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Franklin Regional honors state swim champions and student philanthropy teams
Summary
The board recognized a PIAA girls 200‑yard freestyle relay state championship team and student fundraising efforts — including a Minithon that raised $38,000 and a Blood Cancer United Student Visionaries team that raised about $160,000 — and heard a survivor’s fundraising story.
The Franklin Regional School Board used part of its May 11 meeting to honor students and teams for athletic and philanthropic accomplishments.
Superintendent Dr. Peraino introduced Coach Dan Taylor to recognize the girls 200 freestyle relay team that won a PIAA state title this season. Coach Taylor named the relay members as Maggie Hall, Jamie Cassella, Ada Holm and Scarlett Zolnak and described the title as historic for Franklin Regional: "To put that into perspective, the last time we had a swimmer was 1983," he said, noting the rarity of the accomplishment.
The board also recognized the student‑led FR Minithon executive team. Mrs. Pope, the club sponsor, told the board the Minithon club has grown quickly and raised over $38,000 this year in student‑led fundraising. Several student leaders were introduced by name.
Blood Cancer United’s Pittsburgh Student Visionaries program also honored Franklin Regional teams: Erica Gribben, the Pittsburgh Student Visionary Campaign Development Manager, said the district’s student team earned a regional Student Visionaries of the Year award after raising roughly $160,000 and will attend a national summit in October. Student Luca Bertucci, who was honored as a local "honored hero," described his experience as a cancer survivor and his fundraising work: he raised about $47,000 individually last year and spoke about remission and giving back.
Board members congratulated the students and encouraged them to continue extracurricular and academic commitments. The superintendent closed the report by reminding everyone about graduation scheduled for June 5 at the stadium.
