PERSPECTIVES FROMSCH
Fall2025
COLTON
P E R S P E C T I V E S
C O N T R I B U T O R S
Walter Cantlin
Sagan Brewster
Nicholas Piatkowski
Parker Heery
Lucas Franzen
Landon Ramer
Sebastian Orphanides
Colton McAneny
Logan Crittenden
Jimmy Snyder
Jack Brady
Owen Gary
Jack Mellor
Emerson Parker
INSTRUCTOR’SNOTE
In mid-November, I was lucky enough to attend with 11 SCH upper schoolers, three faculty chaperones, and 5,000 high school students and advisors from across the U S — the annual Journalism Education Association and National Scholastic Press Association (JEA/NSPA) conference in Nashville, TN.
From the moment we set foot at Philadelphia International Airport, I was reminded of the companionate relationship between reporting and entrepreneurship. Moments after settling in at our gate, upper school journalism teacher Jenny Gellhorn encouraged two students to grab a phone and roam the terminal. Their task? Pose a simple question — “Why does journalism matter?” — to fellow travelers.
I joined these Campus Lantern reporters and was reminded of what makes this 8th grade class, and journalism more broadly, so much fun to teach: through journalism, teens learn that it’s cool to be curious, that listening honestly and objectively to a range of perspectives is a skill to be honed, and that risk and rejection are part of most worthwhile endeavors. They learn that stories are everywhere; they grapple with the challenge of creatively (and, more importantly, honestly) telling stories that resonate.
We hope you enjoy perusing these pages; for more upper and middle school dispatches, please be sure to check out The Campus Lantern and The Torch!
Julie Knutson
AIINFOCUS
AI USE
Thoughts From a Pro
Our school's tech team utilizes AI in various ways. Jeff Ratay, a member of the department, states, “Many AI tools exist that can write code, but software development is much more than writing code It involves organizing a project, debugging, knowing how to write code in a way that makes it easy to keep track of and update later, and ultimately building features that will please the software's users ”
He continues, “No AI platform can write software by itself The "vibe-coder", as it has become known, has to be able to understand the LLM, correct it, and know what to do and prompt for Imagine you are a Football coach, but you ' ve never played a game or even watched it on TV You wouldn't know what plays to call You'd be getting penalties left and right Your team would lose and surely they would find a new coach quickly! While AI can help increase productivity, it is no substitute for knowledge of the subject. You still need to know what "plays" to call and how to avoid "penalties" as well as how to make your "game-plan"!”
The World of AI
AI has changed the way that many people live their lives in modern-day society by changing how people learn, work, and interact AI has drastically progressed over the past year alone, especially in schools. We interviewed Ms. Painter, Mr. Kirker, and the tech team for the middle school for their opinions on AI.
Ms. Painter, a 7th-grade English teacher, remarks, “I use AI tools like Magic School to create comment banks for writing assignments and I use ChatGPT to organize Word documents ”
How AI is Used
Whether in the classroom, workplace, or household, AI has greatly impacted daily life As students, we have seen many ways that people use AI: making flashcards for a test or quiz, making recipes for dishes, and creating organization plans for documents and projects. In our personal experiences, we have used AI to quiz ourselves on different topics when studying and making flashcards. This is not the only way people can use AI; there are hundreds of other uses.
Example of a Neural Network, used by many forms of artificial intelligence
This new way of doing tasks has helped many people do work more efficiently, and it continues to get better Even with all the upsides of AI, there are downsides AI is not 100% reliable, making it harder to use because the work has to be checked. Also, AI negatively impacts the environment because it uses a lot of water. To sum it up, AI has progressed greatly over the years and has taken schools, workplaces, and homes by storm with its helpful writing skills, organizational abilities, and coding expertise.
Thoughts from an interviewee
Upper school coding teacher Mr. Kirker remarks, “AI is a very helpful tool and has changed remarkably over the past year.
I personally use it to create custom curriculums and to edit code.”
PLAGIARISM VS. REALISM
BY LUCAS FRANZEN, PARKER HEERY, AND NICK PIATKOWSKI
How do teachers know when AI is being used, and how has it affected their views of the work their students produce? Many students worldwide have begun using AI for essays or homework, which has become a growing concern for educators. For teachers today, it can be hard to tell if someone is using AI, or if it is genuine work
Mr. Kirker, an SCH teacher who offers an AI-focused class, said this in an interview . . . “[In the past] human students would surprise us, and that would be a moment of joy where we’d see them making real progress.” He adds that now, teachers sometimes question growth, wondering if students have used AI in the work. Kirker explains, “I wonder now if that joy [of seeing students grow] is sort of just constantly being robbed ”
Photos: Canva stock
In today's generation, students and teachers both face challenges brought by the development of AI Teachers face the challenge of grading with the question of whether something is AI-generated or human-made. This makes it harder for teachers to grade and trust their students, as well as be proud of them
AI has had a profound impact on teenagers and students worldwide, as there are easier and more tempting ways to cheat than ever before. These temptations make it more difficult for students to complete honest work. As an eighth grader, Colton explains, “I think that AI could affect how teachers grade students because I think that the standards might become higher after kids use a lot of AI, which makes it harder for people who actually do real work to get better grades.” As we can see from a student’s perspective, when people use AI, it can affect others negatively and change standards and expectations around work.
“I think that the threat of people using AI for schoolwork has been something that the faculty has been dealing with since the advent of AI a few years ago With any new technology, there's a degree of learning and exploration that comes with it. I think most people, and students, didn't have a huge amount of ethical clarity around using AI when it first emerged,” Ms Knutson states
In conclusion, some effects AI has had on the teenagers and teachers of our school and community have been the dilemma of determining whether kids have authentically produced work or plagiarized work from AI. While AI busters are supposed to tell if something is AIgenerated, they don't always work and can contribute to falsely accusing innocent kids of cheating.
COMMUNITY NOTES
LANCE THE LEGEND:
COACH AND SCHOLAR INDUCTED TO HALL OF FAME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
Leading in the Locker Room, Setting Records on the Field
At Rochester, Lance wasn't just known for his talents on the field, but also for leading by example He never made his successes about himself, and tried to produce the best effort he could. Today, he takes the most pride in how well he and his teammates played together
Additionally, Lance notes that his approach, as a player and coach, centers on “leading from the front ” He explains, it’s “not just talking about leadership, but showing leadership, and showing up every day and being there for your teammates and talking to them about any issues or concerns, and really being a place that they could come to to talk about things from a leadership standpoint ”
In addition to being a great teammate, Lance Ramer is Rochester’s all time sack leader with 29 0 throughout his five years He also ranked first in Rochester history with tackles for loss (246), yards from sacks (215), and fumble recoveries (9) He earned six career All-League honors, three All-American teams, being selected a USA Football, Football Gazette, and CoSIDA Division III All-American following his tremendous career there
From Start to Finish
“BOOM!” The quarterback goes down again. Lance Ramer makes another tackling record, securing his spot as a legendary member of the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets football team Fast forward 23 years to September 19, 2025 It’s a beautiful fall day in Rochester This incredible day is the day that Lance gets inducted to the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame
Of this honor, Lance states, “I mean, first of all, the weekend was, I would say the word was magical It was so well done, and it was just fascinating. I'm very, very humbled by it I never thought about going back there ”
Image: Wikimedia Commons
For Love of the
Game
All About Lance
As a coach and player, Lance has impacted the lives of many. Through his years of playing and coaching, he set countless records, and he will forever be cherished as an amazing coach and an even better human being September 19, 2025, was a truly magical day, as many celebrated his Hall of Fame induction to the University of Rochester.
For nearly 20 years, Lance has maintained his love of the game and involvement with football through coaching at Montclair Kimberly Academy, Blair, Maclay School, SCH Academy, and Neumann Goretti.
Lance’s former high school players have gone on to play at many different amazing colleges, including Michigan, Syracuse, Duke, Army, Harvard, and more!
Lance’s impact as a coach is captured by the growth of his players throughout their years playing football with him One of his current players at Neumann, Cade Jasolka, remarks, “He hates losing way more than he loves winning. When you have a coach that is willing to do whatever it takes to win, it causes your team to do whatever it takes.” Another one of Lance’s current players, Luke Rachubinski, states, “There is never a dull moment with him on or around the field whether it’s a practice, walkthrough, or game day ” These players truly value Lance and his coaching ability, and show that he is always motivated to coach better every single day.
College Career Highlights:
29.0 sacks throughout his five years. Lance also ranked first in Rochester history with tackles for loss (246), yards from sacks (215), and fumble recoveries (9). He earned six career All-League honors, three AllAmerican teams, being selected a USA Football, Football Gazette, and CoSIDA Division III All American.
Hydration stations
"FromLarkinLaketoBrandtBay:TheMiddleSchool'sBestWaterFountains"
Therearemanyimportantfeaturesofmiddleschoollife,andonethingthatyoumaynot payattentiontowouldbethewaterfountains.AtSCH,therearealotoptionswithmany names, andsomeareseenasbetterthanothers.Inthisarticleyouwilllearnaboutthe importanceofdrinkingwater,andwhat SCHfountainsstudentsthinkarearebest.
WhyDrinkingwaterisimportantforlearning
Youmaythinkthatlistening,focusing,andpayingattentionareeverythingwhileinclass,butyour waterintakecouldbewhyitishardforyoutofocus AstheNationalLibraryofMedicinesays,water isthemostimportantnutrientinyourbody.Withoutwater,yourmindmayslowatmanyskills,some ofthembeingmemorycriticalthinkingandattentiveness.
SCH’sFavoriteWaterFountainsandTheirNames
Therearealotofwaterfountainsinthemiddleschool,butsomearebetterthanothers Right outsideofMrsLarkin'sroomisthefountainwhichmanystudentssayisthebest.AsMs.Larkin says,“The7thgradeclasslastyearreallymadethiswaterfountainsomethingspecial.”A6th gradernamedNicholasChapmanhasmadeupmanynamesforthesewaterfountainslike LarkinLake,PearcySprings,andBrandtBay.Irecommendtryingalloftheseandgivingthema rankingyourself!!
Thistopicisn’tjustonthemindsofmiddleschoolers;theCampusLanternalsorecently reportedonit.Ifyouwanttocheckoutthebestupperschoolwaterfountains,clickonthislink.
LARKINWATERFOUNTAIN
CAFETERIAWATERFOUNTAIN
PEARCYWATERFOUNTAIN
SCH BASEBALL 2026
BYLOGANC.ANDJIMMYS.
COOKIE TIME
ByJackB.
WHY WEDNESDAY IS THE MOST POPULAR DAY OF THE WEEK IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA
Cookie Cookie Cookie Cookie
Whatisthebestfoodinthecafeteria?
SCH'SKITCHENSPURCHASETHEDOUGHFORTHEIR CHOCOLATECHIPCOOKIESFROMDAVID'SCOOKIES
Whatmakesthesecookiesspecial?Thecookiesare biggerthanregularcookies.Theyarecrunchyonthe outsidethensoftontheinside.Usually, everyonegets tothecafeteriaatthesametimeandthelinegoesall thewayoutinthehallway.
Thecookiesarethebestsellingfoodinthecafeteria. Everyonelovesthecookies.Thecookieisthefan favoriteintheschool,eventhoughit'sonlysoldon Wednesday.
Somepeoplesayit’sthepretzel.However,the foodwiththemostvotesinour8thgradeclassis thecookie.EveryWednesday,theschool cafeteriasellscookies Rightaftersecondperiod, everyonerushestothecafeteriasotheycanbe first.Therearetwolines,oneforpeoplewithIDs, andoneforpeoplewithnoIDs EveryWednesday, theschoolsells160cookies,eachcosting$3.30.If theyselleverycookietheymake,thatamountsto roughlyabout$528everyWednesday.Iftheydo thiseveryweek,theymakeroughly$19,000every yearjustfromcookies
BEYONDSCH
Philly’s Best Golf Courses
BY:OWEN GARYANDJACKMELLOR
Areyoulookingtogetoutonagolfcourseinthefuture?Well,we interviewedtwoveryexperiencedgolfersintheSCHcommunity, 10th graderDylanGaryandSCHparentRickMellor DylanGaryispartofthe JVhighschoolGolfteam.Hehasplayedanumberofcoursesaroundthe Philadelphiaareaandisagreatpersontoanswerspecificquestions abouttheprosandconsofvariouscoursesinourarea. RickMellorhas playedgolfsincecollegeandinthesummer,heplaysalmostthreetimes aweek
ThefirstquestionweaskedDylanandRick was,“WhatisthebestOverall GolfCourseinthePhillyarea?”DylanrespondedwithSunnybrook CountryClub Hesaid,“It'saverysceniccoursewithgreatviews,the fairwaysaregreatwiththegrasscuttoperfection,samewiththegreens andbunkers.”WithDylanbeinganexperiencedgolfer,thisshowsthecore valuesheholdsandlikeswhenhegoestoacourse Dylan'sinterviewalso takesintoaccountthegreatworksthatthegroundscrewdoesat SunnybrookCountryClub Rickoptedforadifferentcourse Hisvotefor bestPhillyareacoursegoestoMerionEast.Heexplained,“Merion’sEast Coursebecauseofthehistoryofthegroundsandthelayoutisfairand challengingatthesametime”Mr Mellor’sanswershowsthechallengeof thecoursesaroundourarea,butitalsoshowshowthecoursestestyour skillsaroundthegreen
ThesecondquestionweaskedDylanandRickwas,“Whatisthebestgolf coursetostartgolfinginthePhiladelphiaarea?“Dylanrespondedwith,“for beginners,playatpubliccourses,andifyoubelongtoacountryclubplayas manyfreeroundsaspossible Youshouldalsotrytofinddrivingranges whereyoucanpractice”Mr Mellorrespondedwith“FCC(Flourtown CountryClub)becauseithelpsyouworkonyourshortgame,whichis100 yardsandinfromthehole.”
Thethirdquestionweaskedthegolferswas,“ What'sthebestpubliccourseandwhy?” Dylanrespondedwith“[Ihave]neverplayed [apubliccourse],butsaystherearegreat publiccoursesaroundPhilly."Mr.Mellor stated,“Jeffersonvillebecauseittestsyour accuracyofftheteeandyourdistance controlintothegreen.”
Next,weaskedthegolfers:“Whatisthebest bangforyourbuckgolfcourse?”Dylansaid, “WalnutLanebecauseitisagoodpriceand isafuncoursetoplay,ifyoujustwantto haveagoodtime.”Mr.Melloragreed, “WalnutLanebecauseitispriced inexpensivelyandcantestallyourdistances witheachclub.”
Thefinalquestionweaskedourgolferswas, “Whatisthebestdrivingrange?”Dylansaid, “Tee’s;it'sapublicrangeinConshohocken. Also,ifyouareamemberatacountryclub andthereisarange,theyarethebest placestogo”Mr Mellorstated,“Lowerstate Roadbecauseyoucanpracticewith trackmantechnology,swingoffmats,swing offgrass,andalsoithassimulatorsfor practiceandplayingdifferentcourses.”
The game of golf continues to grow and grow, and we hope this article encourages you to get out on the course in the foreseeable future. But we would like to hear your opinions, so weigh in on Philly’s best golf course here.
BYEMERSON
FISHING
The Surprising Mental Health Benefits of Fishing
By Emerson Parker
Everwonderhowfishingimpactsyou?Some peoplesayithelpstheirmentalhealth.Onestudy onrecreationalfishing,health,andwell-being foundthatavidanglersreportedupto15.4%lower stressscorescomparedtolessactiveanglers (Takemefishing.org).Whencertainpeoplego fishing,theyfeelexcited,oreagertokeepfishing untiltheygetwhatthey'refishingfor.Thismakes themforgetabouttechnology,becausetheyare sofocusedonthethingthey'redoingandhowit excitesthem. IinterviewedtwoSCHstudentsthatgofishingto seewhattheythinkaboutitsbenefits.Eighth graderSebastiansaysthattheactivityletshim escapefromthings.HisclassmateColtonalso saysyoucansitandjustlistentothewilderness aroundyou,anditcalmsyoudown.Coltonadds thatfishinghelpshimdisconnectfromscreens, explaining,“Idohavesocialmediaapps,butIstill rathergofishingbecause,likeanynewspotyougo to,itcanbealmostlikealearningexperience.”
Bothagreethattheywouldstillwanttogofishingevenif theyknewtherewasalowchancetocatchsomething.
Doyouthinkfishingwouldbenefityou?
“JUST LISTENING TO THE WILDERNESS AROUND YOU CALMS YOU DOWN.”
Keep It Local
Our favorite Philly-area restaurants
Enza - 909 E Willow Grove Ave , Wyndmoor, PA
You walk in with a nice feeling, almost like you ' re in a town in Italy where you can sit at tables, the bar, or at a booth The appetizers are amazing I would highly recommend the cheesesteak egg rolls or the chicken meatballs. But, for entrees, the Caesar salad and the chicken fingers are the best. And the service is amazing; the food comes out quick and everyone is really nice. The drinks are amazing as I had a cherry coke with a perfect ratio from grenadine to coke a cola. Overall this place is 5 stars VERY GOOD!! - C.M.
Fairlane Grill - 617 Bethlehem Pike, Erdenheim, PA
The first time I went to Fairlane, I was surprised that I never knew about this wonderful place that I could get breakfast only 3 minutes from my house. They have great service and are really quick; the meal only takes 10 to 15 minutes They have great milkshakes and I recommend the french toast and their home fries The people there are very friendly and the place is old fashioned Just know that they only take cash and don’t have an ATM - E P
Elia Restaurant - 264 N Keswick Ave, Glenside, PA
Elia is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is delicious, and the atmosphere is amazing. Whether you ' re dining in or taking out, Elia is a great choice. The French fries are amazing, and I would recommend getting a Gyro. - S.B.
For Pete’s Sake - 900 S. Front Street, Philadelphia
For Pete’s Sake is a hidden gem in South Philly. You go inside the restaurant and are greeted with an old school vibe with a bunch of TVs and an old jukebox Then, you read the menu with all of the specials lined up on a chalk board Anything you get will be great, especially the pierogies: they are my favorite The service is good throughout the day, but when you go later it could change because of the amount of people at the bar and families in the restaurant There is an upstairs; I'm not fully sure if it is open to the public, but I think it is on crowded nights - J S
White Dog Cafe - 379 Lancaster Ave., Haverford
White Dog Cafe has some of the best food I have ever had. I often get the French Onion Soup to start and to drink I have a NA mocktail. For my main meal I get the White Dog ‘Double Cheddar’ Burger, which is always delicious. Their service is unbelievable; every time we go the manager comes to check on each table to make sure we are comfortable and enjoying the food. The atmosphere is wonderful, with perfect lighting and paintings of dogs on the walls. The chairs are comfy and nice - N P
Oyster House - 1516 Sansom, Philadelphia
The first time I went the Oyster House was right after the Eagles parade. Inside of the restaurant, the environment is amazing with wood floors. The lighting is warm and inviting It's clean, people are chatting, everybody is having fun and the food is amazing The oysters are so fresh, shucked right in front of you and the raw fish is so clean I always love getting the tuna poke bowl for lunch That itself is a 5/5; the tuna is cut to perfection and the cucumber, carrots, rice, and avocado are perfect when paired with the sauce that comes with it The service is amazing and the waiters are always coming to check on you I think the restaurant gets a 10/5 - S O
Sakura - 8605 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia
The first time I ever ate here, I didn’t know what to expect I had only ever really eaten sushi in the city When I walked in, both floors of the restaurant were filled to the brim with guests The atmosphere was amazing, and altogether calming There was quiet music and tons of decorations that made you feel like you were walking into an actual restaurant in Japan For appetizers, I ordered pork gyoza and edamame, which came in what felt like 30 seconds They tasted great, and were way better than I expected For the main meal, I had a sushi roll, the Peacock Roll This was one of the best sushi rolls I had probably ever had - L R
