Student news: SSA freshman in rebroadcast of CLO production; holiday projects completed

Shady Side Academy freshman Jack Engel will appear in the Pittsburgh CLO’s production of “A Musical Christmas Carol” that will be broadcast by WQED in December.

Since the show can’t be performed live on stage this year due to the covid-19 pandemic, they are broadcasting the 2018 production which was recorded live at the Byham Theater.

The performance will air at 9 p.m. on Dec. 18 and Dec. 24, and at 1 p.m. on Dec. 27.

The show also will be available to stream online for free on the WQED website through Dec. 31.

Engel, who was in seventh grade at SSA Middle School at the time, plays the role of Cratchit Child in the classic story of Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim.

Engel also appeared in the Pittsburgh CLO’s “A Musical Christmas Carol” in 2017 and “The Full Monty” in 2018.

• Second-graders at Shady Side Academy Junior School collected nonperishable food items to be donated to a local church.

The class was unable to deliver the donations in person this year because of covid-19, but volunteers from the First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood came to campus to collect two truckloads of nonperishable food items and toiletries that were gathered by the students.

Items were distributed to needy families for Thanksgiving. The Junior School has partnered with the church on the annual food drive for more than 20 years.

• Two Fox Chapel Area High School students placed in the Dalmasse Sterner Steel City Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament in November.

In Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate, sophomore Silas Owens won second place. In Student Congress, junior Patrick Alexander was awarded fourth place. Both students earned bids to the Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSSL) State Championship in 2021.

The Dalmasse Sterner Steel City Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament was hosted virtually by Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School with about 260 students participating.

• The Shady Side Academy Senior School Service Learning Club collected gifts for the Holiday Project, a community project of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS).

Families, faculty and staff purchased and donated gifts for 158 children ages 0-2 in the county who receive services through DHS related to maltreatment or homelessness.

Faculty advisor Lindsey Myers organized the project, juniors Riley Doyle and Ariella Avigad assisted with the distribution of recipient names and faculty member Jessica Parker assisted with gift drop off and organization.