As Seniors prepare for their graduation, they are excited to celebrate their final time at Episcopal with the dedicated teachers and faculty that have and continue to support and encourage them throughout their years here. However, with the graduating class size being the largest in Episcopal’s history, there are concerns that the chapel will be unable to fit the faculty along with the families of each graduating senior. While we recognize the concern of fitting everyone in the chapel, we feel that the faculty are an integral part of the Episcopal Academy experience and need to be present at graduation.…
Author: TECHALERT
Grace Smith ’19 Ella Zomber ’19 The change is obvious. Chapel is not the same. In the last four years, chapel has undergone some minor shifts like the choir processional, more non-hymnal songs, traditional Quaker worship services, the presentation of gifts, and the absence of the front podium. However, there have been some major changes like the larger vestry, decreased guest speeches, the no-clapping rule, and shorter services have altered chapel’s overall tone. Grace Szafara ‘19 says, “When I was an underclassman, my favorite speeches were from outside speakers and alumni and they really affected me. Now, those don’t really…
Madison Hansens ’21 Jill McEntee ’21 During the 2017-2018 school year, eighth-graders (the current freshman class) were introduced to a mandatory advisory block intended to create an open-ended activity period. Students had the opportunity to spend time and forge relationships with their advisor and peers, with time to collaborate and talk about how they were feeling about their classes or any relevant topics to discuss openly with such a small group. With that said, without a concrete plan for the short 30-minute block, the time provided was substantially unproductive for the students. However, this year, when the Third Form was…
Josephine Buccini ’21Mary Cipperman ’21 Last Friday, February 8, the EA Upper and Middle School dance teams performed in the annual Dance Concert. It featured four faculty choreographers and over eighty students. The show this year included eleven student-choreographed solos and duets. Ms. Cara Lavallee, dance director, says, “A lot more juniors and seniors came out to do features. We had more new fresh voices presenting their choreography in the show.” A notable addition to dance team this year was also the Upper School’s new choreographer, Ms. Geri Omni. She choreographed three of the show’s dances; “Finesse,” “River,” and “Sound &…
Theodore Vadot ’19 The newly installed Shape of Things exhibit in the Crawford Campus Center Gallery features cement masterpieces made by the Honors 3-D Art class, taught by Hilary Hutchison. The various shapes found in the gallery are inspired by Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), a British sculptor who investigated how the abstraction of shapes allows them to interact with their surroundings. Additionally, Hepworth’s sculptures have a distinct characteristic in that they must include a negative space – a hole, of sorts, that perforates the sculpture. In this project, Hutchison explains, “[The project] gave students the opportunity to think about the creation…
Annie Rau ’19 The Create, Fold, Twist paper workshop was held in the gallery from October 22nd to November 29th. The show featured two artists, Allison Villani and Michael Shannon. Villani is a sculptor, book artist and teacher, and Shannon is an origami artist. A purist, Shannon folds animals, bugs, boxes, and amazing shapes out of one piece of paper, never using glue or scissors. He presented work that he has designed himself as well as creations following the designs of masters such as Robert Lang, Fumiaki Kawahata, and more. Shannon held an interactive and instructive workshop on November 6th,…
Theodore Vadot ’19 Although concrete is best known as a quintessential aspect of 20th century modernist architecture, it was first used in Ancient Rome. A material that is easy to work with, structurally sound, and visually appealing, it was revolutionary in terms of the various possibilities of what could be made with it. Made entirely out of concrete, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and completed in 1959, six months after Wright’s death. The Guggenheim is arguably the most important building of Wright’s late career, due to the unique architecture of…
Anjali Bose ’20 Artsfest is still several months away but on January 10th, 2019, Trans Media artist Dickie Cox will be coming to Episcopal Academy to collaborate with the EA community for an “immersive art experience” that will take place during Artsfest in 2019. Christopher McCreary, upper school English teacher, explained, “Mr. Cox is an artist who seems to specialize in site-specific installations. Meaning, as opposed to being someone who creates a painting to hang in an exhibit, or in somebody’s home, he specializes in creating temporary spaces that are activated by the people visiting the exhibit. So, for example,…
Tom Hogan ’20 Tina Ying ‘20 is December’s Artist of the Month. She had a main role in this year’s fall play, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and she is one of the leading members of the Episcopal Academy dance team. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ying played the roles of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, and Titania, the queen of the fairies. But before she became one of the many talented actors and actresses in the EA theatre, Ying mainly focused on dance. She is incredibly passionate about dancing, saying, “Every time I hear music I just want…
Cameron Buonocore ’20 December girl’s Athlete of the Month is junior Hadley Debruyn ‘20. Hadley is currently commencing her fourth year as a varsity member on Episcopal’s Swimming and Diving team. The freestyler had a bit of a rough start to the sport, “When I was 3, my mom took me for swim lessons at the Y. I was terrified. It was so bad that they gave my mom her money back because they thought it was detrimental to my psyche. Later though, when I was 7, I was trying to teach myself how to swim butterfly at the pool…
Nishant Thangada ’19 Alex Bendinelli ‘19 is Episcopal Academy’s Boys Athlete of the Month. Bendinelli is a four-time varsity athlete and currently serves as the captain of the Wrestling Team. Bendinelli says, “My dad wrestled in high school and he was a small, skinny kid, kind of like me.” His father serving as an inspiration, Bendinelli started in 5th grade, but became serious in 8th grade where he wrestled at Drexel Hill and Upper Darby. Bendinelli explains, “After coming to Episcopal in 9th grade, I continued to wrestle at Upper Darby, Lower Merion, and now here. Freshman year I was…
Lola Quigley ’20 Raina Kuzemka ’20 Girls’ Field Hockey The Girls Field Hockey team finished the season strong with a 1st place finish in the PAISAA championship. The girls knew that the final against Germantown Academy was going to be a tough game as Captain Maddie Rehak ’19 explained “everyone was very nervous about playing GA”. The team had not beaten GA in league play all season, but Rehak says “we should’ve won both games we played them before the PAISAA game.” They had just captured the Interac title, but we knew it rightfully belonged to us”. Coach Buggy said…
Owen Maier ’20Justin Chen ’20Sejin Park ’20 EA-Haverford/AIS day has been a long-valued tradition in at Episcopal, being one of the community’s most anticipated days of the year. Although the event may stir emotions and promote fierce competition, it is also accompanied by sportsmanship and school spirit. However, this year’s EA-Haverford day was accompanied by particularly intense hostility, resulting in some disdainful actions from members of the Haverford community. These actions purposely attempted to deface many of our school’s key core ideals, destroying the value that both school’s communities associate with the day and its competitions. The insults even included…
Jacob Zeng ’20 Case Hummer ’20 The fitness program at Episcopal Academy has played a major role in the athletic experience as a whole. The fitness specialists Steve Musacchio and Lara Winter are key to the fitness experience and its success. Coach Steve said he was not naturally in the shape he wanted to be in, so he applied his knowledge about sports and started to work out. Once he got to college he began to see results. In a normal day, Coach Steve will work with adults in the morning and students in the afternoon. Most days he arrives…
Open Mic Night provides a venue for students to show their artistic talents and perform for their classmates in a low-stakes environment. With an average of about 60 students and faculty attending this fun Friday night event, there is no denying that the popularity of the event is on the rise. However, with the second Open Mic Night having just passed, the Episcopal community only is hosting only one more Open Mic Night this upcoming year in May. An increase in the amount of Open Mic Nights would grant students more chances to explore the arts at Episcopal with the…
Grace Haupt ’20 In today’s world, endless amounts of information are available at the tip of our fingertips. Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and countless other social media apps are all designed to possess our attention and keep us locked into scrolling down the never-ending feed of our social accounts. But to do this, social media companies exploit the morbid tendencies of human beings and show us violence. This can include mass shootings, harassment, violent protests, and others events. At first, we were rightfully disturbed. But over time, we have become desensitized to violence. Noble Brigham ‘20 explains, “I remember the day…
Kevin Li ’19 The Students for Fair Admissions, headed by conservative civil rights activist, Edward Blum, is dangerously close to dismantling affirmative action in Harvard’s college admissions. Ironically, the affirmative action Blum is rallying against is the byproduct of John F. Kennedy’s 1961 order for affirmative action in the face of the civil rights movement. Students for Fair Admissions contends that Asian-American applicants are unlawfully discriminated against due to Harvard’s use of racial quotas and unfair personality ratings. However, for Asian-American college applicants, a better chance to go to U.S. News & World Report’s number 2 ranked national university may…
Michael Zhou ’21Avani Narula ’21 Earlier this school year, Great Valley High School principal Michael Flick resigned after authorities linked him to missing prescription medications from the school nurse’s office. According to an email sent to GV parents by superintendent Regina Speaker Palubinsky, “Mr. Flick has acknowledged his involvement in the incident, has cooperated with the authorities and has informed us that he is seeking treatment.” An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer states that Flick developed a drug addiction after an automobile incident several years ago. In a letter to the Great Valley School Board, Flick wrote: “I deeply regret…
Michael Zhou ’21Avani Narula ’21 Earlier this school year, Great Valley High School principal Michael Flick resigned after authorities linked him to missing prescription medications from the school nurse’s office. According to an email sent to GV parents by superintendent Regina Speaker Palubinsky, “Mr. Flick has acknowledged his involvement in the incident, has cooperated with the authorities and has informed us that he is seeking treatment.” An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer states that Flick developed a drug addiction after an automobile incident several years ago. In a letter to the Great Valley School Board, Flick wrote: “I deeply regret…
Michael Zhou ’21Avani Narula ’21 Earlier this school year, Great Valley High School principal Michael Flick resigned after authorities linked him to missing prescription medications from the school nurse’s office. According to an email sent to GV parents by superintendent Regina Speaker Palubinsky, “Mr. Flick has acknowledged his involvement in the incident, has cooperated with the authorities and has informed us that he is seeking treatment.” An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer states that Flick developed a drug addiction after an automobile incident several years ago. In a letter to the Great Valley School Board, Flick wrote: “I deeply regret…