Mary Cipperman ‘21: This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Episcopal’s first production of Grease, which was the first show on its new campus. On April 27th and 28th, The Domino Board will present Grease again, commemorating this milestone in Episcopal’s history and emphasizing universal themes that continue to be relevant to students today. The show, written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, depicts 1950s working-class culture through the romance of two high schoolers, Sandy Dumbrowski, played by Grace Hennigan ‘19, and Danny Zuko, played by Jacob Viscusi ‘19. Peer pressure, cliques, and struggles to discover true identity threaten to…
Author: TECHALERT
Michael Bai ‘20: In honor of Women’s History Month, the Install-It club is hosting For Women, By Women, Plus One, a pop-up show in the Crawford Campus Center Gallery. The pop-up features several works of art created by prominent female artists in the art world. The curators of Install-It believe that these works of art reflect female strength and empowerment. Annie Rau ‘19, co-curator of Install-It, says, “March is Women’s History Month, so the pop-up is all famous portraits or work by influential women and we also have one male artist, so the title of our show is For Women,…
Liz Palumbo ‘19: Dora Khayatt Music and Art Competitions Every year, the Episcopal Academy offers the Dora Khayatt Music and Art Competitions for gifted students. The music competition occurs in the winter, and the visual art competition takes place in the spring. The competitions allow students to receive acknowledgement for their talents, regardless of whether or not they win. Annie Rau ‘19 says, “I think that Dora Khayatt is really fun, seeing how much talent is in the school. Just seeing how creative your peers are, and also the wide range of artwork and the different capabilities of everyone.” The…
“I can only speak personally, but I would feel uncomfortable carrying a gun on me. First of all, I don’t think adding more guns to the fray is a solution to this issue of gun violence in schools. Secondly, I would be worried that we would have moments where someone gets shot accidentally. Learning how to carry and use a weapon should not be in a teacher’s job description; it only serves to make schools more of a militarized zone, and I just don’t see that as a solution.” -Tony Herman “One of the features of working in education is…
Ella Zomber ’19: More seniors should give senior speeches, as often they can be eye- opening for the entire Episcopal community. The lack of senior speeches this year has been discouraging, and many juniors and sophomores have noticed. Senior speeches are something most of us look forward to hearing and eventually sharing. Often, the speeches can impact students’ experience throughout high school. One senior speech that had a considerable impact on me was given by Sarah Barr ‘16. She spoke about her experience with sexual abuse, and although I have never had a similar experience, I thought it was incredibly…
Molly Limaye ’21, Madison Hanssens ’21, Kristen Weil ’21: One semester of computer science should be mandatory for Upper School students because it is not only a challenging and stimulating skill, but computer programming is the future of our world. While technology is improving at a faster rate than ever, many students have never been exposed to computer programming. This lack of experience consequently hinders them from properly utilizing all of today’s technology. Ben Prusky ‘92, a technology entrepreneur and now CEO of Freedom Merchants, notes, “As I have learned from experience, dealing with how computer-software works is something that every adult…
Amanda Jones ’20: At Episcopal Academy, the Board of Trustees help to govern the school and make important decisions about it. The Board of Trustees has many different sub-committees like Development, Financial Aid, Investment, Advancement, and Executive in order to ensure that specific attention is given to all parts of Episcopal life. Below are summaries of some of the contributing members of the Board of Trustees of Episcopal. Questions for the Board: 1) What is your affiliation with EA? 2) Where did you go to school? What did you major in? What do you do now? 3)What do you do…
Anna Lee ‘20, Cayla Beaulieu ‘20: Bruce Konopka, former Director of Alumni and girls novice crew coach, has taken a new job as the Class Giving Director for The Penn Fund at the University of Pennsylvania. He began working at the Episcopal Academy in 2006 as the Associate Director of Development, and in 2010 became the Director of Alumni. Konopka worked as both Associate Director of Development and Director of Alumni up until last year. Konopka, who fondly recalls the jobs, said, “I did enjoy both positions. It was a wonderful way for me to connect with our alumni of all…
Noble Brigham ‘20: The past few years have seen a rise in the opioid epidemic – now one of the largest social problems in the United States. In January 2018, Governor Wolf declared a 90-day state of emergency. According to the CDC, from 2014-2015, drug-related deaths in Pennsylvania, mostly from opioids, increased by 20.1%, and from 2015-2016, they increased by 44.1%. In 2016, there were 2,089 heroin-related deaths in Pennsylvania. Kensington, Philadelphia is the center of the opioids epidemic in the Philadelphia region. It is home to the Conrail rail yard where addicts slept in cardboard and plywood shacks in…
The creation of an EA Danceathon two years ago was a great addition to the Episcopal experience. The support, in both the form of donations and participation, that was generated for the causes brought the community together in a way that is unique to the dance marathon. While we realize that unexpected weather conditions shortened the Danceathon this year and prevented it from fulfilling its full potential, the Scholium staff nonetheless believes there are some adjustments that can be made to make this event even more successful. Our suggestion chiefly concerns the scheduling of the marathon. In its current set…
James Tang ’18: There is a growing sentiment among EA students that good grades are more important than a good education. The best teacher is not the one who is intellectually challenging and thought provoking—who asks their students to do more than expected, to go above and beyond to seek the thrill of learning. No. EA’s most sought after teachers are the ones who are easy. Students, especially those intent on attending some of the nation’s most prestigious universities, are willing to sacrifice the value of a good education for the all important high GPA, and that is a problem…
Morgan Rees ‘21, Morgan Bramwell ‘21: In light of the school shooting last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Episcopal has been prompted to look into adding more safety features to the campus for additional protection for students. One of the biggest concerns with Middle and Upper School students pertains to the fact that the main entrances to the buildings are unlocked, and therefore open to intruders. Joe Shanahan, Director of Campus Safety, has new ideas to better protect the students, teachers, and staff. He says, “We are looking at locking the doors and giving middle and…
Alec Austin ‘19, Michael Zeng ‘19: Students have just been notified that May Term will indeed officially be replacing J-Term. The Upper School students will now be taking trips, doing projects, and learning about new things in May rather than in January. Mike Letts, Head of the Upper School, held a Q&A and answered all questions and concerns regarding May Term. He says, “I think it was generally positive, but I know some of the juniors are upset. I understand that. They may have been planning on joining trips next January and now can’t because we’ve moved it to May. Others…
Owen Maier ’20: Palmer Page ‘68, a former Episcopal squash player, is leading a project to write a book entailing the entire history of squash at EA . Along with Rob Dinerman, who has previously written books about squash at various schools, including Harvard, Princeton, and the Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, the two hope to have the book published by December of 2018 according to a press release. In order to find more information about the extensive history of the sport, Dinerman is receiving help from Cassandra Keith, EA Librarian and Archivist, to research season records as well as notable…
Avani Narula ’21, Krissie Essilfie ’21: Three students from the senior class will be attending military academies next fall: Skyler Schork ‘18, attending the Naval Academy, Sean McGarrity ‘18, going to the Merchant Marine Academy, and Alexandra DiMarco ‘18, who will be attending West Point Academy. This is an unusually high number of students entering service academies from a single class. Because the military academies are so selective, the application process is very extensive. “You have to start the process in about June of your junior year in high school,” McGarrity says. “Your pre-application has to be accepted by the school.…
Michael Zhou ’21, Dhilan Lavu ’21, Peter Woodville ’21: Due to this winter’s onslaught of snow, the Episcopal Academy has cancelled school four times this year. On average, the school is canceled around two to three times per year with one two-hour delay, both of which have already been surpassed with four snow days and three two-hour delays. As a result of classes not meeting everyday because of the new schedule, missing one class due to a snow day can put a heavy burden on both teachers and students to make up the missed time. TJ Locke, Head of School, says, “I…
Nishant Thangada ’19, Jonathan Huang ’19: Matt Memmo, Upper School Technology Coordinator, is pushing for computer science to become a graduation requirement. Currently under discussion, the proposal would not take effect until the 2019-2020 school year. Memmo elaborates, “There was a Computer Science Group that I was part of, and one of our proposals was to make at least half a credit mandatory for Upper School.” Explaining how it would affect current students, he continues, “The year we make it official, only the current freshman would have to fulfill the requirement, and so forth.” A growing field that accounts for over…
Phoebe Barr ’19: Across the country on March 14, students participated in a 17-minute school walkout to commemorate the lives of the 17 students and faculty killed in the Parkland School Shooting. The event also served as a platform to protest gun violence and push for greater gun control. Beginning at 10:00 am and lasting until 10:17 am, the walkout spanned across different time zones in different parts of the country. At Episcopal, over one hundred middle and upper school students as well as faculty participated in the walkout, which took place during H block by the flagpoles. “I feel…
Theo Vadot ’19: It is common belief that the dog is man’s best friend. If this holds to be true, you are in good company in the White Dog Cafe in the heart of Philadelphia’s cherished University City. As you walk into the Victorian brownstone townhouse, you are first greeted by a hospitable taproom, in the center of which is a grandiose bar. The next room you walk in is the Den, the first of ten whimsical and creatively named dining rooms; all of which are decorated around a main subject: dogs. A local favorite in Philadelphia and the Main…
Theo Vadot ’19: A young restaurant lies gracefully in the middle of the nation’s oldest farmers’ market. Hunger Burger, a small burger joint, serves an array of breakfast burgers, some that you might call exotic, as well as a myriad selection of sides, from lobster mac ‘n’ cheese to bacon cheese fries. Another very important part of the menu at Hunger Burger- something the restaurant has a great amount of pride for -are the sauces. Hunger Burger offers a selection of ten delicious sauces, ranging from a peppercorn parmesan sauce to a pineapple habanero sauce. The burgers are nevertheless the…