Mars Area High School students, from left, Meghan Smith, Madelyn Ostapchenko and Adriana Najjar were selected to perform at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Region Band Festival. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Several Mars Area High School students were selected by solo audition for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Region Band Festival March 23 to 25 at Butler Intermediate High School.

Students are seniors Adriana Najjar (flute) and Madelyn Ostapchenko (flute); and junior Meghan Smith (clarinet).

The festival concluded with a public concert March 25 at Butler Intermediate High School.

Three Mars Area School District students competed as members of the Mars Robotics Association team at the Rube Goldberg 2023 Machine Contest Live: Western PA Regionals March 11 at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

Team members included fifth-grader Bryson Stuber, and fourth-graders Tyler DeWitt and Graham Rodgers, as well as non-District students Charles Broeren, Colton Slater, Bayla McChesney, Finley McChesney and Niko Mazreku. Mars Robotics Association’s First LEGO League Team earned trophies for Best Rube and for Best Finish; and, the association’s second team, the “Mars Space Pioneers,” received trophies for Best Artistry and Best First Step.

The contest challenged teams to build a STEM-inspired machine to assemble a Lunchables sandwich utilizing recycled materials and team members’ imagination.

Several members of Mars Area High School German Club competed in the 23rd annual Three Rivers German Day on March 14, at Washington & Jefferson College.

Senior Amber O’Neil earned a first-place award in the painting category; junior Jennifer Morrison took second place in craft/modeling; and junior Mia Sinicki took second place in drawing.

German Club members, including seniors Amaya Davis, Josh Dunham, Claire Felice, Alex Jablunovsky, Brooke Hamlett, Gwen Howell, Madeline Leachman, Mia Lipscomb, Ainsley McGee, Amber O’Neil, Eva Ranalli, Ethan Stewart and Alexis Whitworth; juniors Remington Black, Brooke Bowes, Anna Bowser, Dominic Caldwell, Kayleigh Clark, Mya Cote, Lily Goodworth, Enzo Grieco, Mary Kalkowski, Riley Mayer, Emma McCosby, Jack McKenzie, Lindsey Morello, Jennifer Morrison, Emily Mueller, Liam Quinn, Mia Sinicki and Cole Yoshioka; and freshmen Ava Anderson, Laney Bowes and Nico Salvini, performed the song “Das Fliegerlied” in the musical competition.

The students join around 400 participants from middle and high schools in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia in linguistic, artistic and performance-based competitions. Mars Area High School’s AFS/MISA Chapter provided funding for the annual field trip.

Mars Robotics Association members, from left, Colton Slater, Graham Rodgers, Finley McChesney, Niko Mazreku, Charles Broeren, Tyler DeWitt, Bayla McChesney and Bryson Stuber, competed in the Rube Goldberg 2023 Machine Contest Live. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Mars Space Pioneers 4H STEAM Club, Butler County Dairy Promotion team and the Mars Robotics team competed in a Rube Goldberg Contest at the Rube Goldberg 2023 Machine Contest Live: Western PA Regionals March 11 at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

These three teams represented Butler County and Mars. They received different trophies with “Most Rube” going to the Robotics team and “Best First Step” going to the Mars Space Pioneers. Butler County Dairy Promotion Team Dairy Maids, Daisy and Rose Snow, gave out string cheese to the audience and talked about the importance of dairy in the diet. All the students engaged with museum guests to teach about STEAM education.

The Mars Space Pioneers 4H STEAM Club, Butler County Dairy Promotion team and the Mars Robotics team competed in a Rube Goldberg Contest at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. The contingent included front row, from left, Grace Wolfum, Emilyn Spuntak and A.J. Snow; and back row from left, Tyson Van Ingen (in blue), Preston Grace, Bailey Jackson, Rose Snow, Daisy Snow, Alexis Spuntak and Josslyn Spuntak. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Mars Area Centennial School fifth-graders graduated from the 2022-23 DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program March 16.

The DARE program, coordinated by Butler County Sheriff’s Office and brought to the school by Deputy Bryce Foreback and Deputy Eddie McGrady, teaches students how to say “no,” as well as how to recognize risk, value their perceptions and feelings, and make good choices.

As part of the program, fifth-graders are asked to complete assignments; to write an essay about what they have learned; and to take a pledge to remain drug free. At the DARE graduation ceremony, awards were presented for the top essays in each classroom.

First-place winners are Avery Babeo, Breeanna Deglau, Malin Farnham, Brendan Fedorchak, Maddalena Fox, Ally Franck, Nathan Kramer, Ryan Linn, Rebecca McGrath, Lydia Sokolak and Leah Trosa; second-place winners are Lola Ayers, Sophia Barbeau, Aila Dickson, Hunter Hein, Aubrey Hunt, Avery Irwin, Mia LeBlanc, Colton McKotch, Tory Murray, Reese Sander and Molly Yurisinec; and, third-place winners are Dominic Bernini, Elisia DePaoli, Madeleine Garraux, Owen Gulnac, Emerson Halenda, Finnley Heim, Abigail Phillips, Declan Powell, Alexander Schuster, Emerson Whitling and Chloe Zwigart.

Fifth-grader Nathan Kramer was selected as the overall winner and his DARE essay was read during the ceremony.