Chester Thai ’14, Ryan Quinlan ’14: Dr. Lee Pearcy, Middle and Upper School classics teacher, as well as former Classics Chair and Director of Curriculum, was recently awarded The 2012 American Philological Association (APA) Pre-collegiate Teaching Award. As one of two 2012 winners, Pearcy was recognized for his expansion of the Episcopal classics department as well as for his research and papers pertaining to classical studies. The Awards Citation describes Pearcy as “an active scholar and involved member of the profession” who “brings a unique talent and perspective to his primary job as a teacher of classics to young people.”…
Author: TECHALERT
Erin McCarthy ’13: Three years ago, Head of Upper School Geoffrey Wagg created a program for teachers. His goals for Mastership, based on a renowned program at the University of Pennsylvania, were to increase teachers’ self-awareness in the classroom, facilitate career development, and help faculty members grow as individuals. According to Wagg, he wanted the program to be a “self-reflective” experience for teachers, in which they could learn to develop better interpersonal skills and crisis management both in and out of the classroom. The program is not mandatory for faculty members; however, Wagg explained that it would likely be beneficial…
Michael Quinlan ’14: The partnership between the Episcopal Academy and the Roots of Music program is slated to expand following a push for donations from the Episcopal community, led by Lenard Haley, member of the Episcopal plant and operations staff. Haley, along with the EAPA (Episcopal Academy Parents Association), and Alumni Community Outreach Program, are seeking any unused band instruments to help the New Orleans-based music and academic tutoring program, which also provides shelter and hot meals to over 100 of New Orleans’ middle-school students, many of whom are still “at risk” years after the devastating blows of Hurricane Katrina.…
Jeffrey Hu ’14: The Supreme Court has recently agreed to hear two cases concerning same-sex marriage, bringing the debate to the highest judicial level and opening the possibility of national legislation on the matter. One case originating from California will force the Supreme Court to rule on Proposition Eight, a voter initiative meant to amend California’s constitution to only allow marriage between a man and a woman. The other, from New York, challenges a law that requires the federal government to deny aid to gay and lesbian couples, even in states where such marriages are legal. For the case concerning…
Michael Smerconish ’14: Current Head of School, L. Hamilton Clark and next year’s Head of School, TJ Locke recently announced that Dr. Delvin Dinkins will serve as Episcopal’s next Head of Upper School, effective July 1, 2013. Dinkins, currently the Director of Assessment and Accountability for the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, will replace Geoffrey Wagg, who is leaving to become Head of School at the Waynflete School in Portland, Maine. Tracie Lee, who coordinates the hiring of Episcopal faculty, described the lengthy hiring process for Head of Upper School. After hearing of Wagg’s potential departure, Episcopal began speaking with administrators of…
Michael Smerconish ’14: Current Head of School, L. Hamilton Clark and next year’s Head of School, TJ Locke recently announced that Dr. Delvin Dinkins will serve as Episcopal’s next Head of Upper School, effective July 1, 2013. Dinkins, currently the Director of Assessment and Accountability for the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, will replace Geoffrey Wagg, who is leaving to become Head of School at the Waynflete School in Portland, Maine. Tracie Lee, who coordinates the hiring of Episcopal faculty, described the lengthy hiring process for Head of Upper School. After hearing of Wagg’s potential departure, Episcopal began speaking with administrators of…
Michael Smerconish ’14: Nearly eight months after the incident itself, Harvard administrators issued demands for roughly 70 students to withdraw as a result of last May’s cheating scandal. Michael D. Smith, a Harvard dean, broke the news via a school wide email in what Harvard’s newspaper, the Crimson labeled, “Harvard’s first substantive announcement about the status of the Government 1310 cheating scandal since the massive investigation was first announced last August.” Harvard’s Administrative Board clarified that a required withdrawal is not the same as expulsion, but rather entails a mandatory two to four semester suspension from school. Tuition for these…
Patrick Espe ’14: The new partnership between Episcopal Academy and St. Marc’s school in Haiti has received a lot of support thus far from the Episcopal community. However, questions have been raised regarding this partnership; the student ambassadors from Haiti feel these questions must be answered.How are the funds collected at EA being utilized in Haiti? Particularly, what percentage of those funds goes to the students, school facilities, faculty and administration? What percentage is spent on taxes or government fees? St. Marc’s has five primary needs: a water purification system, a new school building, a feeding program for the students,…
Ryan Quinlan ’14: With this year’s flu described as “worse than average” by Dr. Thomas R. Frieden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Scholium decided to take a closer look at the flu’s current impact on the Episcopal community. Thus far, the 2012-13 flu season has been described as being worse than the previous two years, with last year being “unusually mild,” according to the New York Times. Anne Ravreby, Director of EA Health Services (Is this her official title…do we need caps..) stated, “We were actually busier with student visits and illness prior to Christmas…
In response to the Sandy Hook school shooting of mid-December, Scholium decided to examine Episcopal’s own campus security protocol and its response to this tragedy. Two of the main people in charge of security on campus are Len Haley and Mark Notaro, both members of EA’s Department of Facilities and Operations. The topic of school safety and security was an essential topic in the initial design of EA’s current campus. As Notaro stated, “This campus was designed specifically with two entry points” with cars “funneled into certain areas. We have our staff not necessarily stationed permanently in different areas but…
Santa Claus is holding a Christmas Party for anti-social elves at the North-Pole Pub. The bar at the North-Pole Pub has 25 mini bar stools situated in a line. Whenever an anti-social elf enters the bar, he always tries to find a seat as far from the other elves as possible. No elf will sit directly next to any other elf. If an elf enters the pub and finds that there are no suitable seats, he will immediately leave the party. Santa wants to seat as many anti-social elves as possible, and he has the ability to tell the first…
Jack Keffer ’14: The perfect competitor must possess a myriad of qualities aside from athletic ability: leadership, mental toughness, and composure. Meghan Hubley ’13 is the epitome of such a competitor, a tri-sport athlete dedicated to her teams. She will serve as a tri-sport varsity captain this year, leading the varsity soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams. Meghan Hubley ’13 has truly left her mark on Episcopal sports. Hubley has been a member of the varsity soccer and basketball teams since her freshman year and a member of the varsity lacrosse team since sophomore year. As a tri-sport varsity captain, her…
Connor Martin ’14: Cross-country This year’s memorable EA/Haverford/AIS weekend was kicked off with a victory by our girl’s cross-country team. With great support from their always-enthusiastic coach, Timothy Gavin, the Churchwomen defeated the Owls 25-35 to finish off a fantastic season. Standouts included 1st place finisher Katherine Hong ’15, 5th place Elizabeth Stone ’16, 6th place Leigh Adelizzi, ’15 and 7th place finisher captain Mimi McCann ’13. This team worked hard all year long, and it definitely showed in their impressive defeat of the Owls. Tennis Fans that made it out to the tennis courts at Bryn Mawr College saw…
The Episcopal Academy Arts Department boasts a talented faculty of working, professional artists who emphasize a real-world experiential approach to arts education in addition to the traditional academic approach. Often, however, after spending every day practicing art inside a classroom studio, the outside world, integral to any form of art, can become overshadowed by Episcopal’s concrete walls, confining greenery, and fixed routine. Episcopal’s photography teacher, Charles Collins, will be taking his first sabbatical the second semester of this year in part to address this widespread artistic restraint. After having taught in the Arts Department at Episcopal for 16 years—eight years…
Nellie Konopka ’16: Episcopal’s Creative Writing Club provides students with the opportunity to engage in creative writing in an environment that seeks to eliminate the stress and pressure that can result from constantly focusing on grades, obligations, and the expectations of others. The Creative Writing Club aims to let students write what they feel without having to be concerned about the academic merit of their compositions. Instead, students are encouraged to experiment with new approaches to writing and find their own voice. The club gives students who are enthusiastic about writing but may not otherwise have the time to explore…
Nellie Konopka ’16: Episcopal’s Creative Writing Club provides students with the opportunity to engage in creative writing in an environment that seeks to eliminate the stress and pressure that can result from constantly focusing on grades, obligations, and the expectations of others. The Creative Writing Club aims to let students write what they feel without having to be concerned about the academic merit of their compositions. Instead, students are encouraged to experiment with new approaches to writing and find their own voice. The club gives students who are enthusiastic about writing but may not otherwise have the time to explore…
Amanda Molitor ’14, Kayla Coleman ’14: Mandie Banks, who has served as a dance instructor and choreographer at Episcopal for eleven years, has been named Chair of the Theatre and Dance Department, effective this year. Throughout her tenure thus far at Episcopal, Banks has proven to be a dynamic asset to the Theatre and Dance Department. She has taught drama and dance to every grade level, has played integral roles in the production of Lower, Middle, and Upper School plays and musicals, and has taught and choreographed the Upper School dance teams, who perform every year at Arts on the…
Suzy Chen ’14: Episcopal Academy’s music department has been growing stronger each year; however, the orchestra program in particular has seen much improvement since Katie Bechtold came to Episcopal six years ago as a member of the music department faculty. Bechtold’s efforts and contributions have been crucial to the development of the string orchestra program at Episcopal. “My goal was to strengthen and grow the orchestra program at EA, and that’s what I have been trying to do for the past six years,” said Bechtold. However, Bechtold’s music exploration goes far beyond her teaching at Episcopal. Scholium sat down with…
In light of the recent controversy and media attention surrounding the distribution of a sex tape at Radnor High School, Scholium has decided to address the more significant role that technology now plays in our private and public lives. To begin, it is essential to understand the reasoning, or lack thereof, behind the Radnor students’ decision-making. The two students recorded the video for private viewing; there was no intent for this video to reach the public sphere. However, once the video was recorded, the couple took a risk. The video rested in the memory of a phone, and it consequently…
Rohan Gulati ’13: In light of the current political deadlock and the pressing condition of the economy, any solutions to the rapidly approaching “fiscal cliff” must be enacted in a way economists think is best, not some sort of “grand compromise” of both political parties. The “fiscal cliff” refers to the effect of across-the-board spending cuts, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, and other deficit reducing measures that will take place on January 1st, 2013. Congress needs to temporarily extend tax cuts and spending for about one year and allow the next session to grapple with major reform policies.…