Freshman Rush – Revamped for 2020

With 2020 being a year lacking in guarantees across the board, Freshman Rush remained a mere possibility for several weeks at the beginning of the school year. However, through combined efforts across Student Council and the event coordination staff at Upper St. Clair, Freshman Rush was able to take place, in person, at the high school. Held on the football field within the USC stadium, Rush consisted of presentations from a variety of clubs, complete with posters and activity representatives alike. Each club, maintaining a distance of six feet easily given the amount of space available, had a QR code attached to their poster, which allowed students to scan the code and sign up for the club in question without any contact with devices outside their own. Student Council Vice President Karsen Damen developed a virtual flowchart to allow students who were not able to attend in-person Rush, such as fully remote individuals, to sign up for clubs as well. 

Chase MacDonald, a Freshman at Upper St. Clair, said he “enjoyed Rush very much” and felt as though “it was a great opportunity to get to see all of the different clubs.” MacDonald also voiced his appreciation of the ease with which he was able to sign up for clubs, saying that the simple process of scanning the QR Code and entering one’s email allowed for a very efficient and effective experience. 

Ryan Arya, who is also a Freshman, recounted his Rush experience, voicing his pleasure in having the opportunity to sign up for Speech and Debate and Ultimate Frisbee. Both MacDonald and Arya remarked on the fact that the weather was incredibly pleasant during Rush as well, making the experience even more enjoyable because it took place outside. While Rush definitely looked different in 2020 than in years past, it is clear that it was still a great experience for the class of 2024. 

Karsen Damon, Student Council Vice President, shared her thoughts on Rush, reaffirming the popular sentiment that the QR code manner of signing up for clubs really enriched and expedited the experience. Damon also expressed her view that Rush, while still very successful, could improve from an organization standpoint. However, she also mentioned that such struggles were the case largely because of the last-minute nature of the event, which will undoubtedly be different in the future. Damon stated that she was “happy and proud” of Rush 2020, and expressed that the event was not only valuable because of its success, but because of the insights it provided into potential positive changes for future components of Rush. 

While the nature of 2020 has presented obstacles to academic and social events alike, Upper St. Clair High School has undoubtedly been able to overcome many of those challenges, as demonstrated in the orchestration of Rush. The majority of students were able to sign up for and engage with clubs in an in-person environment, and students have expressed their appreciation of such an event across the board. Indeed, it is likely that in light of the success of 

Rush, Upper St. Clair will continue to make an effort to organize safe, in-person events for students while the coronavirus remains prevalent across the globe.