WHAT’ S NEWS IN PLUM
of fresh produce and pantry staples to local housing authority sites, distributes roughly 1,500 pounds of groceries each week.
Leaders from both organizations emphasized the partnership’ s role in creating sustainable, equitable food systems by turning food that might otherwise go to waste into vital nourishment for families facing hunger.
PLUM SENIOR HIGH NAMED NATIONAL BANNER UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOL
Plum Borough School District is being nationally recognized by Special Olympics for its outstanding commitment to inclusion, with two events that took place Jan. 21 and 22 to celebrate the honor.
Plum Senior High School has been named a National Banner Unified Champion School, a prestigious designation awarded to schools that excel in creating inclusive environments where students with and without intellectual disabilities learn, play, and lead together.
The recognition reflects the high school’ s robust Unified Sports offerings, including Unified Bocce and Unified Track, along with inclusive leadership opportunities and whole-school engagement.
On Jan. 21, there was a special assembly honoring the achievement, with leaders from Special Olympics— including the organization’ s CEO— recognizing students, staff and alumni who helped earn the designation. The honor places PSHS among a select group of schools nationwide where inclusion is woven into school culture, not treated as a stand-alone program.
The celebration continued on Jan. 22, when students and staff hosted a Special Olympics Polar Plunge that raised $ 10,000. The event highlighted how service, teamwork and inclusion extend beyond the classroom.
412 FOOD RESCUE RECEIVES GRANT
412 Food Rescue received a $ 15,000 grant from the Bayer Fund to support its Good Food Project and its Grocery
Bagging Program, which work to reduce food waste while addressing food insecurity across the Pittsburgh region. The grant marked the fourth year the fund has supported the Good Food Project, which transforms surplus high-quality food into nutritious frozen meals distributed to nonprofit partners for community members in need. The organization produces about 1,300 meals each month through this zerowaste kitchen initiative.
The Grocery Bagging Program, in which volunteers pack and deliver bags
KEYNOTES MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION
Keynotes is accepting applications for its 2026 music scholarship competition, set for May 9 at the Fine Arts Theater of Mt. Lebanon High School in the South Hills. More than $ 16,000 in cash awards will be available for outstanding young musicians.
Eligible applicants include instrumentalists under age 26( as of June 1, 2025) and vocalists under age 30. Students must be full-time music majors at a college, university, or music school— or graduating high school seniors who have been accepted into a full-time music major program.
Applicants must also be legal Pennsylvania residents for at least one year, or out-of-state students who attend school in Pennsylvania and can provide proof of a PA address( such as a campus address, university mailing, or utility bill).
Applications are available online at keynotesmusicscholarship. com. You may also request one by contacting the scholarship chair, Lori Walter, at 412.260.6972 or houdini5 @ hotmail. com. The application deadline is April 30.
For more information, visit keynotesmusicscholarship. com or find Keynotes on Facebook at Keynotes Music Scholarship.
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