Upper St. Clair recognized for language excellence

The Upper St. Clair High School World Language Department recently earned a 2023 Golden Globe Award from the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association (PSMLA).
The PSMLA Exemplary Program (PEP) Awards recognize four levels of excellence – Globe, Bronze Globe, Silver Globe and Golden Globe, the highest level of recognition. The awards are for a two-year period. Upper St. Clair High School last received the Golden Globe in 2019.
“The Golden Globe sets a language program as exemplary within the state,” said French teacher and World Language Department curriculum leader Marc-André Clermont. “Our teachers have been working very hard to adapt to a constantly changing landscape in education, and they now have the privilege of being recognized for those efforts.”
To qualify for a Golden Globe, a school must meet or exceed eight out of 11 program indicators that include a high percentage of world language enrollment, a variety of languages offered in four-year sequences, retention of students at higher levels, participation in AP and/or IB programs, and other key instructional practices.
Clermont believes USC’s community support works to strengthen the district’s educational programs, including within the department.
“The community of Upper St. Clair is a special one with a rich background of cultural and linguistic diversity,” he said. “While language programs across the country are struggling to keep course offerings open, we have found a way to maintain an offering of six language choices for students. This is a testament to not only the work that goes into every language classroom every day, but also to the overwhelming support we have received from the community.”
USC offers five levels of French, German and Spanish; and four levels of Latin, Chinese and Japanese. There are 13 faculty members within the high school’s World Language Department.
Approximately 85% of Upper St. Clair High School students are enrolled in world language classes. An increasing number of students are taking classes in two or more different languages.
“We believe that learning a second or third language is important in graduating well-rounded individuals who are ready to engage with the outside world,” Clermont said. “In order to keep pace with the increasingly global and interconnected professional communities our students will eventually be working in, proficiency in a second language will always be an advantage in markets that include multilingual speakers from around the world.”