Embedded Files
Eco Challenge
Eco Challenge
9/11/2025
The middle school students traveled to Phipp's Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to participate in an Eco Challenge event learning more about ways to help the environment. At this event, they participated in a scavenger hunt with a focus on animal and plant relationships, brainstormed ideas to help their environments be more eco-frindly and identified some barriers that they observe in their own surroundings. Several students volunteered to share their ideas on these issues. Interested students will be able to participate in The Fairfield Challenge throughout the school year. More information will be shared soon about taking the challenge!
KDKA Hometown High Q Competition
KDKA Hometown High Q Competition
9/15/2025
McGuffey High School students Draco Sutherland (11th), Makenna Frazee (11th), and Josie Ziegler (10th) will compete in the Hometown High Q competition on Monday, September 15, 2025 against Grove City High School and Ringgold High School. Kay Demchak (10th) has also been chosen as an alternate. Good luck team at the competition! Their episode will air on KDKA on 9/27/2025 at 11am and 10/4/2025 at 11:30am. Go Highlanders!
Remake Learning Days at the Children's Museum (4th-5th Grade)
Remake Learning Days at the Children's Museum (4th-5th Grade)
9/26/2025
The 4th and 5th grade gifted students attended the Remake Learning Days field trip and had the opportunity to interact with a variety of enriching booths. Some of the activities included "seeing like a horse," making products out of honey such as candles, lotion, lip balm, and virtual reality googles inside of a heart!
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium Field Trip
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium Field Trip
10/7/2025
The McGuffey Gifted K-12 students visited the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium together on 10/7/25. Students in K-8 also participated in the Rainforest Rhythms Program to learn more about the animals found in the rainforest and about primates. The K-3 students have been reading about Jane Goodall and the novel, The One and Only Ivan. It was a wet day but the animals were very active!
Claysville STEAM Night Volunteers
Claysville STEAM Night Volunteers
10/23/2025
Middle School and High School Gifted volunteers helped at this Claysville Elementary School's "Under the Sea" STEAM Night. Student volunteers helped some teachers set up their stations, decorated, and led a microscope activity and beach erosion simulation every half hour. The students did a wonderful job with using STEAM and fostering a love of learning!
K-3 Primary STEM Challenge
K-3 Primary STEM Challenge
10/28/2025
McGuffey Gifted Middle and High School volunteers hosted the Halloween themed Primary STEM Challenge at McGuffey High School on October 28th. Gifted students from neighboring schools were invited to attend as well as K-3 Gifted students from Joe Walker and Claysville. Students had the opportunity to "break out" of an escape room using Breakout EDU locks and puzzles, made Halloween light up cards while learning about closed and parallel circuits, participated in a candy corn tallest tower build challenge, solved Halloween Math brain busters, and used multiplication skills and technology during a QR Array Challenge. Congratulations to Maddyx, Stevon, Owen, and Everett for coming in first place at the event!
Pittsburgh Robotics Day
Pittsburgh Robotics Day
11/5/2025
McGuffey Gifted High School students attended the Pittsburgh Robotics Day at the David Lawrence Convention Center. Students had the chance for a guided tour of the main floor where they visited with different businesses learning about advancements in the field of robotics. They had an opportunity to hear about the Robotics Program from different colleges and interact with the displays. After the tour, students visited the school section where they watched students from local school districts competing in a "Battle Bots" competition, interacted with various robots, and learned about future opportunities from a variety of representatives.
STEAM Career Fair at the PA Trolley Museum
STEAM Career Fair at the PA Trolley Museum
11/7/2025
McGuffey Gifted High School students visited the PA Trolley Museum to attend their first ever STEAM Career Fair! There were representatives there from many different places including Westinghouse, the Pittsburgh Zoo, radio stations, glass places, local banks, and some colleges. Students had the opportunity to ask the representatives questions, interact with the display, and take home swag along with resources. As an added bonus, students explored the history of the trolley museum's engineering, toured the trolley display museum, and took a ride on a Steelers themed trolley. We had a fun time!
Southwestern Academic League Match 2
Southwestern Academic League Match 2
11/12/2025
McGuffey High School hosted Match #2 for the SWAL in November. Students from neighboring high schools competed in general knowledge trivia categories such as science, math, history, literature, the arts, pop culture, geography, and current events. Both the Varsity and JV teams worked hard in the competition and members from both teams helped with hosting responsibilities such as timekeeper and scorekeeper. McGuffey High School Teachers Mr. Nardi and Mrs. North were moderators for the five rounds and did an amazing job! Update: After the teams competed in the December Match #3 at Canon Mac, we found out that our Varsity Team made it to third rank and will compete in the Finals on 1/28/26 at South Fayette High School. Congratulations to our Varsity Team members and go Highlanders!
Quiz Bowl
Quiz Bowl
11/20/2025
Fourth and Fifth grade gifted students from Joe Walker and Claysville competed in the annual Quiz Bowl at Chartiers Houston Junior/Senior High School. The students competed on two different McGuffey Teams in four rounds of academic trivia style questions complete with buzzers! Although McGuffey Teams did not place at this competition, they put forth a great effort! A special mention for the members of McGuffey Team 1 who included Ben, David, Turner, Arielle, and Sophia who won all four of their rounds but the placement was determined by total accumulated points. I am so proud of all of the students!
High School Literature Festival
High School Literature Festival
11/24/2025
Josie Ziegler, Eva Kern, Joy Speer, and Josie Adams represented McGuffey High School at the "Battle of the Books" competition at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall. For this competition, students read four novels and participated in trivia questions about the books in great detail. This year's novels included: Carnegie's Maid, Project Hail Mary, Small Great Things, and Lessons in Chemistry. Students participated in enriching stations that included making a book wreath and a character analysis creative station with characters "texting" each other.
Student Holiday Market at Range Resources
Student Holiday Market at Range Resources
12/3/2025
McGuffey students attended the Student Holiday Market in early December at Range Resources. Students spent time preparing their own digital advertisements and made products to sell at the market to Range Resources employees, family, and other community members. Items for sale included handmade earrings, decorative ornaments, Santa Keys, delicious assorted scones, cookies, brownies, freeze-dried candy, homemade Greek assorted desserts, Gingerbread cut-outs, and 3D printed Christmas decorations. Students learned entrepreneurship skills while having a great time! They also experienced financial literacy skills, problem-solved, and worked as a team to attract customers with their displays. Happy Holidays!
Elementary Calcu Crush at the Frank Sarris Library
Elementary Calcu Crush at the Frank Sarris Library
12/9/2025
Selected gifted students from the third and fourth grade competed in Canon McMillan Gifted Support's first ever Calcu Crush Competition! There were 11 schools and over 80 students involved, and McGuffey students made a great effort using their problem-solving skills representing McGuffey School District proudly. Congratulations to Everett who tied for second place in the third grade division for individual points scored! Way to go!
7th-8th Grade Virtual Calcu Solve Competition
7th-8th Grade Virtual Calcu Solve Competition
12/12/2025
Selected gifted students from the seventh and eighth grades competed in the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's Calcu Solve Competition. There were 34 schools and 70 student teams involved, and Holden, Peter, Levi, and Jayden made a great effort representing McGuffey School District proudly. Students competed solving individual and group problems. We are proud of their effort, teamwork skills, and enthusiasm and as a team, solved the majority of the problems correctly! Way to go Highlanders!
PVA McGuffey 2025 Poetry Award Recipient
PVA McGuffey 2025 Poetry Award Recipient
12/16/2025
On December 16, 2025, Jake Ziegler was honored with a plaque and gift card for coming in first place for the Paralyzed Veterans of America's Poetry Contest. Jake won for the 5th-6th grade division of the contest. He created an Acrostic Poem using the theme, "Barriers Still Exist." Mr. Joe Dornbrock, the Executive Director of the PVA, came to Claysville Elementary School to present the award to Jake in front of his peers and family. We are very proud of you Jake!
High School Gingerbread Contest & Ice Skating Trip
High School Gingerbread Contest & Ice Skating Trip
12/17/2025
High School gifted students participated in creating a display titled, "Gingerbread Junction" for the 23rd Annual Pittsburgh Gingerbread House Contest at the Pittsburgh City County Building. Students took a trip into Pittsburgh touring the Gingerbread Display followed by ice skating at PPG Place! Afterwards, students had the opportunity to shop at the People's Gas Holiday Market which features different shops from countries around the world.
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