School Movers & Shakers - October

Aquinas Academy

Aquinas Academy has begun construction on a new athletic turf field, with completion anticipated in late fall of 2026. The upgraded field will serve students across the Academy’s K–12 athletic programs, improving field availability, quality, and durability while providing student-athletes with a safer environment to practice and compete at their best. 

A second major campus project underway is the expansion and renovation of Aquinas Academy’s chapel, increasing seating capacity while creating a more beautiful, comfortable, and functional space for school liturgies. The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027. 

Aquinas Academy welcomed new faculty and staff members for the 2026–27 school year. New faculty members include Marla Piccolino, Francesca Battaglia, Moira Dieteman, Kacie Cava, Anabel Stickney, Caitlin Solan, Liz Turcik, Fr. Thomas Skamai, Abigail Tuffiash, Ashley DiRenzo, Meaveen Roney, and Karrie Coyer. Susan Mutschler returned to Aquinas Academy and will serve in a supporting role within the Lower School.

The Aquinas Academy Class of 2026 has added a remarkable academic achievement, with more than half of its graduating class earning recognition from the College Board for outstanding performance on Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. Twenty-one of the 37 graduates were recognized by the College Board as AP Scholars, AP Scholars with Honor, or AP Scholars with Distinction. Additionally, 32.4% of the Class of 2026 earned AP Scholar with Distinction recognition, surpassing the percentage achieved by some of the most academically accomplished graduating classes in Aquinas Academy history.

Fox Chapel

Fox Chapel Area High School 2026 graduate Emily Korczyski was named a third-place national winner in the 2026 Create Real Impact Contest. The students produced a public service announcement (PSA) titled, The Final Rose. The students involved with the production were Deniko Agurs, Quinn Carey, Samuel Kieffer, Emily Korczynski, Eugenia Mettenburg, Lauren Bachman, Harry Bradley, Dax Buitrago, Finnegan DeRensis, Elias George, Logan Rapp, James Saleone, Nico Tavolario, Jeffery Zacharias; Jonah Driver, Omar Elshahat, Giuliana Foley, and Jacob Kull.

Fox Chapel Area High School 2025-2026 juniors Noelle Fouron and Ainsley Goode placed at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference. They won seventh place in the nation while competing as a team in the Financial Planning category. The FBLA National Leadership Conference was held in San Antonio, Texas, June 29-July 2.  

Six Fox Chapel Area High School seniors have been designated as National Merit Semifinalists and 18 have been named Commended Students in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.  The Semifinalists are Zachary Chan, Nathan Chu, Brynn Gamblin, Simon Goode, Adam Nimr, and Ozlem Sayrak. The Commended Students are Max Choset, Ella Ettinger, Grant Fenton, Ainsley Goode, Zhanyu Jiang, William Kelly, Rachel Kim, Tristan Kobylinski, David Kong, Mikhail Lukichev, Sofia Melani, Georgy Pistsov, Rayyan Saidi, Aislynn Senn, Taylor Stocker, Altrian Story, Leonidas Vandapel, and Gabriel Yassin.

Mars Area

Mars Area High School senior Marin Raible was named a 2025-2026 NISCA (National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association of America) Girls One Meter Diving All-American. Raible, who is listed among the Top 100 high school divers in the country, was also named the Butler Eagle Female Diver of the Year. She earned third place in One-Meter Diving at 2026 PIAA Swimming & Diving Championships; and third place in the event at the WPIAL Championships.

Mars Area High School sophomore Rhythm Srivastava was recognized for completing Chinmaya Mission’s 2025-2026 Capstone Program. Through the mission’s Bala Vihar program, Srivastava competed a year-long Capstone Project, titled “Yoga & Well-being,” which offered a thoughtful exploration of yoga as both a scientific health practice and a meaningful spiritual tradition. She researched the physical and mental benefits of yoga while also examining concepts such as balance, discipline, self-control, pranayama, and Vedantic breathing. 

Mars Area High School held a “Salute to Service Night” at the Fightin’ Planets Home Football Game against the Chartiers Valley on Friday, Sept. 11, at Mars Athletic Complex. Former and/or active members of the military and first responders received free admission and were recognized. Adams Area Fire District held a flyover with the America Flag over the stadium and members of Pine-Richland/Mars Area U.S. Air Force JROTC presented the Colors. 

Mars Area High School Girls Varsity Golf Team took second place overall at the 2026 Girls Varsity Golf MAC Invitational, held Sept. 3 at Blackhawk Golf Course. Individually, junior Elise Wadas earned second place with a score of 38.  Also competing were junior Emily Tillapaugh (47) and freshman Delaney DiCuccio (48).