Phoebe Barr ‘19: The FDA website indicates that over 2 million middle and high school students in the United States were using e-cigarettes in 2016, 11% of high schoolers and 4.3% of middle schoolers. Among schools in the area, the phenomenon has recently come to the attention of the faculty and staff. The trend of using e-cigarettes, such as a Juul or Phix, called “vaping,” has taken hold illegally on school campuses, in many ways and for many reasons. “Juuls aren’t technically cigarettes because they don’t have tobacco,” said Sarah Barr ‘16, an Episcopal Academy alumnus and current student at…
Author: TECHALERT
Annie Rau ‘19: In early September, students were informed of a new coffee bar to be implemented on campus. As months have passed with no sight of coffee being served, students are curious as to what happened to the promised new hot spot on campus. The coffee bar originally was supposed to be in the alcove of senior lockers adjacent to the black box. However, this plan was quickly dismantled as plans for the reconstruction of the campus center were brought to the table. The coffee bar proposal was not pushed aside due to the plans for the campus center…
Morgan Bramwell ‘21, Morgan Rees ‘21: Stemming from an increase in stress, the use of technology, and a willingness from peers, cheating at EA has become a prevalent issue. The school’s motto, “Esse Quam Videri,” translating to, “To be, rather than to seem to be,” has been a signature principle of the Episcopal Academy’s ethics policies. All students promise, as part our ethics policy, to keep our work free of plagiarism: the act of taking someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. Thomas Goebeler, Ph.D., Upper School math teacher and Disciplinary Board member, summarizes the ethical responsibilities we…
Grace Haupt ’20: Looking to get some reading in this holiday season? Here are some of the best books of the year! Turtles All the Way Down by John Green John Green returns to the bestseller list after his smash-hit The Fault in Our Stars. Turtles All the Way Down is an honest exploration of mental health, drawn from Green’s own experiences with OCD. The protagonist Ava Holmes struggles to sustain friendships, be a good student, and find her first love while battling the demons that control her thoughts. The novel is extremely well-written, full of honest and heart-wrenching…
Sourced by: Regina Buggy and Charles Bryant Gathered by: Nicholas Christos ‘20, Billy Stavropoulos ‘20, Kelsey Richter ‘20, Louisa Baxter ‘20 1. Previous Athletic Director, Dr. Borkowski, used to tell a different story about the origin of the Sweater usually when two brothers who went to each school ripped their sweaters in half, and their mother sewed them back together. 2. Before AIS Day, back on the Merion campus, Haverford Day was always on Friday. 3. Back in the ‘80’s, if EA won all 3 events (there was no golf and no water polo), then Headmaster Jay Crawford would cancel…
Grace Haupt ’20: Students obviously have a very complicated dress code. But what are the expectations for teachers? The short answer: professional dress. This means suits and ties for men and dresses, skirts, and professional slacks for women. “Where we go with faculty is professional dress,” says Mike Letts, Interim Head of Upper School. “If we think there’s an issue, it gets addressed, but I don’t really think there’s an issue.” When students dress down, some may have noticed that “[teachers] abide by the same rules as students,” says Letts. The faculty dress code is not really an accessible document.…
Michael Bai ‘20, Jospehine Buccini ‘21 Two notable Episcopal alumni and artists are Becca Archambault ‘16 and Leah Marshant ‘16, both of whom are pursuing the arts to some degree in college. Although they engage in different artistic fields, the arts programs at EA and have influenced both individuals’ love for the arts over the years. Leah Marchant is majoring in Industrial Design at Rhode Island School of Design, one of the best such programs in the country. She came to EA in sixth grade and displayed interest in the arts from an even earlier point in her life. Marchant has…
Mary Cipperman ‘21: Local ceramics artist Brett Thomas recently worked with the Episcopal Academy community to implement a Japanese-inspired technique of outdoor firing. The resulting pieces were then displayed in the Crawford Campus Center Gallery as a pop-up show. Thomas’ program, Mobile Raku, features homemade glazes as well as two outdoor kilns. Traveling across the East Coast, Thomas says he aims to “share the joy of art.” His adds, “I envision Mobile Raku as the best way for reaching out to an ever-expanding circle of creative people. I hope to venture beyond the controlled space of the classroom setting in…
Anjali Bose ’20: McKee Bond ‘19 has been awarded the November Artist of the Month for his exemplary skills and contributions to theatre at the Episcopal Academy. In just a few weeks, Bond will be co-leading the Upper School’s fall play Inherit the Wind, but he has been acting for the majority of his life. “Ever since I can remember, I’ve just loved performing and loved acting,” Bond says, “I’d say I’ve been acting since Lower School.” Throughout Lower and Middle School, Bond has been in a variety of school plays and musicals such as Free to be You and…
Since the beginning of the school year, Episcopal administration has been conducting a nationwide search for the permanent Head of Upper School, though much of the EA community has come forward in support of Interim Head of Upper School Mike Letts for the position. Letts, with his personable demeanor and deep community ties, should without question be at the top of Head of School TJ Locke’s list. After 14 years at Episcopal, Letts has an advantage compared to other candidates. As Letts himself says, “This is a very dynamic community. It is a community with an enormous amount of history…
Jillian Rotman ’18, Simon Smerconish ’19: Libraries are the purest form of education we have. Want to learn about something not covered in class? Check for a book from the library. Have a research paper due? Cite a book from the reference section. It seems that you can’t have a school without a library, but during the summer of 2014 at Malvern Prep, the library was transformed into a communal space. Though the decision was likely thought through and approved by students and administrators, removing a library takes away the easy access of materials that some students rely on. Understandably, it…
Neha Mukherjee ’18: The “groutfit” dress up day will not be on of the scheduled dress up themes of spirit week this year. In a recent student council meeting, it was decided that the dress up days would be clash day, lounge theme dress up day, special dress (for Vetran’s day), decades day, and then the EA/Haverford/AIS t-shirt day. Upper School students were under the impression that a “groutfit” day, a day in which students would wear all one color, would replace the lounge theme day. This belief stemmed from a promotional spirit week pamphlet that found its way to…
Molly Limaye ’21, Madison Hanssens ’21, Kristen Weil ’21: Diversity, while thought of as highly important by many in the EA community, is not always reported accurately on our website and it really should be. After examining the EA website and speaking with Walidah Justice, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Scholium found EA diversity statistics to be incorrect. As of October 16th, 2017, the Episcopal website stated under the quick facts page, “Currently we have 17% faculty of color and 24% students of color.” However, another page on the website said 26% of students are diverse. There was a discrepancy in the…
Amanda Turner ‘19: The world has changed dramatically after the horrific shooting in Las Vegas this past month. A white, Christian male of American descent opened fire onto thousands of spectators with high-caliber, military-grade weapons. Already, the notion that terrorism comes from certain ideologies or races is out of question. No matter what color, gender, religion, or ethnicity – terrorism exists and the definite source is not derived from a specific entity. The second amendment of the Constitution states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and…
Amanda Jones ‘20, Trisha Tsundupalli ‘21: A Variety of EA Alumni answer questions about their favorite Haverford/AIS Day Memories “[We] painted anti-haverford cars, pep rallies on Thursday and Friday that involved hanging a Haverford dummy from a tree, then throwing it to the middle schoolers, who expertly ripped it apart. “[Played] varsity soccer which was wonderful and terrible at the same time. We lost 1-0 and lost the Inter-Ac Championship.” Carolyn Shaud, Class of ‘89 ‘The Pep Rally. It was only one day but it was awesome. I loved that the seniors got to lead it and that Mr. Crawford would…
Amanda Jones ‘20, Trisha Tsundupalli ‘21: A Variety of EA Alumni answer questions about their favorite Haverford/AIS Day Memories “[We] painted anti-haverford cars, pep rallies on Thursday and Friday that involved hanging a Haverford dummy from a tree, then throwing it to the middle schoolers, who expertly ripped it apart. “[Played] varsity soccer which was wonderful and terrible at the same time. We lost 1-0 and lost the Inter-Ac Championship.” Carolyn Shaud, Class of ‘89 ‘The Pep Rally. It was only one day but it was awesome. I loved that the seniors got to lead it and that Mr. Crawford would…
Owen Maier ‘20: The retail giant Amazon is searching for an area to put its second headquarters, and Philadelphia is a frontrunner. The electronic commerce company famous for its expansive catalog and speedy shipping will be setting up a five billion dollar campus for over 50,000 employees. Philadelphia joins Chicago, Austin, Atlanta, Washington D.C., among others to be considered for the secondary base to its original Seattle location. If chosen, Philadelphia could suddenly become a hotspot for other technology giants, and perhaps become the most populous city in America. Located between New York and DC, Philadelphia is well positioned on…
Noble Brigham ‘20: The Main Line has been known for 150 years as the wealthiest suburban Philadelphia area but also has a rich history that most people do not know about. It is centered around the Pennsylvania Railroad (now SEPTA) that gave each town its name. An old article in the Philadelphia Inquirer explained that there was even a mnemonic device to remember the station names: Old Maids Never Wed And Have Babies; Really Vicious Retrievers Snap Willingly, Snarl Dangerously; Beagles Don’t Period. This stands for Overbrook, Merion, Narberth, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont, Villanova, Radnor, St. David’s, Wayne,…
Theo Vadot ‘19, Max Giles ‘21, Ava Petillo ‘21, Kate Beinkampen ‘19: In anticipation of AIS/EA Day, Girls’ Field Hockey coach and Director of Athletics, Regina Buggy, states, “Everyone is, as usual, very excited. The kids look forward to be hosts and they really want to make sure that both days are full of energy, positivity, great competition, lots of support, and an overall great weekend. On the field, we support each other very well and everyone is fully engaged in the game. The skill level is very high, so there is a lot of unity on the team.” Girls’ Soccer:…