ADAMS TWP — Members of the Mars Area School Board accepted a pair of donations related to an upcoming project and an annual event during a workshop meeting Wednesday, Jan. 7.

The first of those was an anonymous gift of $3,238 for a golf simulation center in the Centennial building basement.

The funds will go toward erecting a wall and furnishing previously unoccupied space before any equipment is placed inside, according to assistant superintendent Elizabeth McMahon.

While the idea was hatched last spring, she said there’s no definitive timeline for when the project would come to fruition.

“I’d love to get it done as soon as possible,” she said. “I would love to get kids in there practicing and utilizing it, but I’ve got to get the facility ready first.”

McMahon said the simulator could help launch a new school club and introduce younger students to the sport before they reach the varsity level.

“It will be a really, really great thing for the students,” she said. “It could also help feed our varsity program. It would be intended for that, but we could do a lot more with it too.”

The other donation was a $3,000 from LEFCON, an IT consulting firm, to support Mars students and their participation in the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV’s 2026 Regional Very Special Arts Exhibit scheduled for March 14.

The event, which takes place annually at the Pew Fine Arts Center at Grove City College, features artwork from special education students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

About 40 students from Mars Area Schools will attend the exhibit this year, according to McMahon, who noted that the donation will support the purchase of T-shirts for every student.

“The children and the families love it,” she said. “It really becomes a family event where the parents can take their children through an art gallery that they helped create.”