Alexandra Gobran ‘23 Starting in freshman year, Episcopal works to equip the Upper School Student Body with the skills and experiences necessary for success when they leave for college. As recently-graduated alumni reflect on their current situations in college, they reveal what the environment and curriculum at EA did the best job preparing them for, and what they wish they had received more direction or understanding of before going to college. Several alumni share the sentiment that the rigor of Episcopal’s course load enabled them to develop time-management skills that have helped them in college. Cathy Wang ‘17, who attended…
Author: TECHALERT
Staff Editorial “A tradition of excellence, The Episcopal Academy is known for its dominant athletic program,” reads EA’s website, boasting to any prospective student-athletes, parents, or opponents our state-of-art facilities, coaches, talent, and trophies. Athletics and Episcopal are simply inseparable, from the early years of all-boys sports and the formation of the Inter-Ac league, to the dynastic wins of the girls’ teams in more recent years. Though EA has found noteworthy success in its athletic programs, there is a hidden element that has also contributed to many of our athletes’ successes: club sports. As put by Todd Fairlie, Head Athletic…
Staff Editorial “A tradition of excellence, The Episcopal Academy is known for its dominant athletic program,” reads EA’s website, boasting to any prospective student-athletes, parents, or opponents our state-of-art facilities, coaches, talent, and trophies. Athletics and Episcopal are simply inseparable, from the early years of all-boys sports and the formation of the Inter-Ac league, to the dynastic wins of the girls’ teams in more recent years. Though EA has found noteworthy success in its athletic programs, there is a hidden element that has also contributed to many of our athletes’ successes: club sports. As put by Todd Fairlie, Head Athletic…
Maggie Lo ‘23 The EA STEM speaker series has this year highlighted presentations from Rajatesh Gudibande, the Co-Founder and President at GraphWear Technologies, and Dr. Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering. Danielle Feinberg, cinematographer and Director of Photography for Lighting at Pixar Animation Studios, will be presenting in the Spring. The STEM speaker series is funded by the Clare Foundation, a program that has supported STEM education at EA for about five to six years. Grace Limaye, Science Department Chair, says, “It is the Clare Foundation that, by virtue of the Hinton family directing them, gives us…
Kat Barber ‘23 | Elizabeth Boruff ‘23 Jeffrey Selingo — professor and journalist — has given presentations about the current college admissions process to the EA community, including faculty, parents, and students. The information discussed in those presentations was based off of Selingo’s recent book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions. Selingo engaged in deep research on the college admissions process, providing him the content for his book and lectures. He has “been in and around colleges and universities for more than 25 years,” according to his presentation. Selingo was given special permission to closely observe…
Rick Chen ‘24 | Maggie Lo ‘23 Many departments in the Upper School have developed new course offerings for the 2022-23 school year, including the English, History, Math, Science, Computer Science, and Visual Art departments. Most notably, the English department is significantly changing the structure of the V Form course options. The increase in new classes was due to a variety of reasons that were different for each department; some of these motivations included an increased student interest in a particular subject and the movement towards greater student choice in course selection. English The English department is altering the way…
Libby Flaisher ‘25 | Bridget Murphy ‘25 | Molly Ott ‘25 Outward Bound and Middle School field trips will return this year, similar to the return of May Term trips. The previous cancellations have been because of Covid restrictions. Many members of the EA community are excited for the return of these trips, but others, do not feel sorry they weren’t required to do them. Outward Bound is a five-day hiking trip in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina that rising freshmen at EA attended in August from 2005 to 2020. Due to Covid restrictions, the trips for the…
Xinxin Fang ‘24 With the Russian invasion and attacks on Ukrainian civilians, the safety of students on EA’s upcoming May Term trip has become a concern for some. However, students and teachers that are going believe that it’s still too early to decide, ultimately leaving the decision to cancel to Rustic Pathways, the touring agency, or EA. Russia’s invasion into Ukraine is derived from Vladmir Putin’s belief that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people – a single whole.” He turns to history to enforce his point, stating that they are all “are all descendants of Ancient Rus” and are bound…
Xinxin Fang ‘24 With the Russian invasion and attacks on Ukrainian civilians, the safety of students on EA’s upcoming May Term trip has become a concern for some. However, students and teachers that are going believe that it’s still too early to decide, ultimately leaving the decision to cancel to Rustic Pathways, the touring agency, or EA. Russia’s invasion into Ukraine is derived from Vladmir Putin’s belief that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people – a single whole.” He turns to history to enforce his point, stating that they are all “are all descendants of Ancient Rus” and are bound…
Jack Riley ‘24 | Colin Schlitt ‘24 Upper School students will take their final exams for non-AP classes from May 16th to 20th prior to May Term. AP exams will run from May 2th to May 13th. The main distinction between EA’s finals and AP finals is that EA’s finals count 10-20% of a student’s final grade, while AP exams only provide students with an opportunity to earn college credit. Although AP exams do not count towards your final class grade, Upper School Learning Specialist Courtney Wisniewski stresses the importance of studying for those exams, explaining, “AP exams give you…
Brendan Schlitt ‘24 | Connor Shanahan ‘24 Student Council is planning a Lawn Day for the Upper School on Reading Day on May 13th. The goal of the event is to alleviate any stress that students may have due to final exams. According to Andrea Yu, Upper School Librarian and Faculty Advisor of Student Council, the Lawn Day will take place on the football field, and there will be many activities, including yard games, such as “Connect 4, Jenga, Cornhole,” and possibly “a dunk tank to have classes taking turns dunking certain teachers or form deans.” Student Council member Sophia…
Brendan Schlitt ‘24 | Connor Shanahan ‘24 Student Council is planning a Lawn Day for the Upper School on Reading Day on May 13th. The goal of the event is to alleviate any stress that students may have due to final exams. According to Andrea Yu, Upper School Librarian and Faculty Advisor of Student Council, the Lawn Day will take place on the football field, and there will be many activities, including yard games, such as “Connect 4, Jenga, Cornhole,” and possibly “a dunk tank to have classes taking turns dunking certain teachers or form deans.” Student Council member Sophia…
Elizabeth Hershey ’25 Mamma Mia will be the 2022 Upper School Spring Musical. With over 50 student participants and the extreme reduction of COVID restrictions, the performance will be run in a more traditional manner than previous years. Dan Clay, Upper School Theater Department Chair, explains that after doing more serious shows such as Les Miserables and Godspell, he “thinks that what this community needs is a fun celebration and the show is really light and just fun for people.” He also appreciates the fact that this musical adheres to not only the students, but also to the parents, noting that…
Delaney Welsh ‘24 Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are a recent development in digital art that have become a polarizing topic in Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. With the risks of counterfeit NFTs and theft at hand, some wonder whether the benefits reaped by new artists outweigh the dangers. NFTs use blockchain to authenticate original digital art pieces. Matthew Davis, Upper School Computer Science Teacher, explains, “The whole point of the NFT is that it is on the blockchain, so you can verify that it is yours.” These works can be downloaded and shared among many, but only one original…
Hailey Deng ‘25 Ashley Kim ‘23 is March’s artist of the month for her dedication to the flute both inside and outside of EA’s music community. Kim’s interest with music began when she “started playing the violin when I was four, but switched to the flute when I was nine because I loved the sound and the vocal quality of the instrument.” Kim explains that her interest expanded to playing in school because she “always love[s] the opportunity to collaborate with other musicians because we have a chance to create something special together.” Kim participates in EA’s Band and Chamber…
Delaney Welsh ‘24 March’s Artist of the Month, Caroline Madeira, demonstrates excellence and creativity in her work in theatrical design and as Co-Editor in Chief of The Epolitan. This fall, her visions were put on display in EA’s productions of Radium Girls and partially in The Little Mermaid. Additionally, students can attend the school’s production of Mamma Mia this spring to see more of her work. Kelly Leight-Bertucci, Middle School and Upper School Theatre and Dance Teacher, explains “Caroline is able to sit down and read a play and have a clear vision of what she wants to do.” Madeira…
Delaney Welsh ‘24 March’s Artist of the Month, Caroline Madeira, demonstrates excellence and creativity in her work in theatrical design and as Co-Editor in Chief of The Epolitan. This fall, her visions were put on display in EA’s productions of Radium Girls and partially in The Little Mermaid. Additionally, students can attend the school’s production of Mamma Mia this spring to see more of her work. Kelly Leight-Bertucci, Middle School and Upper School Theatre and Dance Teacher, explains “Caroline is able to sit down and read a play and have a clear vision of what she wants to do.” Madeira…
Hailey Deng ‘25 Epolitan, a student-curated literary and arts magazine published every spring, showcases the artistic works of EA students, and has recently wrapped up the process of collecting student submissions. Anna Safford, US English Teacher and Epolitan Faculty Advisor, reaches out to her students to encourage them to share their work. She teaches IV and V form, noting that through them she has “received some amazingly creative and wonderful short stories and poems from that particular assignment. I think if you’ve done creative work in your classes, this can be a great place to showcase that.” The Head of…
Kassidy Kryukov ‘24 interviewed Juliette Loor ‘22 to discuss the Into the Light exhibit. Loor led this project alongside Ned Meisel ‘22. Q: What was the goal of the “Into the Light” gallery show? A: We wanted to put a large emphasis on community. Not just the student community, but also the faculty and staff all participated and it was a grade-wide endeavor. I think the emphasis EA places on community through sports was a good transition to include it in an artistic sense. Q: Did this project achieve what it was intended to? A: I totally think it did.…
Jack Riley ‘24 | Colin Schlitt ‘24 Sophomores must take a seminar course this year about the stripes and leadership. The course is run by seniors who are responsible for teaching sophomores about the stripes and improving their leadership skills. Several of the senior teachers are a part of the Esse Quam Videri Society (EQV), which is a leadership program that strives to create unity and spirit within the Upper School. Outside of teaching Sophomore Seminar, EQV members also host other events and activities, such as the freshman orientation program. The class goal is to mainly acclimate the sophomores to…