Upper St. Clair raises money for Make-A-Wish
Members of the Bush Leaguers team, from left, are: Gordon Groniger, Aidan Besselman, Will King, Mark Banbury and Jackson Howe.
Members of the English 12 team, from left, are: Matt Russell, Shea Moorhead, Laura Moeller, Nico Manning, Vivian Russell and Chloe Seery.
The Upper St. Clair High School Make-A-Wish Club raised $1,850.51 through its 10th annual basketball tournament.
Held annually on the final day before winter break begins, students and staff pay $10 to participate. This year’s event featured 29 teams in two brackets that competed for bragging rights and a certificate.
The 2022 winning teams were the Bush Leaguers and the co-ed team English 12.
The Bush Leaguers included seniors Mark Banbury, Aidan Besselman, Will King, Gordon Groniger, and Jackson Howe. Led by English teacher Laura Moeller, the squad also included seniors Shea Moorhead, Nico Manning, Matt Russell, Chloe Seery, and Vivian Russell.
Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. To qualify for a wish, a child must be between 2 ½ and 18 years old at the time of referral and must not have received a wish from another wish-granting organization. The cost of providing for one child’s wish is $5,000 and is based on the cost of the most popular wish, which is a one-week trip to Walt Disney World for a family of four.
The USCHS Make-A-Wish Club has approximately 70 members and is sponsored by Dawn Mostowy, biology teacher. The club plans to hold spirit nights at local restaurants, baking and other sales, as well as a teacher breakfast to fully fund a child’s wish.
This year’s club officers include senior Kim Eunchae, president; senior Mariah Rainier, vice president; junior Ella Zegarelli, secretary; and junior Theeya Chen, treasurer.
“Make-A-Wish Club is important at Upper St. Clair because it brings a chance for students to help raise money for a great cause,” Eunchae said. “It integrates unique experiences and allows them to learn various skills, such as leadership, communication, responsibility, and teamwork. This club also sparks joy within the students at USC as the impact will be physically seen with the donated money.”
To help the Make-A-Wish Club reach its $5,000 goal, contact Mostowy at dmostowy@uscsd.k12.pa.us.