Evie Hoff, Joey Kretz, Luke Rattay, Miranda Thompson, Athena Pyros and Arianne Kubiak, from St. Philip School in Crafton, read four books on the Holocaust and then participated in a reading festival at the Heinz History Center to explore the topic through activities based on the stories such as a scavenger hunt, and building a Holocaust memorial and packing a pretend suitcase for life as a refugee.

• Moon Area Middle School seventh-grader Ashley Hall placed in the top five and topped more than 75 other students in the recent WordSmith Tournament.

• These music students will represent West Allegheny at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Elementary BandFest tomorrow and Saturday: Hunter Evans on flute and Ajinkya Rai on alto sax from McKee Elementary; Abbie Wilson on flute and Zach Sterner on alto sax from Wilson Elementary; and Amber Briney on baritone and Madison Gregord on trombone from West Allegheny Middle School.

• Gifted Students of Chartiers Valley finished first in the middle school (grades seven and eight) and elementary (grade six) divisions in the World Events Academic Bowl.

The middle school team consisted of Alex Chabala, Shane Murphy, Kevin Nelson, Jacob Pitzer and Greg Price. The elementary team was Danielle Ferrer, Alec Hnat, Mason Morgan, Dakota Roscoe and Nick Spak.

• The forensics team from St. Joseph Catholic School in Coraopolis won awards in these categories at a recent tournament: poetry -- Sara Lavin, first place, and Skylar Strickland and Evan Gregorius, second place; prose -- Lauren Pollastro and Rachel Petro, first place; declamation -- Danielle Vescio and Scott Constantine, second place; and drama -- Dominique Servati, first place.

• Michael Mantini and Chris McDermott, eighth-graders at St. Malachy School in Kennedy, were selected to the Diocese of Pittsburgh All Star Band.

• These Moon Area Middle School musicians were selected for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Junior High District Band Festival: eighth-graders Andrew Fetscher on tuba, Chris Lutz on clarinet, Chris Nolfi on trumpet, Ryan Finley on trumpet, Tim Geldmaker on trumpet and Tom Kernick on trombone; and seventh-graders Adam Sniezek on bassoon and Nick Giralico on French horn.

• Sixth-grader Emily Davis is the spelling bee champion at St. Malachy School in Kennedy. Sixth-grader Austin Szurlej finished second, and fourth-grader Brody Connor came in third.

• These South Fayette Middle School students will play in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Elementary Band Festival: sixth-graders Lauren Crites and Gabi Guadagnino and fifth-graders Aaron James and Jordan Smith.

• Bishop Canevin High School students Teresa Cardone, Kate Davis, Stephanie Schlebusch and Maria Wagner have qualified for the declamation category of the National Catholic Forensics Tournament to be held May 22-25 in Albany, N.Y. Olivia Davis qualified in the original oratory category.

• Paige Ullom, a sophomore at South Fayette High School, has been chosen as her school's 10th-grade ambassador to the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Conference to be held June 18-21 at Washington & Jefferson College.

Junior Shannon Smith, last year's representative from South Fayette, was one of 27 students chosen from Western Pennsylvania high schools in the Pa.-West district to return as a junior facilitator.

Amanda Walasik, a senior and South Fayette's 2007 representative, has served this past year on its alumni board as the Southwest Regional Representative.

• Freedom Area middle school and high school won the team awards at Penn State Beaver's ninth forensics tournament.

Here are individual winners in specific categories: dramatic interpretation -- Sarah Choflet, Freedom Area, middle school division, and Jonathan Krouise, Beaver County Christian, high school division; humorous interpretation -- Emilee Baker, middle school, and Ian Taylor, Beaver County Christian, high school; original oratory -- Samantha Marchionda, Freedom Area, middle school, and Erica Novak, Freedom Area, high school; impromptu speaking -- Jesse Gaunt, Freedom Area, middle school, and Fiona Smith, Beaver County Christian, high school; children's literature -- Deanna Edwards, Freedom Area, middle school, and Deanna Miklos, Freedom Area, high school; and dramatic duo -- Mark Zurick and Luke Hutchison, Freedom Area, middle school, and Kayla Mawhinney and Samantha Smith, Freedom Area, high school.

• Philip Booker, Dominic DeSalle, Dominic Corona, Brody Connor, Chris Milton and Chris DeSalle, students at St. Malachy School in Kennedy, have qualified for Google's "Doodle 4 Google," competition, which has youngsters design a Google logo inspired by the question, "What If ...?"