Upper St. Clair inducts 12 into halls of fame
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Rob Mertz (left center) was one of a dozen Upper St. Clair High School alumni inducted into the school’s halls of fame. He is pictured here with his extended family. From left are: brother Ryan, maternal grandparents Joe and Arleen Landy, Rob, grandfather Ched, parents Rob and Kelly, grandmother Rachel.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Kyle Dudzinski with his parents, Chet and Linda
Honorees and guests at the Upper St. Clair High School Halls of Fame induction ceremony were treated to a buffet dinner as well as well as a social hour that included hot and cold hors d’oeuvres.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Dakota Conwell and John Mascaro Jr.
Inductees into the Upper St. Clair High School Halls of Fames accepted their honors and thanked those important in their lives for their success during their acceptance speeches.
Upper St. Clair High School celebrated a dozen of its finest alumni by inducting them into its halls of fame.
Established in 2000, the halls of fame recognize former students for their excellence scholastically, artistically or athletically as well as significant achievements beyond their high school years.
“When you look at the unity, success and character and know you are a big part of that, it is absolutely an honor to be inducted with all these fine candidates,” said Brian Dreschler.
Dreschler was one of three football players inducted into the athletics hall of fame.
Another football player, Matthew A. Lentz, earned induction, too, but he was one of four alumni enshrined into the academic hall of fame.
While Lentz also participated in wrestling and track and participated in the wind symphony and concert band, he gained acclaim for his speech and intellectual talents.
Lentz was the valedictorian of the Class of 2006. A two-year captain of the forensics teams, he was USC’s first-ever national semifinalist in the Oral Interpretation of Literature. He was editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper and a member of the National Honor Society.
A graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Lentz is vice president of Enterprise Consulting of Media. Monks and was named Consulting Magazine’s 35 under-35 list in 2021 as rising star in the industry. He also captured one of the Adexchanger Awards for Best Overall Programmatic Excellence in 2021.
Natalie Hernandez DePalma, Douglas Gibson and Lisa R. Volpatti joined Lentz in the academic wing of the hall of fame.
A 1996 alum, Hernandez DePalma was a NHS, student government and Natural Helpers member. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S., Boston University with a masters and Penn State University with a doctorate. She is the senior director of the counseling and psychological services center at PSU, which meets the needs of 4,500 students and has over 10,000 outreach contracts operating in three locations on campus.
A 1983 graduate, Gibson graduated with honors from high school as well as Johns Hopkins University before earning cum laude distinction from Harvard Law School. He is the chair of Covington wand Burling LLP, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has more than 1,400 lawyers across 13 global offices.
A golf and exercise enthusiast, Gibson was recognized by SportsBusiness Journal as one of the “50 most influential People in Sports Business” as well as the “Power Players: Outside Counsel” list in its highest tier, “Chairman Club.”
Volpatti was valedictorian of the Class of 2009. A track standout, she was involved in NHS and served as “Montage” editor during her scholastic years. A Pitt graduate, she earned a masters from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 2019, she earned the Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar’s Best Presentation Award from the University of Washington. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, she is conducting research on COVID-19 vaccines, cancer immunotherapies and anti-inflammatory.
The arts hall of fame welcomed three new members: Stacy Chbosky (’91), Stephen Clink (’98) and Stephanie Maloney (’06).
A valedictorian, Chbosky was named one of the 20 “Best and Brightest High School Seniors” in the country by USA Today. She published a children’s book, “Who Owns The Sun?” which is still in print 35 years later. The book was adapted into an award-winning short film by Disney.
A CMU graduate, where she earned a BFA in drama, Chbosky is a television writer, producer, screenwriter and actress. She’s written and produced for “Joe Pickett” and “Waco Aftermath” and was the creator of the upcoming series, “Murder at the State Fair.”
Chbosky, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband, John Dowdle, and two children, Maggie and John, is the founding member of the NYC sketch comedy group, “Shirley Chickenpants.”
Clink was a NAfME All-Eastern Orchestra member on viola for four years with the PMEA all-state orchestra. He played trumpet in the district and jazz bands.
He attended the BM Oberlin Conservatory of Music, MM Hartt School of Music and also studied with Kenneth Keisler. In college, he earned the Presser Music Award and was the Evening of Star recipient. He was named a state finalist in statewide TMEA Honor Orchestra competitions.
Clink currently directs orchestras at Flower Mound High School in Dallas and teaches at Texas Woman’s University, where he also directed the orchestra and teaches string pedagogy.
Maloney attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. She was a four-year member of choir, the Chanteclairs and Pantherettes. She served as band secretary and restored the thespian club at USCHS.
A University of Michigan product, she is touring nationally and internationally with Broadway’s Chicago. Her television credits include “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” while she was also nominated for best actress for her portrayal of Fanny Brice in the Wick’s Theatre’s production of Funny Girl. Maloney was also a semifinalist in the Kurt Weill Foundation for Musical for Music Lotte Lenya Competion.
Dreschler led the list of distinguished alumni enshrined in the athletic hall. An all-conference performer on USC’s WPIAL championship and PIAA runner-up football team, he went on to the United States Naval Academy, where he is enshrined in the Midshipmen’s Hall of Fame. He was named All-East in 1995.
Dreschler, who is a Navy Seal, earned a masters degree in organizational management from George Washington University in 2009. He was the 2017 US Navy VADM James B. Stockade Award winner for leadership and is a commander in the Naval Special Warfare Center.
Dakota Conwell (’12) and John Mascaro (’85) were the other two football players inducted into the athletic hall.
A quarterback, Conwell passed for 4,179 career yards and was rated No. 2 in the state at outside linebacker. A two-time all-state performer, he went on to set records at West Liberty University, where he earned a degree in business and finance.
Kyle Dudzinski and Rob Mertz were the other two athletic inductees.
A swimmer, Dudzinski won eight WPIAL and three state titles as well as set several pool and school records. A 12-time scholastic All-American, he earned degrees from the University of Virginia and Michigan while competing for both swim teams. Dudzinski lives in Washington, D.C., and works as a managing consultant at MasterCard.
A soccer player, Mertz plays professionally for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. He was a WPIAL and two-time state champion. He was a team captain as well as a student of the year selection for two years. He played at Michigan and led the Wolverines to their first Big Ten championship. He earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is the highest scholastic and athletic honor given by the University. Mertz also was the recipient of the school’s Bates/Deskins Award.