As the school year comes to an end, students are racking up the amount of lates they have been receiving. This increase in late arrivals unnecessarily punishes kids, forcing them to go to detention when they accumulate ten or more lates. Many of these lates do not come from being late to class, however, as many students who get to school between 8:06 and 8:09 are receiving these late notices. It is not fair that students who come to first period class on time are reprimanded for waking up a couple minutes late or getting stuck in traffic. Homeroom,…
Author: TECHALERT
Luke Giordano ’19, Nick Peyton ’19 A senior student at Episcopal wants nothing more than to bound past their final academic formalities and enjoy the warm summer air. However, the refuge of summer vacation is guarded by a heavy hand as second semester exams prove to be an unnecessary pitstop on their road to college. Furthermore, the exams delay the impending summer hiatus and fuel academic anxiety where it need not be. Despite a student consensus opposed to senior exams, the administration retorts that an exam’s ability to cement semester material can serve as useful practice for imminent college exams. …
Luke Giordano ’19, Nick Peyton ’19 A senior student at Episcopal wants nothing more than to bound past their final academic formalities and enjoy the warm summer air. However, the refuge of summer vacation is guarded by a heavy hand as second semester exams prove to be an unnecessary pitstop on their road to college. Furthermore, the exams delay the impending summer hiatus and fuel academic anxiety where it need not be. Despite a student consensus opposed to senior exams, the administration retorts that an exam’s ability to cement semester material can serve as useful practice for imminent college exams. …
Anti-Student Grace Smith ’19 School days are busy and unpredictable. Quizzes pop up. Teachers ask to meet. Students realize they need their free period to do that unfinished homework. A student’s test may run late, causing them to miss their shifts at the coffee bar. “I don’t think that students are dependable enough to be relied on to work during their crazy days,” says Maddie Loughead ‘19. Considering the hustle-bustle days of students, working schedules are believed to be too demanding to be successfully met and maintained. Job expectations and student expectations may only result in a mediocre fulfillment of…
Arizona State University 1 Bates College 1 Boston University 1 Bowdoin College 1 Brown University 3 Bucknell University 5 Carleton College 1 Carnegie Mellon University 1 Clemson University 1 Colgate University 1 College of William and Mary 1 Colorado College 1 Cornell University 2 Dickinson College 1 Drexel University 3 Eckerd College 1 Elon University 2 Fordham University 1 Franklin and Marshall College 3 Georgetown University 1 Gettysburg College 3 Harvard University 1 High Point University 2 Johns Hopkins University 1 Lafayette College 1 Lehigh University 1 Loyola Marymount University 2 Miami University, Oxford 1 Morgan State University 1 New…
Michael Zhou ’21, Peter Woodville ’21 The University of Pennsylvania is being sued for over $50,000 by the parents of Wharton School student Ao “Olivia” Kong for negligence, wanton and willful misconduct, reckless disregard, and wrongful death, according to Philly.com. The incident occurred in the spring of 2016, when Olivia, who had been dealing with a stressful workload, intentionally jumped onto railroad tracks and suffered fatal injuries. The lawsuit alleges that the university neglected Olivia’s multiple pleas for help and failed to effectively assist her in coping with her overwhelming stress. In the months before the incident, the 21 year-old had…
Aantorik Ganguly ’19, Amanda Turner ’19 On April 30th, students and faculty were struggling to get any work done on campus as the Wi-Fi connection timed out. Will Forbes, the Technical Services Coordinator, explained, “As far as I understand it, the wifi issue happened because of a 10-year limit that Cisco has on their devices. Our access points were installed in 2007 and the campus opened in 2008, so we hit that policy.” The process for fixing the issue became increasingly difficult because the internet would only work in certain rooms and departments. Head of Upper School Mike Letts stated, “We…
Nick Christos ‘20 Surgeons from the Army have successfully grown an ear in a woman’s arm and transplanted it, according to The New York Times. The woman, an Army soldier, was returning to Fort Bliss, Texas when she lost control of her car after a tire blowout which led to her car flipping multiple times and the loss of her ear. In the first procedure of its kind in the Army, Lt. Col. Owen Johnson III, Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, and his team used cartilage from the soldiers’ ribs and placed it…
Trisha Tsundupalli ‘21 On April 27th, many students at Episcopal and across the nation participated in the National Day of Silence. As Maggie Dobra ‘21 states, “Day of Silence is a time when we don’t speak in honor of the LGBTQ+ community, who may not have a voice.” This day has been recognized throughout countries all over the world, and has blossomed since 1966, the origination date. By wearing colorful pins and wristbands to show support, children and adults participate to spread love to those who feel silenced by their sexuality. During this day, students and teachers alike can sign…
Phoebe Barr ‘19 After a Facebook video went viral in early April showing two black men being arrested, apparently without cause, in a Philadelphia Starbucks, the company has responded in numerous ways to outrage and calls to boycott the popular coffee chain. The New York Times reports that Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were waiting for a friend at a Starbucks in downtown Philadelphia; they had not purchased anything, and a manager reported them to the police for trespassing. Soon afterward the men were arrested. Starbucks’ usual policy is to allow people who have not bought anything to remain in…
Avani Narula ’21, Krissie Esselfie ’21 College Kickstart is being introduced as a new college software in addition to our current college software, Naviance, with hopes to help students make smarter college choices. The contract to work with College Kickstart was recently confirmed at the end of April, and the college guidance department is eager to see how it will affect the Episcopal Academy college admissions process for the juniors and seniors. College Kickstart is not a replacement for Naviance, but it should help refine the application process. Naviance includes a wide range of college and career readiness tools, including…
Noble Bringham ’20 Students were shocked when the Upper School English Department recently decided to reinstate summer reading after a brief hiatus. Summer reading has long been a tradition at Episcopal. English teacher Lee Billmyer said that from the time she was hired in 1985 until around 2016, there was mandatory summer reading every year. Anne Barr, Head of the English Department, says the change to a list of each teacher’s suggestions in 2016 was “..kind of an experiment. We wanted to see if kids would read on their own. It sure seemed to us like they didn’t.” …
Vince Vento ‘21, Peter Lim ‘21 With technology playing such a large role in everyday life, students at EA have expressed concern about the school’s tech policy, especially regarding privacy. One week ago, Mike Letts, Head of Upper School, spoke to the student body regarding this topic. He explained that the Academy follows the strict guidelines set by state legislators: recording or taking a picture of any person without their clear consent in a private institution, such as a school setting, is illegal. Letts said, “If you take a picture of a classmate while they’re in school and post it on…
This is an excerpt from the first edition of the Scholium, which was published in 1888. It describes the mission of the Scholium. For the first time, the boys of the Episcopal Academy have a paper devoted to their especial interest. It remains to be seen whether they will appreciate its advantage, and whether they deserve one. We are confident that they do. We shall endeavor to make the Scholium of such general interest, that its circulation will spread beyond the Academy. We expect to present to our readers an accurate account of what is going on in the Academy,…
Olivia Cunningham ‘18: The world’s most important weeks of fashion, featuring many of the most prominent and cutting-edge brands, came to an end in early March of 2018. These weeks consisted of four major runway shows: New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, and Paris Fashion Week. These shows, spanning from February 16th until March 6th, showcased high end designers’ most avant-garde pieces that have become the forefront of 2018’s most trending street-style fashion. PVC and Vinyl: Designers like Calvin Klein and Oscar de la Renta featured many shiny PVC and vinyl materials, mostly in jackets and…
Raina Kuzemka ’20, Lola Quigley ’20: The Girls’ Athlete of the Month for March is Josie Konopka ‘18. As one of the Co-Captains of the girls’ crew team, Konopka is beginning her fourth and final season this year. Konopka has come a long way since starting crew. Konopka explains, “I did a learn-to-row camp when I was in eighth grade, and then I did some summer rowing before freshman year, then I started freshman year.” Konopka will be rowing at the University of Pennsylvania next year. Mrs. Molly Konopka, the head crew coach, shares her memories of her daughter’s first race.…
Kate Beinkampen ’19: The Boys’ Athlete of the Month for March is Harry Pusey ‘19. “Positive. Hardworking. Focused,” are attributes that Mrs. Molly Konopka, Upper School Crew Coach, uses to characterize Pusey. She explains that he is a “perpetually positive and driven” contributor to the crew team. Pusey was introduced to crew at a young age. His two older brothers rowed and he always tagged along to their races. In ninth grade, he decided to pick up the sport himself and has become a valuable asset to the team. During the 2017 season, Pusey was the only tenth grader on…
Max Giles ‘21, Case Hummer ‘20: The girls’ spring sports teams are gearing up for their season. The girls’ spring track team is looking to build upon their successful season last year, where they finished 2nd in the Inter-Ac and at PAISAA. The team is full of young talent that is excited to start training and upperclassmen captains, Julia DePillis ‘18, Molly Giles ‘18, and Jillian Rotman ‘18, that are looking to continue their success. Doug Borgerson, Middle School Athletic Director and Girls’ Track Coach, says, “The team is full of enthusiasm, energy, and willingness to try new events.” He claims…
Theo Vadot ‘19: The boys’ spring sports teams at EA are preparing for their upcoming season of competition and hopeful success. The track team could potentially have a difficult season this year, as Chris Zimmerman ‘19 explains, “The season may be difficult, but I think that we have a lot of runners that have the ability to place so that we can win.” Zimmerman explains that the goal for the team is “to have all our runners lower their times and improve as the season goes on.” In the Inter-Ac, Episcopal’s top competitors will be Haverford, Malvern, and Germantown Academy.…
Anjali Bose ‘20: Due to his consistent skill and dedication to Episcopal Academy theater, Jacob Viscusi ‘19 is the March Artist of the Month. He co-led the fall production as Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind, and he will again co-lead as Danny Zuko in Grease this Spring. As a junior, Viscusi has taken part in several Episcopal productions as a performer and member of tech crew. Viscusi first became interested in theater at Episcopal in Middle School after seeing his friends involved in different productions. He says, “Greg Smith, who I really looked up to, was doing Godspell, and…