IN South Fayette Spring 2020 | Page 48

Handmade Arcade The students in the Intermediate School Life Skills and Autistic Support Classroom were chosen to participate in the Handmade Arcade at the Convention Center on Saturday, December 7, 2019. The students participated in the student-run business called The Squad Shop. The class makes and sells alcohol-ink trivets/hot plates and coasters. All the work and sales are done through the classroom. The student entrepreneurs are developing real-life skills in thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, technology, and financial literacy, as we take a project-based learning experience and link it to our Alternate Standards through production, sales, and community giving. Our business is sponsored by Real World Scholars (RWS) which is a 501C3 and approved by the South Fayette Township School District. RWS will finance our product development through an e-wallet, and the profits will benefit us however we choose, whether it goes towards classroom supplies, reward systems, Special Olympics uniforms, or a field trip! At the Handmade Arcade event, the students showed significant growth. The students worked the event and spoke to customers and were the top selling student entrepreneur group. They cannot wait to vote on a field trip to go on! FBI HOPE Heroin Abuse Prevention Winners South Fayette High School students Sean Becker, Trenton Delaney, Dea Monz, and Matt Sgro were awarded first place in FBI Pittsburgh’s annual HOPE public service announcement contest for the entry “The Choice is Yours.” This is the third year in a row South Fayette has received this top honor. This contest was created to raise awareness for the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania. Participants were tasked to create a three-minute video focusing on why people turn to addiction and offer potential alternatives to using drugs. The video was named the top submission in western Pennsylvania by a panel of FBI agents, police officers, drug treatment center employees and former addicts. South Fayette High School will receive a $5,000 grant. Media teacher Matt Caprio and School Resource Officer Jeff Sgro sponsored the project. 46 SOUTH FAYETTE