Caroline Sewell ‘23 | Alexandra Gobran ‘23 Each EA student is required to write a history research paper throughout their time in Upper School. While many students resent the hard work and extensive hours which go into the process–developing a question, researching, creating notecards and an outline, and ultimately writing the paper–EA’s history term papers is a long-storied tradition aimed at helping students develop skills they will use in college and in life. The challenges in crafting a research paper have been shared by EA students since at least the 1980s. Charles Bryant, Upper School History teacher, says, “Way back in…
Author: TECHALERT
Emiola Enakhimion ’24 | Cassidy Ott ’25 From ice cream socials, to spirit week, and the infamous Outward-Bound trip to North Carolina, many events were planned before the pandemic to help integrate freshmen into high school and create a bond between classmates. However, with the enforced restrictions brought about by COVID, many of these events have been canceled, modified, or postponed to a later date. Due to the ongoing Covid Pandemic, the Classes of 2024 and 2025 have not become as close as Classes of 2023 and 2022 did in their first years of high school because of the fewer…
Emiola Enakhimion ’24 | Cassidy Ott ’25 From ice cream socials, to spirit week, and the infamous Outward-Bound trip to North Carolina, many events were planned before the pandemic to help integrate freshmen into high school and create a bond between classmates. However, with the enforced restrictions brought about by COVID, many of these events have been canceled, modified, or postponed to a later date. Due to the ongoing Covid Pandemic, the Classes of 2024 and 2025 have not become as close as Classes of 2023 and 2022 did in their first years of high school because of the fewer…
Madeleine Ott ’22 | Brianna Bellinghieri ’22 For the sake of all applicants and counselors alike, colleges must be more transparent about their standardized testing policies and evaluation process. Just like nearly all other facets of society, there has been and continues to be heightened uncertainty within the college admissions process as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early on in the pandemic, the limited availability of testing opportunities across the country resulted in over 600 colleges transitioning to a test optional policy, meaning applicants had the choice of whether or not to submit scores. In theory, the presence or…
Nic *soulless opinion* Staley: Picking a field of study is one of the hardest things a young person can do in this generation. While it is perfectly acceptable to follow your passions, it is also very important to understand what the job market needs right now. If the whole world wanted to become gardeners, we would have too many rutabagas and not have enough people doing the jobs necessary for societal function. We need bankers, sailors, chefs, and sometimes workers in unpopular jobs to ensure our society runs smoothly for everyone. I am not saying that people should go into…
Nic *soulless opinion* Staley: Picking a field of study is one of the hardest things a young person can do in this generation. While it is perfectly acceptable to follow your passions, it is also very important to understand what the job market needs right now. If the whole world wanted to become gardeners, we would have too many rutabagas and not have enough people doing the jobs necessary for societal function. We need bankers, sailors, chefs, and sometimes workers in unpopular jobs to ensure our society runs smoothly for everyone. I am not saying that people should go into…
Boys Lacrosse The Episcopal Academy Boys Lacrosse team has started their Inter-Ac season 3-2. Thus far, they have played each team in the Inter-Ac once and will replay each of them once more. The team is led by captains Nash Womack ‘22 and Tristan Whitaker ‘22, who each play an integral role on the team. Chris Bates, Head Coach of the Boys Lacrosse team, states, “The team will look to peak towards the back half of the season with a league tournament ahead.” Boys Track The Boys Track team looks to win their first Inter-Ac Championship in 43 years this…
Connor Shanhan ‘24 | Gautam Ketkar ‘24 Summer is only a month away and EA offers many summer opportunities for students where they can learn, volunteer, or have fun. These activities include working with Horizons and taking different types of summer courses. For many students, college applications are the primary motivating factor behind participating in summer programming. However, the College Counseling Office disagrees with this strategy. Mariana Ramirez, Associate Director of College Counseling, says the most important thing is that, “students engage with and do activities that matter to them and that are interesting to them.” The College Counseling Office…
Connor Shanhan ‘24 | Gautam Ketkar ‘24 Summer is only a month away and EA offers many summer opportunities for students where they can learn, volunteer, or have fun. These activities include working with Horizons and taking different types of summer courses. For many students, college applications are the primary motivating factor behind participating in summer programming. However, the College Counseling Office disagrees with this strategy. Mariana Ramirez, Associate Director of College Counseling, says the most important thing is that, “students engage with and do activities that matter to them and that are interesting to them.” The College Counseling Office…
Jason Ni ‘23 | Matt Limaye ‘25 Will Konopka ‘22 is known for his rowing prowess but also for his leadership and personability. Konopka explains, “I was always around rowing from a young age since my family has deep roots in the sport, but I never really tried it until middle school.” He adds, “Every summer in Middle School, I attended the EA Learn-To-Row camp which runs during the first couple weeks of June. This was the first time I ever touched an oar or got in a boat.” As Konopka’s passion for rowing expanded, he began to row for…
With the school year coming to an end, some seniors are looking to take their athletic talents to the collegiate level. According to the Director of College Counseling, Cynthia Crum, 23% of the Class of 2022 will play a sport in college. A Scholium survey was sent to the senior class regarding athletes hoping to play sports in college. Of the survey’s 50 respondents, 58% are playing a sport in college. Out of these, 57.6% of the students playing a sport will be competing at the Division 1 level. The soon-to-be collegiate athletes will participate in a diverse collection of…
With the school year coming to an end, some seniors are looking to take their athletic talents to the collegiate level. According to the Director of College Counseling, Cynthia Crum, 23% of the Class of 2022 will play a sport in college. A Scholium survey was sent to the senior class regarding athletes hoping to play sports in college. Of the survey’s 50 respondents, 58% are playing a sport in college. Out of these, 57.6% of the students playing a sport will be competing at the Division 1 level. The soon-to-be collegiate athletes will participate in a diverse collection of…
Bridget Murphy ‘25 | Kat Barber ‘23 EA’s annual Arts Fest allows for members of the community to appreciate the work of student artists in the halls, theaters, chapel, and even on the runway. Lower, Middle, and Upper School art teachers collaborated to organize this year’s Arts Fest. David Sigel, Upper School Art Department Chair and Teacher, describes how the Art Department begins preparing for this annual event, explaining, “We talk among ourselves as a department, and we talk amongst ourselves as arts, and we put forth what kind of things we’re trying to showcase this year. We plan a…
Elizabeth Hershey ‘25 James Erwin, EA Chair of the Music Department and Choir Teacher, is truly a staple of Episcopal’s theater and music program. For the past eight years, Erwin has taught choir and other music courses at EA, enriching the mind of every student he teaches. Erwin’s musical journey began with a passion for the piano. He says, “The public school [that he attended] offered free piano lessons on cardboard keyboards. So I would go to lessons on cardboard keyboards then go home and practice on our piano.” With close watch from his mother, his love of the piano…
Elizabeth Hershey ‘25 James Erwin, EA Chair of the Music Department and Choir Teacher, is truly a staple of Episcopal’s theater and music program. For the past eight years, Erwin has taught choir and other music courses at EA, enriching the mind of every student he teaches. Erwin’s musical journey began with a passion for the piano. He says, “The public school [that he attended] offered free piano lessons on cardboard keyboards. So I would go to lessons on cardboard keyboards then go home and practice on our piano.” With close watch from his mother, his love of the piano…
Elizabeth Boruff ‘23 | Kat Barber ‘23 Rachel Letts is May’s Artist of the Month because of the passion, creativity, and kindness that she brings to each of her many visual and performing arts endeavors. Letts demonstrates a wide range of interests among the arts courses offered at EA. She has acquired more than three times the amount of arts credits required to graduate, with participation in classes like Foundations of Art, Honors 2D, Honors 2D II, Woodshop, and Choir. While Letts has enjoyed all of her arts classes at EA, she says that “Honors 2D or Woodshop is my…
Delaney Welsh ‘24 EA’s Spring musical, Mamma Mia! held performances through Thursday, April 28th to Saturday, April 30th. The process of casting a musical is in-depth and includes a regular audition and callbacks. Before the musical is ready to perform in front of the EA community, a lot of work must be done by both the directors and actors. Daniel Clay, Middle and Upper School Theater Department Chair and teacher, explains that “way before practicing or even auditions, preliminary meetings are held before holiday break, [and] we require the [potential actors] to be at the meetings just so they can…
Delaney Welsh ‘24 EA’s Spring musical, Mamma Mia! held performances through Thursday, April 28th to Saturday, April 30th. The process of casting a musical is in-depth and includes a regular audition and callbacks. Before the musical is ready to perform in front of the EA community, a lot of work must be done by both the directors and actors. Daniel Clay, Middle and Upper School Theater Department Chair and teacher, explains that “way before practicing or even auditions, preliminary meetings are held before holiday break, [and] we require the [potential actors] to be at the meetings just so they can…
Alyssa Sterner ‘24 Episcopal fosters an extensive community service program intended to keep the student population engaged in supportive outreach initiatives and help it build connections and insights with communities beyond the school’s campus. EA students are provided with a range of opportunities to engage in community service, including multiple service trips throughout the year, in addition to programs such as ACLAMO. Community Service Coordinator, Rebecca Brinks, explains that Episcopal’s Day of Service is “valuable because students get a chance to work with teachers and get a sense of community that they maybe can’t achieve during the school year due…
Maggie Dugery ‘23 | Sarah Kotapka ‘23 A primary consideration of parents when deciding whether or not to send their children to Episcopal is its affordability. Thanks to EA’s abundant financial aid program, this concern is, often, alleviated. The logistics of the financial aid process are fairly straightforward: when a student applies to EA, their application is considered need-blind, differentiating Episcopal from many of its peer schools in the area. After acceptance, new students’ financial situations are evaluated by Carolyn Polley, Associate Director of Admission and Director of Financial Aid, and there is a conversation about how much a family…