District Highlights

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).

Baker Elementary School’s staff and students hosted a Veterans Day Celebration and happily welcomed 16 veterans to a school-wide assembly on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.

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.

Is your fifth or sixth grader interested in playing an instrument? 

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.