Maggie Dugery ‘23 | Sarah Kotopka ‘23 Haiti’s St. Marc’s school has been a partner of Episcopal since 2012. In those years, many students and faculty have visited the troubled country annually for service projects. for service projects and experiences intended to foster community and a connection with Episcopal’s partner, St. Marc’s School. These trips have consisted of construction projects, such as building a school, creating medical forms, building a water purification system, and working on local farms. The last trip to Haiti was in February of 2020 and there is not a trip planned in the foreseeable future. These…
Author: TECHALERT
Alexandra Gobran ‘23 | Caroline Sewell ‘23 Episcopal is a Christian school, but its chapel services make an effort to integrate speeches that discuss other cultures and religions throughout the school year. This effort is part of a push to promote greater inclusivity and awareness among the school. DEI representatives in the student body, prayers which highlight marginalized yet admirable figures during the respective heritage months, and school-wide programming and initiatives support this cause. Student speeches in chapel provide an opportunity for the speaker to impart a lesson to the audience, which can educate the greater community about religions, cultures,…
Gautam Ketkar ‘24 | Jack Riley ‘24 Juniors are already in a panic over the college admissions process. However, they will be comforted to know that the college process is more than just one’s transcript. In recent years, the college admissions process has evolved with regards to various fields of the application, including SAT/ACT requirements, AP emphasis, and extracurricular expectations. Furthermore, acceptance rates at the most selective colleges suggest college admissions have become drastically more competitive. According to US News rankings, acceptance rates at these colleges were much higher than they are today. For example, Penn’s and UChicago’s acceptance rate…
Gautam Ketkar ‘24 | Jack Riley ‘24 Juniors are already in a panic over the college admissions process. However, they will be comforted to know that the college process is more than just one’s transcript. In recent years, the college admissions process has evolved with regards to various fields of the application, including SAT/ACT requirements, AP emphasis, and extracurricular expectations. Furthermore, acceptance rates at the most selective colleges suggest college admissions have become drastically more competitive. According to US News rankings, acceptance rates at these colleges were much higher than they are today. For example, Penn’s and UChicago’s acceptance rate…
Henry Kovan ‘23 The new science curriculum at EA has allowed for greater variety in course selection in recent years. One of these new changes is the ability of sophomores to take A.P. science courses. Previously, students would follow a very specific, set track: freshmen would take biology, sophomores would take chemistry, and juniors would take physics. If they wanted to take science, seniors, having already satisfied the science requirement, could take whatever science courses they had not completed or were interested in. Starting last year with the class of 2024, students have a much more flexible path to their…
It’s the holiday season. You’re bundled up in blankets with your family, sitting by a warm fire, the aromas of your forthcoming feast floating throughout the house. You’re happy, you’re peaceful, you’re excited to open your gifts. Family that you haven’t seen in ages is in town, you’re catching up and making merry. Then you get a Canvas notification. Math assignment due on January 2. You glance over at your siblings playing with the dogs, your parents laughing with your aunts and uncles, your cousins playing games and your grandparents resting peacefully by the fire. You get up, leave your…
Ishani Khanna ‘25 Providing support to students and adopting new ways to address their mental health is of the utmost importance to school administrations, and EA is no exception. We have all learned from personal experience that stress is difficult to manage. One way to tackle stress is the frequent presence of therapy dogs on campus. These trained animals have been called “miracle workers” because of their calming effect on students and teachers that reduces tension. Regular visits from therapy dogs will profoundly impact the well-being of EA students, staff, and our overall school environment. Upper School Librarian Andrea Yu…
Ishani Khanna ‘25 Providing support to students and adopting new ways to address their mental health is of the utmost importance to school administrations, and EA is no exception. We have all learned from personal experience that stress is difficult to manage. One way to tackle stress is the frequent presence of therapy dogs on campus. These trained animals have been called “miracle workers” because of their calming effect on students and teachers that reduces tension. Regular visits from therapy dogs will profoundly impact the well-being of EA students, staff, and our overall school environment. Upper School Librarian Andrea Yu…
James Austin ’22 | Nic Staley ’22 Thought: When is the correct time to start listening to Christmas music and to put up Christmas decorations? James Austin: You would have to be a moron, a buffoon, or a calendar-oblivious, socially-inept human being to believe in anything other than what I’m about to say. There are two separate questions here. It should be obvious to everyone that listening to Christmas music should come before putting up the decorations, because to have decorations up without music is just ridiculous. The day of Thanksgiving is when one can begin listening to holiday music.…
Anika Agarwal ‘23 Many students may have noticed that the tampon and pad dispensers in the girls’ restrooms have been consistently empty. Although Episcopal Academy’s mission statement is “challenging and nurturing Mind, Body, and Spirit,” EA fails to comprehensively support the “body” aspect for a large portion of the student population. Given that periods are a regular part in many students’ lives, EA should make menstrual products more accessible and fully stocked in Upper School restrooms. While disposable menstrual products are readily available at the nurse’s office, not everyone is aware of their existence. Moreover, the nurse’s office in the…
Fiona Riley ‘22 The artwork of EA students now adorns the Head of School’s office in the Campus Center. T.J. Locke, with the help of the art department and Assistant to the Head of School Donna Erwin, created the gallery this month. The gallery currently houses artwork from high school students and will hopefully be expanded to include work from all the Middle and Lower Schools as well. When asked what inspired this project, Locke said, “I have always wanted my office to be filled with joy and for it to be an uplifting experience. The best way to do…
Xinxin Fang ’24 Sudan’s military took control of the country in a coup d’état against the government on October 25th and later placed the Sudanese Prime Minister under house arrest. While military leaders emphasize that maintaining stability was the main reason for the coup, civilians have recently engaged in large-scale protests against the junta, or the group in power; recently, as many as 39 casualties have been confirmed in the ensuing conflicts as mentioned in Al Jazeera. The coup, led by Lt. Gen Abdelfattah al-Burhan, Head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), resulted in the dissolution of Sudan’s previous government.…
Maggie Lo ’23 Some historically progressive Democrat populations elected Republican candidates in recent elections or came close to it. Two prominent opinions have emerged on how the Democrats should move forward when thinking about the midterm elections of 2022: they should set out bold progressive agendas, or conversely, they should become more moderate. Many EA student voters and political clubs like Young Republicans and Young Democrats have started conversations about the elections and what they imply about the US’s future. In one of the closest races, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe for Governor of Virginia, a position that…
Maggie Lo ’23 Some historically progressive Democrat populations elected Republican candidates in recent elections or came close to it. Two prominent opinions have emerged on how the Democrats should move forward when thinking about the midterm elections of 2022: they should set out bold progressive agendas, or conversely, they should become more moderate. Many EA student voters and political clubs like Young Republicans and Young Democrats have started conversations about the elections and what they imply about the US’s future. In one of the closest races, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe for Governor of Virginia, a position that…
Arjun Bhamra ’22 Maggie Lo ’23 Andrew Wolf, Springside Chestnut Hill Math Teacher, has allegedly obtained and distributed child pornography and is now under arrest by the FBI. SCH has fired Wolf, informed their community on what has happened, and is working to provide counselling to their students and teachers who ask for it. Wolf allegedly possessed multiple pornographic images on a Dropbox account linked to his school email, according to Philly Mag reporter Victor Fiorillo. Fiorillo also mentions that Wolf supposedly pretended to be a young girl on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, so he could get…
Aru Venugopalan ’24 Jason Ni ’23 Jake Shaud ‘22 is known for his dedication and hard-work both in and out of the pool. Shaud explains the beginning of his swimming career by saying, “I started swimming when I was 5 years old. We joined our local summer swim club and my parents just signed me up for the swim team to give me something to do in the summer.” He continues, “Once I was on the summer swim team, I really enjoyed it and started doing well at the meets. I wanted to do more so I joined the year-round…
Bridget Murphy ’25 Episcopal Academy’s Fall sports were back in action with full rosters, daily practices, and a complete schedule of home and away games. GIRLS SPORTS: The Girls Varsity Water Polo Team finished up their season with a 4 – 5 record and fought hard for a place in the Inter-Ac Championship after an extremely close defeat to Penn Charter in the semi-finals. Head Coach Maddie DeMund remarks, “We’re back to finally playing normal water polo. We weren’t able to do that last year. We only had three games, so being able to play and have a normal season…
Bridget Murphy ’25 Episcopal Academy’s Fall sports were back in action with full rosters, daily practices, and a complete schedule of home and away games. GIRLS SPORTS: The Girls Varsity Water Polo Team finished up their season with a 4 – 5 record and fought hard for a place in the Inter-Ac Championship after an extremely close defeat to Penn Charter in the semi-finals. Head Coach Maddie DeMund remarks, “We’re back to finally playing normal water polo. We weren’t able to do that last year. We only had three games, so being able to play and have a normal season…
Libby Flaisher ‘25 Riley Cassidy’s ‘22 passion for basketball is apparent. Ever since she was introduced to basketball in third grade, her interest for the game began. Cassidy started playing AAU basketball three years later. Currently, she is playing for an AAU program called All In Hoops, and in addition to this, she carries the responsibility of being a Team Captain for this year’s Episcopal varsity team. She also volunteers as a basketball camp counselor during the summer to help teach young kids the fundamentals of the sport. Charles Simmonds, Head Coach of the Girls Varsity Basketball team, remembers first…
Libby Flaisher ‘25 Riley Cassidy’s ‘22 passion for basketball is apparent. Ever since she was introduced to basketball in third grade, her interest for the game began. Cassidy started playing AAU basketball three years later. Currently, she is playing for an AAU program called All In Hoops, and in addition to this, she carries the responsibility of being a Team Captain for this year’s Episcopal varsity team. She also volunteers as a basketball camp counselor during the summer to help teach young kids the fundamentals of the sport. Charles Simmonds, Head Coach of the Girls Varsity Basketball team, remembers first…