Vivian Cook ’27 In early October, President Donald Trump helped facilitate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, pausing the fighting in a conflict that has caused significant destruction across Gaza over more than two years of violence. The conflict is part of a large escalation of tensions between Israel and its neighbors, although the fighting over the past two years has been particularly deadly and prolonged. The current war began on October 7, 2023 after Hamas launched an attack against Israel, killing around 1,200 people and leading to the capture of 251 hostages. In response, the Israeli military declared…
Author: Lucia Forte
Lucas van Binsbergen ’27 Across a series of key votes nationwide on November 4, Democrats secured a series of high-profile victories, including taking the Virginia and New Jersey governorships. These elections feature as an important barometer ahead of the midterm elections and could carry tangible implications for governance across the country. In Pennsylvania, voters delivered a victory for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s liberal wing, as Democrats Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht were all retained for another 10 year term. Due to the Court’s rulings on issues ranging from election administration to reproductive rights to school-funding cases, the results…
Will Patterson ’27 In recent years, EA has wrestled with the integration of ChatGPT and other AI tools in schools to aid, complete, and grade projects. Across the country, this revolutionary technology has fueled fiery debate, roiled precedent, and upended decades of educational practices. Amid the increasing pace of technological innovation, the usage of technology as a whole in academic environments has been a hotly contested topic. From having access to phones at school to taking College Board exams on computers, education has grappled with major questions about technology. However, none of these debates near the importance surrounding the utilization…
Myra Ralhan ’29 A groundbreaking new gene therapy trial may change the future of patients living with Huntington’s Disease, giving hope to families that had once never seen an end to this disease and faced a devastating diagnosis. A trial was held at the University College London Huntington’s Disease Centre to test a new treatment, involving 29 patients. The goal of the treatment is to reduce the harmful huntingtin protein in the brain by inserting a catheter into two brain regions, the caudate nucleus and putamen, and delivering gene therapy. The BBC News reports that three years after the surgery,…
Meghan Limaye ’27 As the school year begins, Queer-Straight Alliance settles back into weekly meetings of inquiry, exploration, and discussion, continuing its long-standing mission of providing a safe space for the LGBTQ+ allied student body to express themself freely, while also providing opportunities to educate the wider community. Constantly searching for new ways to uplift and represent queer voices, QSA meetings range from serious conversations about national issues to casual conversations about personal experiences. As faculty advisor Mx. Newman puts it, students attend for “fun, community, laughs, and because they want to see a better world.” Weekly attendance allows members…
Maggie Sgaramella ’26 Seven minutes was all it took for four masked thieves to steal approximately 102 million dollars worth of jewelry from perhaps the most infamous museum in the world. On October 19, 2025, from the exact time of arrival at 9:30am to their swift escape at just seven minutes later, the mysterious thieves completed what is sure to become a legendary heist. The heist was completed in broad daylight, with the thieves arriving at the museum right as it opened to the public. They approached the Louvre in a truck with a large crane on it to pose…
Mahika Rahlan ’26 Sophia Venneri ’26 A process that’s become extremely difficult to navigate in recent years has only become harder with the rise of artificial intelligence: college admissions. From teachers to admissions counselors to students, AI is being used in some way in every aspect of the college admissions process. While AI is an enticing tool, students should moderate its use in the college admissions process, and admissions officers should avoid it altogether when reviewing applications. About a month ago, Justin Cerenzia, Executive Director of CTL and Upper School History teacher, visited the class of 2026 in a college…
Daniel Adibi ’26 While standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are often viewed negatively, many colleges have reinstated the required testing policies they had dropped during the COVID pandemic. This decision is absolutely correct. Standardized tests should be an important part of the college admissions process because they provide the best indication of students’ success in college and are the academic metric least influenced by socio-economic status. Recently, colleges have followed a general trend of reintroducing required testing policies, but these policies are not uniform between colleges. Senior Associate Director of College Counseling Mary Maier shares an example: “MIT…
Thought Daughter ’67 The current music landscape is a landfill of sluggish writing, reused beats, and questionable role models. Here are the top offenders assaulting our ears on the radio today. Sombr: One new pop sensation, perhaps Slender Man reincarnate, Sombr, has littered current radio with his love for brainrot. Sure, his songs have some solid songwriting, but where has the state of our music gone when one could easily recreate “undressed” using stock GarageBand loops? Moreover, his recent online controversy has revealed his hatred for any concertgoer over the age of 25. He can’t use any actual mature adults…
Mia Favini ’27 Despite nation-wide cuts of DEI programs, The Episcopal Academy’s Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion remains an important part of the school. It continues to run, quietly yet powerfully, with Ayinde Tate as Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Erica Snowden as Executive Director of the Office of DEI. “We still have a lot of the work that we’ve been doing still happening, and that goes from everything that is physically visible to people, and then the important things… [that] people don’t know about them,” explains Snowden. This effort can be seen through student-led clubs, admission efforts,…
Photos courtesy of Adam Rossin ’26, Max Boyko ’28, Benjamin McHale ’28, Brennan Ungerleider ’29
Sam Cellucci ’26 As any teenager does, I find myself carrying around a ten-pound water bottle with me throughout the day. This is not only my need for hydration, but also to satisfy a deeply ingrained habit. Other students across the EA community have confirmed that it is not only the craze for a new Owala or Stanley that makes water bottles so persistent throughout campus, but the habits and obsessions people have built with them. There is only a select group of teachers who are bothered by water bottles, other than the occasional bomb drop from a wobbly desk.…
Audrey Manion ’26 It’s that time of year again: seniors have declared war on the faculty: midsemester grades, and appar-ently their “entire futures” are at stake. Recent reports now show an average of 17 emails per student per day, plus mid-hallway negotiations are running rampant. Some students were even bribing theirteachers with cookies. The creativity from seniors is, well, impressive? Some students are startingconversations with, “why I deserve an A,” Teachers are starting to give in just to survive, and theteachers who aren’t, are developing new survival strategies: complete ignorance or a dramatic eyeroll they think we don’t notice (we…
Andrew Ahn ’28 It’s that time of year again, when Episcopal students bring in cans of food and other supplies for the annual Can Drive to support our partners: Saint Barnabas Community Resource Center, ACLAMO, Saint James School, and the Chester County Food Bank. The Can Drive is more than an annual event, however. It’s a meaningful way for students and faculty to contribute to the well-being of the wider community. Each donation helps to provide essential resources to families and individuals who particularly benefit from the generosity of others. Full participation connects the Episcopal community and with real challenges…
Benjamin Wang ’27 At the start of each fall, the graduating class gathers at the outdoor basketball court to create a mural that turns the previously blank wall into a symbol representing class pride and the excitement that echoes across campus with every game. The Senior Wall not only serves to unite the class as they finish their last year at Episcopal, but also reminds the rest of the community of the pride and legacy of the students who came before them. It shows a moment, a connection, for students to look forward to from their earliest years at Episcopal.…
Sean Reagle ’27 As Netflix prepares to release the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, excitement and anticipation are spreading throughout the EA community. With the episodes premiering on November 26 and December 25 and the finale set to hit theaters on New Year’s Eve, fans are bracing themselves for what promises to be an emotional conclusion to one of the most iconic shows of the decade. Season 5 picks up in Hawkins, Indiana, where protagonists Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will, return to face the scary monsters of the alternate universe, the Upside Down. Last season left fan-favorite…
Effie Goebler ’29 This year’s fall production of Pride and Prejudice was truly incredible. The effort that the actors, tech crew, and even musicians, like student Danity Pike ’27, put into the play shows the drive and determination that these students have to create something that they’re proud of. Pike composed and recorded all of the music herself. The play was a triumph for the EA Domino Club and the EA community as a whole. It was seamless, emotional, and had everyone on the edge of their seats. The actors truly transformed from students into Victorian elite, and the tech…
Cai Parker ’27 Nikolai Nawrocki ’26, November’s artist of the month, is iconic for his enormous range of voice. He started singing from a young age, and has grown as a singer and actor who approaches all of his characters and performance with intention and drive, inspiring his audiences and fellow artists with his expressivity, skill, and love for what he does. Jim Erwin, Choir and Vocal Ensemble director, remarks, “Nikolai has probably the broadest range…he can sing those low notes, but he studies private voice, so he’s also really worked on his high range, too. So I would consider…
Meghan Limaye ’27 As the school year begins, Queer-Straight Alliance settles back into weekly meetings of inquiry, exploration, and discussion, continuing its long-standing mission of providing a safe space for the LGBTQ+ allied student body to express themself freely, while also providing opportunities to educate the wider community. Constantly searching for new ways to uplift and represent queer voices, QSA meetings range from serious conversations about national issues to casual conversations about personal experiences. As faculty advisor Mx. Newman puts it, students attend for “fun, community, laughs, and because they want to see a better world.” Weekly attendance allows members…