Fox Chapel Area SD celebrates student awards and premieres commissioned Madrigal piece

The Fox Chapel Area School District opened its May board meeting with a performance and a string of student recognitions, highlighting the district’s recent honors and multiple students who advanced in regional and national competitions.

Superintendent Dr. Reppert introduced the evening’s guests and praised the district’s successes, saying the recognitions “encompass our four pillars of purpose, passion, care, and community.” Choir Director Benjamin Murray brought the high-school Madrigal Singers forward to perform the commissioned piece “The Fox and the Grapes,” which the group premiered at the spring choral concert on May 5. “Tonight, the high school Madrigal Singers are excited to share a special performance with you of the Fox and the Grapes,” Murray said.

The board recognized numerous award winners across disciplines. Dr. Laura Miller, Dorseyville Middle School program principal, honored Scott Vensell, an 8th-grade literacy teacher, as the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s educator of the year; the district presented $2,000 to Vensell and $1,000 to Dorseyville to support Holocaust education programming. Art teacher Christine Smith introduced high-school art students who earned regional gold keys and national qualifiers; several students advanced to further competition or received special exhibition placements.

Leaders also recognized student accomplishments in writing, business and leadership clubs (DECA and FBLA), science competitions (PJAS and the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair), and academic contests including the USA Math and Physics Olympiads. Robotics sponsor Ryan Sadowski noted two high-school teams placed 2nd and 3rd statewide in engineering documentation, supported in part by an industry partnership with Aerotech Inc. Coaches and sponsors introduced athletes and teams advancing to state and national competitions in lacrosse, track and crew.

Administrators used the recognitions to underscore broader district achievements: Dr. Reppert noted the district’s designation as a “district on the rise” by the Education Policy Research Center (Harvard) and the Educational Opportunity Project (Stanford), high rankings from the Pittsburgh Business Times, and a PBIS bronze-level district distinction.

The guest-recognition portion closed after dozens of students were acknowledged across art, music, science, business, athletics and service; the meeting then moved to the superintendent’s report and the budget presentation.

The board will consider a full slate of consent and action items, including personnel and instructional-service renewals, at its next meeting.