Andrew Jannetta ’14, Taryn Gallegher ’14: Scholium: So to begin, how do you feel about having a new head of school and new head of upper school? Locke: Ham Clark and Geoff Wagg have brought EA so many years of good service, and the School will certainly feel that loss. One need only to look at the magnificent campus and the talented faculty to see tangible evidence of their leadership. I am sure it will be unsettling for some to have change in two major positions at the School, but I am confident that Dr. Dinkins and I will effectively…
Author: TECHALERT
Neil Dua ’14: The flexibility of the female dress codes permits girls to wear various tops, sweaters, shoes, and accessories without punishment or recognition from faculty members. In order to incorporate professionalism in conjunction with the values of Episcopal Academy, the female student dress code should be restricted and concrete with standards similar to the male dress code. Episcopal Academy is an institution full of traditions and values, represented through the dress code. Dean of the Class of 2013, Sarah Baker ’01, stated, “I am not in this for rules for the sake of rules, rather, rules that set a…
Neil Dua ’14: The flexibility of the female dress codes permits girls to wear various tops, sweaters, shoes, and accessories without punishment or recognition from faculty members. In order to incorporate professionalism in conjunction with the values of Episcopal Academy, the female student dress code should be restricted and concrete with standards similar to the male dress code. Episcopal Academy is an institution full of traditions and values, represented through the dress code. Dean of the Class of 2013, Sarah Baker ’01, stated, “I am not in this for rules for the sake of rules, rather, rules that set a…
Julianne Dlones ’14: While I find the complaints of everyday life at the academy to be excessive and ubiquitous, it has come to my and my fellow classmates’ attention and alarm that more than a few burdens have fallen upon the class of 2014. Ever since our freshman year, the class of 2014 has been hit with multiple changes, some minor, and others major. Changes are essential because of the dynamic nature of education, but here at EA, has it been too much, and too soon? Regardless, it is not my intention to complain, but to merely point out these…
Toni Radcliffe ’14: Even though Geoff Wagg, Head of Upper School, began the year by issuing a bold challenge for Episcopal to become a school with no cheating, it seems our community has seen no improvement in this area. Firstly, cheating, as defined in the Student Handbook, is the use of inappropriate and unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids. The Community Expectations clearly state that academic honesty is expected of Episcopal students and that those who fail to meet that expectation will face a major disciplinary offense. Students who cheat must go before the Discipline Committee and may receive disciplinary…
Katie O’Reilly ’14: As EA is a community with so much at its fingertips, it is not uncommon for those visiting Episcopal to wonder how the school is using its wealth for the benefit of the global community. During the Holocaust Remembrance Chapel in early April, for example, Ms. Sandra Roberts challenged EA asking why if her small community made such a difference, why can’t we? In the small southeastern Tennessee town of Whitwell, Roberts and a group of middle school students raised awareness by collecting paperclips to remember the Holocaust victims in Nazi Germany. Sandra Roberts began the overwhelming…
Katie O’Reilly ’14: As EA is a community with so much at its fingertips, it is not uncommon for those visiting Episcopal to wonder how the school is using its wealth for the benefit of the global community. During the Holocaust Remembrance Chapel in early April, for example, Ms. Sandra Roberts challenged EA asking why if her small community made such a difference, why can’t we? In the small southeastern Tennessee town of Whitwell, Roberts and a group of middle school students raised awareness by collecting paperclips to remember the Holocaust victims in Nazi Germany. Sandra Roberts began the overwhelming…
Alec Frey ’16: The Junior class, led by the clever minds of Connor Longen and Drew Debacco, has begun a grade wide game of “assassins.” “Assassins,” an activity popular on high school and college campuses throughout the country, is a less traditional way of promoting class unity. For the Juniors, the goal is mostly to have fun, but Connor Longen also hopes that the game will maybe “bring the class together in a positive way.” The idea of the game is for players to act as assassins and try to eliminate each other using fake weapons. Students usually use rubber…
Sam Niu ’15:The first and second Triumvirates were two sets of three extraordinary people, the most influential and powerful of their time in Ancient Rome. Amongst the Episcopal Academy Classics Department, a third Triumvirate has been established by three incredible members Lee Pearcy, William MacArdle, and Michelle Domondon, all of whom will unfortunately not be returning to Episcopal next year. After twenty-eight years at this school, although his first day “seems like yesterday,” Pearcy will be relocating to Bryn Mawr College. At Bryn Mawr, Peracy will lead a research project called “Classicizing Philadelphia” and become the editor of Classical World,…
Amanda Paolino ’15, Cole Testauti ’16: As we approach the last few weeks of school, the Episcopal community has been preparing itself for a number of new beginnings in the upcoming school year. One of these preparations has been the annual election for new Vestry members in the III and IV forms. After all speeches were heard and votes were counted, the results revealed the two new members from each of the participating grades to be Scott McConnell ‘16, Kendra Williams ‘16, Christy Palazzese ‘15, and Chris Redden ‘15. After sitting down with each of these new representatives, Scholium hopes…
Dana Giles ’15: Despite students’ attempts to save the event, Artsfest for the 2012-2013 school year has been officially canceled. Artsfest is a festival meant to be held every year to celebrate different art forms provide a platform for EA’s artistically gifted students. Geoff Wagg, Head of Upper School, confirmed the cancellation of Artsfest, saying, “The problem is that it’s not really an Artsfest, but more of a music festival, and unfortunately there is not a whole lot of faculty support. Unless we have some teachers who will help the students organize it, it’s not going to happen”. The past…
Melanie Kovacs ’15: If you are ever looking for senior Najah Majors, it is a safe bet you will find her in one of two places: either the ceramics room, sculpting while chatting with her friends, or in the dark room, printing photos of her peers and teachers. Majors only complaint about her love for art and ceramics is that she did not get into them at a younger age. Her introduction to ceramics began with Episcopal’s Empty Bowls project, which Najah said “nobody told me about it until after the program was cancelled. That’s when I realized I needed…
Melanie Kovacs ’15: If you are ever looking for senior Najah Majors, it is a safe bet you will find her in one of two places: either the ceramics room, sculpting while chatting with her friends, or in the dark room, printing photos of her peers and teachers. Majors only complaint about her love for art and ceramics is that she did not get into them at a younger age. Her introduction to ceramics began with Episcopal’s Empty Bowls project, which Najah said “nobody told me about it until after the program was cancelled. That’s when I realized I needed…
Brittany Belo ’14:Prom season is upon us! Whether “prama” has gotten you down or you simply cannot wait for June 1st to come around, every girl is looking for her perfect dress for the big night. If you seek advice on how to find the ideal prom dress for you, look no further and read on. First, find a dress that fits not only your body, but your personality as well. If you are a bold person, take the extra step with your prom fashion choices. Try a dress with a fun and flirty floral pattern or a dress…
Jessica Bai ’16, Sarah Barr ’16, Amanda Molitor ’14: For the second time in three years, The Episcopal Academy Art Department sponsored the Wearable Art Contest. The contest, first conceived of by Upper School art teacher Hilary Hutchison in 2011, was brought back to the EA community after a one-year hiatus. Hutchison planned the timing of the contest, which occurred on April 25, to coincide with Earth Day as students are encouraged to use the contest as a means to generate awareness of the importance of recycling and environmental stewardship. “The Wearable Art Contest is a competition in which students create…
Roshan Ravishankar ’14: The English department has restructured its senior curriculum, lengthening the previously semester long British Literature course to a full year class entitled The Evolution of English Literature. This course will replace the English electives offered to seniors during the spring semester. During the first semester of this new course, seniors will read Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and Hamlet, just as they currently do in British Literature. The new curriculum for the second semester will include the novel Jane Eyre as well as a “flex-text” chosen independently by each teacher. The flex text will be a novel that…
John Flynn ’14: In a recent survey, senior and junior students voted overwhelmingly against the proposal of a school sponsored post prom. Earlier this year, the EAPA presented the idea for such a post prom to a group of school administrators, including the form deans and Geoff Wagg, Head of Upper School. Jackson Collins, dean of the Class of 2014, said that the idea was “driven by the EAPA and not the school.” He also added that the proposal would create “a space where kids can hang out after prom where they will be safe and supervised.” Jennifer Reder, EAPA…
Michael Smerconish ’14: Through new legislation introduced in the state senate, Pennsylvania has begun contemplating a law that would require all producers of genetically engineered food to label their products as such. The bill, proposed by state senator Daylin Leach, seeks to provide consumers a greater deal of knowledge about the food they are purchasing. The Center for Food Safety currently estimates that “upwards of 70 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves–from soda to soup, crackers to condiments–contain genetically engineered ingredients.” Among these items are corn, soybeans, and sugar beets, more than 85 percent of which are produced with…
Michael Quinlan ’14: Due to ongoing Student Council discussions, next year may see changes to Episcopal’s dress code. Proposed modifications, which have been discussed by student council over the course of this past year, include the option of polo shirts for boys and more concrete specifications on the length of girls’ skirts. For the past few years there has been a desire to clarify the rules of Episcopal’s dress code, according to Nick Mead ’13, vice president of the senior class. “The main problem with the dress code is that it’s not very clear,” he noted. In addition to creating…
Christine McCann ’15: Adam Lavalle, upper school math teacher and middle school football, basketball and baseball coach, will be leaving Episcopal next year to teach and coach at Berwick Academy in Maine. He will also be moving back to his home state of New Hampshire. Berwick Academy is, according to Lavalle, “just like Episcopal.” It’s a coeducational independent day school located in South Berwick, Maine. The school is about two-thirds the size of Episcopal, with roughly 575 students total. It has students from Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade and offers a post-graduate program as well. Regarding the decision to move, Lavalle…