| Number of Schools Managed |
6 |
4 |
| Number of Students Managed |
4,088 students |
2,220 students |
| District Total Revenue |
$50,881,000 |
$24,078,000 |
| District Expenditure |
$49,625,000 |
$23,565,000 |
| District Revenue / Student |
$12,446 |
$10,846 |
| District Expenditure / Student |
$12,139 |
$10,615 |
| District Graduation Rates |
n/a |
95% |
|
- Upper St. Clair High School (USCHS) is a public high school in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, USA, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Upper St. Clair School District. USCHS is one of two secondary schools in Pennsylvania to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School three times (in 1984, 1989, and 2000).
- History
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Upper St. Clair High School was substantially remodeled in 2000 under former superintendent Dr. William Pope. This renovation replaced much of the school's aging building, replaced most of its mechanical systems, improved the school's aesthetic appeal and allowed for many technological advancements such as widespread Internet access. The renovations improved the facilities, allowing for a professional-sized theater, two full-sized gymnasiums, a weight room, and a racquetball court. Academic facilities were also improved with a library at the center of the academic wing. The library was dedicated to Dr. Pope in 2003 upon his retirement.
- In the late 1700's, Higbee School, a one room log cabin, was the first known school in the area and was located on the northeast border of present Upper St. Clair. This was the first school west of the Alleghenies.
- Academics
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A typical school day at Upper St. Clair High School runs from 7:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m., and is divided into 16 25-minute modules, or "mods," plus a 10-minute "homeroom" period at the start of the day. Generally, two mods corresponds to one "credit." Most courses are worth three credits and meet for six mods a week.The school requires students to complete 45 credits to graduate. Of these, 28 credits must be in academic courses, including English (four years), mathematics (three years), science (three years), social studies (three years), and courses in the arts and/or humanities (two years).
- Extracurricular activities
- Athletics
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Upper St. Clair High School competes in the PIAA's District 7, commonly referred to as the WPIAL. WPIAL-affiliated sports at USCHS include baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, rifle, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling. Non-WPIAL sports include crew, fencing, cheerleading, inline hockey, ice hockey, dance team, hip-hop dance team, and Ultimate. Club teams are usually called the Upper St. Clair Panthers, with the mascot being the black panther.
- Athletic facilities at USCHS include two gyms, an indoor swimming pool, a football stadium, and a track.
- PIAA Team Championships
- WPIAL Team Championships
- Music
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The USCHS music program has three components: (1) choral courses, (2) instrumental courses, and (3) extra-curricular activities. The focus of courses is on performance rather than music theory or history.
- Arts
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The St. Clarion is the school's student newspaper. It usually produces four issues annually as well as a senior magazine issue. The paper is made during both journalism classes and by student volunteers. The paper writes on both world and campus news, detailing many events from sports to school policy changes. The paper is funded by community advertisers as well as student fundraising.
- The Montage is the school's literary arts magazine produced by the student body. The Montage produces one issue per year, selling copies to the student body in May. The magazine publishes original poems, short stories, personal essays, artwork, photography, and musical compositions written by the students. A staff of 15-20 people compile the submissions into the magazine. As with the St. Clarion, the Montage is funded by both community advertisers and student fundraising.
- The Upper St. Clair Theater, renovated in 1999, hosts a fall play and spring musical every year, with students filling most of the cast and crew roles. It is managed by Aramark.
- Academic teams
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The USCHS forensics team competes in the National Forensics League, National Catholic Forensics League (NCFL), and the Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSSL). USCHS sent 15 members to the NCFL nationals in Chicago, Illinois during the 2006 season. In addition, USCHS qualified six members to the PHSSL state championship. The school has produced four state champions since 2005.
- Awards and rankings
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Upper St. Clair High School is one of two secondary schools in Pennsylvania to have won the Blue Ribbon Award three times; the other being Fort Couch Middle School, which is also located in the Upper St. Clair School District. In 2000, the United States Department of Education recognized USCHS as one of 27 New American High Schools. In 2008, Upper St. Clair High School ranked 916 in Newsweek's list of the 1,300 Top High Schools. USCHS ranked in the "silver medal" category in U.S. News & World Report's Best High Schools 2009 listing.
- Controversy
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A controversy during the 2005-2006 school year was the elimination of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Several members of the new school board elected in 2005 said they considered the program anti-Christian, anti-American, "associated with groups that support Marxism" and too costly. In February 2006 the new school board voted 5-4 to phase out the IB program over two years, allowing only the participating Diploma Program students at that time to complete requirements.
- In March 2006, the ACLU filed a lawsuit, on behalf of nineteen residents representing the educational advocacy organization called USC-WAVES, against the Upper St. Clair School Board Majority, citing constitutional violations (e.g that board members were “inflicting religious and political beliefs”) and the failure to follow district policies for curriculum reviews." A settlement was reached in May 2006 with two main stipulations. First, the program was reinstated for a minimum of two years. Second, a nine-month study to determine the value of the IB program was conducted as part of the settlement agreement. The study resulted in a curriculum recommendation to keep and enhance the IB program in Upper St. Clair.. The IB Program continues to be offered throughout the district.
- Notable alumni
- Sean Casey — First baseman for the Boston Red Sox
- Stephen Chbosky — Author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Jeff Delaney — Former professional football player for the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams
- Craig Dunaway — Former football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Ed Driscoll — Emmy Award-winning stand up comedian, writer, and producer
- Kim Director — Actress
- Kirk Ferentz — University of Iowa head coach
- Todd Haley — Kansas City Chiefs head coach
- Anthony Jeselnik — Comedian
- Jack Maitland — Running back for the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots
- Ryan Malone — Professional hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Malone did not graduate from USC)
- Kevin Orie — Third baseman for the Chicago Cubs
- Dylan Reese — Captain of Harvard Crimson hockey team, 7th-round draft pick by New York Rangers
- Kevin Slowey — Major League Baseball player, second-round selection by the Minnesota Twins in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft
- Heather Terrell — Novelist
- External links
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- Upper St. Clair School District
- Upper St. Clair Theater
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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