Schools
USC High School Honors Outstanding Students
Superintendent Dr. Partick O'Toole, Prinicipal Dr. Michael Ghilani, teachers, business leaders, Rotarians and community club members gave out awards to students excelling in academics, athletics and community service Tuesday night.
Upper St. Clair High School handed out a plethora of awards to students on Tuesday night.
Most of the awards and scholarships were distributed to students who excelled in various academic pursuits. However, some awards were given for athletic achievement and community service.
Superintendent Dr. Patrick O’Toole opened with a few remarks and then introduced the first presenter, principal Dr. Michael Ghilani. The principal handed out several perfect attendance awards. Ironically, some of the recipients were absent.
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Several exemplary students won multiple awards. was an International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate, a National Merit Finalist, Academic WorldQuest, International Science and Engineering Fair, Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair, a member of the S.P.H.E.R.E.S. team and a member of the . Alongside Vernacchia, teammates and brothers Vinay and Vijay Viswanathan won in several categories.
Maya Chandrasekaran won the Bausch-Lomb Honorary Science Award.
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Elizabeth Faeth became the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Program Nominee.
The evening Rotary Club of Bethel-St.Clair gave out the Paul Harris Award to Mira Singhal.
The Chatham University Rachel Carson Book Award went to Sarah MacLachlan.
The Harvard Book Prize Award was handed out to Sami Rahman.
The Princeton Book Prize was given to Poorwa Godbole.
Daniel Ryave received the Washington & Lee Book Award.
The Black Association of South Hills (BASH) for Women Award went to Taylor Akins-Rollins.
Outstanding Athletes of the Year were volleyball player , swimmer and hockey player . Rachel Jones also won the T.J. White Scholarship.
USC Today Journalism/Communications Book Scholarship went to Nicholas Buzzelli. Buzzelli also won a 2011 Quill and Scroll Award for his work as Editor-in-Chief on the school paper, the St. Clarion.
Ted Evangelista, a fellow winner in the Quill and Scroll Award for his work on the literary magazine, the Montage, also picked up the U.S. Marine Corps Semper Fidelis Award for Music Excellence, and the Frederic Chopin Award (the latter two awards were for his achievements in music).
The Upper St. Clair League of Arts Grant went to two students, Shari Ondrejko and Stephanie Verheyan.
The U.S Congressional Award gave out a gold and a bronze medal; the bronze went to Stephanie Verheyan and Shari Ondrejko got the gold.
Retired high school teacher William A. Pope, PhD handed out a scholarship in his name to Elizabeth Moore.
The winner of the WPIAL All-Star Field Hockey Award was Mary Margaret Simpson, affectionately known as Maggie Simpson (much like the youngest character on the long-running television show, “The Simpsons”).
The Woman’s Club of Upper St. Clair gave awards to Kristen Collins and Katherine Thompson.
Brent Heard became a Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition Regional Finalist.
Numerous college scholarships were awarded as well.
The event, located in the high school’s theater, was two hours long, history teacher Danny Holzer joked, “Mt. Lebanon had their award ceremony tonight and their's ended an hour ago."
