Home

Three Upper St. Clair Future Problem Solving teams recently qualified to compete at the 2025 State Bowl, which is set for April 11-12, 2025, in Camp Hill, Pa. Upper St. Clair’s top teams included two in the Senior Division (grades 10-12) and one at the Middle Division (grades 7-9).

Two Upper St. Clair High School seniors earned Best Delegate honors at the recent Model UN Conference hosted by Duquesne University. Jamie Barrett was recognized for representing the United States on the UN Environment Committee and Roshan Mishra was honored for his role as the United States on Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC).

Upper St. Clair High School junior Anoushka Barve was recently selected as a 2025 Carson Scholar. She will be recognized with a $1,000 scholarship, medal and a certificate at the Carson Scholars Fund’s Annual Pittsburgh Awards Banquet on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at Acrisure Stadium.

An Upper St. Clair High School junior was named one of six Junior Women of Achievement Honorees. Prachi Chetlur will be recognized during the 18th annual Women of Achievement Awards on March 19, 2025, in the Grand Ballroom of the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

Nine students and two teachers from Municipal Omiya International Secondary School (MOIS) visited Upper St. Clair High School from Feb. 24-28, 2025. Located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, Omiya is a sister city of Pittsburgh.

Upper St. Clair High School students earned first place in four of the six categories of the High School Japanese Speech Contest held Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland.

A team of Fort Couch Middle School students finished second among 24 teams representing 13 schools in the Western Pennsylvania Science Bowl (WPASB) on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Community College of Allegheny County – South Campus. As the runner-up, the team of Claire Dietiker, Bernard Huang, Darsh Kakkad, Avik Pandey and Lyman Thomson earned $900 for the school’s science program.

Dozens of Upper St. Clair High School students have been spreading kindness all throughout the school community. Members of Student Council and the Junior Mentor program traveled back to the district’s elementary and middle schools sharing lessons of kindness and friendship.

Upper St. Clair High School administrators named nine outstanding students to the monthly Deans’ List. Honorees and the teachers who nominated them were recognized at a special breakfast event on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025.

Six Upper St. Clair High School seniors were recently named Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Upper St. Clair High School seniors Roselyn Goldstein, violin, and Carlee Santel, trumpet, participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Western Region Orchestra.

The McLaughlin Run Activity Center (MAC) was bustling with energy during a recent United Senior Citizens program. Prizes were being presented for the chili cookoff and it was National Puzzle Day. However, most eyes were trained on the windows and door as members anxiously awaited the arrival of Upper St. Clair High School students to help with their technology devices.

Fort Couch Middle School eighth-grader Kaaveri Patil was named a finalist in the 31st annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. She performed her monologue – as Paulina from “The Winter's Tale” – in the Showcase of Finalists on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the O’Reilly Theater, in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.

Upper St. Clair High School senior Michael Albert was honored by the College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program for his outstanding academic achievements and performance on the PSAT and/or Advanced Placement exams.

The Upper St. Clair High School robotics team BotsBurgh (11792) earned first place for the Think Award at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Philadelphia Open Qualifier on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, at Abraham Lincoln High School in Philadelphia.

Upper St. Clair High School senior Elliott Bruno recently participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Chorus Festival. The event was held Feb. 6-7, 2025, at Mt. Lebanon High School.

Two teams from Fort Couch Middle School earned high marks at the Regional Science Bowl on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. The team of Brayden Wong, Luka Beric, Lyman Thompson, Alex Zhang and Mateo Lin finished second. Finishing third was the team of Sunny Liu, Theodora Lagonis, Keira Mycoff and Renee Clougherty.

A team of Fort Couch Middle School students placed second at the MATHCOUNTS Pittsburgh Chapter competition. The event was held on Feb. 8, 2025, at A.W. Beattie Career Center. The second-place team includes Lyman Thomson, Bernard Huang, Avik Pandey, and Brayden Wong.

Several Upper St. Clair High School students recently qualified to compete at the 2025 Pennsylvania Technology Student Association (TSA) State Conference, which is set for April 23-26 at Seven Spring Resort.

Four Upper St. Clair students earned recognition in the 2025 Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. Awardees include Upper St. Clair High School students Sofia Jahn, Frankie Dubreil and Julia Campagna as well as Fort Couch Middle School student Matthew Campagna.

Upper St. Clair High School partnered with Clearview Federal Credit Union to host the school’s second Financial Reality Fair on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

An Upper St. Clair High School junior was named to the 2024 Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association (PSCA) All-State High School Soccer Team. Natalia DiSora was honored at the PSCA awards banquet on Jan. 19, 2025, in Harrisburg.

Upper St. Clair High School senior trumpet player Carlee Santel successfully auditioned and was selected as Lead Trumpet in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association All-State Jazz Band. She is one of only 18 musicians from throughout Pennsylvania selected for the ensemble.

A team of Boyce Middle School fifth graders had its ticket punched to the Pennsylvania State FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Championships, which are set for this Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Palmyra High School, near Hershey, Pa.

Two Upper St. Clair High School seniors were recently named candidates in the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.

Five Upper St. Clair students have been crowned their school’s spelling bee champion – qualifying for the preliminary round of the 75th annual Western Pennsylvania Spelling Bee.

An Upper St. Clair eighth grader placed first in guitar at the Crescendo International Music Competition on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This marks the third time that Aanya Jha has placed first in the competition.

For the third year in a row, a team of Fort Couch Middle School students won the 2025 Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition held on Jan. 25, 2025 – advancing to the national competition in Washington, D.C. The Fort Couch team’s presentation was led by eighth graders Claire Dietiker, Will Kreizenbeck, and Seth Pedretti.

Inspired by a timeless European folktale, students in Jessica Kotula’s classroom at Upper St. Clair High School hosted their first-ever Stone Soup Day on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.

Dozens of Upper St. Clair High School students began their week with a trip to outer space thanks to a visit from the Pittcon Planetarium. Throughout the day on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, science classes took turns filtering into the school’s small gym for the chance to experience the portable planetarium.

Two USC Robotics teams won awards – with one advancing to the state championship – at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Lancaster Qualifier on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.

An Upper St. Clair High School teacher has been named the 2025 Educator of the Year by the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP).

Upper St. Clair High School senior Isabel Vilensky was named a Grand Prix winner in the New York Concert Festival International Competitions on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Darcy Vilkner, an Upper St. Clair High School senior, has been named the 2024 Congressional App Challenge winner for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District for the creation of the app, Cosmic Armada. Congresswoman Summer Lee made the announcement on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

Four Upper St. Clair High School student musicians participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Senior Orchestra. Representing Upper St. Clair were seniors Roselyn Goldstein, violin; Carlee Santel, trumpet; and Darcy Vilkner, cello; along with sophomore Kyriaki Smith, clarinet.

A team of Upper St. Clair High School students has advanced to the Top 32 in the 2024-25 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) debate competition. Team members include Mana Barimani, Maxim-Levi Shevchenko, Priyaharshini Sivakumar, Nikhita Thakuria and Pari Varshney.

The Upper St. Clair High School Esports Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team placed first at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Esports League (PIEA) Colonial Conference Division I finals on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, at Waynesburg University.

Three Fort Couch Middle School students earned perfect scores in the CalcuSolve competition on Dec. 12, 2024.

Fort Couch Middle School students raised a record $36,499.54 through the school’s annual Reach Out campaign that spanned from Dec. 2 through Dec. 20, 2024. The final total was announced during a school-wide assembly on Friday, Dec. 20.

Two Upper St. Clair High School seniors earned top honors at the annual CalcuSolve competition on Dec. 13, 2024.

The Upper St. Clair High School FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team, TeraBridges (18603), earned the Inspire Award at the Greyhound Sprint Qualifier – advancing to the Pennsylvania FTC State Championship.

Upper St. Clair’s middle school competitive robotics teams celebrated their most successful event yet at the Western Pennsylvania FIRST Lego League (FLL) Grand Championship, held Saturday, Dec 7, 2024, at Aliquippa High School.

Fifty Upper St. Clair High School choir students recently participated in the Mark Milovats’ Christmas Wonderland show on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, at the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.

Twenty-four Upper St. Clair High School students recently participated in a roundtable breakfast event to learn more about their math and science teachers and their personal journeys and experiences in STEAM.

The Upper St. Clair High School Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Esports Team has qualified to compete in the Winter State Finals of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Esports League (PSEL) on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, at Harrisburg University.

Upper St. Clair High School’s FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team, TeraBridges (18603), placed first among 28 teams at the Green and Red Scrimmage on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at Eden Hall Upper Elementary School in the Pine-Richland School District.

A team of Upper St. Clair High School robotics students finished second among 21 teams at the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) Penn Trafford Qualifier on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.

Annual traditions play an important role especially during the holidays. For more than 25 years, Boyce Middle School students have embraced the tradition of helping others in need through the school’s annual holiday service project.

Upper St. Clair High School administrators named six outstanding students to the monthly Deans’ List. Honorees and the teachers who nominated them were recognized at a special breakfast event on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.

Fort Couch Middle School celebrated International Education Week (IEW) from Nov. 18 through Nov. 25, 2024. The week was filled with experiences representing a variety of cultures, including Chinese, Japanese, Indian, West African, Croatian, Romanian, and more.

Upper St. Clair High School celebrated its annual Global Education Week (GEW) throughout the week of Nov. 18, 2024. Embracing the theme of Game On!, the event featured guest speakers, film screenings, demonstrations and a variety of games and contests.

The Theater Arts/Acting course at Upper St. Clair High School is completing a semester-long partnership with Quantum Theatre that brings outside, real-world experiences to the school’s theater program. 

Upper St. Clair middle and high school students shined at the South Hills Literature Festival (Lit. Fest!) on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in nearby Carnegie.

Eight Upper St. Clair High School musicians were selected for the 2025 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 1 West Band Festival.

Upper St. Clair High School senior Danny Shanholtzer is a sled hockey champion. His team – the Mighty Penguins Adult Black sled hockey team – won the 2024 USA Hockey Sled Classic Tier IV Championship on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. The event was held at the Children’s Health StarCenter rinks in Farmers Branch and Euless, Texas.

Upper St. Clair School District’s elementary and middle schools have once again ranked among Pennsylvania’s best schools by U.S. News & World Report. Its lists of 2025 Best Elementary Schools and Best Middle Schools were released on Nov. 14, 2024.

Holly Fisher, a school nurse and nursing curriculum leader in the Upper St. Clair School District, was among eight local nurses honored during the Pittsburgh Penguins Nurse Appreciation Night on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2.

Ten Upper St. Clair High School choir students participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Region I Contemporary A Cappella Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Peters Township High School.

Eisenhower Elementary third graders “rocked” World Kindness Day on Wednesday, Nov. 13!

The Upper St. Clair School Board approved a resolution limiting any possible 2025-26 tax increase to within the inflationary index determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

A team of Upper St. Clair High School students has been named one of the Top 64 teams for the 2024-25 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF).

Seven Upper St. Clair High School students earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Program for their academic achievements and outstanding performance on the PSAT and/or Advanced Placement exams.

Upper St. Clair High School administrators named 10 outstanding students to the monthly Deans’ List. Honorees and the teachers who nominated them were recognized at a special breakfast event on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.

A Veterans Day observance, honoring veterans of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, was held on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, at the Upper St. Clair Veterans Park.

Dr. Beck is now in consideration to be named the National Assistant Principal of the Year.

Upper St. Clair High School has been named to the 2024 AP School Honor Roll – earning Silver recognition for the second year in a row.

Seven Upper St. Clair High School student musicians successfully auditioned for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Honors Jazz Festival.

Upper St. Clair High School senior Isabel Vilensky was recently named a semifinalist in the 2024-25 Coca-Cola Scholars Program.

The Upper St. Clair School Board approved the appointment of Dr. Rachel Andler as director of special education during its meeting on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.

Upper St. Clair High School students earned several top finishes at the Model United Nations (MUN) Conference on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, at Riverview High School.

Ten individuals were inducted into the Upper St. Clair High School Halls of Fame. The 25th annual event was held on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.

All 332 Upper St. Clair third graders recently had the opportunity to experience a day of learning at the historic Gilfillan Farm, the last operational farm in the Upper St. Clair community.

A Fort Couch Middle School student is now a two-time published poet.

An Upper St. Clair High School ninth grader was recently named a second prize winner in the eighth annual Creative Expressions Contest, part of Gandhi Day 2024.

For the first time in over a decade, Upper St. Clair High School students have the opportunity to add a media class to their course schedule.

Six Upper St. Clair High School students successfully auditioned for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 1 Honors Band.

Upper St. Clair High School celebrated its annual Homecoming Week Sept. 23 through Sept. 28, 2024. The theme was Cirque du St. Clair.

Upper St. Clair High School administrators named five outstanding students to the monthly Deans’ List. Honorees and the teachers who nominated them were recognized at a special breakfast event on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.

Students in the Upper St. Clair School District recently participated in an interactive program and workshop with Cello Fury, a nationally recognized music ensemble that features three cellists and a drummer.

Four Upper St. Clair High School musicians were recently selected for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 1 Honors String Orchestra.

Seventeen Upper St. Clair High School seniors were recently named Commended Students in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Upper St. Clair High School junior Medha Misra spent part of her summer participating in a program experience that greatly impacted her passion for science and technology. The program, offered through the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Science Education Outreach, provides educational experiences to benefit medical students, health professional students, undergraduate and high school students to inspire students to seek careers in science, technology, and healthcare.

Upper St. Clair High School world language teacher Cephus Moore was recently selected as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS). Mr. Moore, who teaches French and Spanish, was nominated by Upper St. Clair senior Maya Hamade.

Upper St. Clair High School will host its annual RUSH event during lunch periods on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. The event serves as a recruitment fair for the school’s more than 100 clubs and activities.

A Fort Couch Middle School student recently earned Honorable Mention in the Rube Goldberg Crazy Contraption Cartoon Contest. Seventh grader Tyler Marsh competed in the 18 and under Animation Division.

New families with children in grades 1-12 enjoyed the annual New Family Welcome Event hosted by the Parent Teacher Council (PTC) on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in the high school’s nutrition center.

Six Upper St. Clair High School seniors were recently named Semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Competition. The following students scored in the top one percent of all juniors completing the PSAT in October 2023: Jamie Barrett, Roshan Mishra, Shriya V. Narasimhan, Ishaan Sharma, Isabel Vilensky and Sophia Whitman.

An Upper St. Clair High School robotics team – BotsBurgh 11792 – hosted a summer outreach event 7,456 miles away at Hakimi School in Karachi, Pakistan.

Upper St. Clair High School junior Arth Italiya is one of three student winners in the national essay contest sponsored by IndustryWeek and the Subortus Project.

The College Board recently announced that 158 Upper St. Clair High School students and 2024 graduates earned AP Scholar recognition for their exceptional achievement in the college-level Advanced Placement Program during the 2023-24 school year.

Upper St. Clair High School senior Kriti Gupta is passionate about helping students from underfunded communities succeed. Through the non-profit organization Chance to Change Lives-Kids (CCL-Kids), Kriti has positively impacted hundreds of elementary students in a nearby community.

More than 100 Upper St. Clair High School students enhanced their leadership skills during the school’s summer Leadership Academy, hosted in July. The program offers four sequential phases that can be completed over the course of a student’s high school experience.

An Upper St. Clair High School sophomore competed in the 2024 USA Track and Field (USATF) National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships.

Seven members of the Upper St. Clair High School Speech & Debate team earned Academic All American awards from the National Speech & Debate Association.

The Upper St. Clair School District celebrated the first day of school on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. Enrollment for the 2024-25 school year totals just over 4,000 students. We have compiled a photo galleries featuring students and staff from each of our six schools.

The Upper St. Clair School District kicked off the 2024-25 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, with its annual Opening Day celebration for staff members. Opening Day marks the first day back for teachers, teacher aides, school counselors, school nurses and school psychologists.

Forty-one rising seventh and eighth-grade students recently spent a summer week developing leadership skills while serving others in the community. The annual Fort Couch Leadership Academy was held from July 22-26, 2024. Throughout the week, students worked individually and collaboratively through tasks that challenged them to define their own concept of what leadership looks like and sounds like to them.

Several members of the Upper St. Clair High School Speech & Debate team were among the top performers at the 2024 National Speech and Debate Tournament, held June 16-21, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. As the world’s largest academic competition, the tournament included more than 6,700 students from over 1,500 schools throughout the nation.

Avik Pandey, a rising eighth grader at Fort Couch Middle School, recently placed sixth among 148 competitors in the National Science Bee. The event, one of several national bees sponsored by the International Academic Competitions, was held May 23-27, 2024, in Orlando, Florida.

Upper St. Clair Panther fans can purchase their annual athletic passes beginning July 1, 2024. New this year, the Panther Pass can be purchased online and tickets will be distributed via the Eventbrite mobile app.