Upper St. Clair Prepares To Salute 2020 Seniors

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA — Upper St. Clair is inviting the community to help honor its graduating seniors during Senior Week, which will occur June 1-4.

All week long, seniors and their families are encouraged to show their Upper St. Clair pride by decorating their front doors, mailboxes and vehicles. For the first time, Upper St. Clair High School seniors are permitted to decorate their graduation caps. Seniors can upload photos of their decorated caps, doors and mailboxes online: click here for the online form.

“The final semester of senior year is such a special time for students. In light of our current circumstance, we want our seniors to know how much we care about and appreciate them,” Brooke Tarcson, activities coordinator, said. “While this doesn’t make up for missing these final weeks in-person, we want them to know that the whole Upper St. Clair community is cheering them on.”

Senior Week festivities kick-off June 1 with the Panther Pass Parade. From 6 to 8 p.m., the roadways through the Upper St. Clair High School campus will be lined with personalized yard signs for all 337 seniors. Seniors are encouraged to decorate their cars and drive through the parade route as many times as they would like. Family members and school staff are welcome to stand along the parade route (behind the senior signs or across the roadway) to wave and cheer. Attendees must follow all health and safety guidelines, including masks and social distancing.

Cap and gown distribution is set for June 2 and 3 in the high school’s theater parking lot, when seniors also can return their Chromebooks, textbooks and library books. Seniors will remain in their vehicles as they visit multiple stations. In addition to caps and gowns, seniors will receive their yard sign as well as a gift bag filled with several surprises. The school’s principals, activities staff and others will be on hand to greet students. The following schedule is set for this two-day event:

• 10 a.m. – noon, Tuesday, June 2: Last names A-F
• 1 – 3 p.m., Tuesday, June 2: Last names G-K
• 10 a.m. – noon, Wednesday, June 3: Last names L-P
• 1 – 3 p.m., Wednesday, June 3: Last names Q-Z

“We intend for this to be a really fun day where our seniors stop at each station, see familiar USCHS faces, and receive a ton of love and swag for being a special member of the Class of 2020,” Tarcson said.

A virtual celebration is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 4 – the original date for the Class of 2020’s commencement ceremony. The video will be available at uscsd.org/celebrate2020. Seniors are urged to dress in their caps and gowns, watch a brief celebratory message from principal Timothy Wagner and superintendent Jhn Rozzo, superintendent of schools. At 8 p.m. , everyone is invited to step outside to make some noise. The entire community is encouraged to join in the celebration.

In an effort to increase the likelihood of hosting in-person events, prom and graduation have been rescheduled for late July. Prom is set for July 28 at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and graduation is scheduled for July 30 in the high school stadium. Final decisions for both events will be made on July 10.