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North Hills students win national honors; band, Beatty technical students and others recognized; spring events previewed
Summary
The North Hills School District board on March 13 recognized multiple student achievements — including a top rating for the middle‑school band, nine Beatty Technical School inductees to the National Technical Honor Society and an eighth grader selected as a national winner in the Hamilton Education Program — and staff previewed spring events.
The March 13 North Hills School District board meeting included performances and recognitions for student achievement and a preview of upcoming district events.
North Hills Middle School music staff told the board the middle school band continues to grow and to record competitive results. The eighth‑grade band traveled to Hershey, Pa., for the Music in the Parks festival, where the band received a rating of "superior" and was named the number‑one middle‑school band against entries from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. Band staff noted the festival also awarded the school the esprit de corps award for exemplary attitude and conduct.
Nine students from Beatty Technical School were recognized as new members of the National Technical Honor Society. The board read names and fields of study for the inductees, including Anthony Brown (advertising and design), Kira Klaus (sports medicine/rehab/therapy), Mason Cowell (culinary arts), Josiah Mathis (robotics/engineering technology), Caden Popovic (carpentry and building construction), Brad Schafer (carpentry and building construction), Elena Smith (health and nursing sciences), Shane Weichelman (carpentry and building construction) and Drake Witowski (carpentry and building construction). The board described the National Technical Honor Society’s membership criteria as seven attributes: skill, scholarship, leadership, honesty, responsibility, service and citizenship.
Joe Welch, a middle‑school social studies teacher, presented eighth grader Cale Shelkowski, who is a national winner in the Gilder Lehrman Institute program tied to the Hamilton Education Program. Shelkowski was one of 20 national winners and will receive an expense‑paid trip to New York City to see a matinee performance of the Broadway musical Hamilton followed by a live question‑and‑answer session with the cast.
Student representatives also reported several academic and extracurricular accolades: Rainn Dickinson was selected to attend the International Science School in Sydney as one of five U.S. students; Parker Pyle won a Scholastic Writing Award gold key; and other students received regional and state recognitions. The board also noted Len Lavelle is a finalist for the Barry Manilow Manilow Music Project teacher award; Lavelle has said he would donate any prize money to the district music program and community voting is open through April 3.
Athletics and activities staff recapped winter sports milestones and previewed spring and late‑spring events. Athletic Director Pat Weber highlighted multiple postseason qualifiers across sports, a first‑ever section championship for the wrestling team and individual performances that placed athletes in regional and state‑level competition. Activities Coordinator Shelley Zimmerman outlined upcoming concerts, the high‑school musical Alice by Heart, the district’s new "Kicking It for Kids" community event on April 26 (11 a.m.–2 p.m. on the Hilltop turf) followed by a high‑school color run and after‑party, and other spring activities including choir and orchestra concerts, the Art Alive event and prom logistics.
No formal board action was taken on the student recognitions or event calendar; the items were presented as informational and for community awareness.
