Alli Camp ’14: In junior year American History class EA students learn about Brown vs. Board of Education and the ensuing chaos. As our textbooks depict black students being protested by crazed white parents as they walk into school, our hearts twinge. Well what about EA? In the age of activism, when did The Episcopal Academy decide that it was time to integrate? Scholium sat down with EA’s director of diversity, Courtney Portlock to ask some of these questions. “There was never anything explicit that said you had to be white to apply to EA,” Portlock explained. “I think it was…
Author: TECHALERT
Chester Thai ’14: In response to series of car robberies in Delaware and Chester Counties that occurred in late February, Episcopal security personnel have alerted the school community. Joe Shanahan, Manager of Campus Safety, said, “There’s a group of individuals that started operating in Florida, and they’re working their way up the East coast. Local law enforcement is referring to them as the Felony Lane Gang. In Pennsylvania they’ve pulled a lot of jobs in Delaware and Chester Counties.” In addition, Shanahan noted, “I put out an all-EA email about several jobs in the past week in Marple Township.” “They’re scouting…
Chester Thai ’14: In response to series of car robberies in Delaware and Chester Counties that occurred in late February, Episcopal security personnel have alerted the school community. Joe Shanahan, Manager of Campus Safety, said, “There’s a group of individuals that started operating in Florida, and they’re working their way up the East coast. Local law enforcement is referring to them as the Felony Lane Gang. In Pennsylvania they’ve pulled a lot of jobs in Delaware and Chester Counties.” In addition, Shanahan noted, “I put out an all-EA email about several jobs in the past week in Marple Township.” “They’re scouting…
Kendra Williams ’16: The One-to-One program, implemented last year for Lower School 5th graders, will now provide laptops for students from the 5th to 8th grades. Linda Lew, member of the Middle School Technology Department, said, “The 5th graders were able to bring the program into their first year of middle school, and as the students continue to move up in their academic careers their laptops will as well.” “Next year we’re going to give laptops to all of the current 7th graders, therefore, the 1:1 program will be used from 5th to 8th grade,” said Lew. In about two years,…
Kendra Williams ’16: The One-to-One program, implemented last year for Lower School 5th graders, will now provide laptops for students from the 5th to 8th grades. Linda Lew, member of the Middle School Technology Department, said, “The 5th graders were able to bring the program into their first year of middle school, and as the students continue to move up in their academic careers their laptops will as well.” “Next year we’re going to give laptops to all of the current 7th graders, therefore, the 1:1 program will be used from 5th to 8th grade,” said Lew. In about two years,…
Sam Niu ’15, Eunice Ju ’15: As a consequence of the worst winter since EA moved to Newtown Square, the school has witnessed numerous accidents among the faculty, including Charles Collins and Ellen Milewski. Collins, who fell outside his office in the Crawford Campus Center, will remain out of school for the remainder of the year. Milewski, who skidded on the floor, sustained a concussion from falling and hitting her head on the closet door. However, most students come to Anne Ravreby, Episcopal’s nurse, with only “bumps and bruises.” According to Ravreby, she has “seen more slip and falls because [the students…
Chester Thai ’14: Frank Langiftt ’82, NPR’s international correspondent based in Shanghai, will speak to upper school students on April 22 during the annual Ben Read address. Langfitt is the uncle of two current EA students, William Langfitt ’14 and Frank Langfitt ’16. “As a foreign correspondent, I’ve covered lots of ‘bad news,’ everything from civil war in Somalia to the recent devastating typhoon in the Philippines,” Langfitt told Scholium. “But what has stuck me covering these stories is the extraordinary heroism of otherwise seemingly ordinary people that I meet.”
Leah Yao ’15: After its postponement to make up for lost class time due to snow days, Peace and Diversity Day (PDD) has been rescheduled to occur during two advisory blocks on Wednesday, April 16th and Monday, May 5th. Students will participate in one of the two advisory periods, which will consist of a student-run workshop within advisory groups. Courtney Portlock, Director of Diversity & Community Life, explained, “Preliminary [workshop] assignments have been made based on twenty-four homeroom/advisory groups. Twelve groups will be assigned to either date.” Portlock said that Peace and Diversity Day “was designed as a means of engaging…
Wilson Smerconish ’16: The College Guidance Office will have a significantly different staff at the beginning of next year. Earlier this month Matt Essman, Director of College Guidance, announced that he would be leaving Episcopal to move back to his hometown of St. Louis where his children can be closer to their family. He will be working at Mary Institute and Country Day School, known as MICDS, as the Director of College Counseling. Celia Creskoff announced earlier this year she will be leaving as well. For Essman,“It was purely a personal decision. It was an opportunity for us to be near…
Christina Chambers ’16: Episcopal is considering taking part next year in the Global Online Academy (GOA), an online program which offers rigorous and creative courses not found within the ordinary high school curriculum. Classes, which are as varied as Global Health and Neuropsychology, to 9/11 in a Global Context and Digital Photography, would benefit students and teachers alike. Global Online Academy’s ranks include independent schools from around the world, such as King’s Academy in Madaba-Manja, Jordan, to the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. Germantown Friends School, one of the founding schools of GOA, is the nearest member school to Episcopal.…
Isabella Sanchez ’16: Episcopal’s administration decided last month to cut back on non-tuition financial aid assistance and examine more closely how funds are provided for activities such as student trips, in response to a deficit in the non-tuition financial aid budget. Speculation has arisen concerning what this entails for students and their families. Lawrence Capuzzi, a member of the Business Office, said, “Every year the board of trustees approves a budget that the finance committee sets and within that budget there is a certain amount set for non-tuition financial aid.” This year, it became evident in late October that this budget…
Connor Martin ’14: EA student athletes are often recognized at a local level for their athletic performance and prowess, but rarely do they earn accolades at the state, national, or even international stage. Evan Butts ’14 and Margaux Paolino ’16 are two exceptions, earning post season recognition after helping the football and field hockey teams to great success in the fall. Paolino has been nominated for the U.S. junior national field hockey team after her record breaking season for the churchwomen in which she earned 1st team All-Delco and 1st team All Inter-Ac honors. She represented our country in Montevideo, Uruguay…
Connor Martin ’14: EA student athletes are often recognized at a local level for their athletic performance and prowess, but rarely do they earn accolades at the state, national, or even international stage. Evan Butts ’14 and Margaux Paolino ’16 are two exceptions, earning post season recognition after helping the football and field hockey teams to great success in the fall. Paolino has been nominated for the U.S. junior national field hockey team after her record breaking season for the churchwomen in which she earned 1st team All-Delco and 1st team All Inter-Ac honors. She represented our country in Montevideo, Uruguay…
Alex Burman ’16, Francis Lee ’16: The 6’ 1” sharp shooter and Co-Captain of the Churchmen basketball team Chris McNeal ’14 has been named Boys’ Athlete of the Month. McNeal may have topped his performances from last year, where he earned All Inter-Ac, All Mainline, and Third Team All Delco averaging 14 points per game in the season and an average of 17 points per game during league play. He has since earned second team All Inter-Ac for his efforts this year. Recently, the shooting guard led the team to a 70-64 victory over our arch rival Haverford, contributing three three pointers,…
Thomas Woodville ’17: There is no denying the impressive contributions Brittany and Brianna Belo ’14 have made to the EA track program. The two twin sisters, from Philadelphia, PA have both broken several school records thus far in their high school careers. When asked who their biggest supporter is, the two track stars cited their father and his consistent support for them. They added that he was extremely excited when they decided to run track, primarily because he was a track star himself. The Belos went on to say that in addition to their parents, their biggest motivator is their coach…
Rich Palazzese ’14: Many teams at EA incorporate offseason workouts into their regimen to prepare for the season. These workouts may include time in the weight room, on the track, in the field house, or on the field. The lacrosse team this year has taken different steps to preparing for the spring. Coach Kevin O’Brien has incorporated yoga workouts as part of the Boys Lacrosse team’s preseason training on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 A.M. The team works on strength and meditation for about 45 minutes. O’Brien, who also teaches at Hot Box Yoga in Manayunk, instructs the players in Vinyasa…
Conner Delaney ’17: They say almost all college athletes “Go pro in something other than sports.” After the recent Major League Lacrosse (MLL) draft, however, this will not be the case for Episcopal Academy grad Jackson Place ’10. The Ohio Machine recently drafted the Bucknell University senior defensemen in this year’s MLL Draft with the 25th pick. The preseason 3rd team All-American will return to for his fourth year as a starter, being that he cannot enter the MLL until he has finished college. Place had several reasons to think that he would not be drafted, saying, “I’m a smaller guy,…
Gianna Pileggi ’14: Brendan DeVoue ’14 has always had a knack for creating videos and making people laugh. So last year, when he heard of Vine, the popular app that allows people to create and share seven-second long looping videos, he thought it was the perfect thing for him to try. “When I was younger, I loved making videos. At the end of the 2012-2013 school year, when I was a junior, everyone started talking about Vine and the funny videos that were on it. I downloaded the app and started looking at many of the best videos and decided to…
Heather Smith ’15: Every January, Radio 104.5 hosts a free, alternative concert called Winter Jam. This year’s concert fell on January 25th, a freezing, snowy day. The performers included An Honest Year, MS MR, Switch foot, New Politics, and Twenty One Pilots. By the time I arrived at the Piazza, hundreds of people were already lined up in the blizzard getting ready for the bands to perform and hoping to catch a glimpse of a musician walking around. While the crowds waited outside, I had the opportunity to go backstage into the old Schmidt Ale House that sits at the top…
Sammi Ciardi ’15: The Episcopal Jazz Band recently returned from the Berklee High School Jazz Festival in Boston, Massachusetts, where they joined hundreds of other jazz ensembles for an opportunity to play for judges from the Berklee College of Music and receive feedback. “I love sharing this whole experience with the band, especially the students who have never gone before, because the feedback I get from nearly every single student who has ever gone is overwhelmingly positive,” stated Ryan Dankanich, band teacher and director of the jazz band. Woody Nimoityn ’15, a member of the jazz band, will be attending this…