School Movers & Shakers - August

Fox Chapel

Fox Chapel Area High School 2026 graduate Zinta Jacob has been named a recipient of a Stamps Scholarship through the University of Pittsburgh. The scholarship is one of the nation’s most prestigious scholarships for undergraduate students. It is valued in excess of $190,000 and is offered to five incoming first-year Pitt students and covers full tuition; mandatory fees; room and board; book allowances; and enrichment funds for study abroad, internships, leadership development, and conferences.  

Fox Chapel Area High School 2026 graduate Ulyana Kubini was named a finalist in the high school division of the 2025-26 national Stossel Essay Contest. Students were asked to write an essay based on four topics, selecting one of their choices. Ulyana received a $200 cash award. Thousands of essays were submitted by middle school and high school students from the United States and Canada, with 56 chosen as prize winners.  

Three Fox Chapel Area School District students were named winners in the 2026 WQED Writers Contest. Hartwood Elementary School third-grader Emmerson McCormick was named a first-place winner for her story “The Mystery of the Midnight Gym.” The second-place winner was O’Hara Elementary School third-grader Camden Lenz and Hartwood Elementary School first-grader Celia Chan was awarded third place.

Mars Area

Mars Area High School graduate Callahan Johnson was named valedictorian of the Class of 2026 and Anna McGrath was named salutatorian.

Members of Pine-Richland/Mars Area U.S. Air Force JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps) participated in the 25th annual Mountaineer Cadet Officer Leadership School, held June 21-27 at Concord University (Athens, W.Va.). Senior Connor Schweinberg, junior Makayla Thornton, and sophomores Jacob Brock and Rachael Guenthenspberger successfully completed all training and evaluation requirements to graduate. Junior Makayla Thornton was selected for an Outstanding Cadet Award, placing first out of 26 cadets in Delta Flight.

MHY Family Services

On Tuesday, July 14, MHY Family Services on Route 228 in Mars, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of Longmore Academy's new Therapeutic Kindergarten Program, a specialized learning environment designed to provide individualized therapeutic support and nurturing care for kindergarten-age students. Representatives from MHY Family Services and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh were in attendance. 

La Roche University

On Friday, June 26, La Roche University and the Sisters of Divine Providence marked their 150th anniversary of the Sisters’ arrival in America with a Founders Day covenant-signing ceremony honoring their shared mission in education, faith, service, and justice. The ceremony included a covenant signing by representatives of the Sisters of Divine Providence, La Roche University, and the Board of Trustees, followed by the ringing of the bells of the former Motherhouse tower. After the ceremony, attendees were invited to add their names as witnesses to the Covenant.