SD
Congratulations USCHS Class of 2011 Academic Achievers
Commencement Exercise Eager anticipation. The rain started; the rain stopped. People filed into the stadium; commencement exercises began. The band played, the processional solemn, the speeches inspiring. The rain started, the names of 354 graduates announced. The ceremony ended, the sun shone, a rainbow appeared. Successful realization! Valedictorians (pictured above, listed alphabetically) M a w u n y o A k a b u a , J e ff e ry B a r k a s , N a t h a n i e l B l e c h e r, Jessica Cohen, Lucia Darrow, Andrew English, Krista Galie, Brian Griffith, Catherine Groschner, Christina Hlutkowsky, Analiese Kaucic, Jordan Kunz, Maxwell Miller, Pooja Monpara, Maggie Overstreet, Katherine Thompson, Vijay Venkatesan, Matthew Vernacchia, Jason Wassel, Philip Williams Superintendent Academic Achievement Awardees Kelsey Hagarman, Stephen Krolczyk International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidates Mawunyo Akabua, Bilge Erdem, Brendon Gallagher, Brent Heard, Madeline Kushner, Jennifer Lloyd, Namita Matharu, Kajal Patel, Bruno Perdigoto, Evan Pye, Geethika Reddy, Mahen Seneviratne, Avisha Shah, Simon Terhaag, Stephanie Verheyen, Matthew Vernacchia, Christopher-Tobias Weichel
Commencement Board Response
Harry Kunselman, President, Upper St. Clair Board of School Directors … The District is a partnership among countless people who have made this moment possible. Throughout your experiences here, our mission has always been to help each of you to become a lifelong learner and a responsible citizen in a global society. In today’s global society, conHarry Kunselman nections have become more important and more prevalent than ever before. You are the generation of connections. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have transformed not only your relationships with each other, but have changed people’s relationships, and even governments, across the globe. But connections do not just bridge geographic distances. They link the past with the future. In many ways for you, today is about looking ahead—embarking on the future. But I urge you while doing so to keep alive your connections to the past. It’s easy to let relationships drift, friendships to fade, mentors to be forgotten. As someone who enjoys the outdoors, I try to draw lessons from my experiences with nature. In my case, I enjoy fishing— 66
UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
Fall 2011
particularly in streams and rivers, but occasionally in the salt waters of the Chesapeake or Delaware Bays. You may have noticed as you travel various highways in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania large blue signs that say “Entering the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.” These signs appear hundreds of miles away from the Chesapeake Bay. They are reminders that there are connections between what happens here and now, and what happens in far away times and places. Those who enjoy the Chesapeake might easily forget that their experiences are possible, in part, because of rivers, streams, and tributaries far from the Maryland shores. This year, the District has embarked on a new effort to preserve its connections with you, its alumni. We will be reaching out to you through the new Office of District Advancement to stay connected to the District—to the tributaries in your watershed. As your lives flow on to the streams, rivers, and oceans in your future, we hope you will reflect on these years with fondness and appreciation, and stay in touch with the people and the community who have contributed to who you are and who you will become. Your lives will be far richer if you do. Congratulations, Class of 2011. On behalf of the Board of School Directors and everyone who works for the District, please accept our best wishes for an abundance of happiness and success. n