Mars School District NEWS
SCHOOL BOARD REORGANIZES FOR 2024 , SETS MEETING DATES
Mars Area School Board has reorganized for 2024 .
The Board re-elected John Kennedy as Board President ; Sallie Wick as Board Vice President and Anthony DePretis as Board Treasurer . Other Board members include Jennifer DiCuccio , Kevin Hagen , Justin Miller , Lee Ann Riner and Nicole Thurner .
The Board also welcomed a new member , Aaron Rose , who works in the field of human resources and labor relations . A Mars resident , he holds a master ’ s degree in industrial and labor relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor ’ s degree in psychology from Slippery Rock University .
The Board appointed Kevin Hagen and Aaron Rose to serve on the Mars Planet Foundation Board of Directors ; and Justin Miller to serve on the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School Authority Board with Anthony DePretis as an alternate .
Also of note , the Board set its 2024 meeting dates . Work sessions and regular meetings will continue to be held at 7 p . m . on the first and second Tuesday of each month , respectively , with a few exceptions : Jan . 9 and 16 ; Feb . 6 and 13 ; March 5 and 12 ; April 3 ( Wednesday ) and 9 ; May 7 and 14 ; June 5 ( Wednesday ) and 11 ; July 16 ; Aug . 6 and 13 ; Sept . 3 and 10 ; Oct . 1 and 8 ; Nov . 6 ( Wednesday ) and 12 ; and Dec . 4 ( Wednesday ). Board Finance Meetings are scheduled at 6 p . m . on Tuesdays , Feb . 13 and April 9 .
All meetings are open to the public and are typically held in the boardroom at the District ’ s Administration Office ( 545 Route 228 , Mars ). Any change in venue and / or information regarding virtual meetings will be announced appropriately .
For more information , call 724.625.1518 .
STUDENTS COMPETE IN SPEECH & DEBATE TOURNAMENT
Several members of Mars Area High School Speech & Debate Team competed in the North Catholic High School Speech & Debate Invitational , held Dec . 8-9 .
Freshman Alexa Knowlton earned third place in her chamber in Congressional Debate ; senior Lauren Karg took fourth place in Prose ; and , senior Miles Stoops received eighth place in Impromptu Speaking . Other participating students included sophomores Julian Coquelet , Gianna Goodman and Samantha Knieriem ; and , freshmen Lily Cicconi and Xavier Martin ; as wells as eighth-grader Isabelle Tang , as a student observer .
For more information , contact Kenneth Cloonan , team advisor , at 724.625.1581 .
JUNIOR SELECTED TO ATTEND FLIGHT ACADEMY PROGRAM
Mars Area High School junior Dylan Weitzell was selected to attend the Air Force JROTC ( Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp ) Flight Academy summer aviation training program .
Weitzell , a member of Pine-Richland / Mars Area U . S . Air Force JROTC , is one of 200 cadets from across the nation chosen for the all-expenses-paid opportunity to join in the eight-week program at a participating university . Upon successful completion of the program , he will be awarded his Private Pilot License ( PPL ).
The annual scholarship program is a collaborative effort between the aerospace industry and the Air Force to address a national pilot shortage . For more information , scan QR code .