Plum Borough honors staff and students: national AI fellowship and Special Olympics recognition

Tamar McPherson, the district’s K–12 computer science and STEM department leader, was introduced by Plum High School Principal Steven Sarita and celebrated for being selected as one of 15 national Computer Science Teachers Association Responsible AI Fellows for 2025–26. The program will pair McPherson with national experts and other educators to develop K–12 curricula on how artificial intelligence works and how to use it safely in classrooms.

"This fellowship is an opportunity to model that approach and help shape how schools across the country think about teaching with these new technologies," McPherson said, describing plans for professional learning, a national summit and presentations at the 2026 CSTA conference.

Dr. Denise Lord, the district’s director of special education and student services, announced that Plum Senior High School has been named a National Unified Champion School by Special Olympics, an honor awarded to schools that meet rigorous standards for inclusive sports, youth leadership and whole-school engagement. "This celebration recognizes schools that foster inclusion and belonging by meeting 10 rigorous national standards of excellence," Lord said.

Special-education teacher Gina Dessel described the decade-long growth of Plum’s unified programs — including bocce, basketball, Best Buddies and a new unified track team — and credited staff volunteers, paraprofessionals and community partners for sustaining the work. Student athletes and partner-students were called forward to receive awards and be recognized by the board.

The board framed both recognitions as part of broader district efforts to expand STEM and inclusive programming. No formal action or funding decision was recorded during the recognition segment; the board later approved several routine grants and contracts as part of its business agenda.