2015-2016 fox chapel area school district state of the schools
• Teachers across the district have been trained to encourage students to become makers and support interdisciplinary project-based learning.
• The district received a $ 20,000 STEAM( Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) grant through the Center for Creativity, the Benedum Foundation, and The Grable Foundation. The grant will be used to create a stationary makerspace adjacent to the school library, as well as mobile maker carts at Dorseyville Middle School. The mobile carts will be designed and built by the students.
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• For the fifth year in a row, the Fox Chapel Area School District was named among the 2016 Best Communities for Music Education.
• High school junior Philip Swigon( bassoon) was selected by audition to perform with the prestigious 2015 National Association for Music Education All-National Concert Band. The band was made up of approximately 150 of the top student musicians from all 50 states.
• High School sophomore Elizabeth Kauma won an American Visions Medal for her photograph entitled“ Harmony in Solitude” in the national 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She was invited to attend the national awards ceremony in New York City where her photograph was on display at Carnegie Hall.
• The high school 2014-2015 literary arts magazine“ Tapestry” was named a first place winner in the 2015 American Scholastic Press Association’ s Annual Contest / Review for Scholastic Magazines.“ Tapestry” also won a first place with special merit award. Additionally, 2015 graduate Faith Kim won the distinction of“ Outstanding Artist” for her artwork that appeared in the magazine.
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Beginning in kindergarten, students program Bee-Bots that move to specific letters on a floor map.
Students at Kerr conducted a project where they studied playgrounds and landscaping and built prototypes of what their playground would look like. Additionally, Fairview second graders visited Salamander Park where they studied the concepts of engineering and habitats through projectbased learning. They also created dioramas to demonstrate deeper learning.
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