September 2014

The Merionite

The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Volume 85, Issue 1

Ardmore, PA, 19003

September 8, 2014

Lower Merion TSA excels at nationals Nisha Arya ‘18

Photo courtesy of Vivian Klotz LM TSA Chapter Team member Mandi Farah ’14 celebrating their win in the team competition.

This June, eleven members of Lower Merion’s Technology Student Association (TSA) attended the National TSA conference in Washington, D.C. The LM students traveled to the capitol to compete against students from across the world in events like Biotechnology Design, Career Preparation, and Extemporaneous Presentation. The Chapter Team ended with four trophies and two additional top-ten finishes. LM also achieved two more top-ten finishes in Prepared Presentation and Technology Bowl.

To be able to compete at this level of competition, students had to qualify with at least one top-ten finish at their state conference. This year, LM TSA had 15 qualified members, eleven of whom attended the national conference. These achievements take perseverance, passion, and creativity to attain. Members think TSA teaches its members to work hard, collaborate, and take pride in their accomplishments. “When you are working on a team, it is important to do something for the rest of the team as much as you are doing it for yourself,” said junior Olivia Johnston. “Since the projects are long term, TSA gives me the opportunity to develop a project into something I can really be proud of.”

In one specific event, Chapter Team, LM TSA achieved something they should be really proud of. In this event, six members conduct a formal business meeting using parliamentary procedure, in which they make motions and debate. This year, LM’s team prepared for months in advance. “Studying involves lots of reading, practice tests, and individual work,” said junior Vivian Klotz. “When we meet as a team, our president, Mandi Farah ’14, quizzes us on the ladder of motions, definitions, and anything else from the books. Then, we run meetings and push ourselves above and beyond the level that is expected of us.”

Please see TSA on page 3

Bus parking causes strife in Bala Cynwyd Julia Bell ‘15 News editor After the redistricting case was settled last year, there was hope that the rift between the community and the school board would close. However, a new issue has sparked debate once again between LMSD and residents of the district. The ongoing over-enrollment problem in LM has strained the district’s transportation system. Between its elementary, middle, and high schools, LMSD regularly uses a fleet of 119 buses, which are parked at various locations while not in use.

Seventy of the buses are left at a location on Matonsford Road, which poses problems for the district. The growing district needs more buses and larger areas to secure them during the day.

On May 22, the district announced its intent to purchase property at 15-21 Bala Avenue. Bala Cynwyd citizens reacted with indignation, and many of them disagreed with the district’s plan. On June 10, the district released a statement assuaging the fears of residents by stating it did not mean to condemn the properties or acquire them through eminent domain. On June 30, acting superintendent Dr. Marseille released an open letter stating that the district needed to find a spot to park 30 buses by the 2016-2017 school year unless “we choose to reduce or eliminate bus services.”

Amid public outcry, a board meeting was scheduled for July 21. Before the meeting, the Bala Cynwyd Neighborhood Club circulated a petition that accrued

NEWS

Ace’s Basketball Bonding

LM’s boys basketball team spent ten days in New England camping and practicing.

Photo Courtesy of Aces Basketball

OPINIONS Ferguson, Race, an Unfortunate Truth at LM Senior Zay Smolar discusses race in lieu of the Ferguson incident by putting it into the context of LM. He sheds light on some of the barriers to racial equality and peace in America and our own LM community.

over 1,400 signatures opposing the plan. Over 100 people showed up to the meeting, which began with a presentation from the school board. The presentation highlighted the difficulty of finding a location. All of the district schools had been evaluated and rejected, as well as fifty other locations. The locations were dismissed for reasons of cost, security, availability, and logistics. One proposed idea was to build a $2.4 million dollar parking deck at LM, but it would not be the fiscally responsible option. Ultimately, the district preferred the Bala location, with which some residents had problems. The zoning and planning committees in Bala Cynwyd recently has spent a lot of money increasing the vitality of the area by installing sidewalks, shade trees, and improving the Cynwyd Trail. People also raised concerns about the bus fumes and traffic.

Many local residents believed that if the district used Bala property it would, “squander the time and effort spent improving Bala Cynwyd without getting any community input,” according to Jessica Diamond, mother of senior Daisy Diamond. Seemingly fresh off of the redistricting conflict, some locals are distrustful of the school board and feel there is a lack of communication. In the Lower Merion Community Network facebook page, members voiced disapproval with the board, and one asked, “I would like to know why temporary solutions are not being considered until a better permanent one is conceived.” Concern that the school board is not looking out for the public’s best interests is always central to discussions. Unless the board sways the community to find a new location, the residents won’t rest their protests.

FEATURES

Three People You Don’t Want to Be in A College Conversation

SPORTS A Better Chance

Yeujay Reeves’s journey from the inner-city to college football scholarships.

A&E Fall TV shows not to miss Including new or upcoming shows such as “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Marry Me.”

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NEWS

September 8, 2014

The Merionite

Fight or flight, or fight the flight

Aces’ summer retreat Emily Manin ‘15

Leslie Gladstone ‘16

News Editor

This past summer, the number of commercial airline catastrophes was horrific and unprecedented. In only one week, three major commercial plane incidents, on three separate continents, killed nearly five hundred civilians. With these events occurring only a couple months after the disappearance of a 737 Malaysia Airlines plane in the Pacific Ocean, aviation organizations were frantic and the public was scared.

On July 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 departed from Amsterdam en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The plane, traveling at 33,000 feet, passed over dangerous airspace in an eastern region of Ukraine that is currently controlled by pro-Russian separatists fighting against the Ukrainian government. Mistaking the Boeing 737 for a Ukrainian military aircraft, the rebels shot down the plane with a Russian missile. The results were an escalation of tensions between Western countries and Russia, increased sanctions on Putin’s government, and most tragically, the deaths of 298 passengers and crew.

The two additional plane accidents in the following week did not receive as much public attention, due to the lack of political controversy compared to the crash in Eastern Ukraine. Nonetheless, civilian casualties were immense.

On July 23, a TransAsia Airways flight that had been flying over Taiwan attempted to make an emergency landing because of treacherous weather. The plane crashed into a residential area, killing 48 people.

Only one day later, an Air Algerie Flight lost contact with air traffic control only fifty minutes after takeoff. The plane was carrying more than 110 people and requested permission to change its flight paths due to stormy weather. Shortly after, it disappeared over Mali. Debris from the plane were found later, but no survivors have been found.

Despite the numerous airplane disasters over the summer, LM students continued to travel internationally for family vacations, camp programs, birthright programs, and teen travel opportunities. Unfortunately, one consequence of the Internet and social media is the bombardment of news updates on crises, which can overwhelm the public and exacerbate their worries.

Junior Sophie Bennett, who visited Ireland, Scotland, and England, was one of the apprehensive LM flyers prior to boarding her transatlantic flight. While she was very cognizant of recent events involving airline disasters, Bennett also had a traumatic experience two years earlier while flying to Paris, France, which influenced her mindset. Bennett “was flying to Paris and [was] in a storm and there was an announcement saying, ‘Prepare for crash landing’, and [she] started freaking out. ([She] didn’t crash.)” Bennett explained further that despite the recent events, she tried to keep her emotions in check, “so [she] was slightly nervous because that experience and the recent news...It was in the back of [her] mind, but [she tried] not to think of it”.

In contrast, junior Alex Barnett approached flying very rationally. He traveled to Italy on a family vacation earlier in the summer and said “Despite the air disasters, I in no way felt in danger while traveling to Europe this year.” Barnett explained, “These crashes and disappearances are quite tragic and scary, yet their significance in terms of worldwide air safety seems exaggerated.” Furthermore, Barnett has much confidence in the system and says, “Air disasters are focused on so heavily because they are overwhelmingly sad examples of error in an extremely safe and effective transportation system. Although they are terrifying, air disasters are few and far between so I feel safe on any flight.”

LM students traveled extensively this summer and did not allow recent aviation tragedies to interfere with their trips. Students who traveled willingly this summer entrusted the global aviation system to transport them safely from one destination to another.

“Justin McFadden, gone—the ‘winningest’ player in Lower Merion history is out the door. JaQuan Johnson, gone—one of the best point guards in District One has left for good.” These were the disheartening words from Coach Downer to the young, mostly inexperienced team of Lower Merion Varsity Boys Basketball this past summer.

Coach Downer knew that the upcoming season had the potential to disappoint without the glue that had previously held the team together. He therefore decided to continue the tradition of a summer basketball bonding trip. In previous years, the team had traveled to Montana, California, and North Carolina. This year, the team, including Jule Brown ’15, Michael Berg ’16, Joel Dunoff ‘15, Noah Fennel ’17, Greg Foster ’18, Dion Harris ’17, Jeremy Horn ’16, Terrell Jones ’17, Zack Magill ’16, Eli Needle ’16, Steve Pendleton ’15, and Corey Sherman ’15, traveled up to Dartmouth College this summer along with coaches Kevin Grugan, Michael Lachs, Matt Schwartz, Blake Stabert, Marc Tannenbaum, and Doug Young to partake in basketball training and bonding experiences in the wilderness.

The trip started with a bang at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusets, followed by some pick-up basketball at Northampton High School in Northampton, MA. The next day was filled with daunting but fulfilling team-building activities at the 30-foot high Dartmouth Ropes Course. The players learned to work together to problem solve and push past fear, the foundation of real team spirit and cohesiveness.

For the next part of the trip, the Aces ran a basketball clinic for nearly 60 kids at Marion Cross Elementary School in Norwich, VT, that benefited Coaches vs. Cancer.

Then they drove up to Dartmouth for a series of games that began with a loss but was dominated by victories. The team’s unity strengthened with each game. Hopefully, the Aces’ performance at the Dartmouth team camp will be reflected in the upcoming winter season. Coach Downer certainly thinks so. “A trip like this really helps team bonding— several new players get to know each other and this new bond helps [create] greater trust on the court.”

The momentum of the team camp games helped propel the team all the way up Mount Lafayette in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the following few days. Along the way, they stayed at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Greenleaf Lodge, where they were stunned by beautiful views of the valley, sunset, and stars.

In the final part of the bonding experience, vans drove the Aces up to the Kennebec River in Maine for an exhilarating white water rafting experience. The last day was filled with a tour of Boston and Fourth of July fireworks on Bunker Hill.

Overall, the team really enjoyed and grew from the experience. In the words of Joel Dunoff, “No one expected how close the team would feel after the trip. We [are] comfortable around each other outside of a basketball setting and that chemistry can carry over onto the court.”

Photo courtesy of Aces Basketball

Aces gear up at their stop in Marion Cross School in Norwich

Ferguson hits close to home for LM students Todd Gilman ‘16 Copy Editor

The August 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, aged 18, by Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department sent shockwaves through Brown’s hometown, Ferguson, Missouri, where he was killed. Brown’s body was left out in the streets for four hours after the shooting, which many believe would not have happened had he been white. In an already racially divided city, the shooting of Brown, who was African-American, by Wilson, who is a white police officer, exacerbated the rift.

Over two-thirds Ferguson’s population is AfricanAmerican. Contrary to the demographics of the city, the high officials of the government of Ferguson are overwhelmingly white. According to the municipal website, Mayor James Knowles III and four of the five city council members, for whom biographical information is provided, are white, as are nearly 95 percent of the police.

The figures expose that the city is, at least politically, unrepresentative of the people of Ferguson. Indignation over Wilson’s motives for shooting Brown and the

subsequent treatment of the teenager’s corpse reached a boiling point in Ferguson’s community when protests erupted in the streets where Brown was shot. Although most demonstrations were peaceful, the violent ones precipitated further strife.

The police took further controversial action when they arrested numerous protestors, threatened journalists, and used tear gas on crowds. One journalist from Al Jazeera America was threatened by a police officer; “I’ll burst your head open.” Tainted by the shooting, the police of Ferguson were unable to placate the concerns of the demonstrators. Consequently, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, on August 14, dispatched a troop of Missouri Highway Patrol Officers to the scene. As the unrest in Ferguson became more heated, Nixon ordered in the Missouri National Guard on August 18.

The violence in Ferguson sparked a nationwide debate over the issues of race, police brutality, and inequality. All the way back in the LM community, Leslie Guy, mother of junior Adrian Corbey, felt that the events in Ferguson were “the death of the idea that we live in a

post-racial society.” Corbey himself feared his confidence in his community’s ability to look past his race begin to wane. Junior Dena Behar also was shocked by the recent events in Ferguson. Alluding to protests held during the civil rights movement, she said, “The situation in Ferguson is too eerily similar to those of Birmingham and Selma, Alabama. Times haven’t changed as much as we think they have.”

As the smoke now clears in the Missouri town, the issue of race remains. Officials from the federal government, including Attorney General Eric H. Holder—who visited Ferguson to ease tensions, promised a full federal investigation; the nation, however, remains quite polarized on Ferguson and on race. Some have called for the arrest of Officer Wilson, including the attorney for Brown’s family, while others have gone out and raised funds, nearly half a million dollars, for Wilson’s legal defense. If anything, Ferguson made things worse. The National Guard has been gone since August 22, but there is no reason to believe the divide left with it.

NEWS

September 8, 2014

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The Merionite

TSA goes to nationals Cont. from page 1 Their extensive preparation paid off and rewarded the team with a first place trophy for the group, and five top-ten finishes individually. “A professional registered parliamentarian told us that it was the best meeting he had seen in his 14 years!” Klotz said.

“To have someone whose opinion you value tell you that you’ve done extremely well is an incredible feeling. To share those experiences with some of my favorite people and best friends makes it all the better.”

While the competition part of the conference was exciting and rewarding, LM’s TSA chapter also bonded and formed stronger friendships during the national conference.

“It will sound a bit crazy, but my favorite part of the conference was probably the late night event meetings. They were kind of awful, but because of them we all became so much closer as a chapter.” Johnston said.

“We spent about four hours in the hallway until four a.m. working on putting a project together, only to make it look slightly worse than the original. When you talk to someone at three in the morning, you really see a different side of them.” The national conference allowed for the LM students of all ages and interests to become good friends and great teammates.

LM TSA has done very well this year, and it hopes for continued success. TSA is searching for many more students who are passionate about engineering or science. “I have been inspired to work harder, to be a better person, and to make a difference,” Klotz said. “I know it sounds cliché, but the most important thing I have learned from TSA is that it’s about the journey rather than the destination. The hard work and the crazy experiences and feeling of success are so much more important than the trophies.”

Israel-Palestine conflict

NEWS IN BRIEF Montgomery county plays key role in legalizing PA equality Pennsylvania has legalized gay marriage thanks to Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes.

On July 23, 2013, Hanes started granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples, even though Pennsylvania state law forbade it. Hanes issued 174 marriage licenses before the Pennsylvania judicial system ordered him to stop. Attorney General Kathleen Kane refused to defend the state law, passing the responsibilities on to Tom Corbett’s office. On May 20th, Judge John E. Jones III legalized gay marriage in Pennsylvania in the Whitewood court case. Theresa Santai-Gaffney, the Schuylkill County Clerk responsible for responding to marriage license applications, proposed an intervention on June 6 and kept appealing until she was denied a final time on August 4.

-Bradley Kaplan ’17

Ice Bucket Challenge Over the summer, social media feeds across the world were taken over by the ice bucket challenge, a viral campaign to raise awareness for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Participants are given the choice to either donate money to charity or dump a bucket of ice-cold water over their heads.

They then nominate a few friends to take on the challenge.

While many people have deemed the challenge useless because many participants do not donate, it does raise crucial awareness for an otherwise obscure disease. Additionally, the challenge has so far raised over $88 million for the ALS Association. Whether you plan to take the plunge or donate, consider taking on the ice bucket challenge to continue raising awareness and funds for a great cause.

-Olivia Johnston ’16

Jazz band performs in Italy

Photo courtesy of Noy Segal ’15 LM seniors (from left to right) Cory Litman ’15, Danny Avershal ’15, Eric Goldberg ’15, Roni Fellah ’15, Hadas Bar-Ad ’15, and Noy Segal ’15 attended a rally this August in Philadelphia to show their support for Israel.

This summer, the LM Jazz ensemble spent eight days in Italy performing, touring, and bonding. The group spent the day visiting some of the most famous tourist sites. After exploring, the group spent the night playing in beautiful venues. Along with experiencing the sights and sounds of a new country, the Jazz band bonded as a group.

-Olivia Johnston ’16

Rebbecca Tauber ’16 In 1967, due to constant tension between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan mobilized their armies on Israel’s borders. Before this, as a result of the War of Independence, the Gaza Strip belonged to Egypt; the West Bank, including parts of Jerusalem, belonged to Jordan.

Less than a week later, all that changed. During what came to be known as the 6-Day War, Israel confronted three opposing armies on all sides, and not only fought them off, but won land. After the war, Israel hoped to use the additional land as means for peace negotiations. However, the Arab world denounced recognition, and thus negotiations with Israel. That is how Israel came into possession of land that would and will continue to result in some of greatest sources of conflict the Middle East has seen. This summer was a manifestation of that conflict.

In 2005, Israel disengaged from Gaza. This involved uprooting the towns of more than nine thousand people. In the end, Gaza was under Palestinian jurisdiction, and the only Israelis that remained were soldiers. This controversial decision was partially a result of violence between Arabs and Israeli settlers and soldiers, and partially a test run for further disengagement and maybe even peace. Needless to say, the test run failed. In 2006, the terrorist organization Hamas was elected to poliitical leadership in Gaza. Since then, the number and range of rockets fired into Israel has increased every year.

Thus, a vicious cycle was born: tension on both sides from rockets and other acts of violence builds, often a result of failed peace talks, until it all bubbles over, prompting major Israeli military action. First came Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009, then Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, and most recently, this summer’s Operation Protective Edge.

On June 12th, only months after John Kerry’s peace talks between both sides failed, three Israeli teens were kidnapped and killed. Israel’s military search and initial response involved increased Palestinian arrests targeting Hamas operatives. While Hamas has denied officially ordering the kiddnapping; the captors were affiliated with the terrorist group and Hamas certainly praised the act, one of its leaders saying “blessed be the hands that captured them.” A few days later, a Palestinian teen was found dead. Israeli extremists were responsible. The kidnappings were a catalyst for rocket fire from both sides, and violence that would last all summer long.

On July 8th, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, beginning targeted airstrikes on Hamas leaders and weapons. Israel also went in to collapse all tunnels bringing in aid and weapons in Gaza that Hamas needed for terrorist attacks. Throughout the operation, multiple ceasefires were agreed upon and broken, violence and casualties growing. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system has protected most of its civilians against random rocket fire, while targeted attacks gone wrong and the placement of Hamas weapons in schools and hospitals has led to the deaths of over a thousdand Palestinian civilians.

In LM, this conflict has led to discussions between Israel supporters and Palestine supporters. Some pro-Israel students, pictured above, attended a rally in support of the country this August. Others, including senior Divya Arya feel that, “both sides consider themselves the victim and must asknowledge their own place in the conflict before peace can be achieved.”

Similar to the situation in the Middle East, the LM community is far from reaching a consensus.

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS

September 8, 2014

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The Merionite

Principal’s Letter

Perpetual inequality: our own role This past summer, AP Language and Composition students were required to read The Shame of the Nation by Jonathan Kozol. The book describes the foundering of the American education system in inner-city schools and the apartheid that has been created as a result of it. Kozol repeatedly compares the triumphs of almost entirely white suburban schools to the failures of those that are as much 99 percent black and Hispanic. It is infuriating to read about the deprivation of students who deserve as good of an education as their middle-class counterparts. But what is even more outrageous is that we, LMSD, are part of the problem. If you look in the back of the book, LMSD is even mentioned as a reference for how big the difference in per pupil spending is between suburban schools and innercity schools. According to the New America Foundation, in 2011, LMSD spent $27,494 per pupil while the state average was $15,153.

In 2009, 81.6 percent of students in LMSD were white; nine percent above the state average. And while 91.2 percent of students at LM or Harriton received achievement in reading in 2010, the state average was only 64.0 percent. What is even more shocking is LMSD’s comparison to the School District of Philadelphia. In 2010, they spent $11,417 per pupil while LMSD spent $21,616: a $10,000 difference.

In 2009, their student population was 61.4 percent black and had a high school reading achievement of 42.6 percent.

It is ironic how we read about a country with a failing education system, but are never told that we are the schools who are partially responsible. For instance, prior to the start of the school year, students received a letter saying that the No Child Left Behind Act is still in place in LMSD. Through the act, taking state assessments, such as the Keystones, determines the funding that schools receive.

So a school district with such high standards and excellent teaching like LMSD would have no trouble achieving good enough scores to receive excellent funding. But inner-city schools who don’t do as well don’t receive nearly as much–if any money at all–creating a cycle that is destined to repeat until real change can occur.

Reading about this subject is highly important and should by no means be discontinued. However, students should know that the injustices they are reading about can be found only thirty minutes away at schools such as Bartram High School, a Philadelphia school that is often in the news due to violence. We are in our own little bubble here at LM, and reading a book is not enough to pop it. There is no clear or easy solution, but we must do more, not only as individual students, but also as a school.

Dear LM Students, Welcome to a new school year! I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing summer and is ready for another successful year. This is always an exciting time of year for me; the return of students and staff brings the promise of new and meaningful relationships, expanded opportunities for personal and professional growth, and shared learning experiences that offer unique challenges and great rewards.

I want to take this opportunity to emphasize to you how much our faculty and staff look forward to your return and how much we care about your success and well-being. Our focus is not only on what you learn in class, but also about what type of person you are. Our goals go beyond teaching specific academic content. We want you to be responsible, show initiative, be creative, set and meet goals, understand and relate to various cultures and backgrounds, be able to resolve conflicts and problems, be able to think critically and learn from mistakes, and be contributing citizens of the world.

Of course, please be ever-mindful that character does count.

An LM education is intended to be dynamic, personalized, and flexible. We believe all students have the opportunity to make their high school experience personally meaningful. I encourage you to take advantage of what is offered here, to make good decisions, and be the best person you can be. I want you to realize that your role requires you to attend all classes, be on time, and arrive ready to learn every day. Get enough sleep. Develop good study habits. Have a regular homework time. Get organized so you don’t miss any assignments. When you have a question – ask it, address concerns early rather than later – don’t let potential problems get worse.

Challenge yourself to do your best in every class. Please remember that good things happen to good people, who work hard. I know that, if you follow this simple advice, your year will be filled with personal accomplishments, academic achievements, and memorable relationships.

Best wishes for a wonderful school year!

Unsigned editorial on this page reflects the general opinion of staff editors, not the views of individuals.

Sincerely, Sean Hughes, Principal

Special Notice From The Editors

Dear readers, You may notice several changes in The Merionite. We have upgraded the font selection to headline Myriad Pro and body Garamond. These fonts, in contrast to headline Utopia and body Times, represent The Merionite’s goal to improve its aesthetic appeal to our modern audience. Similarly, our new header and editor box provide a sleeker overall look to the modernizing Merionite. Taken together, these design and layout changes will carry The Merionite into its future at LM. Please feel free to contact the editors with any questions or comments.

Sincerely, The Merionite Staff

Art By Madelyn Schaeffer ’15/Staff

THE MERIONITE Official newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Columbia Scholastic Press Assocation Silver Crown 2013

Editors in Chief Divya Arya ’15 Zay Smolar ’15

Managing Editor Madelyn Schaeffer ’15

Advisor Mr. Chad Henneberry

News Editors

Arts and Entertainment

Photo Editors

Julia Bell ’15 Olivia Johnston ’16 Emily Manin ’15

Julia Carstens ’15 Aine Dougherty ’15

Lily Taffet ’15 Sloane Woerdeman ’15

Op-Ed Editors

Sports Editors

Layout Editors

Mitchell Gladstone ’15 Andrew McKinney ’15 Daniel Wilson ’16

Kyra Kwak ’15 Dylan Siegelman ’15

Copy Editors

Emily Morris ’15

Isabella Dumitrescu ’16 Todd Gilman ’16

Business Advisor

Dena Behar ’16 Jonathan Perlman ’15 Morgan Perlman ’15

Features Editors Dana Handleman ’16 Victoria Klevan ’15 Anna Skillings ’15

Web Editor

Mr. Sean Flynn

The editors believe all facts presented in the newspaper to be accurate. The paper acknowledges that mistakes are possible and welcomes questions as to accuracy. Inquiries regarding accuracy should be directed to the editors of the paper. Editors can be contacted via e-mail at merionite@gmail. com or in Room 200A. To represent all viewpoints in the school community, The Merionite welcomes all letters to the editor.

Letters can be sent via e-mail or dropped off outside the Merionite office. The Merionite reserves the right to edit letters to the editor for length or clarity. All unattributed images are courtesy of WikiCommons.

OPINIONS The Merionite

Blacking out the truth Zay Smolar ‘15 Editor-in-Chief

It should always be shocking when an unarmed teenager is shot dead. On numerous occasions throughout the country, however, unarmed children have been shot and killed by various forms of “authority.”

But there’s one other constant in these horrific tragedies. These kids are more than predominantly black.

Most recently, a young man named Michael Brown was shot — not once, but more than six times — inciting riots and violence in the town of Ferguson, Missouri. While the details of this case are not abundantly clear, one fact is indisputable: race played a factor.

Further contributing to the picture of racial tension in Ferguson is that of the 53 officers making up the Police Department — which has had violent run-ins with the community — three are black. To give just a little context — this police department “serves” an area that is 67% African American according to 2010 census data.

This wouldn’t be such an issue if it was just an issue in Ferguson. But these racial incongruities are being played out in police departments and communities across the country.

This type of problem erodes trust. Citizens across the country should be able to trust their police departments — an idea that is failing nowadays. According to Pew Charitable Trusts, just 37% of Caucasian Americans say that police forces nationally “do an excellent or good job of holding officers accountable for misconduct.” Even more relevant and disheartening, though, is that 38% say the same about police departments’ performance in treating racial and ethnic groups equally.

In a country where such a small percentage of the less discriminated against racial group trusts police forces, how have there not been concerted efforts to fix the problem?

It remains because of the residual racial tension and poor race relations that plague our country. We’re at somewhat of a standstill; we’ve come far enough to have a black president, but are still largely segregated in our own cafeteria.

If you don’t believe me, take a look. Our student body has self segregated — in any given lunch, you’ll find kids mostly sitting with others who look like they do. This phenomenon perfectly displays what, in my opinion, is the crux of our national problem.

Throughout my three years spent at LM, I have never heard anyone openly discuss our startlingly antiquated cafeteria dynamic. Interestingly enough, I’ve also never heard anyone openly discuss the racism that continually shows itself in the form of slain teenagers.

We dance around words, trying to convince ourselves that we have completely purged our country of the racism that was so commonplace hundreds of years ago. In the media, interviewees are asked, “do you think race played a factor in this shooting?”

Really…?

Instead of hiding behind benign words and “safe” phrases, we should be having open dialogue. There is no shortage of issues to discuss. It isn’t a coincidence, for example, that one in three black men will be in prison at some point in his life. By comparison, one in seventeen white men will be in prison during his life, according to the US Department of Labor and Statistics.

This particular statistic is widely known, yet rarely discussed. Also rarely discussed are the viral videos of police abuse. While it’s unfair to generalize all police officers as abusive, there’s a reason why so few Americans trust their police departments. The stereotypes and generalizations about race are still active and dominant across the country — and in law enforcement.

Take New York City’s “Stop and Frisk” policy, for example. Officers were encouraged to stop “suspicious” New Yorkers, often faced with quotas for stops and searches per month.

Believe it or not, “suspicious” ended up meaning “young, black.” This, for a change of pace, eventually caught enough attention to prompt change. The policy ended up being challenged to the New York Supreme Court.

It shouldn’t take that much attention to prompt change, though. How many more teenagers have to be killed for us to face the racism in our country? It seems worth it to struggle through some uncomfortable discussions if it could lead to change on the institutional level.

Even in our school — which granted, is very open to discussion — we shy away from valuable dialogue. I had high hopes last year.

Last year started with all students and teachers (supposedly) reading Run by Ann Patchett.

The book got quite a lot of abuse—more than I think it deserved. What frustrated me about the whole “One Book, One School” program was not the fact that we all had to read a book, regardless of our grade levels.

My frustration with the plan was that it wasn’t used for anything valuable afterwards. While it certainly was not a high level analysis of race, Run had a significant enough racial theme to spur discussion. Instead of working together to learn from the book, we took a 10 question quiz with answers that could have been answered by reading the dust cover.

After finishing with Run, there was one more chance for open dialogue. Last year was the 50th anniversary of an integrated LMSD. It wouldn’t shock me if this were the first time some students heard of this. There were celebrations for the day, but they were held in the courtyard and at the site of the old Ardmore Elementary School. Students could not attend the ceremony if they wanted, and there were no activities held for the entire school.

How could we miss out on such a clear opportunity for progress? That would have been a perfect opportunity to step up, in an attempt to move past the discomfort associated with our remnant racism.

The District’s “celebration” stood as a clear and disheartening message to me. In a community full of open-minded students, teachers, administrators, and parents, we didn’t even attempt to break down the prejudices of which we are all ashamed. It’s even more disheartening to see this same failure in the face of teen deaths across the country.

We can’t continue this cycle; people can’t keep dying. Our problems will not go away simply by ignoring them. It will be difficult, time consuming, and uncomfortable to delve into these issues. The result, however, is one that we need more now than ever. So let’s talk about these issues. Lives depend on it.

September 8, 2014

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September 8, 2014

OPINIONS The Merionite

Women: a history untold

“History class.” For you, these two words may conjure up memories of Mr. Grace being “better since seeing you,” a vicious game of buzzword in Mr. Dawson’s class, or hours of cramming for tests if you took APUSH. But the history we are being taught has a problem. Our history is written by men, about men.

The UN estimates that women make up approximately 51% of the United States’ population. After knowing this fact, I now ask you to name more than 3 females who are a part of Philadelphia’s history. Most people will either think of Betsy Ross, or a blank completely. That, in my opinion, is depressing.

Sophia Salganicoff ‘16 draw This inability to recognize women as part of our history is a real issue. Even though women make up a major part of our country’s history, they are marginalized; their stories are seemingly lost in the clutter of history. It’s almost as if women didn’t even exist.

This summer, I interned at the documentary film studio, History Making Productions. Right now, they are in the production stages of a new documentary titled The Women of Philadelphia. The Women of Philadelphia is the first documentary to ever focus completely on the role of women in history in an urban setting. In our patriarchal society, history is often told from the men’s point of view, which leaves the female population grossly underrepresented in regards to our past. This documentary will look at the history of Philadelphia through the perspective of women, illustrating the vibrant array of unknown contributions they have made in the history of our great city.

One could argue that men really did play a larger part in our history, that women aren’t being ignored, but they just played a lesser part in our patriarchal past. Our history has been defined by men, such as the founding fathers and presidents, all of whom were male. However, I counter that men have only been more involved in our classical idea of American history. The women of our past were involved with the anti-slavery movement, education reform, social reform, political action, and

much more. For instance, Lucretia Mott, born in 1793, was a Quaker abolitionist, social reformer, and women’s right’s activist. She co-founded Swarthmore College, the American Anti-Slavery Society, and the American Equal Rights Organization. She also organized one of the first women’s rights conventions in Seneca Falls. She laid the groundwork for Women’s Suffrage, inspiring women to take to the streets and demand the vote. Lucretia Mott played a huge role in trailblazing the path towards equality for humans of all races and genders, but her story remains mostly unknown. The contributions of Mott and similar women have not been touched upon or learned about by the majority of society. Women have shaped what Philadelphia and the United States look like today; they just aren’t recognized for it.

In the book Failing At Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls, authors Myra and David Sadker researched the absence of women in high school curriculum. The Sadkers’ studies revealed that in one 819 page textbook, the text written about women added up to barely one page. Another textbook had only three percent of their text on women, and, for every four pictures of men, there was only one of a woman. The authors of our textbooks are conditioned to only write about the stories of men, and, as a result, students are only informed about the stories of men. This blatantly obvious preference towards men in our textbooks is one of the main reasons why students are not being adequately educated on the contributions made by women in our history.

Getting women equal recognition on the pages of history books and on the minds of students at LM isn’t a feminist agenda; it’s an educational agenda. As students, we should be informed about what women have done for us in our past. The endless pages of history books assigned to us, the lectures we’ve had to sit through simply just do not inform us of the countless contributions women have made in history. I challenge you, students of Lower Merion, to take control of what you learn and educate yourself about these women. Let their voices and actions be heard by you. Don’t let the untold stories of women fade away like a picture left out in the sun; it is our responsibility to carry on their legacy. We are the future, but we must recognize our past.

Ivy League? Not for me Madison Holleran attended high school in Allendale, New Jersey. Happy and Additionally, having less time for their students, professors aren’t able to build intimate confident as a senior, she was an outstanding runner, soccer player, and student. relationships. Out of the 610 schools that ratemyprofessor.com examined, Yale had The capacity to excel in so many areas also made her an outstanding college applithe 214th best professors, Harvard had the 247th best professors, and Cornell had cant. Lehigh University’s head soccer coach, recognizing that exceptionality, began the 414th best professors. For the colossal tuitions that those schools charge, it’s not recruiting her for his soccer program. Attracted to the comfortable atmosphere outrageous to expect that they have better teachers. and the opportunity to play soccer in college, Madison gradually fell in love with More troubling, these top schools, which are suppose to be educating the next the school. She also had the option of going to the University of Pennsylvania generation of leaders, are alienating a vast section of the population. While the stuthough, and when the time came to make her decision, she ended up choosing the dent populations at these schools may be racially diverse, the chance that you’ll meet Griffin Kao ’16 more prestigious university. She went through just a single semester at her chosen a doctor’s daughter is so much greater than say, the chance you’ll meet a farmer’s school, before committing suicide by jumping from the roof of a parking garage (that is only just 10 son. Because of a flawed system, wealthier parents can hire SAT tutors or private trainers to get their miles from Lower Merion). Pretty, smart, and athletic, at just 19, she didn’t fit the usual profile, so why kids into more selective universities, and by attending an Ivy, you may be depriving yourself of the opdid she commit suicide? According to her father, she was struggling to adjust to college life, suddenly portunity to meet people on the lower, or even middle ends, of the socioeconomic spectrum. In 2013, a little fish in a big pond. The pressure to perform as a runner and as a student was literally killing her. only 813 students at Yale, or 15% of the student body, came from families that earned less than $65,000.

Tragically, she wasn’t alone; hers was just one of at least four confirmed suicides at Penn within a six Conversely, out of the same class, 69% of the students came from families above the $120,000 mark. In month period. comparison, only 30% of students at Penn State that same year came from families that earn more than As a society, we tend to overemphasize the importance of getting an elite college education. We glorify $83,691. While some may say it’s nice to be with similar people, an economically homogeneous campus the top universities, specifically the Ivies. Princeton acceptees are automatically brilliant successes, while can limit your perspective and understanding. In his article, “The Disadvantages of an Elite Education,” those who go to Lehigh must not have been able to do better. The prestige of our nation’s top schools William Deresciewicz (who studied at Columbia and taught at Yale) described how he wasn’t able to blinds so many students to the fact that the best school for them may be elsewhere, and a lot of these hold a conversation with a plumber. The holder of numerous degrees, William was, “struck dumb by students have difficulty finding happiness in their new homes. For instance, consider Massachussetts his own dumbness.” College shapes our perception of the world, and if the Ivies can’t provide much Institute of Technology, widely considered a bastion of academic achievement. When surveyed by an more than rigorous academics, why are they the “best” schools?

MIT task force, 74% of students said they had an emotional problem, “that interfered with their daily A lot of people believe that attending an elite school will guarantee you a better salary, but there have lives.” In addition, MIT’s suicide rate per 100,000 students is 21.7, 9.5 students above the national average been several studies that have disproved this notion. One study, conducted by the National Bureau of of 11.7 students. But beyond showing that students are not finding top colleges a good individual fit, Economic Research, found that, “students who attended more selective colleges do not earn more the evidence of declining mental well-being should compel people to question the actual value of an than other students who were accepted and rejected by comparable schools but attended less selective elite education. How much is prestige really worth? colleges.” In fact, the caliber of the schools that a student applied to was much more indicative of their First of all, the path to Ivy League acceptance is difficult. To compete with the thousands of other future salary. Because more motivated students are more likely to apply to top universities, the findings applicants, a student needs countless extracurriculars and AP’s. Your resume needs to be padded with show that the kind of person you are is much more important than what college you attend. Talented, leadership positions and service trips, and those test scores better be absolutely top-notch. The effort motivated people will excel wherever they go, and you absolutely do not need a fancy Ivy League diploma required to compete, alone, should make you think twice about elite colleges. But even if you’ve worked to be successful. hard, compiled a stellar transcript, and been accepted, Ivy League schools may still provide a lesser eduSo consider the original question, “Is it worth it to attend an elite university?” It all depends on what’s cation than you’d think. Because of increasing focus on research, professors are less focused on actual important to you. Is prestige important enough that you would ignore a better fit, like Holleran did? teaching. They have less time to consider students’ needs and to help them develop intellectually. Thus, Are you willing to overlook the massive tuition, the mediocre education quality, and the uniformly rich there’s more of an emphasis on the how than the why; students are being taught how to be successful in student body? If so, then the elites can’t be beat! the careers that they choose, but professors aren’t engaged enough to teach them to think and question.

Students Voice Their Opinions on the Israel-Palestine Conflict “It is a war that is bound to happen due to the history of the land. Also though I support neither side, I know the conflict will be resolved as all conflicts will be eventually.” – Aaron Li ‘15 “Jews do deserve the right to a sacred homeland after years of injustice, but it still does not justify kicking people out who have called Israel/ Palestine home for the past 2,000 years.

Both groups have equal claims to the land and should be able to coexist.” – Roxanna Pasquier ’17

“Both sides have a right to own and operate their own government and land. No one side is correct in the sense that they only have the right to the land which Israel currently resides in.

I may be an Israeli however I also want my Palestinian neighbors to enjoy their own right to live peacefully in their own nation if they do so wish.” – Tom Zauberman ’16 “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is a stellar military that does something no other army does: they warn civilians before attacking. Compare these morals to Hamas, which uses women and children as human shields. I believe that although land is a big issue in this conflict, it’s also a question of the morals and values of each side.” – Noah Bender ‘15

“To categorize this as an “Israel/Palenstine Conflict” is an inaccurate description to say the least. The true conflict lies between HAMAS and Israel. ...

Both nations have valid and plausible reasons to retain and obtain their own nations. However, much unlike Israel and Palestine, I refuse to sympathize with an unethical and downright sickening organization such as HAMAS. The information that the media is exposing to the US and the rest of the world is exclusively the information that HAMAS so desperately wants it to. HAMAS strategically places missiles around civilians in Gaza in order for Israel to fire back at them and injure and kill innocent civilians ... Thus, people are quick to take Palestine’s side and nullify Israel’s ethical mentality… HAMAS is using the civilians of their own country as a way to gain support and sympathy, and I for one, will not be fooled.” – Ori Dulitzki ’18

OPINIONS

September 8, 2014

7

The Merionite

Conflict in the A solution Breathing for all again Middle East Jonathan Avershal ’15 In the summer of 2006 between Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, my family and I traveled to Kfar Tavor, a small city in the northeastern tip of Israel. We trekked up Mount Tavor at which the city of Kfar Tavor is based. Olive groves, wineries, and small plots of farmland dotted the mountainside, and, at the end of the day, on our drive down we encountered a group of Palestinians from a nearby Arab village. They had been relaxing in the shade sipping their freshly made coffee and had the decency to offer us some. We sat with them for a while and talked to them about geopolitics but also about less pressing matters. As a thank you, we drove one of the elderly women in the group down to her village to spare her the walk. Both Israelis and Palestinians want a home that they can call their own, and, after speaking with these Palestinians on Mount Tavor, it seemed possible. Both Palestinians and Israelis still want a peaceful home but some circumstances have changed since then.

Eight years later, in 2014, brings us to the most recent squabble in the violent saga of Israel-Palestine relations.

The Israeli government is currently under scrutiny for killing so many Palestinians, yet Israel cannot sit back and be unresponsive to attacks against their own people or ignore tunnels being built underneath them. Israel is struggling to obliterate Hamas while trying not to kill the innocent civilians who stand in the way. Hamas was put in power in 2006 in the legislative election and is recognized by the US, EU, and UK as a terrorist organization. Before this conflict began, a Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh declared, “We are a people that yearn for death, just as our enemies yearn for life.” Islamist terrorist organizations are the enemy of both Palestinians and Israelis. Since the beginning of July 2014, Hamas has fired more than 1,000 rockets a week, which is nearly a rocket every five minutes.

As I write this article, rockets are being fired into Israel but luckily being intercepted by their iron dome defense system. From the point of view of Israel it is self-defense, yet, on the outside looking in, it is a humanitarian crisis. International aid has been given to Hamas in hopes of it going to the repair of bombed schools, houses, and hospitals, yet the aid is going to more weapons and terror.

Military action is killing Israel’s reputation as the underdog and morphing them into the bad guy.

While military action seems like the only way to reason with Hamas, fighting is exactly what Hamas wants. Only reason and serious negotiations will benefit both parties and put an end to Hamas.

Every couple of years this conflict erupts like a dormant volcano. The 1.8 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are not going to be bombed off of the map, and the West Bank is not going anywhere either. There is no military solution to the genuine struggle of the Palestinian people, and, as long as the suffocation felt in Gaza is not mitigated, we in Israel will never fully breathe again either.

So if we sit down and debase ourselves from our original opinions and not resist simple human compassion toward the multitude of Palestinians, whose lives have been shattered in this war, perhaps we will be able to see them, just like us roaming in circles over the years, dealing with different political puppets, and backlash on the international stage. Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior adviser for Mahmud Abbas, explained, “We should have a serious Palestinian reconciliation and then go to the world and say, ‘O.K., Gaza will behave as a peaceful place, under the leadership of a united Palestinian front, and, Israel, you open your gates.’”

For the sake of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, both governments need to communicate with advisers rather than with airstrikes and dysfunctional ceasefires. So I ask of both governments to discount their differences, understand their biases, and formulate new opinions. Peacemaking is harder than war making as exemplified by this past century of this conflict. Hopefully it isn’t too hard to sit in the shade where our blood doesn’t boil, have some coffee, and see both sides. Otherwise, this violent cycle will continue, and we will all be reading an article very similar to this one in a few years.

Yael Dormont ’15 Stories are never one sided, nor are there any stories that have one right resolution for a conflict.

While looking at the current situations in Israel and the occupied ter-ritories one must look back at history and every aspect of the conflict before picking a side. Looking at the conflict and choosing a side based on what your friends post on Facebook or what your parents think is not necessarily the best way to go about this issue.

There is often confusion surrounding who are in the Israeli Defense Forces, leading many to believe that that Israeli Defense force (IDF) is composed of mostly Jews. When looking at the IDF most people see Israeli Jewish soldiers and only Israeli Jew-ish soldiers, but the IDF is comprised of people from all different walks of life: Chris-tians, Muslims, Bedouins, and Jews all serve together in the IDF. Along with this, not all Israeli Jews serve in the IDF. Thus, religion plays only small role in the conflict.

When people look at the conflict from the side of the occupied territories they either see helpless people or Hamas (a known terrorist organization) controlling the government. This view from the outside might appear right, but once again is not. Hamas does control parts of the occupied territories, but it also controls them in coali-tion with Fatah lead by Mahmoud Abbas. Both parties lead a newly formed coalition government for peace. People follow Hamas not because they are a terrorist organi-zation, but because they also provide for their people. They do this by saying that they will take care of families and children, which although may be true, is over-shadowed by the fact that they are committing terrorist acts.

On the other side, you have leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Ben-nett, who are leading a movement of forceful take over rather than a peace process. Building settlements in the West Bank while trying to make peace on the same land is no means for peace but rather for war.

This conflict should not be blamed on the citizens of these respective nations but on leaders and the leaders’ failed peace ne-gotiations.

One major issue that is blocking the peace process is limited availability of unbiased news. While this is an issue with every situation, information delivered through media these days is believed by anyone who even remotely sympathizes with a side. When people see videos, they believe them, even if the information is being falsely advertised. Propaganda is incredibly successful, but also incredibly dangerous. The problem is that there are extremists on both sides, and they are diametrically op-posed.

Peace and a good peace plan are the only ways out of this decades long conflict. Many people say that a peaceful resolution is impossible, but this is not true. The Oslo Accords were a successful step in the peace process between the two nations and would have eventually created a successful Two-State solution. The issue is that the leading man behind this Two-State solution, Itzhak Rabin, was killed for making what would have been a very successful peace deal. When people say there is no end of war in sight, they are wrong, even though it does seem very hard to have a Two-State solution when leaders on both sides are constantly fighting with each other and edging the other side on towards war. No one is right about how to deal with this conflict, but everyone knows that the fighting must come to an end.

At this point in time, everyone living in Israel and the occupied territories knows someone personally who has been killed, injured, or knows of someone who has been killed or injured. This suffering is not equal for everyone, nor is there a specif-ic group of people suffering more than another group. Jews, Muslims, Christians, Palestinians, and Bedouins alike are suffering from this unnecessary violence. Life is life, and there is no reason to take it away from someone just because you don’t want to negotiate with them. Differences in ideas and opinions are no reason to go to war.

Israel-Palestine misconceptions

Callie Clibanoff and Nina McKay explain what they see as the fallacies in opposing sides of the controversial Israel-Palestine conflict

Callie Clibanoff ’15

On June 30, the bodies of three Israeli teens, who had been kidnapped when hitchhiking home from school were found murdered. Some commentaries suggest that the boys put themselves in danger by entrusting their lives with the hands of Arab drivers. This is misconception #1. Though uncommon here in the U.S., hitchhiking is a common form of transportation in Israel. So, it is more appropriate to consider that these young Israeli men were innocent civilian victims of terrorism.

While Israelis and Americans grieved about this loss, many Palestinians celebrated. They even fashioned a symbol of conquest by holding up of three fingers to their support and solidarity for the abductions and the murders.

Next, six Israeli extremists committed a revenge murder of a young Palestinian teen, Mohammed Abu Khdeir. Here is misconception #2. Unlike the Palestinian three-finger response, Israelis across the political and religious spectrum, from top ranking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu down to the general public, condemned the killing of the innocent Palestinian boy.

Israeli officials swiftly identified the suspects of the murder and immediately imprisoned them.

Then things took a turn for the worse. War broke out in full force. Hamas, the terrorist organization that has had control over Gaza, started firing rockets at Israel. Their mission was to destroy the tunnels that Hamas had been building into Israel; the sole purpose of the tunnels was to infiltrate Israel and murder or kidnap Israelis.

Misconception #3. Some people may believe that the tunnels were used to smuggle goods into impoverished Gaza, but it was proved that the tunnels were in fact equipped with special rooms, hand-

cuffs, and tranquilizers for Hamas to use to kidnap Israelis. The existence of these tunnels poses a lethal threat to Israel that no civilized nation could tolerate, and thus their destruction is justified.

The most common is misconception #4, that Israel is creating a humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

Parties including Canada and some members of the United Nations state that Hamas itself is the party responsible for the disaster. For example, it has been shown that Hamas diverted tons of cement intended to build schools and homes to, instead, build cross-border attack tunnels. The 350 truckloads of building materials used to build just one attack tunnel could have been used instead to construct 86 homes, 19 medical clinics, seven mosques, and six schools.

During my visit, Israel consistently sought to protect civilian Palestinians by warning them to get out of harm’s way through leaflet messages, phone calls, and even SMS short text messages. Should Palestinian civilians lie in harm’s way, the IDF routinely aborted missions to avoid harming nonthreatening civilians. By contrast, if Israeli civilians lie in harm’s way of missiles and artillery fire (due to the limited coverage afforded by the Iron Dome Missile Defense System), Hamas instructs its military personnel to ignore Israeli calls for help. Furthermore, Hamas uses human shields, calling their own civilians to venture into Israeli target areas and become martyrs.

While Hamas strives for the obliteration of the Jewish state, Israel strives for co-existence with Hamas in the Middle East. Until a stronger agreement can be made between these peoples, anyone traveling to this region cannot expect to escape the incessant threat of conflict and violence.

Nina McKay ’17

Misconception #1: People who are ProPalestinian support Hamas’ cause.

This, in fact, is rarely true. It is extremely rare to find a person who supports Hamas, mainly due to their violent methods. Many people, who are Pro-Palestine, do feel that Palestinians who were forced out of their homes should be allowed to return, but they usually want a peaceful solution to be reached; they do not at all support terrorism.

Misconception #2: Supporting Palestine means supporting all Palestinians, including members of terrorist organizations.

Most people who are Pro-Palestine picture the families who were forced to leave their homes and the refugee children who don’t have beds to sleep in, not the people who enter Israel with the intent of harming civilians who are just as innocent.

Misconception #3: People who support Palestinians have no qualms about attacks on Israel.

People who support Palestine do not generally celebrate when a war results in more territory for displaced Palestinian refugees. They would like Palestinian refugees to gain their land back but only through peaceful means, not at the expense of the safety, mental well-being, or rights of Israelis. Every person negatively impacted by the conflict is one person too many, regardless of which side they are on.

Misconception #4: Pro-Palestinians believe that Israel has no right to defend itself.

Most people understand that Israel is quite a populated country and designed to be a safe ha-

ven for all Jewish people. In order for the large population to be safe, and for the country to function as it was designed, Israel must be able to defend itself. People who support Palestinians generally disagree with the tactics used by the Israeli military in defending its country and are horrified by the sheer number of Palestinian civilians killed.

Misconception #5: A person who supports Palestinians believes that Israel should not exist.

There are many supporters of Palestine (a large number of whom are Jewish) who absolutely believe that there should be a Jewish homeland, but they do not believe that it should exist as it does today. They are uncomfortable with the fact that the land Israel occupies was formally inhabited by different people, who were forced off of the land after their families had lived there for generations.

Misconception #6: Palestinian civilians brought their situation on themselves.

This is a fairly common belief among people who are not Pro-Palestinian, as they believe that people who elected their leaders are responsible for whatever that leader does while in office. But leaders aren’t elected unanimously and close to half of the population of the United States at any one time did not vote for the current president. The Palestinian leaders are not supported by all of their people, and that isn’t even taking into account the high probability that people are scared to show resistance toward a terrorist group.

8

FEATURES

September 4, 2014

2014-2015 Student Council Officers

September 4, 2014

Adrienne Rose

Tori Klevan

Eric Goldberg

Treasurer

President

Vice President

Q: How does Student Council make budgeting decisions?

A: To make budgeting decisions, the officers will hold a meeting to discuss the possible investment and how it will benefit the entire student body. I act as the chair to these discussions because I am the treasurer.

Once we come to a conclusion, we go to Mrs. Freeland who is our advisor and has direct access to our funds.

Q: What does Student Council spend money on?

A: What Student Council spends money on varies yearly so this question is pretty difficult to answer. Our investments depend on the student body’s specific needs and desires for that year but all expenditures must benefit the entire student body.

Q: What is most important for Student Council to accomplish this year?

A: Every year, it is important for Student Council to foster positive change in the community, encourage school spirit, and represent the needs and ideals of the Student Body to the administration. This year specifically, we are focusing on improving the competency of our committees: Spirit, Radnor Week, Coaches VS Cancer, Communications, Grade Representatives, and Welcoming.

Q: How has your previous leadership at LM helped you prepare for your role as president?

A: I have learned not only to work with a team, but also lead a team.

This is an indispensable skill to have as student body president.

Q: How does student council interact with the other grades’ leadership positions?

A: The grade representatives committee act as our link between each grade and Student Council. We also hold numerous meetings in the auditorium throughout the year and we urge everyone to attend (especially the freshmen)!

Q: What’s your favorite LM event/tradition and why?

A: Definitely the dodgeball tournament that takes place every April and helps raise money for CvC. The tradition started my freshman year and it has only gotten more fun since then.

Abby Comer

Lindsay Shapiro

Sergeant-At-Arms

Secretary

Q: What are the responsibilities of the Sergeant-At-Arms?

A: The “official responsibilities” for sergeant-at-arms are to keep order at meetings and enforce all rules of student government. The other officers and I will be working closely with one another and the committee heads to endure that LM’s vibrant student events and atmosphere are full force this year!

Q: What are you most looking forward to in the new school year?

A: There are so many things to get excited for this year, so I can’t choose just one! That being said, I’m looking forward to Radnor Week as an awesome way to kick off a whole year’s worth of LM spirit.

Q: How much influence does Student Council have in day-to-day school operations?

A: The officers serve as the voice of the Student Body in all administrative meetings at which we are present. We are able to bring up problems with school operations at such meetings as well as work toward fixing them.

Q: What is one thing you would like to improve at LM? A: I would like to work towards improving the intergrade relations. I think that it is important for the upperclassman to work with the underclassman to get them involved and accustomed to all things LM.

Interviews conducted by Anna Skillings ‘15

Three people you DON’T want to be in a college conversation

Features Editor

By Victoria Klevan ‘15

One would think that since high school seniors spend every waking moment of our short-lived adolescence writing our CommonApp, meeting Features Editor with college counselors, visiting universities every other day, and arguing with our parents each step of the way, that our need to live and breath the college application process would be satisfied.

However, because we teenagers are not inherently able to survive the day without a substantial digest of other people’s business, we must know every detail of our peers’ college search as well. You won’t stop getting grilled about where you’re applying until May 1st of your senior year, also known as “Decision Day”. So, you might as well start learning college talk etiquette now. The following passages are descriptions of the types of people you DON’T want to be in a college conversation.

Transitioning from summer to school

By Dana Handleman ‘14

Hello LM students!

I trust you’ve all had a wonderful summer.

My hope is that it was filled with ice cream cones, summer lovin’, and Features Editor gratuitous tan lines. As students, we’ve come to see summer break as a blessing and a curse in its own rights. This is because after all those many months (2, to be exact) of fun in the sun, we’re still inevitably going back to school at the end. We have this knowledge all throughout the break, no matter how hard we may try to ignore it. And when that fateful day comes, year after year, we have to be ready. And it’s not just showing up to school one day instead of sleeping in or going to work. There’s more to it. I don’t know about anyone else, but I usually have to psych myself up for school every morning when I wake up, at least a little bit. Imagine that but magnified 20 times when you have to go back to school again at the end of the summer. Want an example? Here ya go!

The girl who swears that not getting into her first choice was the best thing to ever happen to her. There is nothing wrong with seeing the good in a bad situation. Saying

that you’re kind of relieved you don’t have to deal with cold after getting rejected from Michigan is totally acceptable.

However, claiming that you never actually wanted to go to your dream school after you get deferred early decision is absolute BS and everyone and their mom knows it. Tip #1, don’t be a sore loser. Everyone will understand your pain if you don’t get in to your number one school. Take a day to cry about it, and move on. Because the reality is that now you need to know where the heck you’re going to college.

I can’t be the only person who’s ever refused to do simple arithmetic at a restaurant when the bill shows up because “It’s summer. I’m not doing math during the summer.” We actively dumb ourselves down during the summer in an effort to relax. For the most part, it works. But it just makes the transition that much harder. Suddenly we’re back at our desks, being dished out more math problems than there are spare ribs at a Chinese buffet. We go from zero to sixty at the speed of a Lamborghini, but much less glamorously. There is no consolation I can offer on this front. Either way, it’s gonna suck to have to force your mind to start working on overdrive again, but it’s what you’ve got to do. Was that helpful? No? Well too bad, I’m writing this during the summer and I therefore have not transitioned yet.

The guy that is applying to all of the Ivy’s AND Stanford and won’t shut up about it. Congratulations on getting a perfect SAT score, all 5’s on your AP exams, and having a 5.0

GPA. The truth is, no one cares except your mom and admissions. So please, spare us. Yes we’re all secretly jealous of you and yes you’re bound to get in to an incredibly prestigious university, but you’re going to be remembered by your classmates as a pretentious jerk. As I said before, high school students are relentless when it comes to finding out other people’s business. That means everyone already knows that you’re freakishly smart so here’s tip #2, chill out.

You’re going to want to leave high school with friends.

The best advice I can offer is to hunker down and just get it done. “It”, being the transition, in this case. Easing into it is not the right course of action in this situation because the longer you take to get that brain working, the more your grades will suffer. And we can’t have that happen. If you can somehow get your brain working at a school pace, but keep your attitude all sunny and nicely tanned, then you will have a relatively good start of the school year, my friend! If you

The girl that forced your SAT score out of you and then judged you with her eyes. “You have that score and you’re applying there?” “He took got A’s in 5 AP’s and didn’t even get

went to summer school, then you may disregard this entire article.

Happy School Year LM!

into that school you’re applying to.” “You can’t get in there unless you’re, like, Native American or something.” These are common phrases that you have undoubtedly heard before and most likely from the same few people. If teenagers are a hungry pack of wolves that feed on gossip and patronization, this girl or guy is like a werewolf compared to the rest of us. Tip #3, please keep your condescending comments to yourself.

LILY & LINDSAY

back to school snacks

BY

TAFFET

SHAPIRO

9

HEALTHY DIY

personal pizza

SHREDDED

REESEíS CHOCOLATE-COVERED TOMATO

cheese

1 CUP OF

sauce 1 SLICE WHOLE

flatbread

pretzels

mini pretzels 14 REESEíS

cups

ADD SOME SPRINKLES AND..........

voila

10

FEATURES

September 8, 2014

The Merionite

Features on teachers Meet the new 2014-2015 LMHS

Anne Davis School Counselor

Alexander Patt Chemistry

Kristine Fagerman Math

Karen deFranco Interim Assistant Principle

Brian Scopelliti Special Education

Ian Haines Special Education

Not pictured: Tiffany Wheeler Music Summer Perez Physics

Mikell Nigero Special Education

Jason Stroup Special Education

Aimee Ferguson English

Benjamin Walsh Art

Photos courtesy of Anna O’Hora

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September 8, 2014

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September 8, 2014

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Merionite

A cappella comes to a close Aine Dougherty ‘15 Have no fear LM-ers, because even though Ace’s Angels and Ace Harmony may no longer be in existence this year, a cappella music will still fill the halls and continue to be a big part of LM’s culture. After ten years of success with the iconic LMAC organizations, Joshua Hunnex, vocal music teacher and long-time sponsor of the programs, has decided to branch out and try something new. For many, this decision is quite a shock.

“When the a cappella groups sang for me in middle school, I fell in love and knew I had to be a part of that when I got to high school,” remembered Hanna Edelson, senior and former Ace’s Angels member, who considered her experience with the Angels to be “irreplacable.” The two groups, one all female and the other co-ed, drew many talented singers from across grades and social statuses and consistently wowed audiences with their renditions of popular and contemporary numbers. Hunnex has never known an LM without them, as they were established the year he started teaching, and he admits that it, “does feel a little strange to go into a school year without Ace Harmony and Ace’s Angels.” One of his favorite memories from the past ten years was the 10th Anniversary concert last year, which he felt was an exciting combination of current members and alums that wonderfully represented, “the coming together of the old and new.” Although LMAC will be a bit different in the years to come, the veteran director is right at the helm of a new venture and is absolutely looking forward

to the bright future for a cappella at LM. As Hunnex said, although singing pop songs in a cappella style may be fun, “it’s barely a blip on the radar,” of all of the diverse types of vocal music out there. After ten years of the same thing, the time has come, “to expose people to beautiful music they might not already know.” Instead of one single genre of music year after year, from now on, LMAC will switch up its focus every single year, giving its singers the opportunity to try many different styles of music. This year, the group, called Ars Cantiqua, will sing music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods—quite a departure from the usual catchy pop ballads. Hunnex is very excited for the, “new and challenging,” direction in which LMAC is headed, but don’t worry if this doesn’t sound like your thing. There are other ways to continue your music careers at LM. Some talented singers will move to other endeavors, like Edelson, who will be performing the national anthem at many home basketball games. Some will pursue different a cappella options in addition to the school-affiliated group.

Seniors Kate Eldridge, Jordan Askey, Karen Hafter and Lizzie Schnarr have taken the initiative to start up a studentrun organization called Main Line A Cappella, which will sing contemporary music and closely resemble the Ace Harmony and Ace’s Angels of the past. This group will still work alongside Hunnex’s Ars Cantiqua, and there will be overlap between members, but it provides another outlet for students who feel more comfortable with what they know. So if you’ve never gotten the chance to attend an LMAC concert, don’t fret— there are still many chances for you to listen to amazing LM singers, whether they are singing music from the Shakespeare era or from the Beyoncé generation.

The thrill of thrifting up into different rooms based on their contents. For example, Philly AIDS Thrift Store, on South 5th Most people have an extracurricuStreet, has entire rooms dedicated to lar activity that they’re particularly good at. Some people hunt down rare vintage and formal wear, as well as my favorite, the Dollar Room, where Disney Pez dispensers. Some build everything is literally a dollar. It’s computers. Others read three books places like these where spending $20 each week. My forte is thrift shopor $30 can buy you an entirely new ping. wardrobe. The best thing to do is Now, it might not sound like a skill that takes much knowledge (how slowly skim the racks, and hold on to anything that catches your eye — you hard can shopping be?) but trust me — weeding your way through endless never know when you might need a shirt with a giant bear on it, or a pair racks of clothing that have been dug of rollerblades. through one too many times takes a However, be aware of vintage or crafty and open mind. consignment stores versus true thrift Thrift shopstores. Vintage ping (or “thriftGood local thrift shops : stores can be ing”) can be great, but are difficult if you’re Philly AIDS Thrift rarely inexpensive, not sure what 710 S 5th Street, Philadelphia carrying items you’re looking from over 20 for, but that can The Closet Exchange years ago, which also be a part 1901 Old York Road, Abingcan fall into a of the fun. You ton more costly price know that you range. Consignwant a green Retrospect ment stores (like raincoat or 508 South Street, Philadelphia Plato’s Closet leather boots? in Springfield That’s good. You Greene Street or Paoli, or The have no idea 848 W. Lancaster Ave, Bryn Closet Exchange what you want?

Mawr in Abington) Even better. One take pre-owned, thing to keep in Sazz Vintage usually current mind is staying 38 N 3rd Street, Philadelphia or trendy clothes, open to different mark them down options. It’s very a little in price, likely that you’ll and sell them for the seller’s benefit fall in love with something, and it — the seller gets paid on-site for the won’t be in your size. That’s okay — clothing they bring in.

True thrift depending on the article of clothstores generally carry a multitude ing, and how much it costs (which is of different eras and conditions of probably relatively little), it might be clothing for fairly cheap prices (think worth it to spend $5 on a skirt that’s in the $1-$20 price range for everyday two sizes too big (but in the color clothes). While vintage, consignment, and style you’ve been hunting down and thrift shops all serve the same for months) and to get it altered so purpose, make sure you know what that it’s exactly what you want. you’re looking for before you hit the Generally, thrift stores are divided road.

Alexandra Gordon ‘15

September Playlist

A report on “Scandal” Tori Klevan ‘15 Features Editor

Lucky for all you Scandal addicts that left your gladiator suits and white hats at home during summer vacation, I’ve fashioned a Season 4 preview that will refresh your memory and prepare you for the rip-roaring adventure Shonda Rhimes has in store for us on September 25.

In case you forgot, Season 3 concluded with a whole lot of crazy. The insanity began when the Maya Pope church-basementfuneral bomb detonated and nearly blew vice president Sally Langston into a million blessed pieces. The post-explosion optics nearly won Sally the presidential election after every news station broadcasted her bandaging wounded funeral-goers. However, later events shifted Americans’ hearts in a different direction.

Yes, I’m talking about the tragic death of Jerry Grant Jr. which was yet another Maya Pope special. Or so we thought. Turns out the murder of Fitz and Mellie’s first son was part of Eli Pope’s twisted ideology, of which he stated “He took my child, so I took his.”

This, of course, was referring to Fitz and Olivia’s relationship.

So, Fitz won a second term in office at the cost of his child. However, he failed to win the election on his own merit thanks to the unbidden assistance from Eli Pope. Not only is Fitz mourning, but he is now privy to Mellie’s violent sexual history with his father and the love of his life left him without a word on a Papa Pope-provided plane with his frenemy by her side.

Here’s my Season 4 prediction for our dear President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III. We all know Fitz is a fragile butterfly when it comes to heartache, and he is inevitably going to need a vice to help him cope. Last season he used whiskey, this season I think it will be Mellie. Everything that’s happened to Fitz in the last season leads him back to his unscrupulous, emotionally stressed, and politically driven wife. Nothing brings a husband and wife together like a death in the immediate family. Also, earlier in Season 3 we found out that Fitz thought Mellie ruined

their marriage when she “changed” after Jerry was born. This was not coincidentally the same time Big Jerry sexually assaulted her. No wonder why she couldn’t bear to have her rapist’s son touch her. Sheesh.

Anyway, now that Fitz knows why Mellie turned him away so many years ago, he may be imagining what things could have been like if that incident never happened. Could Fitz and Mellie actually have been the perfect President and First Lady that America is fooled into believing they are? None of us would blame Fitz for at least thinking about it. Especially when he specifically told Mellie after she slept with his running mate Andrew Nichols that he “never would have cheated,” and “never would have went looking elsewhere” if she hadn’t turned him away so many years ago. Woah. “But what about Olivia!?” you may all be thinking. Well, lest you forgot, she’s gone! She left Fitz in a time of extreme suffering, and he is going to have a hard time forgiving her upon her return.

Fitz and Mellie are winning power couple of Season 4. Mark my words.

Here are some other plot lines you probably have forgotten about that will take major turns in Season 4. Huck and Quinn may be the grossest thing to happen to OPA, but we all have a soft spot for them because of their good intentions, and especially because Quinn helped Huck face his family, a story we will surely hear more about next season. Cyrus is still devious but also mourning the death of his husband. Jake left David Rosen all of the active B613 files with the note “go get the bad guys.” Our favorite OPA associate is, in fact, dead, confirmed by the fact that “Harrison” actor Columbus Short does not have a renewed contract for Season 4. And lastly, Maya Pope is not dead despite the President’s request and currently resides in the infamous B613 hole. And if that isn’t unsettling enough, Eli Pope is back at the Command position and has POTUS believing they’re on the same side. One main character I failed to mention in this recap is Abby Whelan. But no fear, Abby fans, Shonda Rhimes has confirmed that Season 4 will be focused around the blue-eyed redhead. That’s all for now. Get excited to stand in the sun with Olivia on September 25.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The look for back-to-school If you’re reading this article, that most likely Madeline Ragsdale ’17 means you’re right back in good ol’ LM, ready for another school year filled with tests, pep rallies, and staring at Kobe Bryant’s 6-foot tall face in the gym. If you’re going to fight your way through a tough and (let’s be real here, kids) probably boring 9 months of school, you might as well look amazing while doing it.

First and foremost, you’re obviously going to need a backpack. You could go down the L.L. Bean route, and snag yourself a sweet lime green rolling backpack embroidered with a panda, (no shame, no shame), or you could switch it up a bit. Maybe even ditch the whole idea of a backpack and go with a massive tote or bucket bag. You’re guaranteed to look sick as you saunter down LM’s well-lit hallways. But if you’re anything like me, and prefer having 300 tons of books and binders equally distributed on both shoulders, sacrifice a little style and try checking out Urban Outfitter’s or Jansport’s backpacks. Victoria’s Secret and Forever 21 even have some, although they’re a bit small.

But once your back is taken care of, don’t forget about the rest of your outfit. According to Vogue, shearling jackets and white sneakers are in for this fall, bringing with them a sportier, structural vibe. Also trendy are tailored and fur jackets, 1960’s style, geometric shapes, and gorgeous knits. Vintage Adidas and thick soled running shoes seem to be making a definite comeback from the ’90s in street-wear. However, if you’re not the type who follows (or cares about) trends, some basic and classic back-to-school staples include tartan, oxfords, pleated and skater skirts, boyfriend jeans, pea coats, and leather bomber jackets. Flannels, leggings (the best article of clothing on the face of the planet period), riding boots, and baby-doll dresses are also some great fall pieces to work into your wardrobe for back to school. Lastly, I cannot stress the importance of a good sweater for the return of fall. They’re so easy—throw them on over leggings, over skirts, or even over dresses. Chunky, fisherman, Kurt-Cobain-at-MTV’s-Unplugged, flower patterned, turtle-necked—slip on whatever style makes you feel comfy, secure, and invincible. As for the boys, wearing a nice pair of jeans once in a while or even a button-up shirt might up your outfit game a bit. The ladies love a well-dressed man.

However, I think the best back-to-school fashion is whatever makes you feel good, whether that’s everything I put in this article, a massive yellow banana suit, or simple and cozy sweatpants. When you’re in a place as stressful as high school, wearing clothes that make you feel confident and comfortable is really what’s most fashionable.

Life is sweeter in Narberth Nowadays, it seems impossible to find an authentic ice cream shop among the countless, carbon-copy fro-yo joints of the Main Line. But look no further: on July 3rd, couple Chris and Lindsay Cox opened Village Treats, the perfect combination of an intimate coffee shop and a playful ice cream parlor. Located in the middle of downtown Narberth, Village Treats is already becoming an inviting and friendly neighborhood staple, with lines of customers spilling out the door and down the block every night. It may be a little cramped and narrow, with limited seating available, but that doesn’t stop people from rushing to taste its delicious treats. While it is a little pricey, the rarity of its homemade treats and real Bassett’s ice cream makes it worth the expense. Some favorites include Guatemalan Swirl, a rich and creamy coffee flavor, and Rainbow, a colorful and sweet cotton candy flavor.

In addition to classic cones and toppings, Village Treats offers milkshakes, sundaes, root beer floats, and fresh ice cream cookie sandwiches. The shop also sells freshly brewed Green Street Coffee for the more mature visitors, as well as homemade seasonal treats like pies, cookies, and bars. The main attraction, however, would have to be the doughnuts, made fresh in-house every morning. Paired with delightful seasonal dipping sauces, such as chocolate, caramel, and strawberrybasil, these mini goodies can be a treat for kids and adults alike. The creative minds behind Village Treats even came up with a completely unique and delicious idea: doughnut sundaes. A customer favorite, rich ice cream paired with a hot doughnut and topped with whipped cream and a cherry satisfies any sweet tooth.

Village Treats fits in perfectly with the Narberth community and is bound to become a central neighborhood spot, as they plan on expanding their already booming business to host events, such as birthday parties. Missing the authenticity of a real ice cream sundae, or craving a tasty sweet treat? Be sure to visit Village Treats at 236 Haverford Avenue in Narberth for a playful, welcoming experience. As their slogan claims, life really is sweeter in Narberth.

Ailish Dougherty ’15

September 8, 2014

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Procrastinating 101

Mariana Dougherty ’15

Fall signals the end of break—the break from school and the break from regularly aired television. So as we settle back into our school routines, some of us will inevitably settle back into a routine of saying we’re doing our homework when we’re really sneaking episodes of comedy shows. Choosing which shows are worth watching while only judging them by the short, uncomfortable commercials that flood their host network can be pretty overwhelming. Here’s a guide to some of the promising new network comedy shows and why you should watch them.

For the time being, I will put aside my grudge against NBC for dropping Community, giving them the benefit of the doubt for an unwise decision that they must have made while under the influence of a barbaric ratings-obsessed power trip. For the past couple of years, NBC has been trying to regain its glory days of the Thursday

Graphic by Staff Night Line Up when it had The Office and 30 Rock to bolster its ratings (and manic ego). Unfortunately, NBC now seems to be in a rut of cookie-cutter sitcoms with no real catch; however, there is always hope for a comeback. Marry Me has a pretty basic story line centered around a young couple struggling to put a ring on it. Despite its lack luster plot, it stars two great and funny actors, Casey Wilson of Happy Endings and Ken Marino of Party Down, in both of whom I have a lot of confidence—hopefully they will make it worth watching. Although NBC is waiting until midseason to premiere Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, it seems promising enough already.

This comedy will star The Office’s Ellie Kemper as a longtime cult-member hoping to regain her life by moving to New York City. Between its refreshingly strange plot and the fact that it is co-created by Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt promises to be a new favorite.

In other network television news, CBS and Fox also have new shows premiering. Right now, only one new comedy is listed on CBS’s line-up: The McCarthys. Based on a sports-crazed Boston family, this newbie seems to continue with the traditional theme of grown children learning to deal with their parents as adults but with new twists. Fox, meanwhile, is the host to what I anticipate to be the best new comedy of 2014, Mulaney. Starring the adorable and funny John Mulaney (a former writer on SNL with a brilliant stand-up out on Netflix) as a comedian stuck with a job writing for a game show while surrounded by crazy friends, Mulaney has a very Seinfeldesque vibe. It will also star SNL’s recently departed Nasim Pedrad and veteran Martin Short.

But even outside of major network television there is plenty of quality television to explore. If the new shows disappoint, we can always just watch our favorite shows like The Mindy Project, Parks & Rec, or The Goldbergs Return, or just watch old episodes of Arrested Development on Netflix. So, after insisting to your mom that “no, the TV will not distract me from my homework,” settle down on the couch with some milk and cookies and get watching!

Summer reading...for fun?

Senior Julia Bell reviews nine good books for Merionite readers looking to expand their horizons and appear scholarly.

Julia Bell ’15

Watchmen by Alan Moore: it’s a graphic novel, so you mostly just look at pictures. Sick illustrations and there’s a scene on Mars 10/10, which I would recommend.

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin: The first book in the A Song of Fire and Ice series.

Rise above the juvenile show-watchers and suffer through 10+ Ned Stark chapters.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: honestly just to able to tell people that you’ve read it.

Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov: it’s a classic (winky face). Hauntingly beautiful! Are we all Humbert Humbert?

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris: I laughed so hard that I choked while eating peppers.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote: technically a novella, so you can read it in under two hours. The Holly Golightly of the book is much better than the one in the movie, who is kind of annoying.

Going Solo by Roald Dahl: yeah, he also wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is his memoir of flying fighter planes in WWII, and you might cry at the end.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed: a woman who was a heroin addict becomes a solo hiker. Popcorn read.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: this one is for all the kids who didn’t get enough of dystopian books after reading 1984.

Run by Ann Patchett: just kidding, why the heck would anyone ever want to read this book?

News Editor

Artwork by Madelyn Schaeffer/Staff

Simon Vernier ’15

Aces of the Arts

How are you involved in the arts?

I have been a violin player in the Lower Merion Orchestra since freshman year.

What do you like the most about orchestra?

My favorite part about the Orchestra would have to be traveling to competitions and being able to see how we have improved and developed as an ensemble through our performances.

If you could play violin with any famous musician, who would it be?

It would have to be Itzhak Perlman. I have been in awe of his incredible talent for many years. To be able to learn from and see up close his approach to playing the Photo courtesy of 2014 Enchiridion violin would be a great honor.

Photo courtesy of Sharon Baranov

Sharon Baranov ’18 How do you contribute to the arts?

I design and sew clothing at home.

I also quilt, knit and crochet.

How did you get involved with this?

I got involved with sewing at the Handwork Studio day camp at a young age. I realized that I really liked it and began taking private machine sewing lessons in 2nd grade.

Do you hope to continue doing it as an adult?

I am considering becoming a fashion designer but I am not sure yet.

Which of your finished projects are you most proud of?

Out of all my finished projects, I am most proud of a dress that I recently designed and sewed for 8th grade promotion.

14

SPORTS

September 8, 2014

The Merionite

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3

Top 5 Moments of Summer

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(From left to right) Above: Germany’s Mario Götze scores the World Cup winning goal against Argentina; United States defenseman John Brooks celebrates his clutch goal in the World Cup group stage. Below: Rory McIlroy holds the British Open trophy after winning the first of back-to-back majors; LeBron James returns to the Cleveland Cavaliers; Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter plays in his final MLB All-Star Game and doubles in his first at-bat.

Girls’ tennis looks to bounce back With the talent in place to have success, the ball is now in their court to once again become a force in the Central League

By D. Samé ’16 and L. Kreuzer ’16 The sun rises over Arnold Field and the girls’ tennis team begins another day of training. As the team begins its warm-up, third-year coach, David O’Connell briefs them on the day’s practice. Players line up single file and shuffle through the agility ladder.

Thirty minutes later O’Connell begins a series of volley progressions, correcting the team’s technical flaws. Continuous hard work and dedication have resulted in improved physical and mental abilities and phlegmatic footwork; early season upsets will be a thing of the past this fall.

Although it lost 10 seniors, the team has high hopes for the upcoming season. Seniors Emma Gogarnoiu, Noa Seligsohn, and Nina Pant solidify the line up while sophomores Simone Burde and Neve Brennan add an additional layer of strength. Not only is the team top-heavy, but the line up Photo courtesy of LM Enchiridion is also scattered with many promising freshmen and other sophomores in key Emma Gogarnoiu ’15 returns a backhand in a doubles positions. match last fall.

As Seligsohn explains, “Doubles should be a real a strength for our team this year. In our last two matches alone we won seven out of eight doubles matches.” According to Burde, the number one singles player, the team has been able to capitalize on its doubles potential, thus showing promising results against non-league opponents. This was evident as the team improved on last year’s 7-0 loss to Wissahickon, playing a closely contested 4-3 thriller, although eventually losing to the same foe. Also, a strong showing against North Penn ended in a dominant 7-0 victory. Doubles will be key to success this season, and the girls’ team has already hit the ground running.

Last year, although the team was in the top half of Central League, it failed to qualify for districts. This year, however, the girls have higher expectations, and a variety of measures have been taken to efficiently tackle any problems that may arise. The emphasis on doubles matches, playing along with comprehensive and dedicated training, will hopefully lead to victories against local powerhouses: Conestoga, Harriton, and Garnett Valley.

Coach O’Connell’s experience through the years along with a hardworking and unified team will result in postseason success. As the coach always says, “Positive thinking leads to positive results.”

More than just a team A personal anecdote from a former member of Philadelphia’s own Taney Little League

By Drew Michie ’15 I first heard of Taney Baseball when I was five years old. I remember listening to friends at school talk about this field and league that was just right down the street. Every time someone had to say something about it, they were just ecstatic and thrilled to share. This then led me to ask my parents if I could join this league of which everyone spoke so highly. On the first day, my family and I arrived to the baseball field. I could feel the excitement. As the years went on and on, I began to realize how special Taney Baseball is to not just the children and families but also to the community. By the time I was ten years old, I was playing center field for the very same team that is now led by its young stars in Mo’ne Davis, Jared Sprague-Lott, Scott Bandura, and Alex Rice. The Taney Dragons, at the time, were not very good.

However, every game we played at home was very well attended by people who lived in the area. As I look back at the times, Taney Baseball was more than just a Little League for them. It was a way for them to slow down, relax, and enjoy some good times. I will never forget playing for the Taney Dragons, and I am extremely proud of those kids who worked hard and made history for Taney Baseball.

Photo courtesy of Drew Michie A young Drew Michie ’15 as a plauer in the Taney Little League.

SPORTS A long journey downfield

September 8, 2014

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The Merionite

By Daniel Wilson ‘16 Sports Editor It’s the spring of 2011 when a school counselor gives the chance of a lifetime to 8th grader Yuejay Reeves. Originally from Southeast DC and having lived in Philadelphia caring for his sick grandmother, Yuejay was never able to have an education like what we are familiar with; that is until his counselor introduced him to the ABC House.

For those who may not know, the ABC House, which stands for “A Better Chance,” is a program that doesn’t just exist here in Lower Merion, but in other areas of the country as well. Its initiative is to take a small select group of kids who are recommended by a counselor or teacher from their old school, and to try and give them a better education opportunity in a suburban setting, rather than the inter-city setting many of them are accustomed too.

Those selected to this program live in the local “A Better Chance” House and attend the local school.

In Reeves’s case, LM. The day he was accepted was the day his life entirely changed forever, as this new opportunity at LM provided a promising future that never seemed possible in his old neighborhoods.

As far as developing into the football player he is today, Reeves had to overcome some disadvantages that students in LM are not used too. Due to the fact that funding at his previous schools and neighborhoods could at many times be a struggle, the only football opportunity he had growing up was recreational touch and flag football. In fact, it wasn’t even until 8th grade that Reeves played in his first ever organized full contact tackle football game.

Fortunately, due to his dedication and hard work ethic both on and off the field, Reeves,on the brink of his senior season, has the potential to play football in college. Yuejay’s game has risen, as well as his academic performance to the point where playing football at an Ivy League university next year is a potential option. Although he hasn’t received any official offers just yet, the upcoming school year should be extremely exciting as those start to appear.

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” said Mark Twain, and if the LM football team plans to have success this year, they must live by that. According to Yuejay, while the

Freshman Sophie Riverso Sports Played: Soccer, Basketball, and Track.

What was the highlight of your summer? Going to the beach and playing soccer.

How do you keep focused for training during the offseason? I play sports all year long and try to stay in shape by running.

If you could be any celebrity for the day, who would it be and why? Beyoncé.

She is extremely talented and she is loved by everyone.

Bulldogs may not be the biggest team in the Central League, they can certainly play as physical as any of their opponents. It may take a little extra hard work, and it may require going the extra mile, but this team, especially Yuejay, has never feared a challenge.

As his three years at LM, as well as his stay at the ABC House will be coming to an end after this school year, I asked Yuejay what these four years has meant to him, and he told me that they’ve meant everything. All of these opportunities he’s been given in addition to all of the doors that have been opened, all because of an amazing program. His roots originate back to a school that has about a fifty-percent graduation rate, and then if you’re lucky one-tenth of the kids will end up finishing college.

Yuejay’s story is a storybook example of a young man overcoming adversity and taking advantage of an oppurtunity given to him. In the areas of Southeast DC and North Philadelphia, nothing is given,

Sophomore Matt D’Aquila Sports Played: Cross-country, indoor track, and spring track.

What was your favorite moment of the World Cup? John Brooks’ header against Ghana.

Which professional athlete do you admire most and why? David Ortiz because his commitment to the Red Sox is second to none.

Whst is your go-to Chipotle order? Chicken burrito with everything on it.

every last thing is earned. Many people have little idea of the lifestyle that people from this area are accustomed to, but Reeves has a firsthand experience.

It is a honor to discover the story of a person who has taken advantage of an oppurtunity and created a bright future. It is something that Yuejay himself said is “unheard of ” in the neighborhoods he grew up in. That is a story that we all should fully appreciate.

At left, Reeves prepares for the upcoming play during a game last fall.

Above, Yuejay Reeves ‘15 poses for his portrait at the SPARQ scouting combine in New York City.

Photos courtesy of Yuejay Reeves

Junior Leslie Gladstone

Sports Played: Cross-country, basketball, and track.

What was the highlight of your summer? Binge-watching Breaking Bad How do you keep focused for training during the offseason? I attempted to run on the track when it was cool.

If you could be any celebrity for the day, who would it be and why?

Ellen Page because she’s hilarious.

Senior Will Rosenbaum

Sports Played: Soccer What was your favorite moment of the World Cup? Tim Howard’s post-game interview.

Which professional athlete do you admire most and why? I most admire Tim Howard for his leadership qualities.

Whst is your go-to Chipotle order? I go for a burrito with rice, steak, and guac. The creaminess of the guac counteracts the rigid quality of the steak and provides a wonderful texture.

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SPORTS

September 8, 2014

The Merionite

Football

“It’s a fact that defense wins championships and our coach wants to build a winning team, so it all starts with defense.” - Reeves on bringing the football team back to

Captains: Yuejay Reeves ‘15, Nasir Jonik ‘15, and Michael Berg ‘16

the winning side of things

“We thought it would ruin the cohesiveness we started last year, but even though the other three coaches are new, they bring great skills and enthusiasm to the team” - Barson on replacing their head coach with former assistant Brynn Becker just two weeks before the season began

Boys’ XC Captains: Jonathan Perlman ‘15, Jeremy Tuttle ‘15, and Liam Caplan ‘15

“We will need to stay focused, work together as a team, and use what we learn in practice on the field. ” - Klevan on returning to dominance in the Central League

Captains: Nate Pillion ‘15 and Mitchell Gladstone ‘15

Captains: Lindsay Barson ‘15, Katherine Kelly ‘15, and Emma Ungar ‘16

“In many ways, cross-country can have more of a team component than other sports. Every second you are on the course, your team is expecting you to help contribute.” - Perlman on finding the balance between individual victories and team success

Golf

Field Hockey

Girls’ Soccer Captains: Tori Klevan ‘15, Adina Harris ‘15, and Marissa Shander ‘15

“In matches, I just tell the younger players to make putts and focus on their own game, rather than constantly worrying about their opponent’s score.” - Pillion on the advice he gives to younger players before a match

“Whether we are in between points and catch a great shot from another teammate or we are waiting to get onto the court, we really become our own cheering section”. - Gogarnoiu on the team supporting each other during the course of a big match

Boys’ Soccer Captains: Will Rosenbaum ‘15, Gian-Luca Hail ‘15, Greg Kastein ‘15, and Evan Wolf ‘15

Girls’ Tennis Captains: Emma Gogarnoiu ‘15, Nina Pant ‘15, and Noa Seligsohn ‘15

“In order to cope with the intensity of the Central League, the younger players joining the backline will have to step up their games and follow the lead of their older teammates in maintaining discipline, organization, and constant concentration.” - Hail on keeping the team solid with steady defensive play

“We will hopefully make up for the loss by using the great depth that our team has amongst the junior and senior classes this year” - Harrigan on replacing LM’s recordsetting cross-country star Duranya Freeman ‘14

Girls’ Volleyball Captains: Olivia King ‘15 and Jess Larkin ‘15

Girls’ XC Captains: Quinn Harrigan ‘15, Daisy Diamond ‘15, Julia Bell ‘15, and Lisa Gardner ‘15

“Our team is like a family. We are all best friends with each other and when you see us play, it shows on the court.” - Larkin on the strength of the team as a single unit