Three State College Area High School alumni, two teachers, a coach and an athletic team comprise the second class of inductees for the State College Area School District Education Foundation’s Maroon & Gray Society.
Established in 2018, the society honors individuals and teams that have made extraordinary impacts on the school district community.
The newest class will be inducted during the Maroon & Gray Society banquet on May 18 at the Nittany Lion Inn. They include:
– State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, class of 1979
– Ellen Campbell, class of 1970
– Chris Dodds, class of 1977
– Track and field coach Jackson Horner (posthumous)
– Retired music teacher John R. Kovalchik
– Retired special education teacher Teresa Lindner
– 2003 state champion boys basketball team
Honorees for the society are selected by volunteer committees after an open nomination period. Each year, the Maroon & Gray Society will recognize alumni in areas such as business, the arts, academics and athletics, as well as outstanding school groups and retired faculty. Several individual inductees along with one team or group will be selected each year.
In addition to honoring this year’s inductees, Maroon & Gray Society banquet will benefit the newly established Mental Health Matters Fund, which was created by the SCASD Education Foundation to support student mental health and well-being initiatives across the district.
“Our role as a foundation is to support the district in areas where there is the most need,” said Doug Loviscky, the foundation’s board president. “We listened carefully to the district’s focus on this important issue and knew it was an opportunity to make an important, student-centered impact. We are confident that our donor community will be moved and will show up in full support through the Maroon & Gray Society Banquet and on an ongoing basis to make this fund a success.’
The banquet is open to the public and tickets are available on the Education Foundation website at www.scasdfoundation.org.
The inaugural banquet in 2018 raised $60,000 for new State High Marching Band uniforms.
SCASD Education Foundation was established in 2015 as a separate charitable organization for private fundraising for student experiences and learning opportunities not regularly supported in the annual district budget.
