Alex Archambault ’14: A long hallway adorned with beautifully designed class shields leads to the locker rooms in the Dixon Athletic Center. Each shield has its own unique twist and represents the true nature of each graduating class. According to Assistant Athletic Director Jim Farrell, this tradition dates back to 1907. He stated, “The names of the seniors that received a varsity letter are on the shield and then the number of letters they received are on the shield. It is not necessarily every single person, but the majority of each class is up there.”
The number of stars represents not how long each athlete has played a sport, but rather how many varsity sports the athlete has participated in. Athletic Director Regina Buggy explained, “The shield is really an athletic representation of that class. If you get a varsity letter in water polo as a freshman then you have a water polo star. If you get a letter in squash, then you have a squash star. Then you play varsity lacrosse in the spring, at the end of your freshman year you have three stars. Let’s say you don’t play water polo sophomore year and you play soccer and make the varsity squad as well, then you get another star and now you have 4.”
“So, it counts for the number of varsity sports you play,” Buggy continued, “not the number of years you play on a single varsity team. That’s why you never really see more than six stars up there. That doesn’t happen much anymore. Back in the day, when it was more feasible, you could play varsity baseball and then run in the Inter-Ac track championships and you’d be given two letters in one season.”
Being able to come back to visit Episcopal and see the shield they designed with their classmates allows alumni to revisit their time on the field or court where they proudly sported their Episcopal jerseys. Farrell remarked, “It’s really interesting because when alumni come back they are always looking up at the shields, and they want to find their name, and they want to reminisce and tell their families all about it. They always come back to that hallway and check it out. It’s one of the first thing they do.”
Students also enjoy looking at the creative designs and thinking about when their names will be sported upon a shield. Nisha Meyer ’13 stated, “I think the shields show the dedication that students athletes have to Episcopal. Obviously sports are a huge part of our time spent and those shields are tangible, spirited memories and reminders of school pride, team collaboration, and our competitive nature that should never be forgotten.”
Woody Nimoityn ’15 echoes her adoration but voices slight concern about the location of the shields, noting, “I feel that the shields are a great tradition that our school has. At the Merion campus, they were displayed in a hallway where everyone was able to read the names. Now, there are located high on a hallway where they are unable to be appreciated. They should be hung where people can enjoy them.”
It seems to be a common perception among the student body that while the shields are a valuable and delightful idea, they do have room to be adapted. Victoria Johnson ’14 agrees with both Meyer and Nimoityn about the fascinating history and design of the shields, yet she also has a concern about the tradition, commenting, “I think it’s cool that each class makes their own shield and they find a way to incorporate something that distinguishes their class, yet I don’t think that it is the best approach to divide everyone up based on the number of varsity sports they play. The shield is supposed to be an athletic representation of the grade and we all play and put time into sports. Whether someone plays varsity, plays JV, manages or is simply a fan we all deserve some sort of recognition. A school shield should represent our grade as a whole, not just athletes.” She added, “I am not sure what the solution is but I think that collectively EA students should come up with a way so that everyone is represented and will be able to reminisce in years to come.”
Students of each class are in charge of designing and creating the shields; however, there are a few instances where the class was not able to make one. The captains of the varsity teams take the initiative and then designate jobs accordingly. Though the Class of 2013’s shield process has not begun, Kristin Hinkley ’13 is certain it will be taken care of and may even become a few students’ senior projects.

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