Gilfillan Garden Provides Local Bounty

Bria Zegarelli, USCHS Senior, TODAY Intern

Five years ago, the Alexander Gilfillan Garden, a collaboration between Upper St. Clair High School and the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair, was born. The garden started with only five 4'x12' beds. However, due to the help of high school students and community members who planted, weeded, and harvested, it quickly became successful.

After the first year, the garden expanded. With a grant and donations from local businesses, another five beds were added, and crops were planted in the field. The Three Sisters planting method—companion planting where three plants grow together to deter weeds and pests, enrich surrounding soil, and support each other—was used, but it was difficult to access the harvest.

The next year was much more successful for the garden. The crops were now planted in rows for better organization, and they were covered in fabric to prevent weed growth. This method of planting helped the harvest to thrive, and the garden, which now has ten raised beds, as well as ten 40-foot rows in the field, has continued to grow each year.

Lynn Kistler, one of the coordinators of the garden, as well as the high school’s science curriculum leader, explained that the garden’s biggest challenge has been access to water, especially since 2020 was so hot and dry. The year 2021, however, was much more beneficial for the plants due to nicer weather, as well as a proactive pest treatment. Lynn also wrote that members of the garden harvested over 3000 pounds in 2021, beating their prior best year of 1100 pounds.

Lynn stated that in 2022, volunteers plan to incorporate a pollinator garden. As a result, students from the high school’s AP environmental science class are planting milkweed, as well as other native seeds to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Additionally, Lynn explained that another goal for this year is to include more hot peppers and fewer tomatoes, since SHIM (South Hills Interfaith Movement), a partner of the Alexander Gilfillan Garden, works with a total of 13 gardens in the South Hills and already has an abundance of tomatoes. USC high schoolers started growing the peppers indoors earlier this year.

The garden includes a variety of crops, including pumpkins, corn, beans, squash, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, sweet potatoes, and several varieties of lettuce and greens. Lynn explained, “Some of the greens are things that we might consider to be weeds, such as lamb’s quarters and purslane, but these foods are full of nutrition and a favorite of the refugee population that is served by SHIM. We’ve expanded to grow other Asian favorites, including long beans, hairy melon, and bitter gourd.”

Another key individual in this project is Sue Wyble of Westminster Church. “Sue coordinates the work in the garden, contacting volunteers each week to let them know the upcoming tasks and possible changes due to weather,” said Lynn. “She also loads all of the produce into her car and delivers it each week to SHIM.”

Lily Leggat and Bridget Boal, two USCHS students who are involved with the garden, both explained how rewarding the experience has been. Lily, who was in Lynn’s IB environmental science class, said that her entire family became involved through Westminster when she was in seventh grade, and she continued with the project once she was in high school. Lily explained, “I really enjoy combining my interest in sustainability with giving back to our community, since all of the produce goes to SHIM. It’s also a lovely group of people, and in rain or shine, Sue always shows up. She’s a wonderful leader and deserves recognition for what she does to facilitate the gardening and to coordinate everything. While I do get service hours for doing this, that’s not why I do it. I genuinely enjoy the work and the company.” Bridget, who became involved with the garden in June 2021, first started when Lynn asked students in her classes if they wanted to volunteer. Bridget, who had Lynn for both physics and AP environmental science,

Raised beds at Alexander Gilfillan Garden explained, “I initially got involved because I had been a remote student all year, and I wasn’t able to interact with my teachers or classmates. But,

Starting seeds Preparing the soil

Students planting onion sets

gardening was a safe option, and everyone wore masks when necessary.”

Bridget went on to talk about how she became interested in the garden because she thought it would be fun to try something new, and that it was a safe way to get out of the house while still taking precautions with COVID. “Once I went the first two times with Ms. Kistler and the class, I wanted to go back!” Bridget explained. “I began going on Monday mornings with Lily when I wasn’t scheduled to work, and I loved working with the other volunteers at Gilfillan. Honestly, it is very therapeutic to know that you’re helping the community, and it is a nice place to interact with others!”

Each Monday during the spring, summer, and fall, volunteers meet to plant, weed, and harvest. As people become involved, they learn more about garden preparation and treatment, transplanting different crops, and sowing seeds. The mission of the garden is to provide an education and maintain a working farm, as well as to help others in need. Having students, church, and community members involved in the garden fulfills the desire to provide individuals with an education about environmental science; plus, all produce from the garden is donated to SHIM’s food pantries, fulfilling the goal of helping others. Due to the teamwork, dedication, and passion behind this project, the Alexander Gilfillan Garden has thrived during the past several years, and it has positively impacted the community, environment, and everyone involved. n —Photos courtesy of Tina Vojtko, USCSD Communications Specialist

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Protect Yourself and Your Identity

Identity theft is a form of consumer fraud, and it happens every day. The number of individuals attempting to invade our privacy and obtain our personal financial information is growing at an alarming rate. These predators attempt to collect this information by stealing mail, spying for pin numbers at ATMs, gas stations, etc., and digging through trash. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that more than ten million people have their identity stolen each year.

It’s very important to protect your personal information, in particular your Social Security number, bank information, credit card accounts, and passwords to your financial information. The best way to protect yourself is to always use common sense. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is! Don’t ever provide anyone your personal information if you are contacted by phone.

Individuals who seek out and use this information are professionals, and this is what they do day in and day out. I see these types of crimes committed against our very own citizens in my courtroom all too often. This crime can happen to anyone at any time and can cost you countless hours attempting to repair your good name and credit history.

The following are some ways to protect yourself and your family from these thieves: 1. Avoid carrying your Social Security card, birth certificate, or even some credit cards with you on a regular basis, unless you need to use them. 2. Be sure to carefully monitor your credit card statements, credit reports, and all other documents related to your finances. Check for inaccuracies, fraudulent use of your accounts, and bank statements. 3. When using your credit cards online, make sure you only provide information that is pertinent to the specific item or service you are ordering, and always make sure you are on a secure site. It should list that it’s a secure site on the web address. 4. Never respond to an unsolicited request for your Social Security number or other financial information, especially over the telephone. If someone calls regarding donations for a charity for which you would like to contribute, tell them to put an invoice in the mail and you will send them a check made payable to that charity. 5. It’s very important to shred all unwanted financial documents or anything that contains personal information. I have teamed up in the past with State Senator

Reschenthaler for an annual shredding event, which is normally held in August for this district. Properly shredding your discarded items has the added benefit of helping the environment. In 2017, our efforts collected and recycled 3090 pounds of paper, the equivalent of saving 26.3 trees, 194.7 gallons of oil,

5.1 cubic yards of landfill space, over 6000 kilowatts of energy, and 10,815 gallons of water. 6. A common way in which identity theft occurs is known as “skimming.” This is a method thieves use to steal your credit and debit numbers by using special storage devices attached to ATMs, gas pumps, and other point-of-sale machines. Always inspect your ATM or gas pump for suspicious devices before you swipe or insert your card and make sure that the item you’re sliding your card into is not loose and it does not look fake or out of place. 7. Another method of identity theft is called “phishing.” This is when thieves contact you and pretend to be a financial institution or a company that you’ve dealt with in the past. They can contact you by phone or on the computer by sending spam messages to try to get you to reveal your personal information. They are constantly coming up with new and different techniques to obtain your personal information.

So, it’s very important to always be on guard. The safe thing to do is to hang up or log off, and call or email your financial institution or the company asking for information to verify that the contact is legitimate. Also, note that the IRS will never contact you by phone and ask you to send them payment in the form of a money order.

If the unfortunate occurs and you become a victim, file a report with your local police department and contact your bank and notify all other institutions with which you deal. Have your financial institution place a fraud alert on your credit report and file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office, as well as the Federal Trade Commission.

Protect yourself, your family, and your assets by taking the necessary steps, which are outlined in this article. Be safe, be smart, and don’t become a victim of these criminal predators! n

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The Attorney General’s consumer protection help line is 1-800-441-2555. The Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft hotline is 1-877-ID-THEFT(1-877-438-4338). You can also view their website at www.identitytheft.gov. Remember that free credit reports are available, and you can obtain a copy once a year by visiting the three credit reporting agencies. They can be found at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.

Jay Lynch

As a 1971 graduate of the rigorous USC school system, I’ve always felt well-prepared for academic and career challenges. However, I regret that I wasn’t always paying attention when teachers and coaches tried to impart important lessons about the use of common sense to avoid jumping to wildly incorrect conclusions. As a public service to today’s students, I offer the following lessons I never learned, and some embarrassing consequences.

Lesson One: First, Check the Mirror

Although movie streaming services are convenient, I prefer immersive theater screens for my favorite genres: shoot-’em-up westerns and war epics. Understandably, my wife has no interest in watching cowboys or carnage, so I usually see these movies alone.

A few years ago, I heard that a particularly realistic war movie was playing at a summer afternoon matinee. I rushed to the theater, gladly sacrificing a beautiful, cloudless day for a dose of action on the silver screen. The theater was nearly empty, except for a few guys like me, sitting alone, without wives or girlfriends. The movie began with a nighttime combat firefight, where muzzle flashes and tracer bullets were all you could see. In the following scene (the morning after the battle) the sun seemed to be shining, but the movie had a dark grey-green hue. Something was wrong.

I got the attention of a fellow several rows away and offered him a hand signal: I scratched my head and then inverted my hands, which is theater-semaphore for, “Do you think something’s wrong?” He surprised me with a shoulder shrug, meaning, “Problem, what problem?” I watched a while longer, but the annoying tint darkened every scene.

So, I took action. I went to the lobby snack counter and asked the teenage popcorn vendor if I could speak to the manager. “Is it about the popcorn? Not enough butter?” When I assured him that the popcorn was fine, he summoned his boss, who appeared quickly and asked how he could help. The curious teen leaned over the counter, trying to listen in. I told the manager that there was a problem with the movie lighting, likely caused by a dim bulb in the projection lamp. I offered to go to the projection booth with him to investigate the problem. He said, “Let me understand, sir. Everything on the movie screen seems dark?” I replied, “That’s right, even the bright, daylight scenes.” He moved a little closer and whispered in my ear, as if to protect me from embarrassment, “Do you know you’re wearing sun glasses?” Despite the whisper, the popcorn vendor heard every word. He started to politely giggle, and then broke out into full-throated laughter.

I removed my sunglasses, thanked the manager for trying to keep my faux pas a secret, and returned to the seating area. As I passed my semaphore buddy, he asked me what had happened. I fessed up. “I thought there was a problem with the projector, but the dim bulb is in my head.”

Lesson Two: Satire Knows No Age

When I was a young man in the 1970s, I was traveling by plane to visit friends in Boston, and casually dressed in my typical work shirt and bell-bottom jeans. I was sitting next to a middle-aged man in a business suit. Long before today’s electronic devices, the only forms of entertainment on airplanes were reading materials and conversations with fellow travelers. I didn’t anticipate having much in common with the older gentleman, so I didn’t pursue a chat, and I had forgotten to bring a book aboard. So, I had nothing to do but read a well-worn copy of Allegheny Airlines’ Flightime magazine, which was the equivalent of reading a sticky Highlights magazine in a dentist’s office.

However, when I glanced at the seat pocket in front of the businessman, I saw a familiar title peeking from the pocket. It was my favorite humor magazine, National Lampoon. I assumed that the person in his seat on a previous flight, someone of my generation, had inadvertently left it in the pocket. I nudged his shoulder, pointed at the magazine and asked, “Do you mind?” He said, “Go ahead,” and continued reading his Wall Street Journal. I was delighted to discover that it was the latest edition, one that I hadn’t yet read. As usual, it was hilarious: irreverent, off-color, and sarcastic. Some of the articles were so funny that I wanted to share them with my friends in Boston.

Today’s travelers take photos of funny stories and cartoons with their phone cameras, but, in those days, we had a more manual approach. We tore articles out of magazines. I spent most of the flight giggling, ripping out stories and cartoons, and filling my shirt and jeans pockets with satire. By the time we landed, only a carcass of a magazine remained.

As we taxied to the gate, the businessman looked at me and said, “May I have what’s left of my magazine?” I was stunned and embarrassed, and apologized profusely. I dug myself a deeper hole by saying, “I never thought a guy your age would buy the Lampoon.” I emptied my pockets and started shoving the wrinkled articles inside the carcass as if I could magically reconstruct his ruined magazine. When I sheepishly tried to hand him the mangled mess, he said, “Just keep the whole thing, son.” He reached for his brief case and walked away.

To this day, I don’t know whether the magazine was really his, or he had cleverly spoofed me and used my reaction as personal entertainment and a funny story to tell his friends.

Jim O’Brien

Murder at Forbes Field? Hmmm. I got your attention, didn’t I?

My imagination has been running wild ever since I read the book Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos in July 2020. I found this well-worn paperback at a library book sale during the COVID pandemic isolation. At a cost of 75 cents, it was a steal! It carried an endorsement from the late Robert B. Parker, the best crime-mystery writer ever to come out of Boston. I’ve read at least 40 of his books.

Parker, a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, said that Murder at Fenway Park was “equal parts baseball and mystery of the perfect proportion.” It’s an easy and fun read.

I also read a lot of biographies and history-related books during the coronavirus stay-at-home edict, those about President Truman, President Ulysses S. Grant, Detroit and Henry Ford, and books by David McCullough, Ron Chernow, and A.J. Baimes. At times, they can be quite demanding. You need a break now and again to lighten things up. So, books by John Grisham, Michael Connelly, and, of course, Robert B. Parker provided my lighter reading.

This is the first book by Soos that I have read, but it will not be the last. I will be looking for another of his books, Murder at Ebbetts Field. Soos, born in New Jersey in 1957, two weeks after the Dodgers moved out of Brooklyn in favor of Los Angeles, is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). I was once a card-carrying SABR member.

The book is set in 1912, when Roosevelt, Taft, and Debs are running for the White House, and Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson are battling for baseball’s batting crown. Mickey Rawlings, a young ballplayer fresh from the bush leagues, is about to get a major league education when he stumbles upon a murder in brand-new Fenway Park.

What I liked about this historical fiction book is that it is set against a real background, has recognizable names of real people and real players, and is suspenseful to the end.

It got me thinking. If Fenway Park opened in 1912, when did Forbes Field open? Turns out, it opened three years earlier, June 30, 1909. A million-dollar ballpark, it was the dream field of owner Barney Dreyfuss, the first steel-and-concrete ballpark. A triple-decker in Oakland, it sat on a seven-acre parcel in Schenley Park and originally seated 25,000 fans. Box seats cost $1.25, a reserved grandstand seat $1, general admission grandstand 75 cents, and left-field bleacher seats 50 cents. Sounds inexpensive in today’s terms, but in those days, it was not.

The ballpark was a block and a half from the Schenley Hotel and about four miles from downtown Pittsburgh. Many people got there using the trolley or parking their cars on the winding roads in Schenley Park. Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning was not yet built.

The timing was perfect. The Pirates enjoyed their greatest season ever, posting a 110–42 record, a .724 winning percentage. They won the National League pennant and defeated the Detroit Tigers of Ty Cobb in the seventh game of the World Series. The .724 winning percentage is the best-ever by a World Serieswinning team and the most successful season in Pirates’ history.

Lessons Missed Cont. from page 21

Lesson Three: Don’t Forget Father Time

When my parents lived on Mitchell Drive in the Washington Terrace neighborhood of Upper St. Clair, my wife and I were visiting for dinner one evening. I had the occasion to use their basement bathroom, which had always been my father’s exclusive territory. The vanity was littered with tooth paste tubes, half-full coffee mugs, rusty woodworking tools, multiple toilet paper tubes, and his favorite foil-style Remington electric shaver.

I’d been using a Norelco electric shaver since high school, as its “floating rotary heads” cut whiskers without aggravating my teenage skin eruptions. But, I started to wonder if his foil shaver was better than my Norelco. Breaking the rules of etiquette and hygiene, I shaved the right side of my face. I was amazed that my skin was much smoother than the left side, which, of course, had been shaved with the Norelco. It was quite a revelation. After many years of using the rotary model, the foil style seemed truly better.

As soon as we came home, I placed my order for a Remington shaver on Amazon. When it arrived, I wanted to show my wife how much smoother my face would be with the scientifically-proven superior shaver. So, the next morning, I shaved half my face with my old Norelco and the other half with the new Remington. I asked her to check each side to see the dramatic difference. There was none. Both sides were equally smooth. Perplexed enough to fess up, I told her about the impolite, clandestine experiment I’d conducted in my father’s bathroom. She reminded me that I had used the Norelco in the morning, but tested the Remington at dinner time; comparing a freshly shaven cheek to one with a five o’clock shadow. Quite a blunder. I hid my embarrassment with action, carefully repackaging the nonreturnable Remington, and gift-wrapping it for my father’s upcoming birthday. When he opened the gift and thanked me for be-

VS ing such a thoughtful son, my wife rolled her eyes. I hope these experiences will motivate today’s students to pay close attention when teachers offer lessons in logic, common courtesy, and the scientific method. And fellas, if you use a Norelco, stick with it, even after Norelco Remington your eruptions go dormant. n For more local humor from Jay, check out his book, The Lighter Side of Upper St. Clair, available on Amazon. See more book ordering information on page 13. Contact Jay at bkefather@yahoo.com to share your thoughts and ideas.

Ty Cobb, a vicious competitor, was thought to be the meanest player in major league sports at the time. He was one of the murder suspects in Murder at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won the World Series, 4–3, with one tie over the New York Giants. Interesting that a tie game was called. There were four games decided by one run. It was an exciting series, featuring fireballer Smoky Joe Wood of the Red Sox and the great Christy Matthewson of the Giants. When I researched the grand opening of Forbes Field, I found many interesting factoids about the 1909 Pirates. Assuredly, it would have been a great beat for a sportswriter in those days, during a time when the Pirates put a lot of runs on the scoreboard. Not so much these days.

Honus Wagner, a home-grown great shortstop from Carnegie, led the National League in batting average (.339) and RBIs (100). He hit only five home runs. The Pirates, as a team, hit only 25 home runs that season in the deadball era. Fred Clarke was a star outfielder, as well the team’s manager. Yes, a playing manager. Wagner batted .333 in the World Series, with 8 for 24. The Pirates won the final game 8–0 by beating Detroit in Detroit. Howie Camnitz was second in the National League, with 25 wins (25–6), Vic Willis went 22–11, and Lefty Leifield went 19–8.

The Pirates roster was a delight to dwell upon, with names suitable for a Dickens novel. The lineup of Ward Miller, Chief Wilson, Sam Frock, Sam Leever, Deacon Phillips, Bill Powell, and Jimmy Wacker was perfect for headliners Paddy O’Connor, Jap Barbeau, Dots Miller, Bobby Byrnes, Alan Stocke, Ham Hyatt, Tommy Leech, Babe Adams and, yes, the unforgettable Kid Durbin. Lots of murder suspects there, no doubt, especially Kid Durbin or Paddy O’Connor. Take your pick.

During my research, I could not find anything about a murder at Forbes Field, so, I would have to make that part up. I asked my wife, Kathie, who reads lots of books and loves mysteries, if she had an idea for a story line.

“How about a betting or cheating scandal?” she said. “When did the White Sox throw the World Series?” Is it any wonder that I married this girl? The Chicago White Sox were involved in the

“Black Sox Scandal” in 1919, with eight of their players accused of throwing the series to the Cincinnati Red Sox in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate led by notorious gambler Arnold Rothstein. There were lots of bettors at the ballgames at Forbes Field, the third home of the Pirates and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Someone could be murdered at Forbes Field for failing to pay a gambling debt. That could surely be something to ponder. By sheer coincidence, there are photos in my office of Honus Wagner with Ty Cobb at that 1913 World Series, one of Babe Adams in an oval frame, two of Forbes Field, and one of a ticket office placard about ticket prices that I rescued from the wreckage when they leveled Forbes Field in 1971. I can imagine Wagner, Cobb, and Adams leaping off my wall some evening, taking chairs behind my writing desk, and sharing stories with me like the old ballplayers who came out of the corn fields in the Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers movie Field of Dreams. A friend and sports book reader of mine, Dr. Marvin Zelkowitz, a retired neurology specialist in suburban Chicago who was on my sports-writing staff at The Pitt News in the early ’60s, introduced me to a new word in my repertoire— anachronistic. I told him that I’d never used that word in any of my 30 books. He said it means “belonging to a period other than that being portrayed.” For instance, he said, “you wouldn’t have a jet plane flying overhead at Yankee Stadium when Lou Gehrig gave his final ‘Luckiest Guy’ farewell speech.” I looked it up and Gehrig gave that goodbye message on July 4, 1939. The first jet flight occurred on August 27, 1939. I see what Marvin meant. I’ll keep that word in mind if I decide to pen Murder at Forbes Field. While it would be my first venture into fiction writing, maybe it’s time I try. My friend Joe “Mr. Baseball” Landolina points out that Pittsburgh teams have, by coincidence, won three championships in Detroit: the Pirates in the World Series, the Steelers in the Super Bowl, and the Penguins in the Stanley Cup.

Pirates ace relief pitcher Babe Adams

Cont. on page 24

40th Legislative District 1121 Boyce Road, Suite 2200A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15241

724-942-2045 www.repmihalek.com Facebook.com/RepMihalek

Protecting the Commonwealth

Since being elected to office, a main priority of mine has been to protect victims of crime. As I have done for the last three years, I plan to continue this work by creating legislation aimed at preventing crime and protecting victims. Crime victims deserve the support of the commonwealth, including safe housing, counseling, and job stability.

Last year, I authored a bill that was signed into law as Act 32 of 2021. The law amends the human trafficking statute to prohibit defendants from introducing evidence of a human trafficking victim’s past sexual victimization and allegations of past sexual victimization. This legislation ensures that victims of human trafficking are afforded the same protections as victims of other sexual offenses. When evidence against the victim is brought up, it only discourages them from testifying and ensures that the trafficker gets away with their wrong doings. This law prohibits the defense from bringing up past events that are not relevant to the case.

Recently, I joined with Reps. Wendi Thomas, Tracy Pennycuick, Shelby Labs, and Meghan Schroeder to introduce the Safer PA Act. The package consists of six bills designed to ensure that victims feel safe and supported after a traumatic experience, and that the criminal justice system is equipped to increase public safety outcomes. • The Victims of Violence Employment Leave Act would authorize victims of violent crime and their immediate family members to take unpaid leave from work for any of the reasons set forth in the act, including the victim’s need to seek medical attention or the need to grieve the loss of a loved one killed in a homicide. • The Victims of Violence Landlord-Tenant Act would permit individuals to lawfully terminate residential leases when necessary as a result of the crime. • The Victims of Violence Emergency Relocation Act would expand protections to victims of other types of violent crimes, their immediate family or household members, and witnesses to violent crime who are threatened with further violence. • The Victims of Violence Compensation Act would update the

Crime Victims Act to ensure more victims receive the help they need and know their rights. • The Education Access and Incentivization in Corrections

Act would build on Pennsylvania’s commitment to education in the correctional system as a smart, proven public safety strategy. • The Sexual Assault Testing and

Evidence Collection Act would create an exception to reporting identifying information specifically in sexual assault cases where victims wish to remain anonymous.

These bills are just a few of the ways the legislature is working to protect Pennsylvania residents. Many state representatives also work directly with their local law enforcement to learn what types of programs and services are provided to the public that may be unknown, what resources the department needs to perform their job effectively, and tactics they use to deescalate situations and keep everyone as safe as possible. Our law enforcement is dedicated to keeping us safe, but there are things you can do to help protect yourself and others: • Be aware of your surroundings. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. • See something? Say something. Call 911 if you feel you are in immediate danger or witness someone else who looks to be in distress. If immediate danger isn’t present, but something still seems suspicious, call your local police station and be as descriptive as you can in your report. • Park in well-lit areas. If you are uncomfortable walking to your car, ask for an escort. • Always keep your car locked whether you are parked at home, at work, or at the store. • Keep your head up and your phone down. • If you are a victim of abuse, contact the police. Assault is a crime, whether it is mental or physical. • Invest in security cameras for your house. • Take a self-defense course.

My office recently held a Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence panel at the Bethel Park Historical Society. Panelists shared stories of survival and tips to stay safe. Guests included Rocco Magnelli, CSI Corporate Security and Investigations; Beatriz Harrison, director of Development of Refuge for Women Pittsburgh; Bridget Simunovic, FBI victim specialist; Karleigh, human trafficking survivor; and Chief Tim O’Connor, Bethel Park police chief. n

If you have questions about public safety matters or legislation, contact Rep. Mihalek’s office at 724-942-2045.

Murder at Forbes Field Cont. from page 23

I read a book in my personal library called Lost Ballparks by Lawrence S. Ritter, who is also the author of The Glory of Their Times. In it, he shared an illustrated chapter about Forbes Field that included this observation: “Home plate from Forbes Field is now on display under Lucite in the exact spot where it used to be, now in the lobby of the University of Pittsburgh’s Forbes Quadrangle building.” I’ve taught classes in Pittsburgh sports history in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in that building, and I know that statement to be untrue. If it were in the “exact spot,” it would be in the women’s restroom, a few feet away from where the plate now rests.

Part of the outfield wall of Forbes Field has been preserved, thankfully, and is the site of the annual “Gathering at the Wall” to celebrate the Pirates’ 1960 World Series victory over the New York Yankees, and, of course, Bill Mazeroski’s game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning at 3:36 p.m. on October 13.

And, while I contemplate my possible fiction writing assignment, I hope that you’ve enjoyed your sports history lesson for the day. n

Board of School Directors

Phillip J. Elias President pelias@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2023*

Barbara L. Bolas bbolas@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2023*

Michael R. Mascaro mmascaro@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2025*

Jennifer A. Schnore jschnore@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2025* Dr. Daphna Gans Vice President dgans@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2025*

Louis P. Mafrice, Jr. lmafrice@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2023*

Angela B. Petersen apetersen@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2023*

Dr. Danielle Z. Wetzel dwetzel@uscsd.k12.pa.us 2025*

*Date indicates expiration of term.

The list of the Upper St. Clair Board of School Director 2022 meeting dates is available on the District’s website: www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/schoolboard. Meetings typically begin at 7 p.m. in the District administration building.

Upper St. Clair School District Annual Notices

The required annual notices to parents of children who reside in the Upper St. Clair School District are available online. Visit the District website at www.uscsd.k12.pa.us. Click on Information and then select Compliance Notifications to view required state and federal notices and information.

www.uscsd.k12.pa.us

To reach personnel, call 412-833-1600, and follow the automated directions.

Administrator Secretary/Email Address Extension

Dr. John Rozzo ..........................................................Sarah MacDonald ................................... 2218 Superintendent of Schools smacdonald@uscsd.k12.pa.us Dr. Sharon Suritsky ..................................................Mary Beth Harkleroad ............................ 2214 Assistant/Deputy Superintendent mharkleroad@uscsd.k12.pa.us Amy Pfender ..............................................................Mary Beth Harkleroad ............................ 2214 Assistant Superintendent mharkleroad@uscsd.k12.pa.us Dr. Lou Angelo .........................................................langelo@uscsd.k12.pa.us .......................... 2272 Director of Operations & Facilities Ray Berrott ................................................................rberrott@uscsd.k12.pa.us ......................... 2059 Director of Technology Sean Bryson ..............................................................sbryson@uscsd.k12.pa.us ......................... 2560 Chief of School Police Dr. Judy Bulazo ........................................................Mary Beth Harkleroad ............................ 2214 Director of Curriculum and Professional Development mharkleroad@uscsd.k12.pa.us Scott Burchill ............................................................Dawn Machi ............................................ 2220 Director of Business and Finance dmachi@uscsd.k12.pa.us Ray Carson, Jr. ..........................................................Sarah MacDonald ................................... 2218 Senior Director of Operations & Administrative Services smacdonald@uscsd.k12.pa.us Cassandra Doggrell ..................................................Julie Karabinos........................................ 2116 Director of Special Education jkarabinos@uscsd.k12.pa.us Dr. Lauren Madia .......................................................Terri Lott ................................................. 2283 Director of Pupil Services tlott@uscsd.k12.pa.us Jonn Mansfield ...........................................................jmansfield@uscsd.k12.pa.us .................... 3450 Director of Transportation Tina Vojtko ....................... ........................................tvojtko@uscsd.k12.pa.us .......................... 2215 Communications Specialist Bradley Wilson .........................................................bwilson@uscsd.k12.pa.us ......................... 3318 Director of Strategic Initiatives

School District Central Office Administration

Dr. John Rozzo Dr. Sharon Suritsky Amy Pfender

Superintendent of Schools Assistant/Deputy Superintendent Assistant Superintendent

Scott Burchill Ray Carson, Jr. Dr. Lou Angelo Ray Berrott

Director of Business and Finance Senior Director of Operations & Administrative Services Director of Operations & Facilities Director of Technology

Dr. Judy Bulazo Director of Curriculum and Professional Development

Cassandra Doggrell Director of Special Education

Dr. Lauren Madia Director of Pupil Services

Bradley Wilson Director of Strategic Initiatives

School District Building Administration

Dr. Timothy Wagner

High School Principal

Dr. Daniel Beck

High School Assistant Principal

Cara Senger

High School Assistant Principal

Joseph DeMar

Fort Couch Middle School Principal

Erin Peterson

Fort Couch Assistant Principal

Dr. Daniel O’Rourke

Boyce Middle School Principal

Dr. Christine Mussomeli

Boyce Assistant Principal

Dr. Patrick McClintock-Comeaux

Baker Elementary School Principal

Mark Miller

Eisenhower Elementary School Principal/Supervisor of Elementary Education

Dr. Lindsay Klousnitzer

Streams Elementary School Principal

Upper St. Clair School District Annual Report: 2021

Dr. John T. Rozzo Superintendent of Schools

I am proud to introduce the 2021 annual report, which details how the students and staff of Upper St. Clair overcame the many challenges of the past year. The report highlights many of their accomplishments and further demonstrates the District’s commitment to excellence.

Beyond the classroom, our school community was flexible and creative to ensure that students had the opportunity to experience important milestone events. Whether it was hosting the first-ever homecoming dance in the high school stadium, performing in outdoor venues, or live-streaming events for families and friends, we were fully committed to providing a positive experience for our students and their families.

Throughout 2021, our students and our parent organizations made it a priority to demonstrate their appreciation for so many of our employee groups. Thank you for supporting our staff through these coordinated acts of kindness. These collective efforts are always appreciated.

As the information included in our annual report illustrates, despite the pandemic related challenges, amazing things continued to happen in our schools and classrooms. Now, more than ever before, it is important that we take time to recognize the many accomplishments and achievements of our students, our staff, and our USC schools. The annual report is a timely reminder of the unified effort needed to support our primary objective - educating the students of Upper St. Clair.

It is an incredible honor to serve as Upper St. Clair’s superintendent of schools. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely yours,

National Merit Scholarship Program

2022 Semi nalists Commended Students

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the PSAT – the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test – during the fall of their junior year. Semifinalist: scores in the top 1% Commended Students: scores in the top 3%

AP Scholars

2021 AP Scholar w/Distinction

2020

2019

2018 AP Scholar w/Honor AP Scholar 145

114

139

129

2017 138

0 30 60 90 120 150

AP Scholar with Distinction: average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams AP Scholar with Honor: average score of 3.25 or higher on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams AP Scholar: scores of 3 or higher on three or more exams • For the second consecutive year,

Upper St. Clair High School

Student Council was honored as a 2021 National Gold Council of

Excellence by the National Student

Council. Upper St. Clair is one of only nine Pennsylvania high schools recognized as 2021 National Council of Excellence Award Winners.

Nationwide, 251 high schools earned this achievement.

• Ten Upper St. Clair High School students earned Academic All-

American awards from the National

Speech & Debate Association. 2021 graduates Atharva Barve,

Antara Cleetus, Reshma Gudla and Sophia Shi as well as seniors

William Bacdayan, Scott Cheung,

Saif Durrani, Ammar Kethavath,

Rushikesh Kulkarni and Nitish

Sharma were honored for their academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence.

• Boyce Middle School sixth grader

Audrey Wetterau was honored with the NextUp Award for her extraordinary efforts through Socks

With A Mission (SWAM). Since founding SWAM two years ago,

Audrey has raised thousands of dollars and has distributed more than 30,000 socks to those experiencing homelessness in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.

• The Upper St. Clair Speech & Debate

Team won the school’s first ever

National Catholic Forensic League

Sweepstakes Award, the Daniel S.

Masterson, Jr. Award of Excellence

in Forensics. The honor is given to the top five schools in the tournament who showed excellence across interpretation, debate and rhetorical events.

• Fort Couch eighth grader Rohan

Mehta was crowned champion of

the Western Pennsylvania Spelling

Bee in March 2021. The runnerup was Boyce Middle School fifth grader Raana Parchuri, who won the previous year’s competition as a fourth grader.

• Sophia Shi, a 2021 Upper St. Clair

High School graduate, was named a Semifinalist for the 2021 U.S.

Presidential Scholars. Sophia was among approximately 625

Semifinalists who were selected from a pool of nearly 6,500 candidates.

• A team of Upper St. Clair High

School rising seniors earned top

honors in the Pennsylvania Future

Problem Solving State Finals. By finishing first, the team of Shivani

Jajoo, Aubrey Lang, Erin Payne and Nivedha Suresh qualified to represent Pennsylvania in the international competition.

• Samari Dreher was named a

National African American

Recognition Program Scholar and George Atencio was named a

National Hispanic Recognition

Program Scholar by the

College Board for their academic achievements and outstanding performance on the PSAT and/or AP exams.

• For the second year in a row, Upper

St. Clair High School’s Speech &

Debate team was named one of the

Top 100 schools in the National

Speech & Debate Association. In the 2020-21 school year, Upper St.

Clair ranked 38 out of more than 3,000 schools nationwide – up from 50 in 2019-20. • Junior Marina Gzikowski was named to the Work2BeWell

National Student Advisory

Council. She is working with other student leaders from across the nation to increase mental health awareness.

• Sophomore Mahir Parmar placed fifth at the Future Business

Leaders of America (FBLA)

National Leadership Conference, held virtually from June 29 through

July 2, 2021. Mahir competed in the

Introduction to Business category.

• 188 new members were inducted into the Upper St. Clair High School chapter of the National Honor

Society in May 2021.

• Juniors Ariana Braughler, Tiffany

Caskey and Lia Cortolillo were inducted into the National

Technical Honor Society. The students are enrolled in programs at

Parkway West Career & Technology

Center. • A team of Upper St. Clair High

School seniors placed second in the Odyssey of the Mind World

Finals.

• The girls varsity tennis team won the 2021 Class AAA WPIAL championship - the program’s first title in 18 years and 14th overall.

• The boys varsity basketball team won the WPIAL Class 6A championship - its first since 2005 and its third overall. The team advanced to the PIAA semifinals for the first time in school history.

• Upper St. Clair hosted the 2021

WPIAL swimming championships and leveraged its home field advantage to capture the WPIAL

Class AAA boys swim team

championship - the team’s first title in 10 years.

• Fort Couch eighth grader Olivia Fuscaldo earned second place in the 2021 NASA Student Art Contest. Olivia was one of 90 student artists recognized from among 773 entries nationwide.

• Boyce fifth grader Mira Murthy placed second in the nation in the 2021 National Chemistry

Week Illustrated Poem Contest, sponsored by the American

Chemical Society. Mira qualified for the national competition by earning first place at the regional competition, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Section of the

American Chemical Society.

2021 SAT averages

800

700

600

500

400

300

200 617

566

533

Upper St. Clair High School Pennsylvania

National Evidence-based Reading & Writing

634

557

528

Math

• Upper St.

Clair High

School ranks among the top high schools in the nation according to

U.S. News & World Report. The newspaper released its list of 2021 Best High

Schools on April 27, 2021. Ranked 19th in Pennsylvania, Upper St.

Clair is the fourth highest-ranking high school in Allegheny County.

Nationally, Upper St. Clair ranks 683rd out of nearly 18,000 public high schools in the nation.

• Upper St. Clair School District has been named among the nation’s Best

Communities for Music Education

by the NAMM Foundation for the sixth consecutive year. Upper

St. Clair is one of only 16 school districts in Allegheny

County, 109 in

Pennsylvania and 686 from across the country to earn the distinction in 2021. • Upper St. Clair School District’s elementary and middle schools have been named Best Elementary

Schools and Best Middle Schools

by U.S. News & World Report.

To earn a spot on the “Best” lists, a school must rank in the top 30% of public schools in its respective state. Boyce ranks fifth and Fort Couch ranks ninth among Pennsylvania’s 939 middle schools – both within the top 1% in Pennsylvania. Baker Elementary ranks 22nd; Eisenhower 44th; and

Streams 61st among Pennsylvania’s 1,607 elementary schools. All three Upper St. Clair elementary schools rank among the top 4% in

Pennsylvania. • All six Upper St. Clair schools earned the Anti-Defamation

League’s (ADL) 2020-2021 No

Place for Hate designation.

They are among the 50 schools throughout Ohio, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania that were recognized for their efforts.

Upper St. Clair

High School was honored with the All-Around

Award - one of just four schools to earn a special award from the ADL.

• Upper St. Clair High School was selected as a WPIAL

Sportsmanship Award winner for the 2020-2021 academic year. This marked the first year that Upper St.

Clair received this recognition since the award’s inception in 1996-1997.

• Erin Peterson,

Fort Couch

Middle School assistant principal, was recognized with the Leonard

R. Ference

Outstanding

Administrator Award from the

Pennsylvania Association of

Middle Level Educators (PAMLE).

The award, established in 2004, honors “administrators who value, understand and support middle level education practices that promote powerful learning for young adolescents.”

• Two Upper St. Clair middle school faculty members were honored with the Promising Practitioners Award from the Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education (PAMLE). Tonia Autieri, school counselor at Boyce Middle School, and Eliza Luxbacher, resource teacher at Boyce and special education teacher at Fort Couch

Middle School, were recognized during the PAMLE Virtual State

Conference 2021. The Promising

Practitioners Award “is presented to teachers who are just beginning their middle school careers. These beginning teachers have made a positive impact on both their school and community. They incorporate effective middle level practices in their everyday teaching.” • Heather Herbay, art teacher at Baker

Elementary School, presented at the

National Art Education Association (NAEA) National Convention.

Originally planned to take place in Chicago, the event was held virtually. More than 400 teachers registered for

Mrs. Herbay’s presentation,

“How to Rock the

Power of Paper,

Scissors, Glue &

A Pencil.”

• Kate Ruth, a reading specialist at

Fort Couch Middle School, was selected as a 2021 All-Star Teacher by the Pittsburgh Pirates. She was one of 18 teachers selected for this honor. Nominated for the recognition by the Fort Couch

Middle School administrators, Joe

DeMar and Erin Peterson, Mrs. Ruth was recognized for her caring and positive nature, content knowledge, teaching skills, energetic personality and unwavering commitment to her students and their learning.

• Pam Dillie, a third-grade teacher at Baker

Elementary and the district’s elementary science curriculum leader, was named the K-8 Science

Education Award winner from the

Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh. • Dr. Christine Mussomeli, Boyce

Middle School assistant principal, co-presented at the national 2021 WomenEd

US Virtual

Unconference.

The theme of the WomenEd

US Virtual

Unconference was Leading through an Epoch of Change. Dr. Mussomeli along with Dr. Nicole Roberts, a principal in the New Kensington-

Arnold School District, led the topic,

“How do We Move from Self-

Preservation Back to Self-Care?”

• Tracy Smith, Upper St. Clair High

School physics and robotics teacher, presented at the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association (PSTA) 2021 Virtual Conference: Innovating for the Future. Mrs. Smith presented on the topic, “Building a Community to Empower Student Innovators &

Entrepreneurs - Every Teacher’s

Role in Technology Education.”

• Upper St. Clair

High School math teacher

Michael Funfar recently added published author to his list of accomplishments.

Dr. Funfar contributed a chapter, titled “Out of Trauma Comes

Strength: The Trauma-Informed

Positive Education Model,” for the book, “Strategies and Methods for

Implementing Trauma-Informed

Pedagogy.”

Tonia Autieri Eliza Luxbacher

Safe & Healthy Schools

USC earns WELL Health-Safety Rating

In February 2021, all six Upper St. Clair schools earned the WELL HealthSafety Rating – marking the first school district to reach this achievement worldwide.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating through the International WELL Building Institute is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and space types focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment now and into the future.

This effort was fully funded through a grant from Highmark Foundation School Grants and Awards.

Designed to empower organizations to take the necessary steps to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and stakeholders, the WELL HealthSafety Rating can help guide users in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, instilling confidence in those who come through the building as well as the broader community.

“Our schools serve not only as learning environments for children, but also as workplaces for teachers and staff and as gathering spaces for communities,” said Rachel Hodgdon, IWBI president and CEO. “We applaud the Upper St. Clair School District for its leadership and commitment to evidence-based interventions that will help pave the way for schools everywhere that are navigating these pandemic times.”

In pursuing the WELL Health-Safety Rating, Upper St. Clair partnered with Advantus Engineers, LLC, which is led by Alicia Avick. In addition to serving as president of the engineering company, Ms. Avick is a graduate of Upper St. Clair High School as well as a parent of two Upper St. Clair students.

“As an engineer, with so much invested in sustainable and healthy buildings, and as a parent, I was impressed with all the steps Upper St. Clair was taking to keep our children in their school buildings,” Ms. Avick said. “Teaming them with our highly experienced Director of Sustainability, Angelica Ciranni, to review and refine the great strides already being taken, validates those efforts and provides a sciencebased framework for moving forward.” Upper St. Clair School District has been cited in numerous industry publications in association with the WELL Health-Safety Rating. In addition, Dan Synder, the district’s assistant director of facilities, served as a copresenter at the national EdSpaces Conference in November 2021.

Fiscal Responsibility

2021-2022 Budget

Despite the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the Upper St. Clair School District finished the 2020-21 fiscal year with a balanced budget. The district’s budget for 2021-22 totals $91,880,982, which included a 2.9% millage increase of 0.78 mills – resulting in a final millage rate of 27.6772 mills.

School districts throughout the nation received CARES Act and Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding to assist with pandemic-related expenses. In Pennsylvania, ESSER funding was distributed through the Pennsylvania Department of Education using the federal Title I formula.

At $824,511, the Upper St. Clair School District received among the lowest ESSER II and III funds and, at $204.69, the lowest per student allocation of the 665 Pennsylvania school districts and charter/cyber charter schools. Meanwhile, six cyber charter schools collected ESSER amounts ranging from $4,268,250 to $47,144,770.

At $824,511, the Upper St. Clair School District received among the lowest ESSER II and III funds and, at $204.69, the lowest per student allocation of the 665 Pennsylvania school districts and charter/cyber charter schools. Meanwhile, six cyber charter schools collected ESSER amounts ranging from $4,268,250 to $47,144,770.

In Upper St. Clair, 2020-21 ESSER funding was used to purchase technology, including student iPads, laptops, video-conferencing equipment, Promethean ActivPanels, as well as desk dividers. Use of ESSER funding for 2021-22 includes additional instructional technology, operations equipment, summer instructional remediation and COVID-19 contingency planning related to instructional models and curriculum.

REVENUE: $91,880,982

COVID Grants 0.90% Federal 0.53%

Local 78.05% State 20.52%

Throughout the 2021-22 budgeting process, the district’s leadership team and school board focused on three primary goals:

• Maintain a high-quality education for our students

• Balance the needs of the school district while recognizing its fiduciary responsibilities to the community

EXPENDITURES: $91,880,982

• Remain cognizant of the interdependence of all aspects that directly and indirectly affect the student school experience

Upper St. Clair’s budget is primarily funded by local taxpayers – amounting to more than 78% of all district revenues. State funding totals approximately 20%. Federal revenues – including Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds to offset COVID-related costs – accounts for less than two percent of the district’s funding. Other Purchased

Services 5% Purchased Services 2% Books/Supplies 5% Misc. Fees 6%

Other Uses 6%

“The 2021-22 budget is highly considerate of short and long-term financial health as well as maintaining excellence in education,” Scott Burchill, director of finance, said. “In addition to preserving all programs and activities, the district’s fund balance was not used for recurring costs in the 2020-21 nor the 2021-22 budget.” Contracted Services 4% Bene ts 28% Salaries 45%

Where are they now?

University of Akron, Main Campus University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama American Musical & Dramatic Academy American University Anderson University Anglo-American University The University of Arizona Baldwin Wallace University Belmont University Boston College Boston University Bucknell University University at Buffalo California University of Pennsylvania University of California, Berkeley Calvin University Cape Fear Community College Capital University Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Castleton University Chatham University University of Cincinnati, Main Campus Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clemson University Coastal Carolina University University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Community College of Allegheny County Connecticut College University of Connecticut Cornell University University of Dayton University of Delaware DePaul University Dickinson College DigiPen Institute of Technology Douglas J Aveda Institute Duke University Duquesne University Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Elizabethtown College Elon University Emory University Flagler College-St Augustine Florida Gulf Coast University Florida State University University of Florida Garrett College George Washington University Georgetown University

2021 Valedictorians: Benjamin Paul Bacdayan, Gabriella Jinelle Brubach, Richard Alexander Carlson, Christian Grant Chiu, Harrison Chui, Taylor Andrew Finkelstein, Reshma Gudla, Patrick Liam Joyce, Bryce Andrew Keating, Andrew Scott Levy, Madison Lynne Milone, Claudia Ying-Qi Ng, Abigail Barbara Rutkowski, Ryan Matthew Sarkett, Sophia M. Schlichting, Sophia Shi, Emma Brooks Skeel, Constantine Stephen Tripodes and Veronica Zhang.

Georgia Institute of Technology University of Georgia Harvard University High Point University Hofstra University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Indiana University, Bloomington Ithaca College James Madison University John Carroll University University of Kansas Kent State University at Kent University of Kentucky Liberty University Longwood University University of Louisville Lynn University Marietta College Miami University, Oxford University of Miami Michigan State University University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Middlebury College Millersville University of Pennsylvania Misericordia University New York University University of North Carolina at Asheville University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina State University, Raleigh University of Notre Dame Nova Southeastern University The Ohio State University Ohio University Parkway West Vocational Technical Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University, Altoona Pennsylvania State University, Allegheny Pennsylvania State University, Erie-Behrend University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown University of Pittsburgh Point Park University Purdue University, Main Campus Rhode Island School of Design Rhodes College Rider University Robert Morris University Rochester Institute of Technology Roosevelt University Rutgers University, New Brunswick Saint Francis University Saint Joseph’s University Saint Vincent College San Diego State University Seton Hill University Slippery Rock University University of South Carolina, Columbia University of Southern California St. John’s University, New York SUNY Morrisville Syracuse University The University of Tampa Temple University Temple University, Japan The University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of Toledo Truckee Meadows Community College Tulane University of Louisiana Universal Technical Institute Vanderbilt University Villanova University Virginia Polytechnic Institute Washington & Jefferson College Washington University in St. Louis Waynesburg University West Virginia University Westminster College University of Wisconsin, Madison The College of Wooster Yale University York College of Pennsylvania

Members of the Upper St. Clair school board elected Philip Elias as president and Dr. Daphna Gans as vice president during its annual December reorganization meeting. Both offices are one-year appointments. Phil, who served as vice president during 2021, was first elected to the school board in 2015. Daphna is beginning her second four-year term on the school board. Dr. John Rozzo, superintendent of schools, thanked outgoing president Patrick Hewitt for his leadership. Pat, a six-year member of the school board, served as president throughout 2021. On January 31, 2022, Pat resigned from the board.

Three board members were sworn in by Judge Arnold Klein of Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Jennifer Schnore, who was re-elected in November, will serve another four-year term.

New Board Members

The school board welcomed two newly elected board members. Michael Mascaro and Dr. Danielle Wetzel.

Michael, a 1992 USCHS graduate, is a lifetime resident of Upper St. Clair. As executive vice president for Mascaro Construction Company, he oversees the organization’s human resources, wellness, marketing, and business development departments. Michael and his wife, Libby, have two middle school-aged daughters.

An 18-year resident of Upper St. Clair, Danielle serves as a professor and director of writing and communication at Carnegie Mellon University. She is experienced in teacher training, curriculum design, and assessment. Danielle and her husband, Robert, have four daughters: three enrolled in USC schools and a 2020 graduate.

Danielle and Michael take over for Jennifer Bowen, who served one four-year term, and Louis Mafrice Jr., who served three terms (12 years)—neither of whom sought re-election.

Continuity

On November 8, 2021, the school board accepted the resignation of Amy Billerbeck. By law, school boards must name a replacement within 30 days of resignation. To ensure continuity, members of the school board unanimously approved the appointment of outgoing board member Louis Mafrice, Jr. to serve the remaining two years of Amy’s four-year term.

This past year, Louis was named to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s Honor Roll of School Board Service. During his 12-year tenure on the school board, he served as vice president in 2013 and president in 2014.

Thank You

Leaving the school board at the end of 2021 were Amy Billerbeck and Jennifer Bowen.

Amy served as school director for 14 years—December 2007–November 2021. During her tenure, she served four oneyear terms as board president (2009, 2010, 2018, and 2019) and two one-year terms as vice president (2008 and 2017). She was highly involved with the Parkway West Career & Technology Center, the Youth Steering Committee of Upper St. Clair (YSC), and the District’s Parent Teacher Council and building-level parent organizations.

Jennifer served as school director from December 2017 through December 2021. During her time on the board, she played a leadership role with the YSC and served on the Board Governance and Capital Projects Review ad hoc committees.

Thank you to Amy and Jennifer for their dedicated service to our community! n

Michael Mascaro Dr. Danielle Wetzel Louis Mafrice, Jr. Amy Billerbeck Jennifer Bowen

USC’s Elementary and Middle Schools Named “Best”

This past fall, all of the School District’s elementary and middle schools were named Best Elementary Schools and Best Middle Schools by U.S. News & World Report. To earn a spot on the “Best” lists, a school must rank in the top 30% of public schools in its respective state.

Boyce ranked fifth and Fort Couch ranked ninth among Pennsylvania’s 939 middle schools, both within the top one percent in Pennsylvania. Baker ranked 22nd, Eisenhower 44th, and Streams 61st among Pennsylvania’s 1607 elementary schools. All three elementary schools rank among the state’s top four percent.

According to U.S. News & World Report, “Schools were assessed on their pupils’ proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by state assessment tests. Half of the ranking formula was the results themselves; the other half was the results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are high achieving ones that succeeded in educating all of their students. All data for the rankings are from third-party sources, including the U.S. Department of Education.” The state assessment data used in the rankings are from the 2018–19 school year.

While U.S. News & World Report has been ranking high schools since 2007, this year marks the first time that rankings extended to elementary and middle schools. n

The School-Wide Enrichment Program (SWEP III) at Streams Elementary is blooming this year— quite literally. “With the new science curriculum at the elementary level, we thought it would be great to build on the in-class plant science units by providing a special extension for all second and third grade students,” said Mary Quinn, Streams’ enrichment resource teacher.

Each of the nearly 200 students who have been studying bulbs had the opportunity to plant and nurture a paperwhite bulb. Each second and third grade class attended a special weekly session instructed by Mary, as well as by Sheila Gorgonio, technical instructional aide. In addition to caring for their bulbs, students learned the parts of a bulb, including scales, roots, basal stem, bud, leaves, and tunic.

This study of plants, appropriately named “Flower Power,” will continue throughout the remainder of the school year. “We plan for this SWEP III study to expand and focus on different kinds of plants and how they are grown,” said Mary. “Our hope is to enhance the students’ learning and engage them in higher level thinking as we experiment and explore plant life.”

Funding for this project was provided by a grant from the Tanger Outlets that was awarded to Lauren Bogus, Streams second grade teacher, and a matching donation from Angela Petersen, a member of the Upper St. While learning about bulbs, students at Clair school board. n Streams planted paperwhites.

Bus Stuffed with Kindness

Fifth and sixth graders at Boyce Middle School worked to stuff a bus to brighten the winter holidays for others. The school’s nearly 600 students loaded a school bus with gift bags filled with tokens of support, friendship, and love. A Boyce tradition for more than 20 years, the Friendship Shoebox project asks students to fill a package with small gifts to brighten the holidays for another child. The project is organized by the Boyce Middle School counselors, Amy Antonio and Tonia Autieri.

The gift bags were delivered to children in Washington County through Merakey, a nonprofit organization that serves children and families in need. The boxes were then distributed to children in foster care, as well as to those who receive services from Washington County Children and Youth Services and a local soup kitchen. The annual project has evolved to adjust to COVID protocols. In previous years, packages traveled throughout the school, passing from student to student, to fill a box truck. But this year, the students gradually filled a school bus.

“This year, our students continued to purchase small gifts for a child in need. But instead of wrapping shoeboxes in class, we provided a plain gift bag with tissue and a tag to each student that they then decorated independently in guidance class,” said Amy. “This allowed them to use their personal creativity to make a unique bag for a child and add their purchased gifts to the bag.”

The school counselors wanted all students to participate in the project, remote or in-person during the pandemic, because they believe it helps to foster an awareness of others in need and provides the opportunity to make a difference. Community service projects, like the Stuff-a-Bus Friendship Shoeboxes, provide valuable learning opportunities for students. “Most importantly, it teaches kids that giving, and not always receiving, can be just as rewarding,” said Tonia. “We teach kindness each day to our students, but this project demonstrates what true kindness really is.” n

Enthusiasm Builds for USC Robotics

Under the leadership of Tracy Smith, USCHS physics and robotics teacher, after-school robotics teams have formed at Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools, as well as at the high school. She hopes the USC Robotics Club educates and inspires students to embrace technology and imagine what they could create using it.

“Pittsburgh is currently a worldwide epicenter for robotics technology. This is unbelievably exciting! Unfortunately, the majority of students in the Pittsburgh area are not exposed to skill sets that are involved in this industry. Some may not be involved because their school does not offer programs, while others may not be involved because they don’t understand how content, including programming, engineering, and robotics, is relevant to future careers in their areas of interest,” said Tracy. “I am doing my best, through various means, to make sure that Upper St. Clair School District not only has diverse STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) opportunities in which to participate, but also to demonstrate to students how skill sets using innovation and technology can transfer to all future careers.”

Soon after Tracy joined the USC faculty in 2003, she formed the first robotics club at the high school. Through a grant from the Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair, she purchased a small number of LEGO robotics kits. “That year, I went to a FIRST Robotics competition and was wowed by what I saw, but also extremely intimidated. Without having formal robotics education, starting a FIRST™ (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team seemed outside of what I was capable of handling as a new teacher.”

Nearly two decades later, Tracy met with two FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams, as well as other former FIRST coaches in the community who offered their support to implement FIRST Robotics at USC. “I realized how another two decades could easily pass by if I didn’t step up and take on the challenge to get involved with FIRST,” said Tracy. “Our students not only deserve this opportunity, but need more outlets to

Thoro engineers visited the high school.

be innovative, implementing skill sets learned in the classroom and challenging themselves to try something new.”

In addition to revitalizing the high school’s USC Robotics Club, Tracy recognized the need to introduce robotics much earlier. Working with Dr. Timothy Wagner, USCHS principal, she proposed the USC Robotics Club reach out to the USC middle schools to help start FIRST Lego League (FLL) Challenge teams for students in grades five through eight. Her thought was that the high school FIRST team members, as well as other interested students, could mentor the middle school teams.

“I couldn’t let go of the idea that starting at the high school was too late. Teachers Matt Henderson at Boyce and Jason O’Roark at Fort Couch offered to join the initiative and are the dedicated FLL coaches at their respective schools,” said Tracy. “Though the roll out during a COVID year did not go exactly as planned, this year we were successful at incorporating three FIRST Tech Challenge teams at the high school, four FLL Challenge teams at Fort Couch, and four FLL Challenge teams-in-training at Boyce,” she said.

The outpouring of interest and support for USC Robotics has been incredible. At the high school, more than 25 students are participating on official FTC teams, and approximately ten other students attend club meetings to learn more about robotics. “To say that there is interest is an understatement,” said Tracy. “Though most of the high school teams this year primarily consisted of male students, I am working on having an all-female FTC team next year. I notice the aptitude of female students in this school with respect to problems solving, innovation, and technology, and I realize that USC females could have a dominating presence in the FIRST Robotics community.” Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools have also experienced an enthusiastic response from students. “At the middle school level, the response was overwhelming! We were not prepared for the heightened interest that we had at the beginning of the school year,” said Tracy. “Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions and limited resources, we could only accommodate 24 students at each of the middle schools.” For next year, Tracy is looking into how all interested students can get involved on a FLL Challenge team. “For this year, we plan on offering a second semester robotics club opportunity for students who were not able to be involved in the first semester official FLL competition,” she said. In addition to student interest, parents and staff members have shown their support and excitement for the program. “The support from staff and parents is amazing! The amount of work that teachers and parents are putting into a successful first year of FIRST is heartwarming,” said Tracy. “As with all new programs, there have been hiccups in getting started. Luckily, these haven’t deterred the support and enthusiasm from staff and parents, alike.” There are multiple ways that parents and community members can support USC Robotics efforts, including guest speakers, volunteer coaches and mentors, and community sponsors. “We are always looking for guest speakers and mentors for both the USC Robotics Club and USC classes related to programming, engineering, and robotics,” said Tracy “The more practical applications the students are exposed to, the more relevant their formal education will be, and the more likely they will be to get involved in various extracurricular opportunities related to innovation and technology.”

Volunteers are needed to serve as coaches and mentors for the many robotics teams. “We do not have enough teachers to manage the team interest at the middle schools and the high school,” said Tracy. “Parent coaches and mentors play a vital role in having FLL and FTC teams. In order to grow this program, we need additional parent and community involvement.”

The USC Robotics Club has corporate and community sponsorship opportunities for those willing and able to help financially support this initiative. “We continue to look for company and community sponsors to help with the high cost of this technology-driven opportunity,” said Tracy. “In general, we are looking at minimum costs of around $1500 for each FLL team and $3000 for each FTC team.”

To date, more than one-third of the program’s startup expenses have been covered through financial support from the following organizations: Arconic, Eaton, KSG Orthodontics, Locomation, Mascaro Construction, RoCo Global, STEM4YINZ Learning, and Thoro. USC Robotics continues to consider other sources of funding, including grants and fundraisers.

Thoro, an autonomous systems company with customers worldwide, recently announced its support for USC Robotics. In addition to providing financial contribution, Thoro’s engineers are sharing their knowledge of robotics engineering with technology classes and student teams as they prepare to participate in upcoming robotics competitions.

A team of Thoro engineers visited USCHS this past December to share their knowledge and expertise of autonomous mobile robotics. More than 100 students enrolled in the school’s technology classes attended the presentation. “Investing in the next generation of engineers and roboticists is something that we’re passionate about; it’s how many of us got our start in this field. I was involved with a similar robotics program during high school, and our sponsor was critical to the enthusiasm, knowledge, and success of my team,” said Leo Agafonov, head of field operations at Thoro. “We’re eager to share the inner workings of the software and sensors that power our autonomous mobile robots, especially since the students are familiar with our autonomous cleaning scrubbers that sanitize their hallways every day,” he said. n

The team of Ian Putorti, Daniyal Badaruddin, Callum Pollock, Preston McLeod, Ryan Katukota, and Miles Unger, who named themselves The Unreliable Delivery Service, earned second place among 33 teams in the Core Values competition in the regional FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics grand championship held this past December. The teams were given tasks and evaluated on how they functioned as a group. “The students did a wonderful job demonstrating kindness, professionalism, and a sense of humor as they interacted with each other and the judges,” said Jason O’Roark, Fort Couch Middle School gifted and accelerated math teacher.

Transportation Haven team of Jillian Paoly, Sofia Alfredson Themudo, Zahra Khan, Adam Henry, Liam Dunn, and Jacob Clougherty received special recognition for their innovation project. They were tasked with improving the transportation of products.

The students prepared for the competition throughout the fall semester, as they built and programmed robots to complete missions, used problems solving skills as they developed their innovation project, and learned to work as a team. Another piece of the competition was the robot game, where teams used their programmed robots to earn points by completing missions. This was the first year that Upper St. Clair has sponsored

FLL robotics teams. “Considering that this was our first year, the teams did quite well, with many finishing in the middle of the pack,” said Jason. “We look forward to applying what we’ve learned this year to future seasons so that we can improve as the students and program grow within the USC Robotics program.”

In total, 24 Fort Couch students, divided among four teams, competed in the regional competition. In addition to the team members who earned recognition, other Fort Couch participants included Luke An, Trevor Bhandari, Aadhi Bharath, Nikhil Chandran, Jackson Galbraith, Rohan Inampudi, Arth Italiya, Siddharth Kumar, Anish Moilla, Nikita Polstyanko, Harish Rajaganapathy, and Varun Thangella.

In its first year, the USC Robotics program has benefited from the generosity of parents, community members, and sponsors. n

Fort Couch teams at the regional FIRST LEGO League robotics grand championship Members of Team Unreliable Delivery Service

For a complete list of sponsors and more information about USC Robotics, visit www.uscrobotics.org.

History Bowl Results

Two teams of Fort Couch Middle School students tied for first place in the sixth–eighth grade division of the regional History Bowl at Pittsburgh’s Senator John Heinz History Center. The eighth grade team of Sofia Alfredson Themudo, Chloe Bird, Sara Gillespie, Kaia Petrick, and Ellie Simons and the seventh grade team of Molly Biedrzycki, Emma Eannarino, Lizzie Myers, and Hayley Zeringue took top honors. A third team from Fort Couch placed second in the bowl, including eighth graders Ayan Amin and Tony Chen, and seventh graders Colt Erdos, Ryan Katukota, and Myles Owens.

“Throughout the day-long event, students used their knowledge of the humanities, along with problem solving, reasoning, critical thinking skills, and creativity as they Eighth grade first place team, left to right: completed four competitive experiences,” said Connie Gibson, Fort Couch gifted edu- Kaia Petrick, Sara Gillespie, Ellie Simons, cation coordinator. The competition’s four challenges included Pittsburgh: A Tradition Sofia Alfredson Themudo, Chloe Bird of Innovation and Pittsburgh Past and Present, Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum and Sports Trivia, Heinz Exhibit and Heinz by the Numbers, and Sigo Falk Collections Center with Interview with History. Serving as mentors for the event were Connie, as well as Sherri Garvey, gifted/enrichment resource teacher at Boyce Middle School. Sponsored by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, the oneday event challenges students to find answers to questions, think and write creatively, and practice problem solv-

Seventh grade first place team, left to right: ing as they explore the history center’s Molly Biedrzycki, Emma Eannarino, exhibits. n

Hayley Zeringue, Lizzie Myers

USCHS Girls’ Tennis Crowned WPIAL Champs

Third-seeded USCHS girls’ tennis team, under head coach Renee Russell, collected its first WPIAL 3A title since 2003, defeating top-seeded Greater Latrobe, 4–1, this past fall.

USC picked up a pair of victories in first and third-flight singles. Maggie Stief bested Jenna Bell (6–4, 6–0) and Claire Loomis defeated Avery Massaro in straight sets (6–3, 7–5). Greater Latrobe pulled a win back after Carolina Walters topped Evie Ellenberger by a 6–2, 6–2 decision.

The Panthers swept doubles to capture the WPIAL crown. Leah Lund and Hope Krawczyk bested Greater Latrobe’s Maya Jain and Emily Pierce, ultimately winning the top-flight played bout with a 7–5, 7–6 (1). In the second flight, Izzy Yoos and Victoria Semenov were victorious in two sets (6–4, 6–0) over Josie Marts and Bridget McHugh.

Congratulations to the WPIAL champions, USCHS girls’ tennis team! n

Honoring Retired Coach Jim Render

Retired Upper St. Clair High School football coach Jim Render was recognized for his service to the school community on Friday, October 22, 2021, when the new panther statue located within the stadium and legacy hallway near the football locker room were unveiled in his honor. The hallway features photos and milestones from throughout Coach Render’s four decades as head coach of the school’s varsity football team, as well as other significant highlights of the football program. Funds for the statue and hallway were raised by former football players and their friends and family through a committee for Upper St Clair football. For 40 years, Jim worked under the Friday night lights as head coach of the Upper St. Clair Panthers. He retired with one of the most distinguished and successful careers of any coach in any sport in WPIAL history. Under his leadership, USC earned 23 conference titles, five WPIAL titles, and two state championships. With a career record of 406 wins, Jim holds the most wins of any high school football coach in WPIAL history and is the 25th winningest coach in the nation.

Coach Render was inducted into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Hall of Fame and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Lou Holtz Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame and was nominated by the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award. n

—Photos courtesy of Tina Vojtko, USCSD Communications Specialist

Musicians Selected

Speech & Debate Team Ranks 38th Nationally

Danny Holzer, longtime social studies teacher and boys’ varsity basketball coach, was named Upper St. Clair School District’s athletic director, effective February 1, 2022. The school board approved his five-year appointment on Monday, January 31.

“I am incredibly humbled for this opportunity to give our student-athletes and coaches the support and positive guidance they need to be successful on and off the playing fields,” Danny said. Serving as the District’s interim athletic director since October, Danny has been working with coaches, staff, and student-athletes throughout the last few months.

“Without question, I have enjoyed working with and getting to know all of our coaches, administrators, and, certainly, our athletics department staff of Kim Valeriano and Greg Wagner,” said Danny. “However, what I’ve enjoyed the most is watching our student-athletes compete. Serving as interim athletic director has allowed me to see and be a part of all our sports programs.”

Danny will continue to serve as the boys’ varsity basketball coach. Now in his 27th season as head coach, he led his teams to three WPIAL championship titles, one WPIAL runner-up finish, and eight section titles. His teams have advanced to the playoffs 22 out of the past 26 years. This season, Danny exceeded 450 career wins, and at the time of printing, the Panthers were in the race for the section title.

Prior to taking the helm at Upper St. Clair, Danny served as an assistant coach at Duquesne University, California University of Pennsylvania and his alma mater, Thomas Jefferson High School. During his high school years, he was a three-year starter at TJ and then continued his athletic career at Alliance College before earning a bachelor’s degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania. n

Danny Holzer

Several USCHS musicians were selected by competitive audition to participate at upcoming Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 1 band and orchestra festivals.

The PMEA District 1 Honors Orchestra Festival was held this past November at Fox Chapel Area and Bethel Park high schools. Six USC students—Rumaysa Alam, viola; Leona Chen, violin II; Sophie Chen, violin II; Miriam Gutensohn, violin I; Joe Phillips, cello; and Isabella Zhang, violin II—were selected to participate.

PMEA District Orchestra members

The PMEA District 1 Honors Band Festival was held this past November at North Hills High School. Participants from USC included Phoebe Chen, flute I; Lauren Tenney, clarinet II; Leah Henning, clarinet III; Susan Liu, clarinet alternate; Gabe Pacella, trumpet II; and Ben Wasson, bass trombone.

The PMEA District 1 Band West Festival took place in January at Duquesne University. USC musicians included Phoebe Chen, flute; Eleanor Alford, oboe; Lauren Tenney, clarinet II; Leah Henning, clarinet II; Susan Liu, clarinet II; Gabe Pacella, trumpet II; and Ben Wasson, bass trombone.

PMEA District 1 includes school districts from Allegheny, Fayette, Green, Washington, and Westmorland counties. PMEA Region 1 comprises PMEA District 1 and District 5, which includes Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, and Mercer counties. n

PMEA is a statewide nonprofit organization of more than 4500 members dedicated to promoting the musical development of all Pennsylvanians. The organization promotes and supports quality music education, learning, and performance. PMEA is affiliated with The National Association for Music Education.

For the second year in a row, USCHS’s Speech & Debate team was named one of the Top 100 schools in the National Speech & Debate Association. In the 2020–21 school year, USC ranked 38th out of more than 3000 schools nationwide, up from 50th in the 2019–20 school year. “Due to the number of students involved in your speech and debate program and the degrees they have earned through competition, leadership, and service, your school was named one of the top programs in the nation,” said J. Scott Wunn, NSDA executive director. “This is the most prestigious membership award the association bestows upon a school,” he said.

Students earn honor society points and degrees based on participation, which contribute to a school’s strength points. The team achieved 445 or more strength points last year, earning membership in the NSDA’s 400 Club for the second consecutive year. “Your club award is remarkable because it demonstrates outstanding commitment to teaching students essential life skills, including communication, research, listening, writing, and organization,” said Mr. Wunn. “The hard work you have invested to achieve this distinction will pay dividends for years to come.”

Last spring, the team placed second overall at the Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSSL) state tournament. The team won Speech Sweepstakes and was third in Debate. Last June, the team won the school’s first-ever National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) sweepstakes award, the Daniel S. Masterson, Jr. Award of Excellence in Forensics. This honor is given to the top five schools in the tournament that show excellence across interpretation, debate, and rhetorical events.

During the 2020–21 school year, ten USCHS students earned Academic All-American awards from the National Speech & Debate Association, including 2021 graduates Atharva Barve, Antara Cleetus, Reshma Gudla, and Sophia Shi, as well as current seniors William Bacdayan, Scott Cheung, Saif Durrani, Ammar Kethavath, Rushikesh Kulkarni, and Nitish Sharma. n

While it may seem a bit unusual to see coverage of fall festivities as we anticipate spring, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the high school’s homecoming celebration. Homecoming Week 2021 kicked-off on September 26 with the Hollywood homecoming parade, followed by the annual powderpuff football game between junior and senior females. This year boasted one of the largest turnouts for the powderpuff game, which raised more than $1000 to benefit St. Clair Health’s Breast Care Center. Ninety-three junior and senior girls participated, and eight junior and senior varsity football players served as coaches. Following a late game interception, the juniors defeated the seniors, 14–7.

High school seniors Joey Baird and Kathleen Gianni were crowned homecoming king and queen during halftime of the varsity football game on October 1. The homecoming court also included seniors Sarah Christensen, Marina Makoul, Tori Slagle, Izzy Yoos, Jake Fisher, Andrew Miller, Porter Rauch, and RJ Shontz. A good night got even better when the Panthers defeated Peters Township, 31–3, on the football field.

Homecoming Week concluded with the homecoming dance at the school’s stadium. A record 1028 tickets were sold for the event that featured music, dancing, twinkling lights, and a 45-foot Hollywood sign that could be seen from Route 19! n —Photos courtesy of Lily Tarcson, USCHS senior, and Tina Vojtko, USCSD Communications Specialist

Parent Teacher Council (PTC) Gina Swanson, President

Upper St. Clair School District (USCSD) is truly a special place, and as president of the Parent Teacher Council (PTC), I am proud to be part of this organization that functions as a liaison between the District and school families. Throughout the District, you will see the message of Unity, Success, Character. The PTC aims to embody these goals.

Unity. With monthly meetings, the PTC provides for timely updates of the activities in each of the school buildings. This school year, the traditional PTC Open Mic has been replaced with a segment of the PTC meeting, where the District administration is available to respond to questions. This allows for more timely communication and feedback, and ultimately for greater unification.

Success. There are accolades too numerous to mention from academic achievement, athletic victories, and awe-inspiring artistic and musical performances. From a very young age, students see that the result of their hard work and dedication is success. The PTC sponsors the Scripps Spelling Bee, the Arts in USC competition, and the STEAM Club to allow students the opportunity to shine.

Character. While character development isn’t part of a typical classroom education, it is definitely a focus in the USCSD. From the elementary and middle school levels to the high school, there are multiple opportunities for students to learn the benefit of helping others, and to recognize the students who have demonstrated outstanding behavior. Additionally, the PTC sponsors the Wellness Committee, which helps USCSD students navigate the challenges facing them in today’s world.

Interested to become involved in this partnership between the families and administration of USCSD? Start by attending PTO meetings where your child attends school and also the monthly PTC meetings. (Check the USCSD website for the most upto-date scheduling information.) Encourage your student to get involved in any of the PTC-sponsored activities, and then volunteer! The PTC and other parent organization are always in need of volunteers committed to helping achieve our goals.

High School PTSO Maria Cedar, President

This spring, there is enthusiasm to get back to traditional activities. Social connections enrich our lives, and the PTSO’s goal is to support a nurturing and caring environment for our children. We are also looking forward to supporting our teachers and staff the best way we can. Educators enhance the lives of our students by helping them grow and succeed. We are grateful for the continued dedication of our administration, school board, music and theater department, athletic department, Youth Steering and Wellness committees, transportation, and custodial staff. We have a wonderful team of committed individuals.

The PTSO thanks our parents for their enthusiastic support. Always open to input and ideas, PTO meetings are held virtually. Attend! It is exciting to see visions come to life.

Fort Couch PTSO Sarah Beitler, President

Things have been busy at The Fort! The year 2021 ended with an outstanding Reach Out campaign, where the students were recognized for raising $21,574 for four charities: Chance to Change Lives–Kids, Giant Eagle gift cards for use by the USC Police Department for the community, Bike MS, and Hope for Haiti. Teacher Eliza Luxbacher said, “It has been empowering to see students share their energy with us in an effort to make Reach Out so incredibly successful this year. I am inspired by the kids and their leadership, resilience, and flexibility in a continually changing and challenging new mode of learning.”

The PTSO held a teacher appreciation lunch before winter break, and our musical students had their respective concerts and performances. A team of students placed second in a robotics competition and two teams tied for first place at the regional History Bowl. (See page 38 for the related articles.) The PTSO sponsored the Spelling Bee this February. Our PTSO is proud of our students in whatever areas they choose to pursue.

The PTSO is looking ahead to spring and celebrating our graduating eighth graders, as we send them off to the high school this coming fall. We are reaching out to rising seventh and eighth grade parents, asking them to consider becoming a part of the PTSO, either on the executive board or as a committee chair/member. To learn more about how to get involved or if you have questions, contact me at fcptsopresident@ gmail.com. Being a part of the PTSO is a great way to support your child’s school and stay connected with everything going on with your student.

Check out the PTSO’s website at uscsd. k12.pa.us/domain/321 and “like” our Facebook page at facebook.com/FortCouchPTSO to stay current on happenings at The Fort.

Boyce PTO Pamela Scureman, President

Recently, U.S. News & World Report released its results of the Best Middle Schools, based on 2018–19 school year data; Boyce ranked fifth in the state. To highlight some reasons why Boyce is such a great school for which the ranking may not have accounted, we reached out to Boyce staff, parents, and students to ask, “For you, why is Boyce Middle School a great place?” Check out the responses by viewing the QR codes found below.

Our children spend a very quick two years at Boyce. It’s easy to blink an eye and miss how important that the time at this gem of school is for them. These are the years that young children transition to teenagers and the time when they begin to learn how to manage their time, friends, and projects on their own. These two years are special to our children. The staff and administration realize this, and they strive to deliver a rewarding experience for all Boyce students.

Baker PTA Sarah Cranganu, President

There are many features that make Baker the special place that it is, notably among them are the “specials” classes and teachers. Baker students have weekly sessions in art, Baker Buzz, gym, library, music, and Spanish; and they benefit from the opportunity to learn and grow in these content areas.

Baker PTA is excited to provide new materials and resources for students to use during their specials classes by using funds collected through PTA membership and fundraisers. These items enhance their enjoyment of these classes during their time at Baker and include iPad stands, musical instruments, and gym equipment, among others.

This spring, Baker PTA, in cooperation with Baker resource teachers, is looking

... a USC Parent Teacher Council Feature

forward to implementing a sensory garden to provide an opportunity for students to relax and explore in an outdoor setting, highlighting the interesting smells, textures, and sounds of nature. Baker is a special place to learn, discover, and grow!

Eisenhower PTO Justine Walker, President

With the uncertainty of upcoming events, I would like to showcase why Eisenhower is a special community. I’m excited to share a few thoughts that highlight how much Eisenhower means to its students and parents. Students called out: • Eisenhower has the best teachers! Best principal! Best playground! • Our principal is really fun! • All of the students at Eisenhower are nice, so it’s easy to make friends. • Eisenhower is the best place to be because it has the best teachers. • Eisenhower has the best teachers in the world because they make me laugh. Parents agreed: • I love Eisenhower! The educational environment is both nurturing and challenging.

The faculty and staff create a warm and positive sense of community. • Eisenhower is special because of the teachers. They do whatever it takes to make sure all students are successful. • Eisenhower is special to our family! The school and staff go above and beyond for our children’s growth and education. The families are wonderful and are eager to help out. It is just as special to our kids today as it was to us years ago when we were students! It really is a community inside our community. • Eisenhower is special for so many reasons.

To sum it up, Eisenhower makes us feel at home. From the moment you walk into the building, you feel the warmth and welcomeness created by the caring staff and teachers.

Streams PTO Jennifer Clougherty, President

At Streams, the PTO is excited to again offer some of our normal events! Before winter break, our students attended the Holiday Shop to purchase gifts for family members to celebrate the season. They also enjoyed their classrooms’ winter parties! To show support for the wonderful Streams staff, the PTO sponsored a staff appreciation luncheon.

The first event of the new year was the bi-annual Streams “Soaring with Talent” Show, where students of all grades were invited to perform their act for peers and parents. Students could also test their spelling abilities at the Streams Spelling Bee held in early February. The Scholastic Book Fair visited Streams in the spring to encourage our students to continue reading both in school and on their own time.

The Streams PTO is thrilled to host Streams Stravaganza, the school’s biggest family fundraiser of the year. Usually held in October, this year, the night of fun and games was moved to May, so that it can be safely hosted outside. Field Day is being planned for late spring, another opportunity for students to play games and have fun with their classmates near the end of the school year.

While we are still working towards having a more typical agenda, the Streams PTO is grateful for the opportunities that we’ve provided to our Streams families this year! n

Teacher Co-Authors Peer-Reviewed Book

Upper St. Clair High School mathematics teacher Dr. Michael Funfar contributed a chapter titled “Out of Trauma Comes Strength: The Trauma-Informed Positive Education (TIPE) Model” for the book Strategies and Methods for Implementing TraumaInformed Pedagogy, which was released in fall 2021.

According to the publisher, IGI Global, the reference book “explains the effects of trauma and the ways in which it manifests in children, explores resources and community options to support children who have experienced trauma, presents strategies to help students who have experienced trauma to learn in the classroom, and teaches the management of behaviors in positive ways to cultivate a community of learners.” On the surface, the topic would appear unusual for a mathematics teacher. However, as Dr. Funfar explains, his commitment to students goes well beyond numbers and equations.

“I have always appreciated that while teaching content is important, it is not everything that a teacher must address in his or her classroom,” he said. “Students cannot learn the content if they have significant stressors present either inside or out of school. Often these stressors include traumatic experiences or events in their lives. So, it is important to address how to manage trauma and focus on the whole child.”

Dr. Funfar’s research for the chapter has spurred some significant changes to his approach in the classroom this year. “Every day my students and I go through a ‘practice of presence’ (POP) at the start of class, encouraging students to become more present in the moment,” he said. “This happens even on days students take assessments to help them develop mindfulness, which can be used as intervention to address the psychological and physical symptoms of trauma.”

In addition to teaching mathematics, Dr. Funfar helps to lead the high school’s Junior Mentor Program, which empowers students in grade 11 to assist ninth graders with the transition from middle school to high school. “This work has reinforced the importance of the mission of the junior mentor program to build relationships, foster genuine concern, and promote student success for our ninth graders,” he said. (See related article about Freshman Field Day on page 46.) “Relationship building in particular is vital for trauma-affected students, because without a sense of belonging students often cannot develop the skills to effectively manage their emotions in a healthy way.”

While the pandemic has created numerous challenges and struggles, Dr. Funfar offers that there are opportunities for growth and healing. “Trauma is often viewed from a deficit perspective or a problem that has to be fixed. In reality, more recent research suggests that when addressed in a healthy way, trauma can be used as an opportunity to learn, grow, and heal,” he said. “I am very proud to work in a school district that values the whole child, and with colleagues who care deeply about their students’ well-being.”

Dr. Funfar, who joined the USCHS faculty in 2007, holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, along with minors in physics and religious studies from Saint Vincent College. He earned a master’s degree in instructional leadership, as well as a doctorate in instructional management and leadership from Robert Morris University. n

Dr. Michael Funfar