Michael Quinlan ’14: The College Board and ACT Inc. have both implemented new photo identification requirements in an attempt to combat the recent increase in standardized test-taking dishonesty. Beginning with the October 6th SAT, students will be required to have a registration ticket that includes not only factual identification, but also a discernible photo as well. The College Board hopes that this new requirement will help to limit the growing trend in test taker ID fraud. The College Board website explains in detail the requirements of the photo ID. It must be a recent photo that depicts the student without…
Author: TECHALERT
Michael Smerconish ’14: As Episcopal continues its own search for a new headmaster, The Haverford School has announced that Dr. John A. Nagl will become their ninth Head of School, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. Nagl boasts a PhD. from Oxford University and over twenty years of service in the United States Army. Although he has no professional background in independent school administration, the decision of Haverford’s search committee was “unanimous,” according to the school’s website. Nagl, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, attended the United States Military Academy, where he graduated in the top of his class. According to a…
Rohan Rajagopalan ’14: The Young Democrats and Young Republicans Clubs will debate the most important issues of the 2012 presidential election in front of the entire school on November 2nd. The Junto Board will be moderating the debate and is currently in the process of generating questions to ask both sides. The debate will be structured into three sections: first, both sides will begin with a one-minute opening statement, followed by joint questioning, and concluded with a three-minute rebuttal. Rohan Gulati ’13, Co-President of the Young Democrats Club and a member of the Junto Board, was excited about the format,…
Alli Camp ’14: Recent developments have been made in the ongoing struggle to improve our waste removal system. Currently, two orange and green tanks by the lower school house all the school’s sewage. “Here’s the really exciting part [about our current sewage system],” commented Head of Upper School, Geoffrey Wagg, “if they don’t empty the tanks in time, we’d have to close school. We could have a poo day.” Newtown Square does not operate a public sewage system. In fact, most houses in Newtown Square have their own, on-lot septic system. However, when the school moved to Newtown Square, the…
In light of recent events and resulting confusion among the student body over the equity of school disciplinary policies, Scholium sat down with Head of Upper School, Geoffrey Wagg, and [Discipline Council faculty member] Kris Aldridge, to set the record straight about the policy regarding alcohol and drug use. The Discipline Council consists of four faculty members, Leslie Trimble, Sheryl Foreste-Grupp, Mark Eripret, and Kris Aldridge, along with one student member from each form in the upper school, each of whom was voted into office by their peers. Aldridge, an Upper School history teacher, emphasized that “Students have absolutely equal…
You are being held captive in a dungeon and the only way out is is through the door of the cell. On the door is a combination lock and the following sequence of numbers is painted on the wall above the lock. 3 13 1113 3113 132113 1113122113 In order to open the door you must figure out the next number in the sequence and enter it into the combination lock. What number must you enter in order to escape? Please submit all answers to scholiumpuzzles@gmail.com. The first student to submit the correct answer will win a box of Tastykakes,…
Shreya Reddy ’13, Anthony Thai ’13: Though only introduced in 2008, Summer at EA has rapidly become one of the most successful summer programs on the Main Line. Originally created as a program to provide Episcopal students with the opportunity to earn academic credits, Summer at EA has since instituted dozens of classes from Cooking to Investing Basics. This year alone, 795 students from 80 schools participated in the growing program. Alex Thompson, Director of Summer at EA, remarked, “This year’s program exceeded the number of students from past years, and parents and kids have had a really positive response.”…
Amanda Molitor ’14, Gonzalo del Peon ’13: To the excitement—and no doubt surprise—of those theatrically inclined at Episcopal, the Domino Club announced last spring that the 2013 Upper School musical would be the musical sex crime drama Chicago; however, due to complications in receiving the legal rights to perform the musical, Chicago won’t make it to the Mainstage Theater. Chicago appealed to the Theater Department and Domino Board as a clear change of pace from last year’s Seussical. “We wanted our next show to be different than any show we’ve done before. [Chicago] is adult-themed and in a style we…
Shreya Reddy ’13, Anthony Thai ’13: Episcopal has sent a growing number of students on foreign exchange programs to experience the culture of other countries; however, despite an abundance of programs, a significantly low amount of students have taken advantage of these opportunities. Since Headmaster L. Hamilton Clark started the exchange program with the Central Coast Grammar School in Sydney, Australia in 2002, the program has grown to include numerous programs on multiple continents. The Bishop and Herschel schools in Cape Town, South Africa and the Northeast Yucai School in Shenyang, China, now in its fourth year, are two of…
“Unity, Pride, Positivity.” This three-word slogan epitomizes the goals of this year’s student leadership group, Esse Quam Videri. Esse Quam Videri, or EQV, brings together ten leaders of the Senior Class, all of whom were voted to their position by classmates and faculty last spring. “It is unique in that it is completely student run,” remarked EQV member Thomas Boynton ’13. This summer, the group took part in a number of team-building exercises during a three-day retreat located on Episcopal’s campus. According to EQV member Nisha Meyer ’13, the time was primarily devoted to discussing “the biggest concerns of the…
Mimi McCann ’13, Michael Smerconish ’14: As PennDOT continues to renovate the St. David’s Road Bridge, faculty and students should anticipate delays in their travels to and from school through November of this year. PennDOT has declared the bridge, last renovated in 1960, to be “structurally deficient.” Newtown Township representative Cynthia Pound said, “The bridge was deemed unsafe by engineers, so it has to be repaired.” About 6,500 vehicles cross the 202-year-old stone arch bridge daily. The St. David’s Road Bridge is one of three faulty bridges in Newtown Township that are currently being fixed as part of a $1.3…
Matt Vegari ’13: Occupying the green for the duration of the academic day on Monday April 30th, the senior class of 2012 delivered what many are calling the greatest prank in years, sparking curiosity as to how the event was conceived. Each year, senior classes around the nation strive to leave a final, humorous mark on their respective schools, with the goal of outperforming the pranks of years prior. In 2010, the graduating senior class at the Episcopal Academy tied student book-bags together on the green during Chapel and intended to spray students with water guns. Their plans were stopped…
Nicole Carolin ’13, Mae Maltby ’13: While racial profiling may seem necessary to ensure national security, it actually compromises morality and citizens’ safety. By identifying each member of a certain race or ethnicity as a predisposed stereotype, the government not only belittles Americans but also jeopardizes their safety. Recently, racial profiling has reemerged in the national spotlight with the Trayvon Martin case. Racial profiling was used by George Zimmerman, the man accused of killing Martin, an African American teenager. However, this form of discrimination has long been an issue of national debate. History teacher Robert Trumbull noted, “Certainly racial profiling…
Dimantha Andrahennady ’14: Despite Republican criticism that the “Buffett Rule” casts an unfair burden on the upper class, the rule is effective and necessary because it closes up tax loopholes, increases national income, and decreases the ever-widening class gap. In 2011, well-known investor Warren Buffett expressed his concern and disapproval that he was paying less in income taxes than his secretary (17.4 percent as compared to his secretary’s 35.8 percent, according to ABC news). Recognizing that tax loopholes and the capital gains tax allow wealthier people to pay less taxes than the middle class, he proposed the “Buffett Rule,“ which…
The January Term, an idea currently being discussed by a faculty committee, shows that Episcopal is looking to the future, hoping to allow students more opportunities to discover their passions and to develop a global perspective, which will help graduates succeed in an increasingly competitive world. While the” J-Term” inarguably has many benefits, downsides to this program also exist. As the committee is currently in the early stages of planning, the student voice should be heard as soon as possible so the student body, and entire Episcopal community, can be granted the say they are promised. Questions about the program…
Shreya Reddy ’13, Anthony Thai’ 13 Students of Conestoga High School were surprised to find themselves involved in a preemptive lockdown and drug search conducted by police and drug-sniffing dogs on April 20th. While the need to provide a safe drug-free environment is understandable, measures of such a drastic nature should not be allowed, as they violate students’ rights to privacy and create a fearful, unhealthy atmosphere for learning. According to Tredyffrin/Easttown school district, the 45 minute search of over 600 backpacks and lockers did not lead to the discovery of any illegal substances. The Conestoga High School Student Handbook…
Each of these boxes represents a phrase. So, for example, the first one represents ‘Man overboard’. Can you work out the others?
In light of the recent Student Council proposal to allow students the use of cellphones in academic buildings, it has become more apparent than ever that Episcopal must adapt to the technological needs of its students who now depend on cell phones for a variety of purposes. The common misconception of those in opposition to the proposal is the notion that all students utilize their phones for the sole purpose of texting their friends throughout the academic day. While this belief is partially true, the sudden rise in smartphone use by students allows users to address their academic needs while…
Recent events at Lower Merion High School involving the online video craze I’m Shmacked shine a disturbing light on the reckless behavior of high school students. The video sparked justified outrage as it proved that more must be done in order to prevent dangerous behavior often associated with underage drinking. I’m Shmacked must be shut down. On Tuesday February 21, the Lower Merion Police came across a disturbing online video of an off-campus party involving Lower Merion and Harriton High School students. The movie, produced by the company I’m Shmacked, chronicled the behavior of students at a party. The students…
Toni Radcliffe ’14 The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors held a Conditional Use Hearing on February 27th for the construction of a sanitary sewer line through a flood hazard district, which would improve Episcopal’s waste water management system. The sanitary sewer would carry sewage underground from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Mark Notaro, Head of Plants and Operations, said, “Currently, in this part of Newtown Square Township, there are no sanitary sewer lines anywhere. Ashford [Land Company] has purposed a pump station on their property closer to Goshen Road. What we are looking to do, instead of…