. Paulomi Goel and Ottilie Happold won second place in Duo Interpretation, and Sabina Mantella won third place in Student Congress.

Six Fox Chapel Area High School and A.W. Beattie Career Center students were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) on March 9. The inductees were Lucy Bingler (Culinary Arts), Summer Burkhart (Early Childhood Education), Elyse Ritchie (Carpentry/Building Construction); Nolan Gwin (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), Ethan Strain (Carpentry/Building Construction), and Elias Zeiner (Network Engineering and Cybersecurity).