School news in the Fox Chapel area
Share this post:
The Dorseyville Middle School LIGHT Center is hosting its second exhibit, titled, “Who was Guyasuta”.
Several DMS eighth-graders and eighth-grade reading and language arts teacher and LIGHT Coordinator Scott Vensel curated the exhibit, which is a collaboration among Dorseyville Middle School, the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center in Indiana Township, the Fort Pitt Museum, and other community members.
Chief Guyasuta is a significant historical figure in the Pittsburgh area and was a respected friend of George Washington. The exhibit includes artifacts and stories from before the 1700s, as well as stories from the time of Chief Guyasuta (1725-1794). Lessons about native families who dwelled in the area years ago tells of their struggles, how they lived and where their ancestors are now.
Several eighth-graders will serve as docents.
The exhibit is in commemoration of November’s Native American Heritage Month.
The display will be open to DMS students and teachers through Dec. 22. Members of the public interested in viewing the exhibit can make an appointment by contacting Vensel at scott_vensel@fcasd.edu.
The first exhibit the LIGHT Center hosted was in 2022 and featured a gallery of World War II artifacts.
The members of the Fox Chapel Educators Association conducted a fall food drive to aid the newly opened Blawnox Food Pantry. The donations, collected from staff members from all six schools in the district, will assist families in the local community in need during the holiday season and throughout the winter.
“The association is so proud to support our local community,” said association President and high school Counselor Rachel Machen. “We want school district residents to know that we care not just about our students, but their families as well. The food drive is just one way to show that we have a hand in supporting our students beyond the classroom.”
Nine Fox Chapel Area High School students have been selected by audition to perform with the 2023 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Honors String Orchestra. The students are: seniors Amelia Costello (violin), Sophia Rike (cello), and Bridget Yun (cello); junior Anna Delale-O’Connor (violin); sophomores Xing Carlough (viola), Michael Costello (bass), and Eloise Johnson (violin); and freshmen Ozlem Sayrak (cello) and Leonidas Vandapel (cello).
Seventy-five of the top student-musicians from Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties were selected for the District 1 Honors String Orchestra. The festival was held at Mt. Lebanon High School Nov. 17-18, with a public concert Nov. 18.
Dorseyville Middle School students held their annual turkey trot fundraiser in October. The sixth-to-eighth grade students raised $10,416 this year to feed local families. The turkey trot is a long-standing tradition and is organized by the DMS student council. The money is used to buy Giant Eagle gift cards to distribute to local families in need.
“We are beyond thrilled with how much the community pulls together each year to ensure families in our district have a wonderful Thanksgiving,” says teacher and student government co-sponsor Season Gigliotti.