Plum Senior High School Turned a Gift into Lasting Student Opportunities
Plum Senior High School near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania installed new Daktronics LED video scoreboards through the support of Pat McAfee and the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation. Learn how the video boards are elevating game days, building student skills, and creating opportunities that last far beyond high school.
4/21/2026
Categories: High School Sports
A Community Investment with a Long View
Plum Senior High School sits just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a community shaped by steel, lumber, and deep local pride. But this project didn’t start with facilities or athletics. It started with a gift designed to give students something they could carry far beyond high school.
With support from Pat McAfee, his We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation, Plum HS implemented a program designed to benefit students long after the final whistle, with new Daktronics LED video boards, digital content tools, and a classroom curriculum.
As Eddie Edwards from the foundation explained,
We wanted to give an asset to the community and to the district that the kids could use. Something they could use beyond high school.
High School LED Video Boards That Redefine the First Impression at Plum Events
For Plum High School, the addition of Daktronics video boards at both the football stadium and gymnasium immediately changed how events feel.
“You walk in and you see this giant video board. It’s amazing,” Edwards said. “It’s going to be transformative.”
Athletic Director Drew Karpen sees that impact extending well beyond athletics.
We’re going to see a change in the atmosphere and environment not only in our athletic events, but in all the events that we hold.
From football and basketball to wrestling, volleyball, and soccer, the video boards now anchor game day energy and elevate the overall experience for students, families and fans.
Students Behind the Scenes, Building Skills for the Future
So what does a high school video board really give students beyond game day?
Through the DakClassroom curriculum and hands on operation of the displays, Plum High School students are learning:
- Camera operation
- Video editing
- Content creation
- Live production workflows
- Game day execution
“They’re going to learn how to operate the camera, how to edit, how to create content, and then broadcast it on the video board,” Edwards said.
Peter Reifenrath of Daktronics Sports Marketing adds,
From a vocational standpoint, these students are gaining skills that will set them apart from their peers for opportunities on college campuses or in professional stadiums down the line.
For students interested in working in college athletics, live events, or media production, this experience becomes something they can take with them.
More Than Equipment – A Learning Environment
This project includes more than hardware. students also have access to:
- DakClassroom, a CTE aligned curriculum for live event production
- FrameWrx, a content design platform with professional templates students can customize and deploy
“Everything that goes into a game day or broadcast production is at their fingertips,” said Kyle Sydow, Daktronics High Schools Market Manager.
The result is a space where student ideas don’t just stay in the classroom – they’re shared with the entire community in real time.
“At football games, basketball games, wrestling matches – it’s going to be different now because you’ve got a video board,” Edwards said. “But what’s best is the students developing a skillset.”
Watch the Plum Senior High School Story
Plum Senior High School’s story shows what’s possible when community support and modern technology come together with a clear goal: giving students skills that matter long after graduation.