Rachel Lederman ‘24 | Bella Notaro ‘24
Several new clubs centered around sports and athletics have recently been approved. Below are descriptions of these new offerings.
The SquashSmarts and Community Service Club: Led by Albert Chen ‘23 and Demer Holleran
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kennedy
The SquashSmarts and Community Service Club connects with the nonprofit, Philadelphia-based program SquashSmarts, giving Episcopal students the opportunity to both tutor students and coach squash. The club was created by Albert Chen and faculty advisor Demer Holleran, the Girl’s Varsity Squash Head Coach. She shares, “Albert asked if I could be the faculty advisor to the new club. I was very happy to be.” Holleran, who has prior experience with the program, shares, “I have been involved with SquashSmarts for about 15 years. Currently, I am on the Advisory Board at SquashSmarts, so I follow it closely. I have also had quite a few SquashSmarts kids participate in squash camps that I have run – even overnight camps.” Maya Gambhir ‘22, an active participant of the club, believes that “the main purpose of the club is to allow EA students to connect with and help kids in the SquashSmarts program achieve their full potential both academically and athletically.” She continues, “I think this club will both aid the kids in the SquashSmarts program and also give EA students insight into the lives of those who are less privileged than us and allow us to use our unique privilege to help them.”
Holleran does not think COVID-19 will have a negative impact on the club, but rather believes that “COVID in a way makes it easier for EA students to impact the SquashSmarts students. Currently, their tutoring is all via Zoom which makes it easier for EA students because they do not have to physically get to Philadelphia to work with the kids.” Despite the potential positive impact that Holleran asserts, Gambhir mentions that a negative impact of COVID-19 is “being unable to meet and tutor the kids in person definitely takes away from the experience a little, and of course we can’t play squash with them at all due to COVID restrictions.” Despite COVID-19 impacts, Chen’s club still allows Episcopal students to participate in service in an engaging way.
Ski and Snowboard Club: Led by JJ Bellinghieri’24 and Meghan Montgomery
EA’s Ski and Snowboard Club has been reinstated under the leadership of Upper and Middle School Spanish teacher Meghan Montgomery and JJ Bellinghieri. The club stopped running last year, due to a lack of interest. Former club president and alumnus Tommy Lorenson ‘20 explains that “we would have needed around 20 or so people to make it affordable, and there weren’t enough people who would return their forms, so it just didn’t work from a cost perspective.” But the new president is hoping to reinvigorate the club. Bellinghieri explains, “I teamed up with Ms. Montgomery to restore the EA Ski and Snowboard Club to bring students together in a fun and safe environment. Since I was seven years old, I have been passionate about skiing and it has helped shape me into the person I am today. My goal is to share this passion with the EA community by providing an opportunity for students to enjoy the Pocono Mountains with their friends.” Bellinghieri, who fondly remembers going on Friday night and weekend ski trips with his Middle School Ski Club, wants to share those experiences with the EA community.
For Montgomery, heading the Ski and Snowboard Club was the perfect opportunity to pursue her love of skiing while connecting with the EA community. She shares, “As a native of Vermont, I enjoy all things related to snow and wintertime. I am an avid snowboarder myself, and I thought this would be a great way to get to know more of our Upper School students, to get myself out on the slopes, and to stay active during the long winter.”
The club will take EA students skiing and snowboarding during off campus excursions. Potential student engagement proves especially valuable for students this year, as COVID-19 has stunted many opportunities for class bonding. During the winter, if COVID-19 numbers permit, the club plans to gather and organize numerous group outings. Juliette Loor ‘22 elaborates, “I am excited to be able to ski with people from school because normally it would be hard to coordinate that outside of a school club.”
Sports Debate Club: Led by Joe Shirley ‘21, Max Giles ‘21, and Jamison Monahan
Created last winter, the Sports Debate Club provides students an opportunity to discuss recent sports events in a formal manner. Jamison Monahan, the club’s faculty advisor, states, “This is really the brainchild of Joe Shirley and Max Giles. They wanted to get together and almost treat it like sports talk radio where a group of people get together and talk about different ideas and opinions around the current state of sports.” Giles further explains, “After two years of high school, I could not help but notice the frequent discussions that turned into heated arguments regarding sports topics. We knew that people were passionate about sports, but those emotions often carried people away.” He continues, “We wanted a break from the screaming and yelling and a chance to have civil conversations with our fellow sports fanatics.” Shirley believes that this club will impact the students involved “and will teach everybody to become masters of debate through a simple and loved topic: sports. We hope that these passionate, fierce debaters will be transformed into well-spoken, elegant geniuses that will create a positive impact on the EA community and beyond.”
The club has yet to meet this year, as COVID-19 has imposed some difficulties on meeting times. Shirley explains, “Finding time to comfortably meet has been a major issue, but most importantly, COVID has impacted sports leagues across America. Without sports, or with sports severely impacted, there is no Sports Debate Club.”