Author: TECHALERT

Riya Shankaran ’26  In a Town Hall meeting with the EA community on February 8, the combination of behavioral issues and academic struggles was a key topic of discussion that some students face in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Head of Upper School Michael Letts does not see this phenomenon as a “crisis,” but says the Upper School is seeing a “larger number of students struggling with stress, anxiety, and we also see a larger number of students that need a little additional academic support coming into the Upper School.” Faculty have also considered the issue, and, per Letts,…

Riya Shankaran ’26  In a Town Hall meeting with the EA community on February 8, the combination of behavioral issues and academic struggles was a key topic of discussion that some students face in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Head of Upper School Michael Letts does not see this phenomenon as a “crisis,” but says the Upper School is seeing a “larger number of students struggling with stress, anxiety, and we also see a larger number of students that need a little additional academic support coming into the Upper School.” Faculty have also considered the issue, and, per Letts,…

Riya Shankaran ’26  In a Town Hall meeting with the EA community on February 8, the combination of behavioral issues and academic struggles was a key topic of discussion that some students face in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Head of Upper School Michael Letts does not see this phenomenon as a “crisis,” but says the Upper School is seeing a “larger number of students struggling with stress, anxiety, and we also see a larger number of students that need a little additional academic support coming into the Upper School.” Faculty have also considered the issue, and, per Letts,…

Ava Roberts ’24 This past summer, Philadelphia faced one of the most drastic lifeguard shortages in its history. As a result, only 48 of the city’s 70 pools opened, and measures are being taken to ensure that the same issue does not occur this summer. In June, the American Lifeguard Association asserted that the lifeguard shortage was happening on a nationwide scale, affecting about a third of the country’s public pools and resulting in the limited operation or closure of many facilities. The crisis threatens to shut down several beaches. Michael Minicozzi ’23, who worked at the Jersey shore as…

Alex Gobran ’23 | Nayan Shankaran ’24 | Rohan Dalal ’25 After more than a decade of development, The College Board has been piloting the new AP African American Studies course across 60 schools in the United States during the 2022-2023 academic year. Although the course will be available to all high schools starting in the 2024-2025 academic year, EA has no current plans to adopt the course for next year. The units of AP African American Studies are 1) origins of the African diaspora; 2) freedom, enslavement, and resistance; 3) the practice of freedom; and 4) movements and debates.…

Daniel Adibi ’26 Throughout February, EA held the Go BIG Giving Days as a part of the broader Shape Tomorrow campaign. In the event, the school raised 500,000 dollars in just three days to encourage the development of teachers and leaders throughout the school. The event took place from February 8th to 10th with 463 donors across the EA community participating.The Go BIG Giving Days serve as one last large-scale community event in the concluding year of the Shape Tomorrow campaign, celebrating ten years of raising money to build EA’s future. Chief Financial Officer Lawrence Capuzzi states, “We want to…

Miller Michalczewski ’25 | Ishani Khanna ’25 | Emi Enakhimion ’24 Pros: The decision to shift winter break forward in the 2023-2024 schedule will be beneficial for the EA community. With winter break beginning a week later than what students are typically used to, falling from December 22, 2023 to January 7, 2024, the first and second semester will become more equal in length. The current schedule creates a small, but noticeable discrepancy in the lengths of these semesters, with the second semester being longer than the first. Although both semesters have equal amounts of events and breaks, Mike Letts,…

Shawn Wang ’23 | Ishan Bhattacharyya ’23 Shawn:  I have a confession: I am a line-cutter. The last thing I expected to do my senior year was start a life of crime, yet here I am. I am a criminal— a fugitive—and this is my confession in hopes of clearing my conscience and stopping other perpetrators from delaying your lunch. You see, in order to catch a criminal, you have to think like one. Let me walk you through what a typical operation looks like for a (former) mastermind like myself. It’s the normal lunch rush at the Cafeteria. Tables…

Shawn Wang ’23 | Ishan Bhattacharyya ’23 Shawn:  I have a confession: I am a line-cutter. The last thing I expected to do my senior year was start a life of crime, yet here I am. I am a criminal— a fugitive—and this is my confession in hopes of clearing my conscience and stopping other perpetrators from delaying your lunch. You see, in order to catch a criminal, you have to think like one. Let me walk you through what a typical operation looks like for a (former) mastermind like myself. It’s the normal lunch rush at the Cafeteria. Tables…

Grace Rall ‘25 On January 26, EA hosted SpeakUp!, a local organization partnered with 35 schools that aims to help students and their families connect and engage in student-oriented discussions about problems regarding mental health, race, identity, and stress. In a community of diverse students who are often faced with similar challenges, this conference provided a welcoming environment for students to facilitate conversation with family that may not happen otherwise. Upon arrival, students were separated from their parents in order to encourage continued conversation in a peer-group environment. Ayinde Tate, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and Erica Snowden, Executive Director…

Grace Rall ‘25 On January 26, EA hosted SpeakUp!, a local organization partnered with 35 schools that aims to help students and their families connect and engage in student-oriented discussions about problems regarding mental health, race, identity, and stress. In a community of diverse students who are often faced with similar challenges, this conference provided a welcoming environment for students to facilitate conversation with family that may not happen otherwise. Upon arrival, students were separated from their parents in order to encourage continued conversation in a peer-group environment. Ayinde Tate, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and Erica Snowden, Executive Director…

Grace Holland ’25 | Kate Dente ’25 On December 31, 2022, Pope Benedict XVI, previously known as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, passed away at the age of 95. He died at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City due to health complications. From 2005 to 2013, Pope Benedict served as the 265th head of the Roman Catholic Church and was succeeded by Pope Francis, the current bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Pope Benedict’s passing spurred mournful reactions throughout the EA community. Minah Cho ’25 believes that Pope Benedict’s death “is a loss for the church. It…

The advisory program at EA has been an integral part of its student support system, and we want to commend the administration for their continued care and consideration in making the program the most useful for students. Tanuja Murrary, IV Form Dean and Upper School Math teacher, organizes the advisory program by making sure all teachers are part of the program and sending out advisor selection google forms to the sophomores and juniors at the end of the school year. The freshman Form Dean assigns all the rising ninth graders to an advisory. Murray mentions that the administration has considered…

The advisory program at EA has been an integral part of its student support system, and we want to commend the administration for their continued care and consideration in making the program the most useful for students. Tanuja Murrary, IV Form Dean and Upper School Math teacher, organizes the advisory program by making sure all teachers are part of the program and sending out advisor selection google forms to the sophomores and juniors at the end of the school year. The freshman Form Dean assigns all the rising ninth graders to an advisory. Murray mentions that the administration has considered…

Maggie Lo ‘23 | Riya Mukherjee ‘23 Our Top 10 Romantic Comedies If you’ve already sent out your candy grams and you’re still looking for something to do this Valentine’s Day, queue up a classic romantic comedy. Rom coms are enjoyable to many. Ashley Kim ‘23 says, “I love rom coms. Especially after a long week of school, I want to watch something that will make me laugh. The more ridiculous the rom com the better.” After years of experience, we have carefully curated our list of our top 10 rom coms. We hope you enjoy! But what is a…

Jack Cellucci ‘24 It was a drizzly November weekend. I had the flu, and with nowhere else to turn but the other side of my bed, I decided to watch the Netflix original series everyone was discussing. It’s Wednesday: a Tim Burton creation, and the first Netflix English-language series to break the record for the most hours viewed in one week, even overshadowing Stranger Things, with a total of 341.2 million hours. Netflix’s Wednesday is the newest edition to an impressive series of films and television shows that have portrayed the Addams family ever since its original inception in 1938.…

Jack Cellucci ‘24 It was a drizzly November weekend. I had the flu, and with nowhere else to turn but the other side of my bed, I decided to watch the Netflix original series everyone was discussing. It’s Wednesday: a Tim Burton creation, and the first Netflix English-language series to break the record for the most hours viewed in one week, even overshadowing Stranger Things, with a total of 341.2 million hours. Netflix’s Wednesday is the newest edition to an impressive series of films and television shows that have portrayed the Addams family ever since its original inception in 1938.…

Lucia Forte ’26 As EA approaches our spring season of academics, sports, and arts, many talented students are auditioning and preparing for one of EA’s most immersive opportunities: the spring musical. This year’s musical, The Addams Family, will challenge EA’s talented singers and test their abilities to convey both family drama and comedy. The journey from audition to opening night is paved with challenges: from labor-intensive work on the set and lighting design, to long rehearsal days, to hours of preparation and memorization outside the confines of the Carrafiell Family Theater. A typical rehearsal encompasses an amalgamation of different activities…

Hailey Deng ’25 From participating in outside of school contests at Drexel University, to inspiring others with her passion for photography within EA’s community, Riley Thibodeau ’23, motivates those around her to think in new ways. Thibodeau’s interest in photography traces back to her childhood. She comments, “I’ve been taking pictures since I can remember… my grandma actually bought me my first camera in elementary school.” Thibodeau also credits EA for continuing her artistic journey, saying, “In high school, I took Foundations [of Art], and I really loved the photography portion. Since then, I’ve just been taking pictures non-stop.” Taking…

Hailey Deng ’25 From participating in outside of school contests at Drexel University, to inspiring others with her passion for photography within EA’s community, Riley Thibodeau ’23, motivates those around her to think in new ways. Thibodeau’s interest in photography traces back to her childhood. She comments, “I’ve been taking pictures since I can remember… my grandma actually bought me my first camera in elementary school.” Thibodeau also credits EA for continuing her artistic journey, saying, “In high school, I took Foundations [of Art], and I really loved the photography portion. Since then, I’ve just been taking pictures non-stop.” Taking…