Residents of Upper St. Clair, as well as most of the international community, have been in quarantine as a result of the coronavirus outbreak for an extended period of time, and keeping oneself entertained during these difficult times is undoubtedly a struggle for everyone. However, in an attempt to encourage student participation and interest whilst also maintaining proper quarantine procedures, Upper St. Clair student council organized several student contests via social media. These contests were established through a virtual event called “Quarantine Spirit Week,” which consisted of a number of different daily competitions, including “Best Facetime Screenshot,” “Best Quarantine Cuisine,” “Best Quarantine Outfit,” “Best Quarantine Craft,” and “Best TikTok Dance.” Students could post their “entry” on social media, and the photo with the most likes for that specific contest would win. All entries were required to be posted by 2:20 PM, and the winners of each daily contest would be crowned “Quarantine King and Queen.” 

Student council also released a disclaimer stating that they were not in any way mocking quarantine, but simply “trying to relieve the stress and have some fun while being stuck” in their homes. The contests were extremely successful, with high levels of student participation as well as student support on social media. Some comments supporting student council’s contests included “So fun!”, “I love this,” “Can’t wait!”, and “Amazing.” 

Each contest had different components, such as the TikTok dance, which required that participants create a dance to the Upper St. Clair Alma Mater. The original sound provided for the contest was actually performed by the Upper St. Clair Marching Band as well, courtesy of a performance held in 2010. In addition to having interesting components, the competitions also had very unique submissions, such as the SpongeBob-themed craft submitted for the “Best Quarantine Craft” contest and the pink, candy-cherry covered cake posted in response to the “Best Quarantine Cuisine” competition. 

The overarching goal of student council’s quarantine contests were, as mentioned on their Instagram account “uscstuco,” to help students stay positive, entertained, and connected during this difficult time. With constant change emerging in the news, new mandates being established by local and national governments regularly, and increasingly severe international complications occurring as a result of the coronavirus, maintaining a sense of normalcy has become a difficult feat. Attempting to reach students, whether through social media, online education, or programs such as Zoom or Skype, is undoubtedly an endeavor that, while increasingly difficult as the pandemic spreads, is overall extremely significant and worthwhile at this time. Furthermore, the fact that Upper St. Clair High School’s student council is attempting to create an environment of community and support even when students are not physically in school demonstrates just how far-reaching and sincere their goals are as a student organization.