Mars Area High School orchestra members, from left, Kole Yingling, Madelyn Ostapchenko, Meghan Smith, Ian Fuechslin, Kara Sims and (not pictured) Andrew Nelson were selected to perform at the PMEA District Orchestra Festival. Submitted Photo

Six members of Mars Area High School Band were selected by solo audition for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District Orchestra Festival on Jan. 26 to 28 at Brookville Junior/Senior High School in Brookville.

Students are seniors Ian Fuechslin (oboe), Andrew Nelson (bassoon), Madelyn Ostapchenko (flute) and Kole Yingling (string bass); junior Meghan Smith (clarinet); and sophomore Kara Sims (violin). David Anderson, Johnstown Youth Symphony Orchestra conductor and University of Pittsburgh music professor, served as guest conductor.

———

Knoch Intermediate Elementary School celebrated its fifth-graders' graduation from the DARE Program last month. Deputy Bryce Foreback presented all of the students with certificates. He also announced the winners of the essay contest. Each classroom had three essay winners, plus there was an overall building winner. The building winner was Paige Palmer, and the classroom winners were Harper Lauer, Eric Hixon, Willow Fichter, Daniel Martin, Grace Powell, Wesley Hager, Jordan Gealey, Brynleigh Krepp, Serena Wichrowski, Ella Bergbigler, Avelynn Brickett, Nora Griffith, Addison Hildebrand, Ella Riley, Riley Smith, Emrie Kozora and Lea Caudill.

DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teach children how to resist peer pressure and live productive, drug- and violence-free lives. To learn more about DARE, visit dare.org/about/#MissionVision.

Knoch DARE essay winners are from left, back row, Daniel Martin, Deputy Bryce Foreback, Emrie Kozora, Wesley Hager, Jordan Gealey, Serena Wichrowski, Ella Bergbigler, Lea Caudill, Avelynn Brickett, Alana Johnston (Knoch Intermediate Elementary School's DARE coordinator) and Addison Hildebrand; and front row, Willow Fichter, Grace Powell, Harper Lauer, Paige Palmer, Brynleigh Krepp, Eric Hixon, Nora Griffith and Ella Riley. Not pictured is Riley Smith. Submitted Photo

———

Four Ryan Gloyer Middle School students earned top recognition at the CyberPatriot’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, the world’s largest cybersecurity challenge.

The T-Rollers team of RGMS eighth-graders earned the most points of any middle school in Pennsylvania over the first two rounds. They advanced to the state round of the competition placing second overall. The team was also the only middle school in the state to qualify for the National Semifinal Round after scoring in the top third of the nation based on their performance in the first three rounds.

Through a series of six-hour online competition rounds, the team was given a set of virtual operating systems and tasked with finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services. Using a proprietary competition system, teams were scored on how secure they make the system.

The T-Rollers team, comprised of Albert Pimenov, Sidney Newton, Parker Budney and Nolan Minder, had a successful inaugural season under the direction of Greg Smolinski, an RGMS gifted support teacher and team adviser.