2015-2016
f ox c hapel a rea s chool d istrict s tate of the s chools
•The high school’s 2015-2016 student
news publication Fox Tales Quarterly was
named a first place winner in the 2016
American Scholastic Press Association’s
Annual Newspaper Competition.
•Eight Fox Chapel Area High School
students earned silver medals on the 2016
National Latin Exam.
•Two high school students placed at
the Pennsylvania Technology Student
Association (TSA) State Leadership
Conference and qualified for the national
conference held in Nashville, Tennessee.
•A team of Fox Chapel Area High School
students placed at the PA BotsIQ State
Competition and qualified for the
National Robotics League Battle Bot
Competition.
The district uses Makey Makey®, which allows students to turn every-day objects into touchpads and
combine them with activities on the Internet. In recent years, the rise of the maker movement has been
growing throughout the United States. It includes an innovative way of learning that involves the use of
technology to incorporate a hands-on educational environment where students learn by doing.
District Leader in Computer Science Education
P
resident Obama launched the Computer Science for All Initiative earlier this year to
enhance computer science education curricula across the nation in order to ensure that
all students can compete in a high-tech, global economy. Fox Chapel Area School District
was among those schools listed in a January 2016 White House Fact Sheet pertaining to this
initiative as a leader in computer science education.
The district continued to expand computer science education and coding at all grade levels,
using the latest physical tools and software that develop coding, robotics, and computer games.
Beginning in kindergarten and throughout middle school, students are involved in the Hour
of Code, a national movement to engage all students in coding. The high school also offered
a variety of experiences in coding from full courses in computer science, to coding in the
technology and engineering classes. In addition to the already-established Computer Science
Advanced Placement (AP) course, the high school launched the new Principles of Computer
Science AP for the 2016-2017 school year.
•High school junior Yelim Lee won first
place in the 2016 Pittsburgh Brain Bee
and qualified for the 2016 National Brain
Bee held in Baltimore.
•Middle school art educator Nanci
Goldberg was one was of 76 teachers
and students selected to participate in a
special summer study seminar to Poland
sponsored by Classrooms Without
Borders. The group studied history where
it happened – spending 10 days in Poland
accompanied by a Holocaust survivor.
Continued on page 16
14 Fox Chapel Area