A look back on Scholium in 1968

Daniel Demessie ‘24

Founded in April 1888, The Scholium has been The Episcopal Academy newspaper containing articles about news, sports, and editorials about the community. Founded in April 1888, the student-led Scholium was most likely created to reflect the papers that universities were publishing at the time. 

There are some obvious differences between the papers of the past and present: before photography, student art colored the pages and the costs of publishing Scholium were covered by an array of advertisements, which could be up to three pages long in each issue and were commonly for for bakeries, photographers, and florists. Furthermore, the iconic News section which graces the front page of each Scholium was not introduced until 1932. 

Mahliat Tamrat ‘23 comments, “It’s so strange that Scholium did not originate with a News section. I feel like News is such a significant section which is so important for the EA community to get information.” 

Mark Luff, Middle School English teacher and longest serving faculty member at Episcopal, reflects on how the Scholium was when he first arrived at EA, saying, “ I remember, as a new teacher, finding the Scholium very helpful to introduce me to the rest of the school. I think that’s important for our school, because we all live in our little units: we live in our Lower School unit, our Middle School unit, and our Upper School unit. The Scholium provided, at least over the years, an opportunity for all units to know what was going on in Middle School or in Upper School. That was very helpful.”

Tamrat reflects on how the newspaper was handed out in the past, stating, “Since the format and content of Scholium has varied over time, I wonder if the way the newspaper given to the EA community has changed.”

In the inaugural 1888 edition, there was a spot for postage, implying that the Scholium was originally delivered door-to-door. However, by the time Luff began at EA, this had evolved. Luff notes the change in the distribution of the newspaper, remarking, “We would give them to the students, and the students would take them home. So back then, the paper was far more available, far more accessible to everyone.”

By the time of the December 1968 issue, the Scholium began to more closely resemble the paper of today. There were no longer advertisements, and the issue had News, Features, Editorials and Sports sections. 

One piece in the issue was written by student Michael Gravitz ‘70 as an open letter to the Editor-in-Chief, Harrison L. Kalbach, ‘69. In it, he proposes the creation of a seminar or a  discussion based class to alleviate the boredom that study hall can bring. He writes, “One could not call it a class in any real sense; for it would not have credits, tests, or any of the traditional encumbrances of the other type of more conventional, but sometimes less fruitful education.” 

As for what the seminar would discuss, Gravitz feels that the sky’s the limit, saying, “The subject matter for the seminars would be limited only by the imaginations of its participants. Subjects could include the ideas of various philosophers, the new type of politics, racial discrimination, books, and plays. In short the subjects could be as varied as human thought.” 

The essence of Gravitz’s idea, an unconventional style of learning, is now prominent in EA’s curriculum through May Term. Although not year-round, this period at the end of the school year allows students to experience non-traditional learning on a diverse array of subjects. 

Gravitz also expressed his dismay regarding the ineffectiveness of clubs, writing, “Some people undoubtedly will argue that the World Affairs Club is the obvious outlet for this verbal ability and curiosity. But meetings are only once every two weeks on a school night and at some generous person’s house. The seminars would also be able to cover a much wider variety of topics in a more comprehensive way. The World Affairs Club is a great beginning, but it is not enough.” 

Currently, EA students have the opportunity to participate in many different clubs, which are enabled to meet by the free time during the school day, during Activity and Domino. Rather than meeting outside of school, our current schedule allows for these valuable discussions to occur right on campus. 

Student poetry is also featured in the 1968 edition. A poem entitled Another Machine, by Jim Rogers ‘70, reads: “A student put his pen to paper /And watched his classmates shake a bit /As the teacher handed out the tests, / But what had he to brag about / For he was shuddering too. / The student poured back all the facts / Which he had learned the past two weeks, / And silhouetted all his knowledge / Before the yellow tinted paper / Staring at him from the barren desk top. / The student suddenly came to wonder / How many facts which he had learned / He’d remember and hold as treasure in a year. / Why had he not been taught creation / Of thoughts which outlast even history? / Because the world needs more machines.”

This sentiment of frustration around the way school often prioritizes knowing facts over thinking is not new. Rather, the Episcopal students of 1968 expressed similar concerns as teachers and students today.  

Featured in the 1968 issue is the inclusion of more time-sensitive information, such as the results of games and other sport competitions. Nowadays, with the Internet, school-specific information is easier to upload and find online, causing the role of Scholium to evolve. Luff remarks, “I suspect students get a lot of information about our school on twitter, and on instagram and online and on the website, as opposed to sitting down and unfolding a newspaper, and going, ‘What’s going on?’”

Although the Scholium has changed over the years, one thing has remained consistent, according to Luff. He exclaims, “The quality of writing, and the depth at which support is given, over the years I think has remained pretty constant.”