Connor Martin ’14: Dear EA Students, I hope that all of you are as excited for this school year as I am. I want to personally welcome all of those who are new to our EA family, and I wish you all the best of luck as you make your transition. Every new year here at Episcopal brings a lot of opportunity and uncertainty, so take advantage and reach out of your comfort zone. This year in particular is unique with the arrival of a new administration and many new faculty members, so please seek out new mentors and build…
Author: TECHALERT
Chester Thai ’14, Leah Yao’15: The Episcopal Academy recently hired Joe Shanahan as Manager of Campus Safety to improve and re- vise the school’s current security plan and protocol. Shanahan brings over 25 years of experience managing officers in the New Jersey State Po- lice, including those deployed in high schools and in the recovery efforts following hurricane Sandy. Scholium had the chance to speak with Shana- han prior to the school year about the changes he hopes to implement at EA. According to Shanahan, one of the top priorities is reviewing access to the campus. “We’ve been look- ing at…
Rich Palazzese ’14: Scholium has interviewed all the senior captains of the past year to reflect on their favorite moments of the season. Field Hockey “My favorite moment from the field hockey season was our final game beating our rivals Notre Dame 3-1 to win the PAISAA state championship. “–Alana Dumas “Winning the PAISSA (states) tournament this year was awesome, especially because we came in 2nd last year. It was a great win and way to end the season.” –Claire Kneizys Basketball “Beating O’Hara was one of my best memories because we had never played them before and it…
Lauren Repke ’15: This year’s EA Softball team has lived by the motto “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Led by senior captain Caroline Giles, this team has been on an upward spiral and is said to be the new “team to beat” in the Inter-Ac league. In the blink of an eye this squad is making a new name for the Episcopal Softball Program as they continue to shock the community with win after win. This stacked team of 18 girls, including sophomore-pitching sensation Alex Viscusi ’15, has proven themselves to be one of the best…
John McDermott ’14: Keri Boyce ’13, one of Episcopal Girls Track’s key runners, has always held a passion for running. Through middle and upper school, Boyce’s interest in track has grown tremendously. In middle school, she participated in the sport just to fulfill the requirement. “During middle school,” she elaborated, “I ran track but I was never serious about it. My freshman year I came to episcopal mainly to swim and my sophomore year I switched to cross country winter track and spring track. I immediately fell in love with the sport and realized it was something I wanted to dedicate…
Rich Palazzese ’14: Scholium has interviewed all the senior captins of the past year to reflect on their favorite moments of the season. Football “The best part of the year was beating Malvern in their first ever night game and then going on to beat Haverford at Haverford to win the Inter-Ac title.” –Jack Florio “My favorite football memory was obviously beating Haverford to cap a perfect season and holding the trophy for the first outright title in 30 years.” -Ian Strain “I always love being able to beat a team on their home field, especially when they…
Billy Hartman ’16: Scholium has chosen Anthony Perretti ‘13 as the Boys Athlete of the Month. Anthony is the captain of the Varsity Baseball team and has been refining his skills from a very young age. His love for the game extends back to his roots after his father’s introduced him to baseball at age four. Perretti expressed his passion, saying, “Some of my oldest memories are playing baseball and the game teaches me about life. Errors are going to happen and you’re going to get out in baseball. To succeed, you need to learn how to put things behind you…
Connor Martin ’14: Whether we like it or not, Episcopal will always be compared to the likes of other Inter-Ac schools in both academic and athletic prowess. When students think about coming to Episcopal, it is almost a certainty that they are considering schools like Haverford, Malvern, Notre Dame, or Agnes Irwin as well. Many students have close connections with peers at these other schools, and compare the quality and overall challenge that each institution presents. Because of this competition, many questions have been raised regarding the high expectations at EA, and if they’re really fair in comparison to other schools.…
Reilly Dugery ’15: Sarah Baker, current dean of the Class of 2013, will replace Jackson Collins as the form dean for the class of 2014 following his departure at the end of the school year. The decision to appoint Baker as the dean of the class was made by Geoffrey Wagg after consulting with Ham Clark, Dr. Hall, and parents of the rising senior class. Collins agreed that Baker, who currently teaches 37 juniors, made the most sense given her familiarity with the class. She is also able to offer the vital quality of knowing the ins and outs of senior…
Leah Yao ’15, Chester Thai ’14: Denise Scott Brown, wife of famed architect and EA graduate Robert Venturi, recently became the focus of an online petition created by female design students at Harvard. This petition calls for the recognition of Denise Scott Brown’s role in the 1991 Pritzker Architecture Prize, which was awarded solely to her husband Robert Venturi. The Pritzker Prize, often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel,” is one of architecture’s highest recognitions. Prior to the award, Scott Brown and Venturi had worked together for over twenty-two years, in their practice Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, and co-wrote influential books in…
Michael Quinlan ’14: Bitcoin, a popular digital currency, has seen massive fluctuations in its USD exchange rate, drawing public scrutiny and leading some to question Bitcoin’s long-term legitimacy. Quietly introduced in 2009 by an anonymous developer(s) known only as ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’, Bitcoin began generating interest in 2010. The value of one Bitcoin rose to a record high of $266 on April 10, amidst the Cypriot bank crisis. Throughout the last month, the Bitcoin market cap has oscillated between $1 and $2 billion. As a digital currency, Bitcoin is not backed by any central bank such as the Federal Reserve in the…
Ryan Quinlan ’14: EA recently announced that it will no longer be needing costly sewage removal multiple times a day as it plans to construct a pipeline into the public sewer system. According to Mark Notaro, Director of Facilities and Operations, Aqua Pennsylvania (EA’s current sewage company) “come[s] in multiple times a day with 7,000 and 11,000 gallon trucks…and that’s been going on since we moved out here.” In the near future, an approximately 1,700 foot pipe will link Episcopal’s sewage to a nearby development. Notaro shared his hopes for the construction, saying “By mid-summer we will have all the approvals…
Rohan Rajagopalan ’14: The Upper School Vestry, Middle and Lower School Chapel councils, and faculty advisors recently decided on “Be not afraid” as the chapel theme for the 2013-2014 school year. The involved students were able to convene to discuss the possible themes and agreed upon “Be not afraid,” a very common phrase in the Bible. Chaplain Jim Squire described the process behind the decision, saying, “We have had some wonderful senior wardens and they do their best to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.” Squire emphasized that the theme was a group effort, noting that “the Lower School leadership was…
In the wake of recent disciplinary events, Scholium would like to address Episcopal’s search policy and remark about its seemingly reasonable standards. The staff has come to believe that the ultimate beneficiaries of Episcopal’s policy regarding searching and screening for alcohol and drugs are the students. Before entering the Episcopal Academy every student is required to sign an enrollment agreement which dictates that you as a student agree to abide by the rules set forth in the Student Handbook. The Handbook contains over six pages of legal lexicon detailing the school’s Disciplinary system and policies regarding such topics as substance…
John Flynn ’14, Leah Yao ’15: Major changes are being made to the Common Application for the next academic year. The Common Application was created in 1975 as a unified application process for students. Although today most colleges have their own application supplement, the Common Application provides groundwork for a student’s application. There have been a number of small tweaks made this year on the Common Application, and the most major one involves the essay section. For a long time, despite having some specific essay prompts, there has always been an option for students to choose their own topic. Beginning…
Mimi McCann ’13: Richard P. Smith, member of the class of 1966 and former faculty member, was indicted on by a Massachusetts grand jury with charges of sexually abusing four children at a summer camp in 1981. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the Friday following his arrest on April 24 that Smith had also admitted to molesting an Episcopal student in 1977 as well. This confession has yet to be confirmed by authorities. Smith taught from 1970 through 1990 at both Devon and Merion, and then served as a research associate in the development office until 1998. Smith was a fourth…
Erin McCarthy ’13: With the 2012-2013 school year coming to a close, school administrators are looking ahead as they continue the hiring process for new teachers. These teachers will replace faculty members who will not be returning to Episcopal in September, either by the current teacher’s own choice or by the choice of the administration to not send the current teacher a contract for the next academic year. All Episcopal teachers have a one year contract. Every March, these contracts are sent out to “the vast majority of teachers for the following school year,” according to Geoffrey Wagg, Head of…
Having just spoken to you all in Chapel in April with some reflections and advice, I thought that today I would share with you my top ten memories at Episcopal, memories that will stay with me wherever I go. 10) I will always remember devoted alumni who care deeply about their school. I have met with alumni all over the country and now in England and they love their school and care deeply about continuing the strong tradition of excellence at Episcopal. 9) Collecting over 150 hats in my office from advisees, alumni, and visitors, hats full of memories of…
Updated April 26th University of Pennsylvania 12 Pennsylvania State University 7 Cornell University 6 Harvard College 5 Franklin and Marshall College 4 Boston College 3 Dartmouth College 3 Georgetown University 3 Southern Methodist University 3 Carnegie Mellon University 2 Columbia University 2 Dickinson College 2 George Washington University 2 Gettysburg College 2 New York University 2 Providence College 2 University of Richmond 2 University of St. Andrews 2 Stevens Institute of Technology 2 Syracuse University 2 Trinity College 2 Villanova University 2 College of William and Mary 2 One each to the following: The University of Alabama Albright…
Alex Archambault ’14: Scholium:What are your feelings about Episcopal getting a new head of upper school and a new head of school in the same year? Dinkins: EA has an impressive, storied history of excellence-in academics, teaching, athletics, service, leadership, you name it. The school occupies a special place in the minds and hearts of so very many. It’s incredibly clear that people are deeply invested in EA, in every sense imaginable. Everyone wants to see EA continue to thrive. Under the strong leadership of Ham Clark and Geoff Wagg, EA has been a leader in independent school excellence. …