Jake Jorgensen ’17, Matt Freese ’17: Recently brought to public attention, the instances of hazing at Germantown Academy and Conestoga warrant many at Episcopal to revisit the idea of hazing—i.e., whether or not hazing occurs and to what extent. Concerning the incidents at Conestoga, philly.com explains, “The hazing at the elite Chester County public school, routinely ranked near the top academically in national ratings, escalated into assault one day last fall…Police charged the three seniors, all 17 at the time, as juveniles with assault, unlawful restraint, making terroristic threats, and related offenses.” Concerning the events at Germantown Academy, philly.com states, “A former…
Author: TECHALERT
Phoebe Barr ’19: The presidential primaries are increasingly dominating daily news reports and many EA students seem to be choosing sides. Among students interviewed, all could name Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio as Republican candidates and Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton as Democratic candidates. Yet, only four of the five people interviewed could name Ben Carson as a candidate, and only three could name John Kasich. In addition, only one person interviewed could name the date of the Pennsylvania primary on April 26th. However, students do seem to be getting involved in political discussions. “I teach seniors,” said Robert…
Brooke Kelly ’18: This coming August, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will be hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, and two Episcopal athletes have the chance to travel there to compete. Emma Seiberlich ‘17 and Alex Sumner ‘18, members of the Episcopal Academy swim team, will strive to make their mark at the Olympic trials this summer in Omaha, Nebraska. From June 26th to July 3rd, these Episcopal athletes will join swimmers from around the country with the goal of competing and swimming their way to the Olympics. To officially qualify for the trials, the swimmers must receive times that are equal to…
Sean McGarrity ’18: Amidst a heated political climate, EA students are eager to voice their opinions on politics and the future of our country. As they near graduation, many seniors will have the chance to vote next November to decide who will become the next president. In addition, many juniors will be eligible to participate in the political process by November. One way students are able to voice these opinions is through the Young Democrats and Young Republicans clubs that Episcopal is home to. Robert Trumbull – faculty advisor of the Young Democrats – explained the core issues covered by the…
James Tang ’18: On February 23rd, a Tuesday morning in Philadelphia, love was in the air: literally. A work crew hoisted the iconic thousand pound LOVE sculpture to its temporary home across the street to Dilworth Park as the renovation of the John F. Kennedy Plaza, more commonly referred to as Love Park, began. A popular destination for tourists and locals, Love Park will be undergoing a 16.5 million dollar revamp over the course of the next year. According to an article by Christie Ileto posted on 6abc Action News, it was reported that both tourists and locals can expect to…
Jessica Bai ’16, Francis Lee ’16: On February 23, 2016, the United States Patent and Trademark Office acknowledged Philip Persaud ’17 as an official U.S. Provisional Patent holder. Persaud has been working on an artificial human meniscus since August of 2015 and finished his design in December. After winning the first award at the state level of the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science for biomedical engineering, he has since then branched out into the field of medicine. He explains, “I initially needed a project for PJAS. I picked a biomedical engineering topic as I had success in engineering projects before and…
Abby Baggini ’18: The Cross Bridge Scholars Program may be coming to an end due to a lack of funding. Cross Bridge, one of Episcopal’s lesser known programs, can be described as an outreach opportunity that allows students to discuss and explore the concepts of race, stereotypes, culture, and media with fellow high schoolers of all different backgrounds. In partnership with Project HOME’s Honickman Learning Center in North Philly, the selected scholars work on technology based projects that can be viewed on Cross Bridge’s blog. The program began in 2004, when EA alumnus John Haas ’36 gave a generous grant to…
Abby Baggini ’18: The Cross Bridge Scholars Program may be coming to an end due to a lack of funding. Cross Bridge, one of Episcopal’s lesser known programs, can be described as an outreach opportunity that allows students to discuss and explore the concepts of race, stereotypes, culture, and media with fellow high schoolers of all different backgrounds. In partnership with Project HOME’s Honickman Learning Center in North Philly, the selected scholars work on technology based projects that can be viewed on Cross Bridge’s blog. The program began in 2004, when EA alumnus John Haas ’36 gave a generous grant to…
The end of every school year brings about an array of activities for seniors, one of the most infamous of these being senior projects. The two week learning opportunity has often seemed to receive a poor reputation regarding true value, but when Scholium looked further into the issue, it found many teachers and staff members at EA actually hold the converse belief. Maj Dergham, Associate Director of College Guidance, helps in organizing and regulating senior projects. He explains exactly what the experience is saying, “A senior project is a two week experiential learning opportunity and graduation requirement for every student…
Nick Horbowy ’17: So much as mention gun control on Episcopal Academy’s campus and a fiery debate is bound to ensue. However, a winner will never emerge and generally those in favor of gun ownership are branded as ignorant, immoral and crazy “Fox News” Republicans. Yes, mass shootings and gun violence are horrible realities which must be dealt with, but they also beg the question: what is the best way to solve a problem with no clear-cut solution? I would argue that further restricting gun ownership would do preciously little for the amelioration of the gun violence problem, and, more importantly,…
Nick Horbowy ’17: So much as mention gun control on Episcopal Academy’s campus and a fiery debate is bound to ensue. However, a winner will never emerge and generally those in favor of gun ownership are branded as ignorant, immoral and crazy “Fox News” Republicans. Yes, mass shootings and gun violence are horrible realities which must be dealt with, but they also beg the question: what is the best way to solve a problem with no clear-cut solution? I would argue that further restricting gun ownership would do preciously little for the amelioration of the gun violence problem, and, more importantly,…
Olivia Cipperman ’19: Bella Voce, EA’s girl acappella group, has been celebrating the tradition of acappella music since Fall of 2014. Their diverse song selections range from modern pop songs to more traditional acappella selections. Acappella means that the song performances are entirely vocal, using the human voice as the striking centerpiece as well as a substitute for instruments. Acappella has been on an upswing over the past few years, growing through the internet, television, and even the acappella application from the apple store. According to an article on Art.Mic, “the web allows for the rapid spread of ideas, technique, and…
Michael Wilkinson ’17, Amy Chen ’19, Pia Singh ’19: There has been controversy over whether or not Episcopal Academy upholds the school motto of Esse Quam Videri, or “to be rather than to seem to be,” in their advertising strategies. In nearly all of the pictures publicly posted on the Episcopal school website and in their advertisements, students look well dressed and engaged. However, a quick walk through the library will reveal that over half the students are not doing anything productive. From binge watching Netflix to talking to friends, students are often not what they are made out to be in our…
Michael Wilkinson ’17, Amy Chen ’19, Pia Singh ’19: There has been controversy over whether or not Episcopal Academy upholds the school motto of Esse Quam Videri, or “to be rather than to seem to be,” in their advertising strategies. In nearly all of the pictures publicly posted on the Episcopal school website and in their advertisements, students look well dressed and engaged. However, a quick walk through the library will reveal that over half the students are not doing anything productive. From binge watching Netflix to talking to friends, students are often not what they are made out to be in our…
Edward Zhao ’17, Alexa D’Ambrosio ’17: “I would really love to make greeting cards,” explained March artist of the month Nellie Konopka ‘16. “That’s something I’d love to do. Or to make Starbuck’s gift cards and stuff like that. There’s art all around us that we don’t notice, like packaging on tape… someone had to make that.” As Konopka begins thinking about her future, she considers “either illustration or printmaking or painting… I’m not the type of person who can stick to one thing, so we’ll see how well it turns out when I have to pick out a major one…
Phoebe Christos ’18: This past academic year, two of Episcopal Academy’s esteemed employees, Lenard and Edna Haley, announced their retirement. Lenard and Edna have both given decades of work, loyalty, smiles, and dedication to Episcopal. Lenard Haley, current Alumni Associate, has worked in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, and most recently in Institutional Advancement, after eighteen years in Facilities and Operations. Edna Haley has worked for over twenty-nine years as a 1st grade teacher and educator. “We’ve been here a long time, 75 years combined,” said Len Haley, “I’ve had the opportunity to do so many jobs around here, so…
Phoebe Christos ’18: This past academic year, two of Episcopal Academy’s esteemed employees, Lenard and Edna Haley, announced their retirement. Lenard and Edna have both given decades of work, loyalty, smiles, and dedication to Episcopal. Lenard Haley, current Alumni Associate, has worked in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, and most recently in Institutional Advancement, after eighteen years in Facilities and Operations. Edna Haley has worked for over twenty-nine years as a 1st grade teacher and educator. “We’ve been here a long time, 75 years combined,” said Len Haley, “I’ve had the opportunity to do so many jobs around here, so…
Phoebe Christos ’18: This past academic year, two of Episcopal Academy’s esteemed employees, Lenard and Edna Haley, announced their retirement. Lenard and Edna have both given decades of work, loyalty, smiles, and dedication to Episcopal. Lenard Haley, current Alumni Associate, has worked in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, and most recently in Institutional Advancement, after eighteen years in Facilities and Operations. Edna Haley has worked for over twenty-nine years as a 1st grade teacher and educator. “We’ve been here a long time, 75 years combined,” said Len Haley, “I’ve had the opportunity to do so many jobs around here, so…
Amanda Turner ’18: Although Reverend Squire, current Head Chaplain, has been part of the Episcopal community for decades, he recently announced his retirement and his successor, Tim Gavin. As former Lower School Chaplain, Gavin will have new responsibilities as Head Chaplain, extending to all three units rather than one. Scholium spoke with Gavin about his plans for his new role in succeeding Reverend Squire, who had been a major part of Episcopal for so long. Q: How will this role of head chaplain be different from your previous role? Gavin: Previously, as the Lower School Chaplain, I just had to…
Amanda Turner ’18: Although Reverend Squire, current Head Chaplain, has been part of the Episcopal community for decades, he recently announced his retirement and his successor, Tim Gavin. As former Lower School Chaplain, Gavin will have new responsibilities as Head Chaplain, extending to all three units rather than one. Scholium spoke with Gavin about his plans for his new role in succeeding Reverend Squire, who had been a major part of Episcopal for so long. Q: How will this role of head chaplain be different from your previous role? Gavin: Previously, as the Lower School Chaplain, I just had to…